blog

Friday Five

September 13, 2013 by Lindsay 51 Comments

Hi Friends!

After an amazing few days in Cali and a long day of travel yesterday, I’m home! I had grand intentions of having an awesome recap post ready to go for you today…but I was too ADD to write it on the plane and our Internet wasn’t working when I got home. So instead, here are five random tidbits to brighten your Friday:

1) I entered my peanut butter avocado cookies in a Hass Avocado recipe contest. Winner gets a free trip to the Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo (the annual conference for Registered Dietitians) and I’ve made it into the top 10! If you have a second to vote for me I would really appreciate it! Just CLICK HERE

2) I don’t even have these Fridge Coasters and I’m already obsessed with them! Love. Want. Need! How fun are they?!

3) This is Max. He weighs 80 pounds and is terrified of storms. My MIL found him IN the dryer the other day during a storm! Silly boy.

4) We have a summer 2013 playlist. That’s code for, we’ve pretty much been listening to the same 10 songs on repeat all summer long.

It also includes Blurred Lines, Same Love and Molly. Don’t judge 😉

5) Last night I took my most liked IG photo EVER. This is what we call stocking up on avocados. I mean, they were on sale…but still! Also, squirrel shirt for the win!

Tell me something you’re loving lately! A song, a food, a workout…let’s hear it!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Is a Calorie Just a Calorie?

September 10, 2013 by Lindsay 94 Comments

Hi Friends!

As I mentioned yesterday, I’m in California this week thanks to The Almond Board of California! After a lovely meet and greet dinner last night, we’re spending the day today listening to various presentations and learning all almonds! It’s going to be a busy few days, so I have my lovely friend Amy filling in for me here on the blog today! Amy is a fitness coach and writer at Strong Inside Out, and she tours the country teaching bootcamps to benefit suicide prevention charity. She is tackling a subject that I’m extremely passionate about as an RD…calories. More specifically, she’s arguing that a calorie is not just a calorie…and she’s making the case for REAL food, which I love! Take it away, Amy!

———————

My best advice as an RD? Eat real food. Click to read why I think this is the best advice for everyone!

Back at the beginning of my fitness journey, I had very different goals than the ones I have now.

My #1 Goal? Get skinny like a supermodel.

Having moved out to LA by myself at 19, I was a bit impressionable. I started reading magazines that told me, “It’s all about calories in, calories out!” or “Just eat less and exercise more!” So I started to focus on cutting my calories, while maintaining an exercise routine that would lead to a 1 pound deficit every week.

There was just one thing keeping me from success: my love of sugar.

I have a cuh-razy sweet tooth! I didn’t know anything about macronutrients, vitamins or minerals, but I knew that I wanted cookies! So rather than eating sweets in moderation and focusing on whole foods full of nutrients, I decided to get my calories in the form of the glorified 100-Calorie Packs of cookies and chips and more fun stuff I just didn’t want to give up.It was no wonder I started feeling faint all the time, needing nap breaks at work and feeling too shaky to complete my 30-minute elliptical workout every day. I felt like my brain was swimming in a pool of jello all the time!

I was starving my body of what it needed. I was lacking protein and healthy fat because I would have rather eaten something that resembled the baked goods I loved than risk a higher calorie count with some nuts! No matter that those artificially-sweetened substitutes didn’t taste anything like the original…

Only a few months in to my journey, I hit a plateau that didn’t budge for a solid few weeks and got so frustrated that I canned the whole thing, gaining back all the weight I’d lost… and then some. I was so angry with myself for not having the willpower to just eat fewer calories. So what if my brain was dying? The skinny girls could do it, so why couldn’t I?!

Why Processed Foods & Sugar Substitutes Can Be Detrimental To Your Weight Loss Success

Here’s the thing: artificial sweeteners found in 100-Calorie Packs or Diet versions of the sweets we love can actually be worse for you than the real S word. (Sugar, you silly!)

What happens when you eat artificial sweeteners is that your body’s insulin response launches when it tastes something sweet (just as it does when you eat sugar), but then your reward center doesn’t get the signal that real sugar sends, leaving your mind craving and craving and craving until you either go to bed miserable or binge eat to satisfy the intense yearning for sweet stuff. Additives found in those processed food items can be just as harmful if not more so! The act of processing foods often times removes most of the nutrients from the food. It can also impede our body’s ability to process any nutrients that remain thanks to added chemicals you’d be surprised to even find in food.

Want another reason to avoid the diet stuff? If you’re consuming calories without nutrients in mind, you may be setting yourself up for failure. Muscular failure. In order to recover from workouts that raise metabolism and get you that lean, toned look, you need to feed them the nutrients they need, otherwise, your body will turn catabolic and start eating itself. Say no to Zombie body. 😉

While weight loss is largely about calories in, calories out, there is a whole lot to be said for going through the process feeling energized and in control, rather than faint and constantly craving “naughty” foods.

It wasn’t until years after my weight went back up, when I was already a personal fitness trainer and had lost a bit of it, that I decided to focus on health and wellbeing instead of solely on looks. I started thinking long-term health and fitness, and what kind of example I wanted to be to my clients, blog readers, and even future child (way future… I’m not quite there yet). I filled my diet with leafy greens, lean proteins, fruits and healthy fats, and my body reacted splendidly. My energy went way up, and my body fat percentage went way down.

I went from about 24% body fat to a steady 17-18%, just be refocusing my diet on whole foods.

amybeforeandafter

The Case for Whole Foods

Here’s the down and dirty truth of the matter when it comes to weight loss: your body needs a certain amount of macronutrients, vitamins and minerals to sustain optimal function at all times.What’s the point of being skinny if you don’t even have the wherewithal to experience it? If your body can’t recover correctly or your workouts make you feel like death by the end?

Eating a whole-food diet that feeds your muscles and brain like it needs to be fed, makes the process of weight loss much easier on your body. Losing weight is a traumatic experience for your body after getting used to holding on to the excess fat. It gets rid of fat because it thinks you need the fuel; it thinks you’re dying!Take some stress off your body by making sure you get adequate nutrients through eating a varied diet of vegetables, fruits, organic meats and healthy fats. You won’t find the nutrients in processed junk that you will in whole food, and if you do, your body may not even be able to use it because of other additives.

But What About My Sweet Craving?

Unfortunately, I didn’t lose my sweet tooth when I lost the body fat, but even so, I have maintained my lower body fat percentage thanks to relaxing a little on my view of “naughty” foods. Now, I live by something called The 90% Principle. Considering that I eat about 5 meals a day including snacks, that makes for 35 meals per week. 10% of those meals (3-4) I allow myself to go off-plan and have the full-fat, full-sugar version of what I crave (or try one of Lindsay’s awesome recipes!). With this restriction-free philosophy, I’ve been able to maintain my lower body fat percentage without feeling deprived! Some people can even do it with 80% clean.

When it comes down to it, fit, healthy people think long-term instead of immediate satisfaction.

Sure, weight loss is possible with processed, fake foods, but what kind of life are you living if you’re tired, achy and only half here all the time? You deserve to live a vibrant, present life as a healthy, fit person. To do that, you need nutrients found in whole foods, not empty calories that cause nasty side effects.

Eat for life, and enjoy the ride! You are worthy of this life you’re creating!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay & Amy–

Fitness Friday 57

September 6, 2013 by Lindsay 12 Comments

Hi Friends!

It’s once again been a hot minute since I did a Fitness Friday post. Not quite sure how that happens…but rest assured that I have indeed been sweating up a storm! Here are some of the workouts I’ve done over the past few weeks:

ff 1

1. First workout back after competing at the Fit Club Summer Games! New 3RM back squat at 165#, then 13:27 for the wod with 65#
2. A sweaty one! 6:16 Rx
3. Not my favorite. 14:12 with 1 abmat for hspu – plus 3 sets of 3 push press at 105#
4. A little strength session

My happy hour

ff2

1. Open gym wod: 22:15. This is a modified version of the Lumberjack 20 workout.
2. Loved this one! Did 20# wall balls unbroken for the buyin, then 10+9 rx for the wod
3. 12:54 Rx
4. Ladder work, suicide sprints then a wod- 19:50 Rx

How I feel immediately after a workout vs. 30 minutes after 🙂

ff3

1. Saturday morning partner #wod and then a quick oly session!
2. Hotshots19 hero wod- 43:02 with 95# cleans and strict pullups with the smallest band
3. Holy hard workout. Rope climbs and 175# DLs, then the wod – 22:17 Rx
4. Repeated #crossfit open 13.1- five months ago I got 107 reps and spent 11 minutes struggling to get 7 snatches at 75#. This time I finished all 30 reps at 75# + 20 more burpees with 1:45 left in the workout! 150 total reps! Now I just gotta work on that 100# snatch. CRUSHED IT!

Fun with photo editing apps 🙂

Ok friends, that’s all!

Let’s chat:

What’s the best workout you’ve done lately? Leave me a link!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Homemade Corn Tortillas and Tortilla Chips

September 3, 2013 by Lindsay 85 Comments

Need a tortilla recipe? Skip the store bought! With just a few ingredients you can make your own homemade corn tortillas and tortilla chips!

Hi Friends!

Ask and you shall receive! I got several requests for a recipe for Homemade Corn Tortillas after I posted my recipe for Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas. It took a few weeks, but I finally got my act together and headed to the kitchen to give it a shot. The good news is, it’s pretty darn easy.

Homemade Tortilla Chips and Tortillas

Skip the store bought! With just a few ingredients you can make your own homemade corn tortillas and tortilla chips!

All you really need is some masa harina (corn flour), hot water and a bit of salt. I got my masa harina in the Mexican section of my grocery store and all they had was white corn flour, so that ‘s what I used…but this could easily be done with yellow as well. Similar to my whole wheat tortillas, it’s a learning process to make these at home. At first, I didn’t use quite enough water so they were a little dry, but the flavor was great… so I made another batch and added just a bit more water.

I won’t lie, corn tortillas are a bit more delicate than flour. You have to be gentle and patient. The edges will not be perfect, they might rip a little bit, and that’s all okay!

How To Make Tortilla Chips From Scratch

Here’s the recipe:

I actually tried to buy a tortilla press this weekend, but after not being able to find one in stores, hubby got a little creative and found that standing on a plate works just as well 🙂

Like I said, it’s a simple process. Just add the water to the masa harina and salt. Then form the mixture into a ball, let it sit, divide and roll into balls, flatten and cook!

corntortillas

The texture of the dough is kind of like playdough. When it first starts to form a ball, you may need to add a bit more water to get the desired playdough texture. If the ball shows cracks as you form it, add a bit more water.

This recipe makes 8 small tortillas (about 5 inches). It can easily be doubled, which I would recommend if you’re going to go through the trouble of making the tortillas.

Skip the store bought! With just a few ingredients you can make your own homemade corn tortillas and tortilla chips!

If you don’t think you’ll eat 16 tortillas, let me show you how to make homemade tortilla chips!

Just cut the tortillas into triangles, spray with a bit of olive olive and sprinkle with a little bit of salt.

Skip the store bought! With just a few ingredients you can make your own homemade corn tortillas and tortilla chips!

Bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes and voila!

Skip the store bought! With just a few ingredients you can make your own homemade corn tortillas and tortilla chips!

That’s all there is to it!

[Tweet “You’re just 3 ingredients away from these homemade corn tortillas (and chips) from @leangrnbeanblog!”]

Try adding a batch of these tortillas or chips to your weekly food prep session to make dinner easier. If you liked this post, you’ll love my ebook – The Ultimate Guide To Food Prep. It dives into even more detail about how to food prep, troubleshoots common problems and provides tons of tips to make it easier! Click the image below for more details!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

August Foodie Penpals Reveal Day

August 30, 2013 by Lindsay 19 Comments

Hi Friends!

Time for another Foodie Penpals Reveal Day!

fpp

This month, I received my box from Laura at Catching My Breath! Look at all the goodies she sent me:

fpp1

Let’s break it down shall we:

1. Farro: one of my favorite grains!!
2. Muesli Fusion: I got to try this stuff at Blend Retreat and it’s fabulous!
3. I heart keenwah: A fun new snack I hadn’t tried before
4. Risotto and Dirty rice from a local business- so fun!
5. Chocolate: enough said 🙂

Thanks Laura for a fabulous box! I love it!!

augFPP

And now it’s time for some details about Foodie Penpals. In case you’re a new reader, here’s a reminder of what the program is all about:

-On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!
-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.
-Foodie Penplas is open to US, Canadian & European residents. Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. Same with Europeans. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa.

If you’re from the US or Canada and are in participating for September, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions.

You must submit your information by September 4th as pairings will be emailed on September 5th!

——————

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Doing More AND Less Thanks to Technology

August 27, 2013 by Lindsay 88 Comments

Hi Friends!

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about technology and just how much it impacts my life.

I will be the first to tell you that I’m addicted to technology. More often than not, this is how you’ll find me during the day…at my computer with my iphone within arm’s reach.

And when I do break away from my computer, you can usually find me like this:

No matter what I’m doing, my phone is never far away. In fact, I send myself into full-on panic mode if I can’t find it. When I think about it, it’s a bit ridiculous. I’m old enough to have lived almost half my life without a cellphone, as well as a good portion without a computer. In today’s world, the thought of living without even one of those is almost unthinkable.

But here’s the thing: Without technology, I wouldn’t be able to do what I’m doing today.

lgbrd

I run my own business, with nothing more than my computer and my cellphone. I’m able to counsel The Lean Green Bean RD clients without need to be physically near them. I can help people develop healthy habits, plan menus, lose weight, learn how to meal prep no matter where they are. (Side note: If you or anyone you know needs help with any of those things, email me! I’d love to help.)

My office is my kitchen table. Technology allows me to work flexible hours. It allows me to work when I’m not at home or “in my office”. It allows my clients to get ahold of me quickly, no matter what day of the week it is or time of day it is.

myfitnesspal

Thanks to technology, I can log in to a website and see everything my clients have eaten in the past few days and give them feedback.

It also allows me to work remotely for another RD. I can get all of my assignments, projects and instructions via phone and email, complete the work and send it instantaneously for edits and approval.

Technology has opened me up to the blog world, which has changed my life.

I can write a blog post in Ohio and people all over the world can read it as soon as I hit publish. I can send a tweet and thousands of people can see it. I can even use websites like Buffer to schedule tweets in advance. Essentially, technology is tweeting for me even when I am not able to. I can take a photo in terrible, dark lighting and use PicMonkey on my computer or Snapseed & Instagram on my phone to make it look pretty:

Going beyond work, technology keeps me connected to loved ones. I haven’t lived in the same state as my extended family since I was 8 years old. I haven’t permanently lived in the same state as my immediate family members in 10 years, but technology makes it easy to keep in touch. Although I’m hundreds of miles away from many of my family and friends, they’re never more than a call, text or email away.

I can use Facebook and Twitter to keep up with things that are happening in their daily lives. I can Facetime with my hubby when he goes out of town on business trips. I can even track my friends running races to see where they are on a race course in real time.

When you think about it, technology is downright amazing. I am doing so much MORE because of technology…

….but I’m also doing LESS. And that’s not necessarily a good thing.

Alysa shared this video in one of her recent blog posts and it hits close to home for me, as I’m sure it does for a lot of people.

Look familiar? Thanks to technology, I’m doing less of the things I used to do when I was little. As much as I try to avoid it, this is often the scene from BOTH of us when we’re out to eat:

As a country:

We’re doing less talking and more texting.
We’re doing less reading and more watching tv.
We’re doing less exercising and more sitting.
We’re doing less sleeping and more work on our phones and computers.
We’re doing less mindful eating and more mindless eating in front of the tv.
We’re doing LESS DISCONNECTING…

All thanks to technology.

When people ask my opinion about all of the advances in technology …I find myself torn in my response.

I wouldn’t be able to do what I do today without the technology we have now. I wouldn’t be able to stay as connected to those far away. I wouldn’t have met all the wonderful friends I’ve made through blogging. I’m eternally grateful for everything that technology allows me to do…. But I also think that the technology we have now almost makes it too easy to be connected all the time…and sometimes that means we miss out on LIFE because we’re too worried about work, email, social media or documenting life.

So what does this all mean?

I’m not really sure. There’s no right answer here. This is just a reminder…to myself…and to all of you…that we should all be striving to find a balance between technology and life.

Enjoy technology and all of the amazing things it can do for you…but don’t forget to LIVE LIFE as well!

Go for a drive with the windows down and the radio blasting.

Send someone a package via snail mail
(please don’t mail your cat)

Read a book.

Do a project.

Get some exercise.

Enjoy some technology-free time together.

Then go check your email.

Because it’s all about balance, right?

Let’s chat:

How does technology help you do more?
Does it also cause you to do less?

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

PS. Interesting side note: I wrote this post yesterday afternoon. Last night we had friends over for dinner and I made an effort to use my phone less. I took it to the table to take a picture of my dinner and then planned on putting it away. But you know what? Because I was making an effort to be more focused and present, I legitimately forgot to take a picture of my dinner for the first time in ages!

I enjoy sharing photos of my meals with you guys and I’ll continue to do so…I’m just saying maybe it’s not such a bad thing to take the picture and then put the phone away for the rest of the meal 🙂

Best of the Bean: Year 3

August 23, 2013 by Lindsay 74 Comments

Hi Friends!

Hold on to your party hats! Today we’re celebrating my third year of blogging. I cannot believe it’s been that long! Blogging has, quite literally, changed my life and I’m so thankful every day for those people (namely my hubby) who bugged me about started a blog back then.

bestofthebean

To celebrate, I rounded up the best posts from the past year to share with you guys! Here you go:

Breakfasts

breakfast

Cranberry Sweet Potato Cottage Cheese Muffins
Lentil Banana Muffins
Quinoa Breakfast Bars
90 Second Breakfast Sandwich
Cottage Cheese Egg Muffins
Salmon Breakfast Quesadillas

Snacks

snacks

Baked Apple Chips
Frozen Yogurt Trail Mix Bars
Perfectly Roasted Chickpeas
Healthy Microwave Popcorn
Sweet Potato Banana Bites
Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas

Meatless Main Dishes

meatless

Crockpot Lentil Vegetable Lasagna
Mexican Quinoa Bites
Hot Mexican Layer Dip
Sweet Potato Quinoa Black Bean Burgers w/ Cranberries
Cheesy Mexican Quinoa
Crockpot Roasted Vegetable Sauce
Black Bean Meatless Meatballs
Lasagna Soup
Greek Black Bean Burgers
Asian Black Bean Burgers
Crockpot Enchilada Casserole
Chili Stuffed Peppers

Main Dishes with Meat

meat

Chicken Tortilla Soup
Asian Lettuce Wraps
Bacon Wrapped Chicken w/ Goat Cheese
Crockpot Rotisserie Chicken

Seafood

seafood

Teriyaki Salmon w/ Pineapple Black Bean Salsa
Pecan Crusted Salmon
Salmon Quinoa Salad
Tuna Salad with Avocado

Desserts

dessert

Baked Apple Packets
Healthy Ice Cream Sandwiches
Peanut Butter Avocado Cookies
Sweet Potato Brownies
Microwave Sweet Potato Muffin

Healthy Eating Tips & Roundups

howto

50 Packable Lunch Ideas
3 Ways to Cook Spaghetti Squash
Weekend Food Prep For Easy Weekday Meals
How to Prep Food On the Weekend
What’s In My Grocery Cart
Smart Snacking
5 Quick Healthy Breakfast Ideas
10 More Healthy Breakfast Ideas
How to Hard Boil Eggs in the Oven
How to Sprout Lentils
5 Frozen Summer Snack Ideas
How to Cook & Freeze Beans

Fitness

fitness

What is Crossfit
Things Crossfit Has Taught Me
My First Crossfit Competition

What’s Beautiful: Strength
Strength is What’s Beautiful
What Makes Strength Beautiful

DIY Workout Tanktop

Other

other

Things Blogging Has Taught Me- Part 2

Blog Smarter Twitter Chat Recap
Blog Smarter Twitter Chat Recap 2
Blog Smarter Twitter Chat Recap 3
Registered Dietitians Who Blog

11 Healthy Living Tips
A Day in the Life & Nobody’s Perfect
My Diet Doesn’t Need A Label
My Body Doesn’t Make Me Beautiful

———-

To everyone who reads this blog, I just want to say thank you! Whether it’s your first time here, you just read it occasionally or you read every single post…The Lean Green Bean wouldn’t be the same without you. Thanks for reading, commenting, sharing and appreciating my posts. Special thanks to my hubby who has been my biggest fan since day 1. I love you all!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

My First Crossfit Competition

August 20, 2013 by Lindsay 115 Comments

Hi Friends!

As promised, I’m back with a recap of my first Crossfit competition! On Saturday, I competed in the Fit Club Summer Games.

my first crossfit competition

There was an Elite division with about 10 women and 20 men and an Open division. I competed in the Women’s Open division and finished 17th out of 76 competitors!

They told us a little bit about the first WOD on Friday, but we didn’t find out about the other WODS until about an hour before we did them.

Here’s how it went down. We carpooled with some friends of ours (There were about 15 of us competing from my gym) and arrived around 7:30. We unloaded our car, set up our tent, etc.

There was an athlete’s meeting at 8:15 where they gave us the details of the first WOD and then we had some stretch and get ready before the heats started at 9. They had guys and girls heats running simultaneously during the events. The Elite heats went first, then the Open heats.

Wod #1:

2 min AMRAP squats.
1200 m run

For the open division the weight was 165# for the guys/ 105# for the girls. You could do any kind of squat you wanted (back, front, overhead). 99% of us chose to clean the bar up, put it over our head and do back squats with the bar resting on our shoulders. There were 1-2 girls that did front squats but that’s about it. Luckily, 105# is not that heavy for me so I was able to get it on my back no problem. I did 34 squats in 2 min. Looking back, I probably could have gotten a few more, but I was focusing on making sure I went down low enough each time so I wouldn’t get no-repped and waste a rep. I tend to squat REALLY low anyways and I never really have to worry about it….so I probably should have focused on going a little faster, but oh well.

*Photo note: I’m one of those people that always looks absolutely miserable while working out. Some people look like they’re having fun…I usually look like I’m about to die 🙂

I wore my running shoes for this wod instead of my nanos because they didn’t tell us how far the run was ahead of time. Since I get shin splints easily, I didn’t want to be running a long way in my nanos. After the squats you had 2 minutes to walk across the road to the starting line of the run. We had to run out 600m, pick up a brick and run back carrying the brick.

The run was hard after doing all of those squats. The brick wasn’t heavy, but it had sharp edges and was just kind of annoying to carry. I finished the run in 6:27.

The second WOD took place in a field and involved dumbbells. Open guys used 35# dbs, girls used 25# dbs.

Wod #2:

10 DB Deadlift Burpees
Walk/run 50 yards
10 DB Hang Squat Cleans
Walk/run 50 yards
20 DB Push Press
Turn around
Walk/run 50 yards
10 DB Hang Squat Cleans
Walk/run 50 yards
10 DB Deadlift Burpees

Here’s a little interview with hubby where he shares his thoughts on how he thought I’d do with this WOD:

The deadlift burpees were by far the easiest part of this wod. The hang squat cleans were hard because our legs were already tired. Mine ended up being more of a db clean and then squat.

The push presses were hard as well because I’m used to doing them with a bar, not with dumbbells.

The hardest part was probably just carrying the dbs. They were heavy and awkward and I was definitely feeling the burn in my forearms. I tried resting them on my shoulders as I ran/walked to the next marker but they were bouncing around so I gave up and ended up just kind of lumbering along. I started off kinda slow on this event but once I did the push presses and turned around and came back for round 2 of hang squat cleans I made up a lot of ground.

I finished this WOD in 4:40.

Here’s a video of me doing WOD 2.

After WOD 2 we had about a 2 hour break. They made the announcement about what the final WOD was going to be and then we had a while to just sit around and think about how awful it was going to be!

And we were right. It was terrible.

WOD #3

5 min AMRAP of Fran
5 min break
5 min 115# sled pull

If you know anything about Crossfit, you’ve probably heard of Fran. It’s a benchmark workout: 21-15-9 reps of thrusters and pullups. A thruster is basically a front squat straight up into a push press. Fran is hard on a good day when you have fresh legs. It’s pretty much the worst when you’ve already done two other WODs already. The elite athletes can do Fran in 2-3 minutes so many of them got through the whole WOD and then started over at 21 again since they were still under the 5 minute timecap. My Fran PR is 6:40…so I knew going into it that I wasn’t going to finish in 5 minutes.

I finished 21 thrusters, 21 pullups, 15 thrusters and 15 pullups before the time ran out. What’s crazy is, that I’m pretty sure I could have PR’d my Fran time if we’d had to just do Fran without a time cap. It probably would have taken me less than 1:40 to do that last round of 9 thrusters and pullups…but I was happy to be able to stop at 5 minutes!

Here’s the video. I did my set of 21 thrusters unbroken for the first time ever. Usually I split it up into 11 and 10. My hands were way too close together on the pullups….which usually happens when I’m tired and stop thinking about it. During the 21 pullups I was able to string 5-6 together at a time. Not so much on the round of 15. When I get out of breath, I can’t string more that 2-3 pullups together.

After Fran, we had 5 minutes to walk down the hill and back to the field to do a 5 minute sled pull.

I’d never actually done a sled pull before. Turns out I kinda like them. I don’t, however, like them after Fran and two other wods. That combination was one of the hardest things ever.

We got points for every flag we passed. I made it down to the other end of the field, turned around and came back and then went about 1/2 way back again. I think I got 66 points. I was exhausted by the end!

Our car decided to not stay for the finals. The top 10 men and women in the open division made it to the finals. Going into WOD 3 I was in 34th place so I knew I didn’t to well enough to make it into the top 10….plus we were hot, sweaty, tired and ready for a shower so we packed up and headed home.

Overall it was a fun competition! I’m glad I did it, even though I was nervous. Big thanks to the hubby for cheering me on all day and taking all the amazing pictures and videos! He’s the best and he captured lots of great pics and videos of me and our friends!

I woke up Sunday feeling much sorer in my upper body than I expected. My legs got a bit sorer as the day went on, but even by Monday they were still feeling better than expected, so that was good!

A few other things to note:

Food:

We packed a giant cooler with our friends and filled it with food and water for the 4 of us. We brought:

Chicken
Tortillas
Avocado
Fruit- strawberries, grapes, apples, bananas
Bread
Peanut butter
PB Banana cookies
Jerky
Quinoa breakfast bars
Water

My best advice is to bring stuff you know you’ll want to eat. You know your body and how you feel after workouts. If you think you’ll have trouble eating, consider bringing some protein powder or pre-made smoothies you can drink. I opted for most fruit and breakfast bars until our large break and then I ate some chicken and a pb sandwich.

Equipment:
I packed a TON of stuff…and didn’t end up needing all of it….but I was glad I had it to be prepared. Depending on the competition, you might need more or less stuff. I brought:

Extra shorts
Extra tank tops
Extra sports bra
Oly Shoes
Nanos
Running shoes
Flip flops
Compression sleeves
Wrist wraps
Weight belt
Jump Ropes
Tape
Change of clothes for afterwards
Long sleeve shirt

Other stuff to consider

Blanket
Chairs to sit in
Tent/canopy (our friend brought one and it was great to have shade)
Cooler
Warm-up equipment: foam roller, lacrosse ball, bands, pvc pipes
Extra hair ties!

I ended up staying in the same clothes all day, but if I had gotten any sweatier, I probably would have changed between wods and would have been very glad to have the extra clothes!

That’s all I’ve got 🙂

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Fitness Friday 56

August 16, 2013 by Lindsay 26 Comments

Hi Friends!

Just popping in with a quick Fitness Friday update for you! Here are some of my workouts from the past couple of weeks:

ff 2

1. Grace is one of my favorite crossfit benchmarks. A couple months ago I did it with the RX weight for the first time and did it in 5:08. This time I was determined to do it in under 5 minutes and I did. 4:34 Rx. New PR and it just about killed me!
2. Saturday open gym WOD- 23:31 with a 35# kb and a 24 inch box
3. Did a little bonus wod with hubby afterwards- 7:48 for me. He did it in 7:32 with weighted stepups instead of box jumps.
4. This was a good one. Hit a 115# push press PR and then finished the WOD in 17:16. My legs were definitely feeling the burn on that last row.

ff 3

1. My friend Scott & I tackled this hero wod. It was rough. I finished in 20:05 and used 105# for the front squats and jerks and 155# for the deadlifts.
2. Another super tough one. Finished in 34:50 with only 90 sec rest between rounds instead of 3 min.
3. Another saturday wod- 11:36 rx
4. Sunday morning Sealfit class! Finished 5 rounds + 14 reps of round 6

ff 4

1. Sweaty mess after this one! 4×8 one and a quarter back squats at 115#, 11:54 rx for the first wod and 2:12 for the second
2. Finished this one in 10:20. I subbed v-ups for toes to bar because I didn’t want my hands to rip…

And here’s why:

I’m competing in my first Crossfit competition this weekend! Quite honestly, I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I signed up. First of all, it’s a bigger comp than I thought it was. There are two divisions- Elite & Open. The Elite group is about 10 women and 20 men. Then there are about 65 women and 80 men in the Open division, which is what I’m doing. Second of all, you don’t find out the WODs until the morning before…which is this morning…so I’ll try to update this post after they announce them!

I’m going in with absolutely no expectations and just kinda hoping I can do all the movements in the WODS 🙂 I guess we’ll see! All in all, it should be fun. A lot of my friends are competing as well and it’s a local competition so we don’t have to stress about travel or anything. I’ll let you guys know how it goes!

Have a great weekend, friends!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Chicken Tortilla Soup

August 15, 2013 by Lindsay 50 Comments

Hi Friends!

First things first…if you’re stopping by thanks to Julie’s blog post yesterday…HI! Glad you’re here 🙂

Now, let’s talk about this Chicken Tortilla Soup! I don’t know about where you are, but here in Ohio the weather is doing some crazy things! And by weird I mean when I woke up yesterday it was 53 degrees and it didn’t get above 72 for the entire day. In AUGUST. Say whaaaa?! Anyways, I’m not complaining. In fact, I celebrated by making some soup!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

This Chicken Tortilla Soup is packed with veggies, beans and chicken and makes a healthy, flavorful lunch or dinner option.

Let me just take a second to apologize that I haven’t gotten out my real camera to take a picture in approximately 20 years. I’m just lazy. So, phone pics it is! Anyways, back to the soup. I had some leftover chicken and black beans in the fridge, which immediately made me think of tortilla soup. I made it a bit non-traditional by adding some extra veggies…but the more the better in my book!

Here’s the recipe:

The thing I love about soup is that it’s super forgiving. You don’t really ever have to follow a soup recipe exactly…and 95% of the time it still turns out great. So modify away, my friends! Don’t like one of those veggies? Leave it out or add a different one.

This Chicken Tortilla Soup is packed with veggies, beans and chicken and makes a healthy, flavorful lunch or dinner option.

This batch wasn’t quite spicy enough for me. I only used one jalapeno so next time I’ll probably use 2 and bump up the other spices a little bit as well. Serve over quinoa for an added protein boost and add a side salad to make a complete meal!

Let’s chat!
What’s your favorite kind of soup?

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Microwave Sweet Potato Muffin

August 13, 2013 by Lindsay 95 Comments

Hi Friends!

I have a delicious recipe to share with you guys today! A microwave sweet potato muffin recipe to be exact.

You're just 5 minutes away from an easy Sweet Potato Microwave Muffin that's perfect for breakfast or dessert!

That’s right…I finally had some success with the microwave muffin/mug cake. I consider this more of a muffin than a cake, but as you can see, I’ve been enjoying it for both a pre-workout snack and dessert….so take your pick!

Here’s the recipe:

I’ve found it easiest to just microwave a whole sweet potato and then just scoop out a few tablespoons every time you want to make one!

If you’re having it for dessert, top it with a scoop of ice cream 🙂

You're just 5 minutes away from an easy Sweet Potato Microwave Muffin that's perfect for breakfast or dessert!

You can also make this in a small mason jar, which works out great when you add the ice cream. I rarely take the time to take it out of the ramekin or jar like I did for the photo above so don’t be fooled!

I haven’t tried it, but I would assume this could easily be make vegan by using almond or soy milk and probably gluten-free by using a GF flour…but you’ll have to do your own experimenting for that one.

Let’s chat: Are you a fan of microwave muffins/cakes?

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Asian Lettuce Wraps

August 8, 2013 by Lindsay 31 Comments

These Asian Lettuce Wraps make a healthy dinner option that’s packed with protein from quinoa and pork. They’re full of flavor and fun to eat!

Hi Friends!

Just popping in to share a quick, easy recipe with you guys.

These Asian Lettuce Wraps are so good that I’ve made them twice this week! Once on a whim, and then again with measurements so I could share them with you guys! Packed with protein and the perfect way to use up some summer veggies, they’re a cinch to prepare and you could easily double the recipes to have leftovers for lunch the next day!

Here’s the recipe:

So easy, right? For my veggies I used zucchini, summer squash, and red peppers. You can mix it up based on what you like, though! I chopped them fairly small so they would cook quickly. For the pork, I used some crockpot pulled pork and just chopped it up. You could also use leftover pork tenderloin or pork chops. My store was out of Bibb lettuce so I used Boston and it worked quite well.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Asian Lettuce Wraps from @leangrnbeanblog are fun to eat and packed with protein!” quote=”Asian Lettuce Wraps from @leangrnbeanblog are fun to eat and packed with protein!”]

Happy Eating!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Recipe Remix: Bacon Wrapped Chicken Stuffed with Goat Cheese

August 6, 2013 by Lindsay 23 Comments

Hi Friends!

I’ve got a quick & easy recipe to share with you today! Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Stuffed with Goat Cheese & Asparagus.

This Bacon Wrapped Chicken looks fancy but couldn't be easier to make. Stuffed with goat cheese and asparagus it's sure to be a hit!

If you’ve been reading The Bean for a while now…and by that I mean like over 2 years…you may remember when I posted this Goat Cheese, Spinach & Bacon Stuffed Chicken. Hubby said it was the best chicken he’d ever had. And it was delicious.

This is just a fun little spin on that recipe, which mostly came about because I was lazy. I didn’t feel like cooking the bacon first, so instead of chopping it up and stuffing it inside, I just wrapped it around the outside. I didn’t have any spinach, so I just chopped up some asparagus and used that instead.

The end result was still delicious. Make either this version or the original and you’ll be happy!

Here’s the recipe for this version:

Pretty simple right? Sorry I wasn’t in the mood to get some nice photos for you. Just trust me when I say this is great for serving at dinner parties because it’s super easy to make, but looks semi-fancy!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

July Foodie Penpals Reveal Day

July 31, 2013 by Lindsay 13 Comments

Hi Friends!

Time for another Foodie Penpals Reveal Day.

FPP-post

This month I was lucky enough to receive my package from Kerry at The Adventures of Z & K. She is the absolute sweetest and hooked me up with some delicious treats!

Here’s what she sent me:

World’s cutest package. It was so colorful and she tied everything up with cute little ribbons and attached hand-written notes. I loved it!

Here are all the goodies!

fppjuly

Cookies from her local farmer’s market- SO GOOD!
Homemade spelt bread- LOVED IT!
Candied ginger- I added it to my trailmix like she suggested. New fav!
Gone Nuts- I love trying new products. Saving this to top my yogurt sometime soon!
Old Bay- One of my fav seasonings 🙂

Thank you SO MUCH Kerry!

————

And now it’s time for some details about Foodie Penpals. In case you’re a new reader, here’s a reminder of what the program is all about:

If you’re from the US or Canada and are in participating for August, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions.

You must submit your information by August 4th as pairings will be emailed on August 5th!

*If you’re from Europe, please CLICK HERE to signup.

——————

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

6 Healthy Habits You Should Start Today

July 30, 2013 by Lindsay 84 Comments

Hi Friends!

Today we’re talking simple healthy habits with the lovely Alysia from Slim Sanity. It’s hard to remember exactly but I think Alysia and I met through Foodie Penpals. She’s been a wonderful supporter of my blog over the past couple of years and she has an amazing blog of her own that you should definitely go check out.

Take it away Alysia!

———–

What comes to mind when you think of habits? I often think of bad habits like nail biting, being late or playing with your hair. The definition of a habit is ‘a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up.’
Why does it seem as if the habits that are hard to give up are bad? I know changing any habit is hard, whether it be ridding a bad habit or adding a good habit. There are plenty of good habits we can all start putting into practice. If we try hard enough, maybe they’ll stick! Here are seven healthy habits that I try to keep up with.

Ready to start getting healthier but not sure where to start? Here are 6 Healthy Habits You Should Start Today!

1. Turn off your phone. This is a hard one for me as a blogger. I’m constantly reading other blogs, connecting with people, and checking e-mail. Time spent with family, having personal time, or just down time in general is a lot more relaxing when we aren’t staring into the blinding light of social media. I try to turn mine off at night, or leave it at home when we go for a walk. It’s also good to keep your device from malfunctioning!

2. Walk on your lunch break. I was really great at this one for a long time, and I found myself getting busy (or lazy, perhaps) and they slipped from my normal routine. I’m getting better at them again now. I’ll go for a 20-30 minute walk over my lunch break. It’s pretty easy to do since I pack my own lunch. I don’t drive anywhere for food and I get a little more free time. Depending on the weather, I’ll walk outside or around the halls of my buildings at school!

3. Floss daily. I get this one checked off the list about 3 times a week. That’s also due to laziness (maybe we have a theme going on here?).

4. Make more smoothies. Making a protein shake or smoothie is an easy way to add more fruits and veggies into your diet! I promise you, you can’t really taste the spinach in a green smoothie when you add some fruit to it!

5. Foam roll. I still haven’t purchased one of my own, but I’ll use a foam roller when I go to the gym. It’s a great way to loosen up your muscles. It’s really quite relaxing once you’re done. For those with IT band issues, it’s a great tool!

6. Be social. It’s easy to get caught up with work and routines and be too tired during the week to catch up with friends. Choose a night to routinely get together. Just because you are trying to eat healthy doesn’t mean you need to avoid parties and happy hours. If that is the case for you, set limits for yourself and stick to them. Go on date nights with your significant other. Quality time is so important! We have a few select places where we can go to catch a cheap bite to eat and a drink during the week. Having fun and enjoying time with friends and loved ones is necessary for your mental health, which is just as important as your physical health.

————

I love her tips because they cover all aspects of healthy living, not just food! Huge thanks to Alysia for filling in for me today!

Let’s chat:
What’s one healthy habit you will start working on this week?

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Chunky Monkey Paleo Cookies

July 25, 2013 by Lindsay 40 Comments

Hi Friends!

Today seems like a good day for a treat doesn’t it? Well you’re in luck. Allow me to introduce you to Taylor from Taylor Made It Paleo. She’s a fellow Columbus tall girl and although we haven’t met in person *YET*, we’ve bonded over our love of Crossfit, the Buckeyes, froyo and delicious food. I don’t care whether you eat paleo or not (I clearly don’t), you should be following this girl’s blog. She’s an instagram phenom and she makes the most DELICIOUS food in the kitchen- like this chocolate coconut cashew butter, or these almond butter cookie dough truffles or these walnut raisin cinnamon rolls! Plus she is hilarious. Like I literally laugh out loud in my kitchen when I read her posts.

Go check out her blog, then come back to read more about these delicious cookies she’s sharing with you guys!

These Chunky Monkey Paleo Cookies are packed with delicious mix-ins and the perfect evening treat!

Hey Bean readers! Taylor here from Taylor Made It Paleo. I’m so excited to be doing a guest post for Lindsay while she’s out at the CrossFit Games. And also extremely jealous of her. It will be almost the same watching them on TV from my living room, right? I thought so.

So from the name of my blog, some of you may have guessed that I eat paleo (a diet based on meat, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, and healthy fats without grains, dairy, legumes, and refined sugars). If you did, you are right. I do eat paleo. Most of the time. But I also eat frozen yogurt. And I also love making naughty-looking treats from paleo ingredients, which some people frown upon. But I am a full on supporter of paleo goodies. So if that doesn’t make me a real “cavegirl,” then I’m okay with that. But it’s what works for me.

I started eating this way about a year ago. I’ve been a type 1 diabetic since I was ten years old (I’m now 21), and my blood sugars are the best they’ve ever been since going paleo, and I feel great. That’s why I do it. I’ve done Whole30s (30 days of extremely strict paleo with no “cheating” and definitely no paleo goodies) and other strict forms of the diet, which I by no means discourage anyone from trying. But, I’m glad that I have recently found more of a balance, and created a style of paleo that works for me. That’s the great thing about it. You can make your own version. And my version just so happens to include dessert.

Which is where these cookies come in. Now, I get it. You’re probably thinking paleo cookies?! What are they going to taste like? Cardboard and vegetables? Stop that. I promise after you try them, you will be shocked and won’t even believe they are paleo at all. Actually, you’ll probably be so impressed that it will make you want to become a caveman yourself. Okay, I may have taken that too far. But I can promise you there is no hint of cardboard or vegetables in these babies.

Chunky Monkey Paleo Cookies

These Chunky Monkey Paleo Cookies are packed with delicious mix-ins and the perfect evening treat!

Delicious right?! Huge thanks to Taylor for sharing. I cannot wait to make these. Plus, I heard that even her dad liked them…and he usually runs away from Paleo goodies!

Let’s chat:
Cookies or cake? Which do you prefer?

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

French Toast Oat Muffins

July 23, 2013 by Lindsay 35 Comments

Hi Friends!

Today we’re kicking off a series of guest posts over here on The Bean while I take a little break. Not to worry though, I’ve left you in good hands! I’ve got some of my very favorite bloggers filling in for me. My hope is that you’ll love the posts they’ve written as much as I do and find a few fun new blogs to follow!

First up is Morganne from NutButter Runner. Morganne and I have connected on Twitter over the past few months and she’s become one of my blog’s biggest supporters. In turn, I’ve come to love her blog as well. She is a Sunday Food Prep rockstar, always sending me amazing submissions for my Sunday series! Plus, she a rockstar runner and she’s amazing in the kitchen. She’s always whipping up delicious recipes like Lentil Almond Burgers and we share a love of dillas- like this Garden Baked Turkey Dilla. Plus she puts together great workouts- like this Tank Top Arms circuit to share with her readers. Go check out her blog!

Today she’s sharing a fabulous recipe with all of you. I didn’t even tell her that french toast is my favorite 🙂 She just knows the way to my heart!

—————

Hi Lean Green Bean readers! I’m Morganne and blog at NutButterRunner. As a long-time reader of Lindsay’s blog, I was so excited when she asked if I would write a post while she is away this week. How fun is it that she gets to spend a week in California doing something she loves surrounded by amazing people?

To share a little information about me, my blog is mainly focused on food and fitness, with my number one loves being nut butter and running (hence the name…clever, right?). I’m a big fan of Sunday food prep and love Lindsay’s posts regarding the topic. I thought it would be fun to share an easy recipe that you could make ahead of time for the week that is a great healthy breakfast!

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

30 mins

Like portable portions of French toast, these muffins are surprisingly nutritious. Add your favorite mix-ins or toppings and the possibilities are endless. Pass the syrup, please!

Author: Morganne

Serves: 9

Ingredients

1 cup Old Fashioned Oats
½ cup Milk of choice (I used almond)
¾ cup Liquid Egg Whites (equivalent to 4 large egg whites)
1 tsp Nutmeg
2 tsp Cinnamon
3 tsp Vanilla Extract
Mix-ins/toppings of choice

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a muffin tin by spraying it with nonstick cooking spray.
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
Bake for 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

I stored these in the refrigerator and ended up having some cold, which was the perfect snack! I also enjoyed these warmed in the microwave for 45 seconds or you could rewarm them in an oven or toaster!

What I love is that they can easily be personalized to include any of your favorite mix-ins and toppings. I made one large batch, with different toppings on each. The first kind I made was with chocolate chips mixed in and chocolate shavings on top.I also made some with mixed berries.

And lastly I left some plain for those mornings that I may want something different! I topped these with nuts, but you could also do any fruit (fresh or frozen), nut butter, syrup, honey, etc.

Breakfast just happens to be my favorite meal of the day, but the mornings can quickly become hectic around our house. I love having versatile options on hand for the week; it certainly makes life a little easier! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we have!

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to email me at NutButterRunner(at)gmail(dot)com. You can also find me on twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest @NutButterRunner.

————

Huge thanks to Morganne for sharing this recipe today!

Let’s chat:
Are you a french toast, pancake or waffle kinda person?

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

5 Frozen Summer Snack Ideas

July 18, 2013 by Lindsay 31 Comments

Hi Friends!

I don’t know about where you are, but it is HOT here in Ohio. After a couple weeks of nothing but rain, the summer heat has kicked into full gear and it’s brutal.

So, I thought I’d round up a few of my favorite frozen summer snack ideas. These are things I usually have stashed in my freezer to help cool things down on a hot day:

Frozen Yogurt Trail Mix Bars

This is one of the most popular recipes on my blog! They’re super easy to make, but if you want to make things even easier, go with Fro Yo Bites like I usually do. Mix the ingredients the same way, then scoop into ice cube trays and freeze. Store in an airtight container or ziploc bag in the freezer. I make a batch of these pretty much every week! Dip them in chocolate if you’re feeling fancy, but I usually just throw a handle of chocolate chips into the mix and call it a day.

If you want even less work, open up a six oz container of greek yogurt, add a handful of granola, a few nuts and some berries, stir it up and stick it in the freezer. Eat as it thaws!

Nut Butter Banana Bites

Slice a banana, spread some of your favorite nut butter on one slice, top with a second slice and freeze. Store in an airtight container in the freezer!

Energy Balls

Combine 2 cups chopped, pitted dates, 1 1/2 cups almonds and 1/2 cup nut butter in a food processor and process until well combined. Dump the mixture onto a piece of saran wrap and squeeze tightly into a large ball. Freeze for 20 minutes, then remove and form the dough into about 30 bite-sized balls. Store in the freezer for an extra cold treat (or keep them in the fridge!).

If you want to get fancy, make some Healthy Ice Cream Sandwiches!

Frozen Fruit

Grapes are my personal favorite. If you want to expend a little more energy, stick some frozen banana chunks in the food processor with a strawberry or two and voila! “Fro yo”

A few chocolate chips don’t hurt either!

Just remember if you’re having frozen fruit as a snack to pair it with a protein source. Add some nut butter to your banana fro yo or enjoy your frozen grapes with a cheese stick or a couple of hard boiled eggs!

Smoothie Pops

Invest in a few popsicle molds from the dollar store, especially if you have kids (or are a kid at heart, like me!). Whip up a smoothie- make sure to add some sort of protein like greek yogurt…and bonus points if you throw some spinach or kale in there…

Pour into popsicle molds…freeze & enjoy!

Let’s chat!

Do you have a favorite frozen snack?
Tell me about it or leave a link in the comments so everyone can check it out!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

How to Cook and Freeze Beans

July 16, 2013 by Lindsay 32 Comments

Did you know you can cook and freeze dried beans? Make a whole bag and stock your freezer so you have them on hand to add to meals!

Hi Friends!

It’s no secret around here that I love beans. Especially green beans 🙂 But today we’re going to focus on dried beans. More specifically, how to cook dried beans – and then how to freeze them.

Let me start by saying that I don’t think there’s anything wrong with eating canned beans occasionally. Canned beans are better than no beans! However, canned beans are often loaded with sodium. If you buy them, look for no-salt-added or low-sodium varieties, and be sure to rinse them well before using.

Dried beans are the best option, in my opinion, though. A lot of people tell me that they’re unsure how to cook dried beans, so they avoid them. Well friends, I’m here to show you how easy it is! And as an added bonus, I’ll show you how to freeze them. That way, you will always have them on hand when you need them. It’s a great way to save time and money!

So, let’s start with cooking methods. Here are three to choose from:

Stovetop
Pressure Cooker
Crockpot

The pressure cooker is my personal favorite way to cook beans because you can go from dried (unsoaked) beans to completely cooked beans in about 25 minutes. However, I realize that not everyone has a pressure cooker, so I’ll explain the other methods as well.

Stovetop

Black beans are the most commonly cooked beans in my house. I also cook great northern white beans and pinto beans on occasion. They all have slightly different cooking times, but if you’re cooking them on the stove top, you need to soak them first! The very first step is to look through the beans and remove any small stones or other debris that may have made it into the bag. Then, move on to soaking.

Soaking methods:
Long Soak: Put the beans in a bowl, cover with three times the amount of water, and let soak 6-8 hours or overnight.
Quick Soak: Put the beans in a pot, cover with three times the amount of water (so for a bag of beans you need 6-8 cups), bring the water to a boil, then remove from heat, cover and let sit for one hour.

Rinse #1:
After whichever soaking method you choose is complete, you need to rinse the beans. The beans will swell while soaking so make sure you use a large pot and enough water. The water will also turn black if you’re using black beans! Totally normal. Set up a colander in the sink, dump the beans and water into the colander and run some water over the beans until the water runs clear into the sink.

Cook:
Return the beans to the pot after rinsing and cover with 3x the amount of water again. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, cover and let simmer for 45 min – 1 hour. I would start checking them around 40 minutes because every stove is different and cooking times can vary widely. Plus, some people like their beans extremely soft and others like them a little firmer. Depending on your “simmer” temperature, your beans could take anywhere from 40 minutes to 90 minutes. Every so often, just remove the lid, scoop out a bean and taste test. When they reach your desired doneness, remove the beans from heat.

Rinse #2:
Set the colander in the sink again and carefully drain the beans into the colander. Rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.

Pressure Cooker

This is by far the fastest way to cook dried beans. No soaking required! Just dump a bag of beans into the pressure cooker, cover with 3x the amount of water and cook on high for 15-20 minutes (will vary by cooker so you’ll have to test it out with yours). Use the natural release method and transfer the beans to a strainer to rinse them.

Crockpot

If you’re using a crockpot to cook your beans, you can fix it and forget it. I haven’t actually tried this myself, but I’ve read several recipes from people who have. The consensus is that cooking times vary widely based on how fresh your beans are. They could be done after as little as 3 hours on high, but it looks like most take about 5-6 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low. It might be a good idea to make some while you’re home to check on them until you get a feel for how long they’ll take in your crockpot. You do not need to presoak them if you’re using this method.

Notes:

A lot of people like to season their beans, especially if they’re cooking them in the crockpot. You can add chopped onion, garlic and other spices for flavor and you could also use broth to replace half the liquid for some added flavor.
If you add salt to your beans (which is unnecessary in my opinion) don’t add it until the very end. Salt can cause it to take much longer for the beans to cook.
Red kidney beans specifically contain a toxin that might not be destroyed by crockpot cooking alone. To be safe, they should be soaked overnight, rinsed and cooked in boiling water for 10 minutes before being cooked in a crockpot. Read more here.

Storing Methods:

Refrigerator: Transfer to a tupperware container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezer: Let the beans cool completely. Portion into ziploc bags. Lay bags flat on side and stack to store in the freezer. When you need to use them, just remove a bag, smack it against the counter to loosen up the beans and either pour directly into the pan of whatever you’re cooking to let them thaw, or pour into a bowl and defrost in the microwave.
Edited to add: You can freeze lentils as well! They cook much faster on the stove top, but I freeze them in bags the same way!

[clickToTweet tweet=”Ditch the can! Use these tips from @leangrnbeanblog to cook & freeze dried beans instead!” quote=”Ditch the can! Use these tips from @leangrnbeanblog to cook & freeze dried beans instead!”]

So there ya go! Easy peasy and a great way to make sure you always have cooked beans on hand in the freezer!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Fitness Friday 54

July 12, 2013 by Lindsay 23 Comments

Hi Friends!

Just popping in for a quick Fitness Friday update for you guys!

fitnessfriday1

Let’s play catchup, shall we?

THURSDAY

We left off on 4th of July! Our box was closed for the holiday so I made up my own WOD to do in the basement. It was short and sweet but it got the job done.

FRIDAY

Friday I headed in for a mid-morning WOD during open gym. I did it in 10:42 with 75# snatches and running.

We headed out for happy hour but were home pretty early so I grabbed the dogs and headed out to do some intervals. Walk 1 minute/run 1 minute.

SATURDAY

Saturday morning we headed in to do Cindy. It’s a tough benchmark because it looks deceptively simple…but it leaves me sore for days EVERY TIME. This wasn’t my best effort. Got 16 rounds + 2.

THEN, I hit that 125# clean and jerk that I was struggling with last week. New PR 🙂

Saturday afternoon it finally stopped raining for a couple hours so I headed out for more intervals. This time I ran 1 minute/walked 30 seconds.

SUNDAY

Another at home WOD. I did it in the backyard running back and forth between our fence posts and put a towel down for the pushups and situps. Finished in 20:24.

MONDAY

Another benchmark. Crushed it! 14:16 Rx. I love this one because overhead squats are one of my strengths and i’ve been working on my endurance so the running was easier than it has been.

TUESDAY

I really pushed myself on this one and ended up doing the workout with no rest between sets AND I used a 20# wallball instead of a 14#. Finished in 12:44. Then I ran some sprints. Sprint 200 meters, rest 1 minute x 6:

We did deadlifts for the skill/strength and my coach took this fun pic of me!

WEDNESDAY

This was supposed to be a rest day, but hubby had a bad day at work and wanted to go in so I dragged myself in after him. Turns out it shoulda been a rest day. It wasn’t my best workout. Walk walks are hands down my least favorite part of crossfit. I still can’t get my stomach all the way to the wall and I’m terrible at getting down from them. The clock started, then you did your 20 handstand pushups…which took me forever because I’m finally doing them with just 1 abmat…and then you started your wall walks/front squats (I did 105#). I got through 3 rounds + 4 and hated every minute of it.

THURSDAY

Our coach said we had to do the deadlifts unbroken and my back was SORE so I opted to do 135# instead of 155#. Finished in 27:06. The worst part was the pullups. I tore my hands BIG TIME (i’ll spare you the picture) for the first time in like 6 weeks and it always sucks. I made it through 8 rounds of pullups no problem, but then BOOM! Round 9, rips galore. Here’s how I felt afterwards:

Hubby update: We’re over halfway through his 6 weeks in the sling and he’s totally over it. But he’s doing a good job of wearing it most of the time. He’s frustrated that he can’t do the WODS with us, but he’s been doing pretty well on his own! He’s been doing a lot of squats, lunges and box stepups holding a medicine ball, plus sit ups and back extensions on the GHD…and he’s been riding the bike! I’m so proud of him.

And today, is a MUCH needed rest day! Can’t wait 🙂

Happy friday, friends! Any fun weekend plans? I’m hoping to get outside since it’s the first time we haven’t had rain in the forecast in 3 weeks!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

blog

Why Processed Foods & Sugar Substitutes Can Be Detrimental To Your Weight Loss Success

The Case for Whole Foods

But What About My Sweet Craving?

Eat for life, and enjoy the ride! You are worthy of this life you’re creating!

Let’s chat:

What’s the best workout you’ve done lately? Leave me a link!

Homemade Tortilla Chips and Tortillas

How To Make Tortilla Chips From Scratch

Let’s chat:

How does technology help you do more?

Does it also cause you to do less?

Breakfasts

Snacks

Meatless Main Dishes

Main Dishes with Meat

Seafood

Desserts

Healthy Eating Tips & Roundups

Fitness

Other

Wod #1:

2 min AMRAP squats. 1200 m run

Wod #2:

10 DB Deadlift Burpees Walk/run 50 yards 10 DB Hang Squat Cleans Walk/run 50 yards 20 DB Push Press Turn around Walk/run 50 yards 10 DB Hang Squat Cleans Walk/run 50 yards 10 DB Deadlift Burpees

WOD #3

5 min AMRAP of Fran 5 min break 5 min 115# sled pull

Let’s chat! What’s your favorite kind of soup?

Let’s chat: Are you a fan of microwave muffins/cakes?

Let’s chat: What’s one healthy habit you will start working on this week?

Chunky Monkey Paleo Cookies

Let’s chat: Cookies or cake? Which do you prefer?

Let’s chat: Are you a french toast, pancake or waffle kinda person?

Frozen Yogurt Trail Mix Bars

Nut Butter Banana Bites

Energy Balls

Frozen Fruit

Smoothie Pops

Let’s chat!

Stovetop

Pressure Cooker

Crockpot

2 min AMRAP squats.
1200 m run

10 DB Deadlift Burpees
Walk/run 50 yards
10 DB Hang Squat Cleans
Walk/run 50 yards
20 DB Push Press
Turn around
Walk/run 50 yards
10 DB Hang Squat Cleans
Walk/run 50 yards
10 DB Deadlift Burpees

5 min AMRAP of Fran
5 min break
5 min 115# sled pull

Let’s chat!
What’s your favorite kind of soup?

Let’s chat:
What’s one healthy habit you will start working on this week?

Let’s chat:
Cookies or cake? Which do you prefer?

Let’s chat:
Are you a french toast, pancake or waffle kinda person?