day 62: bean puree
Tonight I feel stuffed like a turkey. Maybe it’s the 8 cookies that I ate. That’s right 8. Four for each pint of blood I donated is a fair trade, no? I always use my blood donation days as an excuse to binge on cookies, regardless of it it’s Lent or if they’re not in my Cleansing Diet.
…this week’s weigh-in may be bad news. :S
I am going to start doing something new with my cardio. I’m planning on doing it in the morning before work and then doing weights at night. This way, I can burn more fat by doing cardio on an empty stomach. Also, it should let me have more energy at night when I get home from work because cardio really burns me out. I’ll try it this week and see how I like it. If not, I’ll go back to doing cardio with my evening workouts.
I mentioned in my earlier post that I wanted to cook some more Italian style food this week. Today, armed with the Molto Mario cookbook I borrowed from my dad’s house, I made Tuscan-style Artichokes. Honestly, they were just ok (usually his recipes are great, so maybe I screwed something up here). I’m not going to bother with sharing the recipe.
The real star of the dish was actually a white bean puree that I made up on the fly (usually my random concoctions aren’t fabulous but Matt made this comment which let me know that this one was a winner: “The only thing bad about the beans is that you didn’t make more”)
White Bean Puree
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 red onion, chopped
- 3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 can of cannellini beans, rinsed
- 1 c. white wine (don’t skimp on the wine)
Directions
Brown the butter in a skillet.
Add the thyme, garlic, and onions and sautee until soft.
Add in the beans and the wine. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer until the liquid is mostly evaporated.
Puree the beans with an immersion blender.
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Sounds like a good idea for your cardio and weight lifting. Hopefully it works out for you.
Good luck with your new exercise plan!
By the way, that white bean puree looks really creamy and yummy…and I never thought about adding wine to cook beans, that’s an interesting idea.
YUM! That looks great — will have to get cannellini beans this weekend.
I adore white bean puree! Beans are one of my favorite things. I am planning on making some for Easter. These look great!
You are so gourmet! I need to get that “Molto Mario” cookbook, I bet he’s got some great recipes. This dish looks incredible though- the white bean puree is so creamy and savory. And even if the Tuscan grilled artichokes weren’t spectacular, they look phenomenal.
I laughed at your “4 cookies per pint of blood donated”- sounds about right to me!!
Eating cookies is always a good thing in my book!!! lol!!
I was thinking aboutt rying to switch up when I do cardio as well some days, Im excited to see if your new routine works better for you!!!
Have a great day!! xoxo
Italian style cooking sounds good
Eight cookies? I wanna eat eight cookies! Ha. I actually did a little too much indulging yesterday, none of which involved cookies though. Chips/salsa, sour Skittles, Milk Duds. Random. Yup, I totally fell off the wagon. I’ve been doing soo good recently too. I’ve learned though how important it is not to beat yourself up about it. If you do, then you will feel down, and when you feel down, you may just reach for those cookies again. Shake it off, girl!
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Congrats on giving blood! Such a great thing to do. 8 cookies is a lot, but you definitely deserve a treat after that!! I know I’d probably do the same thing
That bean puree looks fantastic… I am on a bean kick since last night’s dinner success. And I love Mario after reading “Heat”. What a character.
looks great– beans have been mia for me for a while (besides hummus) and after my trip this weekend I plan to be on a bean splurge.
I remember the days of eating 8 cookies! And then my metabolism went to hell and I eat 8 cookies in a year. Getting older is loads of fun!!
Your puree sounds awesome! And I love the name of your blog – instantly sucked me in!
Haha, Matt’s comment is definitely the kind of comment I want to hear when I cook!
Was there really a cup of wine in the recipe??
I think 4 cookies per pint of blood is a fair trade off once in a while – you’re doing this for a great cause!
I’m ashamed to say that I’ve been too chicken to donate blood – not because I’m scared of needles or blood at all, but because I have a phobia about getting so faint afterward I get sick. Yeah, I know, lame :S
Oh there definitely was a cup of wine. Hence the deliciousness.