Mandy and Jace

Every Texas girl needs to know how to make a killer pot of beans. They are staples in all potlucks and BBQ’s everywhere and I promise when you walk in with a great pot of beans everyone will love you. This recipe is really easy and delicious. I usually make mine in a big pot on the stove, but sometimes if I’m too busy I’ll throw all the ingredients into my crock pot and let it go. The only thing that could make them any better would be a cast iron skillet full of cornbread. Is your mouth watering yet?

Another cool thing about pinto beans is they are a great source of protein and lots of other nutrients. Since I am trying to eat healthier, I really like getting the most nutrients out of what I’m eating without adding more calories. I have a couple of tips and tricks to make any bean better for you.

• Rinse and soak the beans for at least an hour before eating

Beans contain phytic acid. Phytic acid binds to beans and decreases the body’s ability to absorb the nutrients. When you soak them you wash that acid away, making them better for you. I figure if you are going to eat them you mights as well get the most nutrients out of them you can.

• Add a little bit of Kombu

Don’t freak out on me when you read this but Kombu is a dried seaweed. When you add it to your beans during cooking it decreases their… uh… gasousness, tendorizes them and adds calcium, iron and B vitamins. You can buy it online here and learn more about it here and lots of other places if you search for it. I promise you can’t  really taste it but it does add a little more depth to the flavor. You don’t need it but it does come in handy.

Pinto beans
4 cups dried pinto beans
4 slices bacon, optional
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pepper
2 thumbsize pieces of kombu
water


The night before you want to cook the beans (or at least an hour before) soak the beans in water. When you are ready to cook them rinse them well and pour them in your pot. Pour enough water into the beans to cover them by 1-2 inches. put in the raw bacon, salt, pepper and kombu and bring the beans to a boil. When they are boiling reduce to simmer and cook for 2-3 hours or until they are tender. If cooking them on the stove keep an eye on them so they don’t run out of water. Add more if necessary. I leave it in, but If you want to you can remove the kombu before serving.

Happy Monday! I really wanted the weekend to be just a little bit longer. We did some really fun stuff and I could have used another day to relax. Saturday we went to the Midland Shooters Association and became members so we can go shoot whenever we want. Then Saturday night we went on a double date with our good friends Chad and Jamie and saw True Grit. There was some mixed feelings but all-in-all it was a really good movie. Sunday after a great service at church we went to the range to shoot. I think it was a successful weekend!

We have a great menu this week. I am making a brisket for the first time and also we are making tacos, which are always a favorite around here. I’d really like to know what everyone else is eating this week. I’m always having a hard time trying to come up with new recipes and ideas. If you have a meal plan or just something you know you are making, leave a comment letting all of us know. Also, if you have a website you are getting the recipe from leave it also so we can all try it. Then when you can’t decide on what to eat just open up any of my old meal plans and scroll though everyone else’s recipes.

Here’s this weeks plan.
Tonight: brisket, pinto beans and some kind of veggie
Tuesday: pork tacos, rice and guacamole
Wednesday: sauteed chicken and lemon pasta
Thursday: take out after practice
Friday: date night

Happy eating!

I love taking photos with my iPhone, especially since I started using Instagram to put cool filters on my photos. I have so many on my phone I wanted to share them with you guys. I’m going to start doing a “my week in photos” post on Fridays that I will put up all of my random photos I take during the week. This set is actually from the past couple of weeks. I took lots at Christmas and them several after so I wanted to show those off too.

I had so much fun doing last years goals list that I have decided to do it yearly. I feel that if we don’t keep learning and accomplishing things we can become stagnant and that’s the last place I want to be. Once again I encourage everyone to put together a goals list for themselves. I promise you will be amazed at the things you can accomplish. I do have a couple of tips for you guys if you are just starting to think about a yearly goal list. First, share it with others. Nothing like accountability to push you to reach your goals. I didn’t want to have to tell everyone that I didn’t try to didn’t get to one of my goals. By telling all of you, it pushed me to get to them quicker and better. Second, don’t make them all too hard. If you try to accomplish all of your hard life goals in a year you will get bogged down, pick a couple of hard ones and several fun, easy ones. Third, have fun! Don’t take yourself too seriously. You will feel like an idiot sometimes when you are learning new things. You might even look a little silly, laugh it off, learn all you can and have as much fun as possible!

Here is my 2011 goals list

Learn to drive a standard transmission (back on the list from last year).
Get a new tattoo.
Learn more about nutrition.
Be more grateful for the things I have been blessed with.
Run in a 5k.
Take about 15-20 minutes a day to do nothing.

Just like last year I will keep you updated as I go through these. Good luck!