Week 5 Begins

Homemade refried beans with
Spanish rice and Cheesey Pepper
 & Onion enchiladas.

I am starting out the week at 210 pounds (a 1-pound increase). Lee is holding fast at 220.

I am not so much concerned about weight as I am about losing inches and feeling healthier so I am not worrying about a little fluctuation. I will measure tomorrow and start watching my measurements as much as I am my weight.

I figured it would be a good idea to share a lot of recipes so you can see that there are really good things to eat that won’t make you feel like you have totally lost it and become a turtle. So here are a couple of today’s meals:

For lunch I had a Hot Pocket. I know, not the healthiest thing on the planet but I can eat like that some times because they make Four Cheese Pizza flavor Hot Pockets that don’t have meat in them. I also had some tortilla chips and homemade guacamole. To drink I had Red Zinger iced herb tea.

Lee had leftover cheese enchiladas with grilled bell pepper and onion with refried beans and Spanish rice (see picture).

For dinner we had spinach tortellini with creamy pesto sauce. The tortellinis were pre-packaged and a convenience to make. I usually try to make homemade stuff but today was a very busy day with my catering business, so I made a few easy, pre-made meals. The sauce was just a half a jar of Alfredo sauce with a few tablespoons of pesto. Easy and yummy.

Lee had a bit of salad with his pasta and we both drank a lot of water.

We also made (even though we didn’t eat it yet) homemade refried beans. Here’s a super easy, yummy recipe. As I said before, I am not normally a “bean” person. I just don’t like them, generally. But these homemade beans are really good. Especially with a little bit of cheese on top.

Refried Beans

1 bag of pinto beans

1 Tbl olive oil

1 medium onion, sliced

2/3 cup vegetable broth

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp chili powder

salt and pepper to taste

2 Tbl chopped fresh cilantro

Soak the beans in water (with a little salt in it) in a bowl overnight.

The next morning put them in a crock pot and cook all day until soft.

Mash the beans with a fork.

In a saucepan, heat olive oil. Add in onion and cooked until carmelized.

Add onion and all other ingredients to beans.

Stir and then let warm through.

Serve with cheese (if you are eating dairy) or just enjoy plain!

Hope you enjoy your day!

Hugs and cheers!

Denise