Adjustment to diet tracking

After much reading and researching, I have decided to make a slight tweak to my intake monitoring.

Up until this point, I have been noting calories, fat (g) and protein (g) intake for each meal. Usually writing it down like this:

320 | 2 | 7

Aside from those three important metrics, I will add a fourth: dietary fiber DV%.

320 | 2 | 7 | 12%

This slight adjustment will help me keep quick track of the amount of dietary fiber I am consuming, which is important in a structured weight loss program. Presence of "fiber" in one's diet impacts the transit time of waste products through the digestive tract and improve overall tract health, if sufficient water is consumed.

Also, my local Walmart sells a high fiber cinnamon swirl oatmeal that I try to include in each morning's breakfast (40% DV).

Diet Progress

Good times. Really. I keep telling myself that.

I haven't been as on-top-of-the-situation regarding my diet as I'd like, however I continue to make progress. As of this morning I am at 286, my lowest thus far. I haven't been keeping written record of everything like I was months ago, however I am being a lot more conscious of what I'm stuffing my face with (if you want to call < 2000 calories/day "stuffing your face").

A few observations, however, have made my progress from here on a bit easier to consider:

• Less fat = easier to directly control my weight (faster response)
• More protein = easier on my system to process food (fuel for muscles to build and function)
• Never consume more than 800 calories in a single meal/snack event

Furthermore, I've discovered a delicious and fat-free snack at my local Tops grocery store. They sell these rice snacks in the bulk foods aisle. They contain soy, rice, sesame, chili peppers and seaweed. They are slightly salty and ever-so-slightly spicy. Quite delicious and zero fat.

Refried Beans

For the past few months I've been itching to try my hand at making my own refried beans. Each time I've passed the dried pintos in the store it has been a thought. Earlier this week I decided to dive in and see what kind of mess I could make out of this.

I mean it seems simple enough, right?

2 lb dried pinto beans
Garlic powder
Ground cumin
Salt
Chili powder
Olive oil (or canola or vegetable ... I tried sesame)

The first thing you want to do is rinse the beans thoroughly and while doing so, check for and remove bad beans or tiny stones (it happens). I did this about 1/2 pound at a time using a strainer.

Once you're satisfied you're not going to be chomping on rocks or anything putrid, pour the beans in a very large pot and spread them out nice and level. Add water until there is about an inch of water between the beans and the surface. Bring to a boil on high heat and once boiling, remove from heat and drain.

Rinse out the large pot and place the beans back in. This time, fill the pot with water until you have two inches of standing water over the beans. Add garlic powder, cumin and chili powder. I used about this much:

• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons chili powder

 Now bring all that to a boil over high heat. Once boiling reduce to a simmer for about 3 1/2 to 4 hours. After 3 1/2 I tried a few beans and they weren't yet tender enough. Once they were VERY tender, I considered them ready.
 

I separated the beans from the sauce then began to process loads of cook beans in the food processor. I used pulse to process each batch little by little until I thought they looked right. You can process as much as you like either for that whole-bean texture or something pureed. If I found the beans to look a bit dry or thick, add some of the sauce.

Once you have all the beans  processed, fry them up on a skillet with some oil. I fried each batch for about 15 minutes, adding sauce as needed. I did a bit of taste-testing while frying them and found they needed some salt. Also, since I'm not using lard, bacon fat or anything like that, I added a little bit of HerbOx bouillon powder for flavor. Your tastes and opinions may vary, of course.

I refrigerated these for a day before I used them. They tasted amazing; better than the canned refried beans I normally use. My family enjoyed them in burritos this evening... extremely good flavor! I froze the rest in small portions for future use.

I hope you enjoy them as much as we have. Remember, with this dynamic recipe, you can make adjustments easily to make it your own.