PaperSpices: Body By Design Day #50

Monday I was tired, very very tired. I think the super intense workout and the fact that I only got about 6 hours of sleep had me craving my bed so badly all day!

I had to run some errands at lunch time so no walk today....that's three days without my walk, ouch.
But, we did go to the gym at night and completed the upper body workout. Note to self: "Never, ever do strength training two days in a row. You'll be so exhausted, will not enjoy it and be so cranky that you'll annoy the heck out of your husband".

We learned, to not skip that Saturday workout. Even if we have to go really early or really late. We gotta let the body rest and recover.

I cooked two meals in record time thanks to having a menu and all the necessary items ready to go! I made red beans with a super easy recipe that my friend Andrea gave me a while ago. She's a great cook and one of her specialties are beans. I really like her recipe because it's simple, relatively fast (if you remember to soak your beans) and nutritious (only way to make me eat three carrots). Here's her recipe if you want to try it:

Andrea's Beans
1 lb of dry pinto beans soaked overnight
3 carrots
Salt, pepper & spices (I use cumin, cayenne pepper and a little liquid smoke)
About a cup of chopped onions
3 tomatoes, chopped
A bunch of cilantro, chopped

Cook the beans with the carrots in a large pot with plenty of water (add a lot if you want a soup or less if you like the beans more loose) until the carrots are cooked through
Add the carrots and some water and beans to a blender or food processor and blend to a paste-like consistency and add this mixture to the beans
In a pan, add onions, tomatoes and lastly, the cilantro and simmer until it becomes saucy. Add this to the beans when they're done and season with your favorite spices
Let it simmer for about 10 minutes or until you feel that all the flavors are nicely mixed together
Enjoy with rice or a nice avocado salad!

Andrea's Beans in all their glory. See all that cilantro....HEAVEN!!

I also cooked some Tilapia using a Mediterranean recipe from Tessa Evans' blog here. I want to introduce new ways of eating the same things we buy every time we do grocery shopping. This recipe is fantastic over a bed of brown rice or even over a layer of mashed potatoes. Yum!!

Mediterranean Tilapia casserole
As this is a Mediterranean dish, and in the Mediterranean family is key, this dish serves 8 people. It is a wonderful dish to use if you have got 8 hungry mouths to feed, as it is beautifully rich in color and texture, and easily made and served with rice. Alternatively adjust the ingredient quantities to suit.

(Preparation time approx 30 minutes, cooking time approx 20 minutes)
Ingredients
* 8 tilapia fillets
* 5 tablespoons olive oil
* 6 cloves of garlic, chopped
* 4 onions, chopped
* 2 lb fresh ripe tomatoes, skins removed and chopped
* 2 tablespoons of sun dried tomato paste
* 2 small glasses of white wine
* 20 black olives, halved and stones removed
* Freshly ground sea salt and pepper to season
* Bunch of chopped fresh parsley
Method
* Pre heat the oven to 350F (180c) and lightly grease a large oven proof dish.
* Dry the fillets on a piece of kitchen paper, and place into the dish, set aside.
* Heat the oil in a pan, and fry the garlic, onion and 3/4 of the parsley over a low heat for 5 minutes.
* Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, and wine. Stir, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
* Gently simmer for approximately 20 minutes.
* Add the olives to the sauce, then pour over the fillets, coating each one well.
* Bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes, or until the fish is cooked.
* Serve on a bed of rice, and a sprinkling of parsley.