Five Bean Salad

I've been feeling a bit groggy in the afternoons recently.

My go-to fix is a second (or third) cup of coffee, which I know isn't the greatest choice. It rarely gets me out of my fog and more often than not, it just gives me a bad case of jitters. I did a bit of research (aka Googling), and it finally dawned on me that the high number of carbs in the sandwich and fruit that I usually eat for lunch may be contributing to that sleepiness later. Maybe steering more towards a high-protein lunch could be the solution I need.

So I started looking for lunch ideas of the high-protein variety, and found this one. I love that it's so versatile. You can certainly switch up the varieties of bean you use, or skip any if you don't like them. Definitely tasty, and definitely healthy!

Five Bean Salad

2 cups of black beans
2 cups of pinto beans
2 cups of navy beans
2 cups of garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
2 cups of kidney beans

1 package of frozen white corn
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 medium white onion, chopped
1 Tablespoon of minced garlic

3 Tablespoons of olive oil
3 Tablespoons of red wine vinegar (I ended up using a bit more)

salt and ground pepper to taste

Directions: Cook frozen corn, and then mix all of the beans and vegetables. Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar topping, salt and pepper to taste, and stir to combine. Enjoy!

(This is a great base recipe, and I've been adding lots of different things for more flavor- I've tried feta cheese, cilantro, cooked shredded chicken breast, and a can of tuna. All of those mix-ins have turned out well. I also love the extra boost of protein some meat or cheese brings in.) 

Adapted from SparkPeople, original recipe here.

Cheddar Beer Dip

As any warm blooded American knows, last weekend was the Super Bowl. I am not a huge football fan as it is, and if I have no connection to either team playing my fan-dom dwindles even more. I still watch the game though, I'm a fan of the commercials and I enjoy any excuse to enjoy company and have snacks and beer. H's parents' were hosting a get-together, so we went to their house for the game.

I wanted to bring something that kept well, and stood up to being on the coffee table all evening. Nothing warm, and nothing too heavy as we were having a right old feast of lasagna, meatballs, salad, chicken tenders, and crab-cakes. Of course, some sort of dip was the logical choice, and when I found this recipe, I knew it would be perfect!

I didn't have a chance to get a picture of the dip as we were running out the door, but got one later in the day. I wasn't going to include it, but then I realized this picture perfectly describes how delicious the dip was!

Cheddar Beer Dip

3 cups of extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about an 8 oz. block)
1 package (8 oz.) of cream cheese
2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard
2 Tablespoons of heavy cream
1 teaspoon of hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of flavorful beer (I used Sam Adams Pale Ale)
2 teaspoons of chopped, fresh parsley

Place cheddar, cream cheese, Dijon, cream, hot sauce, and salt in the base of a food processor. Pulse until well combined. Slowly pour in the beer and continue to pulse in few-second intervals until smooth. Empty food processor into a bowl, and stir in the parsley. Serve with bite-size pretzel logs. Enjoy!

Adapted from Lemons & Love, original recipe here.

Pumpkin Spiced Cream Cheese

I had a tiny bit of pumpkin puree left from the pumpkin lasagna I made last week, and wasn't sure what I could make with such a small amount without having to open another can. I was really craving some type of pumpkin cheesecake, but didn't want to go through all the effort or ingredients needed. And then I stumbled upon this recipe for Pumpkin Spiced Cream Cheese. It sounded perfect! I figured this could really hit the spot as far as that cheesecake craving, without all the effort (or calories)! And it doesn't really get much easier than this...

Pumpkin Spiced Cream Cheese

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
2 Tablespoons of maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves

Directions: Mix all ingredients except cream cheese in a small bowl until well combined. Add cream cheese and beat until smooth. Enjoy!

Adapted from Pinch My Salt, original recipe here.

Granola Bars

Another baking project on my list to tackle this past weekend was homemade granola bars. We are always looking for healthy snacks that are also tasty and filling, and these definitely sounded like they would fit the bill.

Granola Bars

2 cups oats (old fashioned, not instant)
1 cup unsalted peanuts, crushed
3/4 cup wheat germ
3/4 cup sunflower seeds

4 Tablespoons of butter
2/3 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of honey
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon of Kosher salt

Mix-ins of your choice, such as: raisins, dried cranberries, dried apples, coconut, chocolate chips, peanut butter, etc.

Directions: Preheat oven to 400. Mix oats, sunflower seeds, wheat germ, and crushed peanuts in a large mixing bowl, and stir to combine.

Spread the grains and nuts out on a baking sheet with sides, and place them in the oven. Bake until slightly toasted, but remove them about every 2 minutes or so to stir them around so the edges don't burn.

Meanwhile, mix butter, brown sugar, honey, vanilla, and salt in a saucepan over medium low, stirring frequently. (If you are using any liquid add-ins, such as peanut butter, add them at this point. You'll want to slightly decrease the other liquid ingredients to compensate, though.)

When dry ingredients are done in the oven, remove and pour back into the mixing bowl. Pour brown sugar/butter mixture over them and stir. Now is the time you'll want to add any dry ingredients such as chocolate chips or dried fruit. Stir well to completely coat everything with the "glue."

Cover a 9x13" glass pan with wax paper, and lightly coat with cooking spray. Pour granola out into the pan. Using a second sheet of wax paper, folded over, press down to push granola to sides of pan. Press down all over to get it nice and packed in. Leave wax paper on top to cover.

Let granola cool completely, about 3 hours. When cool, remove from baking pan and plop it onto a cutting board. Remove wax paper, cut into pieces, wrap tightly in saran wrap to keep fresh. Enjoy!

Adapted from Joyful Abode, original recipe here. 

I made two kinds- apple peanut butter, and cranberry with white chocolate chips. They are both absolutely delicious, and I think these will last us for quite a while!