Today was rough. Not only was I extremely sore from yesterday's work out, but I had a very grump 2 year old. Good thing that tonight is better...I am home, sitting on the couch with my husband, about to play a game of Egyptian Rat Screw!

Before we start a competitive game though, I'll share with you what I made for dinner tonight-Black Bean Veggie Burgers! Not to brag, but they were probably one of the best recipes I have made. Sometimes I try these "different" recipes, and they not only don't look like they should, but also don't taste like they should. But these...these looked & tasted quite good!


Ingredients:

• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup of oats
• 1/2 cup of gluten-free bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 pepper chopped
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 tablespoon garlic
• corn & bean salsa
• 1 egg

After draining and rinsing the black beans, blend in a blender or a food processor. Then...mix everything in a bowl except for the oats and bread crumbs. Finally, add the oats and bread crumbs (add more if needed for patties to stick together). Form 4 patties and light your grill up! Grill the patties for about 8 minutes on each side, or until brown. Add cheese if you want (we did).

As you can see, I've been reading a lot of healthy living blogs and my excitement to live a healthy lifestyle increases each and every day. I try not to obsess about my weight, and rather focus on being healthy. However each and every one of us know when our body feels it's healthiest. I was reading an article a while ago from Self magazine that Jillian Michael's wrote (and since The Biggest Loser is on tonight, why not spend even more with Jillian today). This is what she said:

First of all, it is encouraging to hear that even THE Jillian Michales struggles with weight fluctuation. I feel like the media trains us to think that all of the girls we see in the magazines were just born perfectly fit. SO not true.

What is a happy weight?
Your happy weight can't be calculated. I am only 5' and so when I typed my height and weight into Self.com's "happy weight calculator" they gave me a rediculously low number that made me feel horrible about myself. If I ever wanted to weigh that little, I would have to work out like crazy and eat very little. So your happy weight is something that YOU must discover for yourself. It is a weight your body can maintain with relative ease, in which you feel most energized.

I found this article on WebMD and loved it.

So although I didn't agree with the number that Self.com calculated for me, I also don't agree with where my body is right now. I know I am still very small, but I know I can be a little bit healthier/more toned. So Jeff and I have created: Operation Get Jacked (don't worry, we all know I won't actually get obsessively jacked...so just let me dream a little here)...

For the next 4 weeks I will be eating and working out according to my trainer, my husband (who actually is a certified trainer). In order to lose a few pounds and gain some muscle, Jeff has me eating every 3 hours and working out for about an hour everyday. He also has to text me continually during the day to remind me to DRINK WATER. I am horrible at this. Maybe because I am always cold, and never want to drink anything cold. But I am working on it. Here is what I am eating today:

7 am-Peanut Butter & Banana Amazing Grass Shake
10 am-20 almonds/cashews
1 pm-Oatmeal & Banana
3:30 pm-Half of a Think Thin Bar before the gym
6:30/7:00-Salad with shrimp & Sweet Potato Cake from last night
9:00-Five Cashew Clusers

At the gym we are doing interval training and lifting my shoulders, back, and abs. Although my diet will be somewhat strict for the next 4 weeks, I hope that after losing only a few pounds, I will be able to get back on track with eating all types of foods (including carbs and sweets). But everyone can't always eat what they want...and since my pants are starting to feel a little tighter than I would like, I'm getting serious!

One more thing...
Over the past 2 weeks I have cut meat almost completely out of my diet. I did have an omlet over the weekend with some turkey in it, but other than that I have not made meat with a meal. And I honestly have not craved it. I have felt so much less "heavy" when not eating massive amounts of meat, and have found that I can get healthier protein from other sources such as beans and veggies. I have been reading a lot of books (The Kind Diet, The Omnivore's Dilema) about this since I wanted to be sure that I am making an educated decision if I ever do completely cut meat out of my diet.

What I have learned is that most of us do not think about what we are putting into our mouths or how they affect us and the environment we live in. We rarely think about where our food comes from or how it got into the the nice packages we see on the grocery store shelves. Here are some reasons why YOU may want to eat less meat too (found onThe Daily Green.com) :

I chose my top 5 reasons for not eating meat, however there are many more out there. If you can afford to eat organic meats everynight, then go for it. However not only can we, The Jensens, not afford that...but we are choosing not to consume as much meat in hopes that we will not only improve our own health, but also the health of our environment.

I spend a good amount of time browsing around Whole Foods' website. There are so many fun things to read about and look at on there...including recipes! I found this recipe, and since I am slightly obsessed with sweet potatoes right now, decided to try it out! It obviously didn't end up looking like the ones in the prepared foods section of Whole Foods, but I'm used to that. I changed up the recipe a bit...since I don't like cranberries too much and would rather have tomatoes.

But first, I encourage you to check out their website. They have great resources for encouraging one another to eat healthy and live a more fuller life. Their program is called Heath Starts Here, and this is what they promote:

• Plant Strong-Eat more plants, like raw and cooked vegetables, fruits, legumes, and beans, nuts seeds, and whole grains to ensure the best nutrients for the body, which leads to feeling satiated.

• Whole Foods-Choose foods that are real, fresh, natural, organic, local, seasonal and unprocessed. Eliminate refined, highly processed foods and foods containing ingredients void of nutrients, such as artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, sweeteners, and hydrogenated fats.

• Healthy Fats- Get healthy fats from plant sources, such as nuts and avacados. Minimize extracted oils and processed fats. If eating a diet that includes animal products, choose leaner meats and seafood as well as low-dairy products.

• Nutrient Dense-Choose foods that are rich in nutrietns when compared to their total caloric content. Build menus around plant-based foods to emphasize nutrient-rich meals containing a variety of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and antioxidants.

If you don't have a Whole Foods near you...I am sincerely sorry. I love it there, and could spend hours in the Bulk Food Section spending way over our grocery budget for the week ;)

So anyways, if you haven't been there, take a trip one day...it's worth it!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb sweet potatoes (2 medium)
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 cup wild rice (Lundburg I used)
• 1/2 cup onions
• 1 tb. dried sage
• 1/2 tb. salt
• 1/2 tb. black pepper
• A bunch of diced tomatoes
  

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Steam the potatoes for 20-25 minutes until they are soft, then blend in a blender (mine were soft enough that I just mashed them with a fork). Combine the rest of the ingredients and form into small patties (like hamburgers). Lay the patties on parchment paper, that you sprayed, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until browned.


These next few pictures may look gross, but even the batter tastes good! You can also eat these patties warm, cold, or room temperature. Eat them as a meal, sandwich, or add them to a salad for lunch.

The final product: SO good. They had a lot of flavor. I ate two of them for dinner!