Never in a million years would I have ever thought I would be one of those gluten free/sugar free “freaks”.
I have always been one of those “ya gotta die of something, right?” kind of people. Well, that’s all find and good if you are single and have no children counting on you.
So, after some thought, I decided I want to live past my 40th birthday and not die young from heart disease or diabetes or some other awful thing that morbidly obese people can die from…
Yes, I said morbidly obese. People say they don’t believe me when I tell them how much I weigh. Either they really don’t believe me or thy are just trying to be nice. But truth be told, I am considered morbidly obese.
So, last September I decided to make a change and start the “Let’s Do Lunch” (LDL) Program. It is a WOE (Way Of Eating) for the rest of your life. Because I had finally had enough of the ups and downs of fad diets and eating plans I couldn’t/wouldn’t stick to. Because as we all know, you can diet, have surgery or do any other thing to lose weight but if you don’t make a permanent lifestyle change and you go back to your old eating /exercise habits, you will gain the weight you have managed to lose back and probably more.
Case in point, last November when I decided that I wanted to “enjoy the holidays”, so I went off LDL and ate everything I wanted to including baked goods, candy, bread, everything I knew I shouldn’t.
And now, 6 months later, I am wishing I had “enjoyed” my holidays a little less. What I have come to realize is that I would have enjoyed my holidays just fine had I stuck to LDL, AND I would have enjoyed NOT gaining the 15 pounds I lost from September 1 til Thanksgiving plus a couple.
I could have enjoyed my holidays just fine because of recipes like the one I’m about to share with you. Mind you, the “real” thing does taste better. If you’re into sweet and gooey and yummy kinda thing.
But if you are into the “I’m trying to be healthy so I can enjoy my life” kinda thing, these kinds of recipes will be just fine and you might even learn to enjoy them, like I am.
Today, I give you
Black Bean Brownies
What You Need:
- 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed very well
- 1 T.vanilla
- 6-8 T. cocoa powder (to taste)
- 1 c. splenda (can use sugar or stevia)
- 6 large eggs
- 3 T. canola oil
- 1 t. baking powder
- pinch of salt
What To Do:
- drain beans and rinse very well
- mix everything together in blender or food processor adding a little water if necessary to form batter
- pour into greased 9×9 baking pan
- bake @ 350° for 30-35 minutes; can check for doneness with a toothpick
I have been reading more and more recipes for these and if you are not doing sugar free, you can use whit sugar and can add chocolate chips if you want. While I am in weight-loss mode, I will not do that. You could also add nuts if you like nuts, I do not. I have also seen a few recipes that call for instant coffee granules. I’m not sure what this does for them, maybe adds richness or boldness?? I may try that some time, I’m not sure. Also, thinking about using some splenda and a splash of water or milk to make a glaze for the top to add a lil’ something to them. It is a work in progress, but I am committed.
