Beans, beans, the musical fruit...

Now that I've got your attention with the title of this post I will go no further with that little childhood ditty. Beans often get a bad rap for causing digestion discomfort, but they provide a hefty nutritional punch.

Beans are:

• Rich in fiber ( 20% of Daily Value per serving.)
• Source of protein (10% of Daily Value per serving.)
• Contain folate, a B vitamin that can help prevent neural tube defects in babies in uter and help prevent cardiovascular disease.
•  Contain lignans and saponins that help protect against cancer (colon.)
• Composed of a resistant starch that is not digested in the small intestine and used by healthful bacteria in the colon to produce short-chain fatty acids that can protect colon cells.
• Loaded with antioxidants

Now you know why  you should eat beans here is a great side dish to make. I often take this bean salad to potlucks and cookouts. I always get a lot of compliments and this dish. It is easy to make and transports well. This recipe uses green beans and chick peas, but I have used black beans, great northern beans, and kidney beans in different combos; so get creative and use what you have.

Bean Salad

2 cups of cooked chick peas rinsed

1 bag of Bird's Eye Steam Fresh Green Beans defrosted or 3 cups of fresh green beans steamed and steamed

1 sweet bell pepper chopped 

1 small onion chopped (about 1/4 cup)

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive oil

1 TBS Honey

1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

1/2 tsp dried tarragon

sea salt & ground pepper to taste

Combine beans, pepper, and onion in large bowl and toss to combine. In a small bowl whisk the honey and vinegar together until honey is dissolved. Next whisk in oil, salt, pepper and tarragon. Toss dressing with beans and cover. Place in fridge for 2 hours before serving.

Workout Blip of the Day

I am sick again! Third time in the past 2 months. I keep getting nasty sinus/upper respiratory infections ( I think its due to my line of work...) Anyways I focused on stretching today because when I don't workout my muscles get very sore and tight. Here is a link to a great stretching article on Sparkpeople.com.

Source

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Until next time stay strong and carry on!

Brooklynn