Delicious food: Sweet potato and black bean burritos

I am always searching for new recipes that make a large amount of food. I like to cook up a big batch on the weekend and then enjoy the pre-made food throughout the week for my lunches. I do this for several reasons. The most obvious is cost. It's simply cheaper to cook and eat this way, as opposed to eating out. The other reason is it's also healthier to cook your own foods from basic and natural ingredients.

This past Sunday my sister Martinique was in town and we decided to whip up this new recipe. I love burritos. Usually I have a stockpile of frozen burritos that I bought from the store, but they aren't so healthy. Jason's on this new anti-sodium kick so it's making me rethink some of my food choices. One frozen burrito can contain nearly half the amount of sodium that an average adult needs in one day. Then, of course, there are all the extra preservatives.

For our venture, we cooked our own beans instead of buying them canned---another harbor of sodium madness. Marty was the captain of that venture and it was amazingly simple. You rinse the dry beans to remove the dirt and stones. You boil them in water and then you let them sit for awhile. Voila! You have beans straight from the earth with no extra harmful ingredients.

For this recipe you need;

• 2 large yams
• approximately 2 cups of black beans
• 1 medium onion
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 jalapeno
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 3 tbsp cumin
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• shells
• salsa

Wash the sweet potatoes and cut them into about 4-8 pieces. There is no need to peel the skin because that is where many nutrients are. The smaller the pieces, the less time it takes to boil them until they are soft. When they are soft, drain the water and mash them.

In a frying pan, cook the onions, garlic and jalapeno. Add all the spices.

Combine the beans and the onion mixture with the sweet potatoes. Add about a 1/2 cup of the salsa and mix thoroughly. Spoon about 3/4c. of the filling into your shells and roll them up burrito style. How many burritos this recipe makes depends on how full you stuff them and how tight you roll them. In total, I ended up with 11 burritos. Place them in a casserole dish that has been lightly sprayed with non-stick butter/oil. Cook at 350 for about 10-15 minutes. Wrap them individually in aluminium foil and throw them in your freezer for a fantastic delicious lunch!!

St. Patrick's Day Race in Detroit's Corktown

I had a great time at the race and with all the festivities that followed. It was easy to find the race area. You could spot the sea of green people from miles away. I think every runner was decorated in some way. I saw green suspenders, shamrock skirts, top hats, green glasses, everything. There was no shortage of fashion ideas. The race was packed. I think there were more than 3,000 runners. Every age was represented, from babies munching on pretzels as they were pushed in state-of-the-art strollers by athletic parents, 11 year old youngsters sprinting without breathing hard, teams with matching logo t-shirts, and older folks enjoying a stroll under a bountiful blue sky. The start of the race was jam-packed but I didn't really see the crowding as a negative. I don't have many friends who run so I enjoyed just knowing that other runners exist out there. Plus, it's not as if I was trying to break a land speed record, so I wasn't upset if my starting pace was more of a shuffle as I tried to find some breathing space. The course was an out-and-back loop on Michigan Ave. The sides of the street were lined with spectators, revelling in the noon-time bar sales and preparing for a spot to view the parade to follow. It was a fun atmosphere and the weather just made it that much more wonderful. In fact, I woke up today to realize just how sun burned my face is from hanging outside all day long. So I finished the race in 42:40 which averages to a 10:40 mile and I'm plenty happy with that! Afterwards, Jason and I had some beers at various bars that we could manage to squeeze ourselves into. We saw portions of the parade: the Gaelic League float, revelers throwing beads, the usual. It was definitely a fun day and if the weather is as nice next year, I'll get a whole group of people down there to enjoy it!

I finally signed up for a race.

The last race I ran was in December. The distance was the standard 5K (3.2 miles). I have done a few of those races and had been keeping my eyes open for a race of a different length. I found one in Detroit, to celebrate St. Patrick's day! And the best part – the weather looks to be sublime. I'll admit that I was a wuss and refused to sign up if the day looked to be crappy. However, I got very lucky. The forecast says it might make 50 degrees and there should be lots of clear skies with sun, and no rain! I consider those conditions to be perfect. Supposedly, a lot of jolly people show up for this race sporting funky costumes and a whole spectrum of green, emerald, sea green, olive, etc. clothing. I plan to wear my running skirt, some colorful green socks and a green shirt. I thought about wearing my green wig but with sweat pouring into it---eh, not a great idea if I ever plan to wear it again. I'm also excited that the race is at noon on Sunday. Guess the runners get that rare late start because we precede the traditional parade in Detroit's Corktown area. Seems like it should be a good time. I even heard they have beer at the finish line.

I feel confident and excited about this event. I'm curious to try and run a route that's farther than a 5K, but not as agonizing as a half marathon — been there, done that and probably won't do it again. I'm intrigued about the celebratory St. Patrick's festivities in the area. Should be a good day!

And then there are *those* weeks

I knew it would be tough to make the time for working out this week. Jason and I had appointments to look at houses one evening. Then on a different night I wouldn't be home until midnight. But I knew this was coming up and it's the reason I pushed myself all three days last weekend. Well I ended up having even less time than I thought. One day I worked longer at work by two hours. All I could manage that day was a half-hour walk around my neighborhood. I was short on time on Thursday and barely squeezed in a lackluster run outside for less than 30 minutes. I didn't even want to bother with that, but I kept repeating that I'd regret not running more than I'd regret actually going running. Very true. Hopefully I can make up some time this weekend.

Soreness!

I went to yoga on Friday. I ran 4.25 miles at the gym on Saturday. I lifted weights on Sunday. I am whooped! I kind of didn't feel like going to the gym on Sunday but I forced myself since I knew I wouldn't have any time on Monday. I told myself I could spend less time lifting weights if I did shorter sets with heavier weights than I had been using. It was an honest trade-off. Occasionally, it's good to switch up the routine just so the muscles are constantly challenged. When you get complacent, you don't get noticeable results. Well, all the logic in the world doesn't massage my muscles. Aye aye aye!