Easy Bean Tacos
Adapted from Bon Appetite magazine. Use your favorite homemade or canned beans to make these. I've even frozen leftovers and they re-heat just fine.
1 t oil
1 C diced onion
1 C diced bell pepper
1 T chili powder
2 t dried oregano
1 t ground cumin
1 minced garlic clove
1 - 8oz can tomato sauce
2 cans beans, drained and rinsed (pinto, black, garbanzo, kidney, etc)
12 taco shells
Heat oil in a large skillet. Add next 6 ingredients (onion through garlic) and sauté 2 minutes. Add beans and tomato sauce and simmer for 20 minutes or until thick.
Fill taco shells with bean mixture and top with your favorite things.
printable version - bean_tacos.pdf
Did you know that September is National Yoga month? Me neither. But even in my ignorance I signed up to take a yoga class today. I've been working out to a variety of DVD's lately and have really been enjoying a very basic beginner yoga workout. I've checked a few others out from the library and finally decided that I enjoyed yoga enough that I should try and find a class.
I don't know about you, but for me to show up regularly, an exercise class needs to be convenient. Close to home and classes at just the right time are a must. I found a place that fit the bill with one scary thing. It's Bikram yoga.
Nothing I write can describe how it felt to walk into a 105 degree room this morning. Yikes. It was HOT and I actually like to be hot. People were whining in Phoenix last weekend, but I thought it felt great. Maybe there's something to that dry heat thing. Maybe it was because standing outside in the desert is a whole different thing than facing down and hour and a half of yoga in a hot room with strangers.
I found a back row spot (yes, I am a coward) and lay out my spiffy new yoga mat and took a seat. All the experienced people were doing various warm up poses. Seriously, the room is warm enough that all my muscles were jelly so what was there to warm up? I just sat and sweated. And can I just say that I've never been a big sweaty exerciser? Really. Even when I taught crazy aerobics in the 1980's I never left class drippy wet.
By the time the breathing exercises were done I was wet.
Soon after I was drippy wet.
Then, the compressor kicked in. My brain expected a cool breeze. My body got the heater blasting. Seriously, it wasn't hot enough? The lady next to me tried to fan herself with her hand. It didn't appear to be very effective.
By the end of class I fully understood the expression "feeling like a wet noodle".
It was a good workout though. I am terrible at Bikram and not bendy at all, but it felt good to do. Or maybe it just felt good to be done. At any rate, my drippy towels have been washed and I'll let you know if I drag my lazy self out of bed tomorrow for another morning of stretching, balancing and sweating.
-- marcella
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