Meatless Mondays - Black Bean Burritos

In an effort to change the way we eat (and really, the way we think of food and meal time), Erin and I have decided to make a few changes to our kitchen, fridge and meal planning.

First, and foremost, we've decided to start adding back some color to our fridge. The greens, the reds, and everything in between has been missing for far too long (or being purchased and going to waste). We've been working on adding veggies and fruits back to the fridge.

Next, we are sitting down, and thinking out meals (still very much a work in progress for us, but Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither were our food habits!).

In working out meal plans, Erin and I have decided to try Meatless Mondays for 2012 (and hopefully beyond). Each week, we will have a healthy, interesting, exciting dish that (for some crazy reason) doesn't include meat. However, the purpose is to make that meal a healthy meal, one that integrates some veggies, which we need more of.

We had cauliflower soup a couple of weeks ago, and it was fantastic. However, as with any soup, we ate a 4' loaf of bread with it, which sort of negates all the good.

Tonight, we chose Black Bean Burritos.









They were great, and they utilized something we don't eat very often -- red bell peppers. Chock full of vitamin C and E, and carotenoids and sulfur. There is also some belief (I'm not sure if it is verified or not) that capsaicin is a cancer fighter and blood sugar.

We didn't get fancy tonight. Erin just had the black bean mixture (onions, bell pepper, jalepeno, cream cheese) in the burrito, where I added some lettuce and cheese, along with some hot sauce to mine. We really enjoy them, found them to be filling, and the black bean mixture felt hearty, like a meaty burrito would have. I was full from two, and Erin from one (a bit less than we usually eat). One serving of the bean mix was about 1/2 cup, which was about 180 calories and another 180 calories for the burrito. All in all, a great meal.

Tune in next week, when I share Lentil Burgers with you (if Erin agrees with me!).