Thursdays are the mornings when I teach my boot camp class.  I am completely loving this class because I can make the workouts super hard….or tone them down a notch for less experienced boot campers.   I usually try to do the harder options 😉

New participants will often ask me how “hard” a class is, but it is so hard for me to judge that because I try to cater to all levels.  I make a point to tell my classes to take breaks when needed, eliminate the weights if they want to, drink plenty of water, push themselves, but most importantly…listen to their bodies!

Even the most experienced athlete may have a day when things just feel “off” and that is ok…I want people to be challenged and to be sore from working hard, not injured!

That being said, this morning’s workout got my face sweaty, my body shaking, and now that the workout is completed I feel that great energy that I get from working out and that slight tiredness in my limbs.  Call me crazy, but I LOVE that feeling.

Here is what we did today:

Gotta love starting the day out with a great workout!

Dinner

Last night’s dinner was a tasty little experiment that turned out completely right!

I have created black bean burgers in the past, but last week I got this little hankering for something in the spaghetti and meat balls realm.  The idea popped into my head while driving to work…black bean “meat” balls.   I used the exact same recipe that I usually use for black bean burgers, but I swapped out some of the spices and rolled the mixture into little balls instead of patties.  The end result was a deliciously simple, tasty, and nutritious meal that Brian loved just as much as I did!

Black Bean “Meat” Balls

Yields: 12 balls (3 per serving)

Ingredients:

• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup oat flour
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place black beans in a large bowl and smash with the back of a spoon or a mashed potato masher.  When the beans are mostly smashed, add in the remaining ingredients.  It is easiest to mix this up with your hands, so dig in and get dirty.  Combine everything thoroughly.  Once combined, roll into 12 balls.

Place in the oven to bake for 10-12 minutes until they are warmed through and slightly crisp on the outside.

Remove from the oven when they are done baking.  Serve over a bed of pasta (or spaghetti squash, or other steamed veggie!!) with marinara sauce, or on top of a giant salad.  These are also tasty just by themselves dipped in marinara.  Enjoy!!

Nutrition per 3 balls:  Calories–181  Fat:  1.2g  Carbohydrates:  39g  Protein:  10.8g

***REMINDER:  Today is the last day to enter the Happy Headgear headband giveaway contest!!!