exercise and bean filled pies

I haven’t talked much about my recent attitude-change regarding exercise.

To quickly update… I’m in the 3rd week of my programme from Kerryn, and I have also become a gym conisseur of sorts… I changed to a fancier gym closer to my house (with a really cool creche for Misty).  My main motivation for becoming a gym-bunny is the classes.  Who would have thought it, but I actually really dig group fitness.  Ha. For me, it’s a lot more motivating, and I find I push myself a lot harder.  My main focus is still yoga classes, but I have dabbled in pilates, and attended my first Body Pump session and survived.

(Although I did have to keep saying in my head, ‘You had a baby, you can do this…. this does not hurt as much as having a baby, stop crying.’)

I’ve actually found challenging myself to partake in different activities has really given me a boost in confidence… however silly I may look trying to juggle bars/weights/falling over my own feet/lying on the ground close to death from squats.

Anyway, the point is that my pre-conceived ideas on exercise where a little askew; I just had to find the style I enjoyed to get motivated.  My main goals (particularly in my set programme from Kerryn) is to gain strength, which in turn is only going to help my yoga practise.

My once rampant appetite is now off the charts crazy from all this jumping around I’m doing at the gym.  I was never a big user of protein powders before, but I am using one to supplement, and feed my growing guns (ha).  I’ve never actually used the powder in a smoothie, I prefer to be a bit more creative when it comes to amping up the vegan protein in my life.

I am still on this sweet-bean-cooking kick, so I have come up with a variation on a theme.  A reader mentioned in the comments of this post about a pinto bean pie, which I have never heard of.  I had a huge jar of dry pinto beans, so I got soaking, cooking and creating something a little lighter than my previous bean mousse.  It must be the protein powder; this “bean sludge” gets so smooth and creamy, its amazing.

 

Chocolate Pinto Bean Pie:

Nut-Free No Bake Pie Crust:

(Vegan, gluten free IF you use certified oats, nut, corn, soy, refined sugar free)

• 1/4C oats
• 2T coconut flour
• 1T ground pysllium husks*
• 12 small dates
• 1/4t sea salt
• 1T coconut oil (measured when solid)

1. Pulse together ingredients in the food processor until it resembles bread crumbs.
2. Pack tightly into a spring form tin, or silicone baking mould, squeezing the mix up the sides to form the base of your pie. My tin is a small one, about 10cm in diameter – my pie had a thick crust and was high with filling.  Use whatever you have, but you can always double this pie crust recipe.

• 2C pinto bean sludge (soak 1C dry beans according to this method)
• 1/3C unsweetened vegan vanilla protein powder (I use this brand)
• 1/4C coconut sugar OR xylitol OR rapadura (whatever granulated sweetener you use)… more if you like it super sweet, just taste as you go.
• 1/2t sea salt
• 1t coconut oil (measured when solid)
• 1/4C cacao powder
• 1t vanilla extract

1. You want the pinto beans to be a similar consistency to say, canned baked beans.  (See picture above).
2. Blend until super smooth in a food processor or high speed blender.
3. Pour into prepared pie crust, and chill in the fridge for at least an hour to help it “set”.

I ate the whole thing in one sitting.  So good.  I wish I could get Misty to eat something OTHER than the tips off his marker-pens.  He is obsessed with biting (and eating) the tops of them.  Gross.  He sneaks them away to nibble on when he thinks I’m not looking – but I can always tell what he has been up to thanks to his multi-coloured mouth.