My Favorite Black Bean Burgers

Black bean burgers. How I love thee. I've never have store-bought (they're super expensive, and I am suspicious of the ingredients), only homemade. And baby, they are good. I've decided to share the recipe with you. Because I only use bread crumbs to thicken the burgers, they are easiest to work with when frozen, or at least refrigerated.

My Favorite Black Bean Burgers

adapted from vegetarian.about.com

1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained

1 medium onion, diced

2 slices of bread, crumbled

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

dash of cinnamon

Other seasonings: cumin,  paprika, salt, pepper

oil for frying

Saute onion with olive oil for 3-5 minutes until soft. Mash beans with a fork (if you have a death-wish), or  puree in food processor (I use my Ninja Chopper, which I love; Ninja Master Prep Pro (Google Affiliate Ad)). Combine beans, onions and seasonings (I add about three dashes each of cumin and paprika) in a large bowl. Mix well. Add bread crumbs until the mixture is fairly thick.You may have to add more bread, depending on the size of the slices used.

Refrigerate mixture for at least an hour. Form bean mixture into patties, approximately ½ inch thick, and fry patties in a small amount of oil until slightly firm. Make veggie burgers and enjoy! If you are making these for only one or two people, you can freeze the patties between wax paper in ziploc bags. Otherwise, you can store the mixture in the fridge for a few days.

Easy Taco Soup

I made some pretty delicious soup last night. I would include a picture, but frankly, it's not exactly beautiful-looking. I used tomatillos and a jalapeno because I didn't have any green enchilada sauce in my possession, but if you have green enchilada sauce, by all means use it. That makes it even easier.

I'm afraid I don't generally measure seasonings that I add, unless I'm adding a fairly large amount like in my black bean burgers recipe. But I think you can figure it out and adjust things according to your desires.

Easy Taco Soup
Adapted from high heels and grills

Ingredients: 

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained (and rinsed if you are so inclined)

1 (15 oz.) can pinto beans, drained (and rinsed if you are so inclined)

1 (10 oz.) can Rotel (diced tomatoes and green chilies)

1 (16 oz.) can refried beans

1 (10 oz.) can green enchilada sauce (or 2-6 tomatillos and half a jalapeno)

1 (14 oz.) can chicken broth

Seasonings: chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, onion powder, cayenne pepper

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together in a large pot. If using tomatillos and jalapeno, puree in a food processor and add to pot. Add seasonings according to preference. Heat until warm, stirring occasionally. Serve and enjoy!

Mac and Cheese in the Microwave

On Pinterest I saw a vague recipe for mac and cheese in a mug, made in the microwave. The picture led to a random site, so I conducted a search. Because I love mac and cheese.

The original recipe didn't include butter, but some people were complaining about the cheese not mixing with the milk well, and just causing a glob of cheese. Also, butter makes everything better. The original recipe also called for 1% milk, but that's just nasty. Go all out, my friends. 2% is the way to go (or whole milk, if you have it).

It was good. I enjoyed it much more than my foray into the world of microwaved cake. You could make it a lot better if you used high quality cheese, but I didn't have any, and I am nothing if not lazy.

The obligatory sad photo taken at night with bad lighting.

Mac & Cheese in the Microwave

adapted from TheNaptimeChef

1/3 cup pasta

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup 2% milk

approx. 3/4 tsp. butter (you can use more; I won't judge)

1/2 cup shredded cheese (cheddar/mix/etc.)

Combine the pasta and water in a large mug or bowl (I recommend a bowl so it doesn't overflow). Microwave on high for two minutes, then stir. Repeat this for at least 2 more minutes (until your pasta is cooked), stirring at each 2-minute interval. My pasta cooked in 4 minutes.

Remove it from the microwave. If there is excess water, drain it. Stir in the milk, butter, and cheese. Microwave for 30 seconds and stir. Microwave for another 30 seconds and stir the cheese sauce thoroughly into the pasta. Enjoy!

How to Stop a Toilet from Overflowing

Want to know how to stop a toilet from running/overflowing? Check out my video below for a demonstration. Because no one wants to clean that up.

Charmin Ultra and other plush toilet papers tend to cause clogs, so this is happening more than it used to.




You can also turn off the water using a valve below the toilet tank, but pressing down the flapper usually solves the problem.

Face Cleansing Update

I am no longer doing water only. That lasted a long time, huh? It wasn't a fun experience, and I realized it probably wasn't a good time to do it anyway. I should experiment with it when I have more control over my diet, so there are fewer variables involved.

So what happened? Well, my skin got considerably worse, as I suspected it would. However, I didn't actually realize how bad it was until I washed my face with a scrub I had been using prior to the experiment, and noticed how much better my skin was. Initially, I chose to abandon the experiment because I started wondering if all my makeup was really being removed. I felt like maybe it wasn't, which was disturbing. Was it, wasn't it? I don't know. I just know that I will be sticking to my old routine for now.

No Shampoo?

I heard about the "no poo" craze going on, and being frequently annoyed with my hair, I decided to give it a shot. This was a few months ago, and at that point I was washing my hair every day, as I had been for years, with regular store-bought shampoo. Shampoo with SLS (gasp) and many other horrible things, I'm sure. I have a tendency toward oily hair. At the time, I couldn't go over 24 hours sans shampoo without my hair looking oily and gross. I knew there would a period of incredible discomfort (hello, oil!) for approximately 30 days. It was summer, though, and I thought I could mainly avoid people and survive it.

So it began. I washed my hair with water only. The grossness built. I lasted for about two weeks until I could take it no longer and tried supplementing my hair-washing routine with lemon juice and baking soda every few days. That worked, somewhat, but I had difficulty figuring out the proper amounts to use, and usually ended up with parts of my hair looking good, and parts (even more?) gross.

So I gave up, and returned to my regular shampoo, but the process did allow me to extend my shampooing slightly. I now wash my hair every other day. Not a huge deal, but it makes styling my hair slightly less pointless, due to it lasting a little longer.

I would like to get to the point where I wash my hair every three days or so. Partly because I'm lazy, partly because it would make styling my hair more worthwhile, and partly because I doubt all the crappy chemicals in shampoo are good for me. I can't work on adjusting it right now, since I'm trying to find a job and can't look horrible while doing that, but maybe one day I can try again.

Washing Skin with Water Only

Tuesday night I started another skin experiment. Get used to it, it happens a lot. I'm washing my face with water only. I tried it half-heartedly a few times, lasting about a day. But in those instances it happened mainly because I was feeling lazy or running late.

This time, I was inspired by a portion of an interview I read. It was some model and they were asking her about her beauty tips, and she mentioned that she only washes her face with water. So I thought to myself, if she can do it, so can I!

In the past, my attempts at water-only face washing have not gone well. My skin reacted, badly. I know it will probably not be a smooth process, but I will try to hold out longer and see what happens. I love the idea of only washing my face with water. How easy and natural! I am, however, using makeup removing wipes when I wear makeup, because water alone doesn't remove it well, and I don't want stuff like concealer left on my face.

I will keep you updated on how it goes.

Anxiety and Drugs

If you struggle with anxiety, you are prone to drug dependency. If you are someone who has no desire to smoke a joint, you might be tuning out now. But that's just one type of drug. Alcohol is a drug. A very common, widely used drug. 

Anxiety isn't fun. It isn't a pleasant experience, and there can be a desire to quickly, easily make it go away. Many people turn to alcohol for relief. It's understandable. If I hadn't made the decision years ago to avoid alcohol, I would probably do it too. And I would also likely be an alcoholic today. People with anxiety are alcoholics waiting to happen. Alcohol is the easy way out, ​but in the end it just causes more problems.

Letting Go

​I am currently staying with my aunt and uncle. As a guest, I have only slight control over what I eat. I was apprehensive at first, but it is healthier to accept the situation. Accept that right now my skin is not awesome, because my aunt and uncle are obsessed with dairy. Sometimes the right way is the easy way. Not always, but definitely in this case. Letting go and eating what is available, and trying not to get stressed out about it. Well, I guess that isn't necessarily easy. But if you're like me and love cheese, the eating it part is very easy.

The Truth About Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are all the rage these days. People are freaking out. Media has once again created mass hysteria, because as they say, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

Bed bugs do not indicate an unclean environment. They travel in luggage and end up in various places. Cleanliness has nothing to do with it. It's unrealistic to expect lodging establishments to rip apart beds and headboards, and examine furniture every day in every room simply to make sure there are no bugs. It's not their fault if bed bugs are present, and they are difficult to get rid of. If you're that concerned, check the furniture yourself, or just don't travel.

Bite marks can take up to 14 days to develop. Don't be that person who discovers bite marks, freaks out, and attacks the person at the front desk. Do some investigating first, and see if there is any other evidence of bed bugs in your current environment (small blood spots on sheets and mattresses is a sign of bed bugs). And even if there are, you may have been the one who brought them along.

Getting angry solves nothing. If there are bed bugs where you're staying, getting angry and pointing fingers is not helpful. You may have brought them, the people before you may have brought them. No one can tell for sure where they came from unless you get bitten everywhere you go (then it is very likely that you are the carrier, but that does not mean that if that doesn't happen, you didn't bring them). And after all, do you get upset at the existence of mosquitoes?

Bed bugs are just bugs. They have existed for many years (where do you think the phrase "don't let the bed bugs bite!" comes from?). There is no reason to get upset now. For more information on bed bugs, here is a good article from the Center of Disease Control: http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/bedbugs/faqs.html