Yep, you heard me right, BLACK BEAN BROWNIES. I did it. I had to, I felt I had no choice. I saw this article: Naughty Foods Made Nice and being a self-proclaimed baker, I had to try it...once I stopped feeling nauseous. I googled it first, of course, to see if this was a ridiculous joke or a tree-hugging hippie idea trying to pass for something tasty and healthy. Everyone claimed it was great and you couldn't taste the difference and how could "everyone" be wrong?
So...I did it. I went to the store and I bought myself a box of brownie mix and a can of black beans. I rinsed the beans, put them back into the can, filled the can with water, and dumped them into my mini-food processor. Then I pureed. I had to stop myself from gagging as I took the lid off to examine my mashing. I ended up with this purpley bean juice. I shook my head, shrugged my shoulders and told the dog "welp, here goes nothing" and added the bean juice into my brownie mix. It smelled like brownie mix and beans and I was feeling queasy but my pan was greased and it was too late to turn back.
I poured the batter into my pan and stared at the spoon and bowl, the best part of brownies. The only reason I make brownies is so I can lick the spoon when I'm done. But alas, today was not a spoon day. I took one, small cautious lick and much to my surprise it tasted like brownie. Mentally I had ruined the experience because my brain kept repeating "black bean juice" over and over again and the spoon and bowl ended up in the dishwasher instead of my tummy.
Into the oven the brownies go as I take a look at the box to examine the stats of my new brownies. Packed with fiber and protein, I cut the calories and the fat! But was it worth it? 20 minutes later the house began to smell of brownies! 30 minutes later the timer went off and I stuck a knife into the center to see how we were looking (I'm out of toothpicks). I tasted the little bit of brownie on the knife. It tasted like brownie!
A while later it was time for dessert. Mike knew nothing of my nonsense and I decided only to tell him dessert was healthy tonight. He looked at me funny and said "...brownies?!..." I added some blueberries and a dollop of cool whip, still fearful we'd have beany brownies. One bite in and I was amazed. Mike gobbled it down and told me he liked it. I ended up telling him my secret and he was shocked but instead of being disgusted told me "there were really good!"
I'll probably never trust another brownie again but, in all honesty, I think I'd consider doing it again. They REALLY don't taste any different from normal brownies and I'm always very skeptical of "healthy alternatives". Try it if you don't believe me!
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Street Lights....People
Ahhhh Saturday, I look forward to you all week. You allow me to eat, drink (Dark & Stormy followed by Absolut & Fresca), and be merry and you don't judge me. You let IU lose a bullshit game by 1-point, that Mr. Saturday, is unforgivable. You helped me file my tax return and because I'm not pleased with the amount you're giving me back because the government screwed me yet again, I'm choosing to not submit them quite yet. You let Mike light the grill with the lighter instead of the electric starter and forced me to learn what burnt (arm) hair smells like. GROSS!!
Street lights and people! DON'T STOP BELIEVING!
That being said, let's give it up for Journey on this lovely Saturday evening!
Street lights and people! DON'T STOP BELIEVING!
That being said, let's give it up for Journey on this lovely Saturday evening!
Blog Block 2011
Hello Faithful Followers!
It's been way too long since I have graced the blogspere with the very intuitive yet sometimes meandering anecdotes of my life. As I sit here with my trusty DC and Cap and try to make it happen (pun totally intended!), I can't seem to find my wording! Almost as bad as a girl with her uncle at a bar (see: Jersey Shore, Season 3, Episode 3 - too bad for Vinny!), I've got a big block! A big, fat BLOGGING BLOCK!
Now don't get me wrong, 2011 has been great so far! VERY busy - lots of fun: lots of GT basketball games, a comedy show, babysat Bentley, Supper Club, great family time, many fancy vendor dinners, great TV (Bachelor, Shore, Bones, GG), on-boarded Facebook (buy virtual goods on your T (NYSE) mobile bill!), spent 21 days straight with KT$, and the list goes on and on and on. So even though I can't seem to find anything to write about, I'm going to share some of my new findings in 2011!
Favorite New Line: "I'm a blast in a glass!"
Favorite New (who is actually OLD) Band: Train (not really, this one is for Brad Womack!)
Worst day of adult life thus far: 1/18/2011 - Regis Philbin announced his retirement
My Most Debated Potential New Couple: Blan or Dair (Bland or Dare?) = Blair and Dan...will they really go there? The Queen Bee with Lonely Boy?
Favorite New Goal: To win a drinking competition at Club Med like Jane Velez-Mitchell
Favorite New Touching Quote: "It's been 28 years and it was the biggest thrill of my life." - Reeg
Favorite New Moment to Look Forward To: LAS VEGAS! The A in KAK's Bachelorette! WHO LET THE DOGS OUT...Zack Galfanakis, anyone? Word of the wise: we won't be doing any Jager shots from fully bearded men...it'd at least have to be Makers!
Biggest Disappointment in 2011: AJ is back in rehab. Don't mess up my show man.
Proudest Moment in 2011: Kirk Dumont and all of his awards!
I wonder if anyone shares these sentiments above. Let me know what your new findings of 2011 have been so far!
Again, thanks for keeping up with KAK, followers! Forcing myself through this blog block has actually helped! Now I have a few ideas for upcoming posts. Here are a few teasers to keep you interested!
- Ice Storm 2011 - Atlanta Style
- My review of the Bachelor
- Goals for Vegas!
Till next time...
Ciao yall!
Kristin
It's been way too long since I have graced the blogspere with the very intuitive yet sometimes meandering anecdotes of my life. As I sit here with my trusty DC and Cap and try to make it happen (pun totally intended!), I can't seem to find my wording! Almost as bad as a girl with her uncle at a bar (see: Jersey Shore, Season 3, Episode 3 - too bad for Vinny!), I've got a big block! A big, fat BLOGGING BLOCK!
Now don't get me wrong, 2011 has been great so far! VERY busy - lots of fun: lots of GT basketball games, a comedy show, babysat Bentley, Supper Club, great family time, many fancy vendor dinners, great TV (Bachelor, Shore, Bones, GG), on-boarded Facebook (buy virtual goods on your T (NYSE) mobile bill!), spent 21 days straight with KT$, and the list goes on and on and on. So even though I can't seem to find anything to write about, I'm going to share some of my new findings in 2011!
Favorite New Line: "I'm a blast in a glass!"
Favorite New (who is actually OLD) Band: Train (not really, this one is for Brad Womack!)
Worst day of adult life thus far: 1/18/2011 - Regis Philbin announced his retirement
My Most Debated Potential New Couple: Blan or Dair (Bland or Dare?) = Blair and Dan...will they really go there? The Queen Bee with Lonely Boy?
Favorite New Goal: To win a drinking competition at Club Med like Jane Velez-Mitchell
Favorite New Touching Quote: "It's been 28 years and it was the biggest thrill of my life." - Reeg
Favorite New Moment to Look Forward To: LAS VEGAS! The A in KAK's Bachelorette! WHO LET THE DOGS OUT...Zack Galfanakis, anyone? Word of the wise: we won't be doing any Jager shots from fully bearded men...it'd at least have to be Makers!
Biggest Disappointment in 2011: AJ is back in rehab. Don't mess up my show man.
Proudest Moment in 2011: Kirk Dumont and all of his awards!
I wonder if anyone shares these sentiments above. Let me know what your new findings of 2011 have been so far!
Again, thanks for keeping up with KAK, followers! Forcing myself through this blog block has actually helped! Now I have a few ideas for upcoming posts. Here are a few teasers to keep you interested!
- Ice Storm 2011 - Atlanta Style
- My review of the Bachelor
- Goals for Vegas!
Till next time...
Ciao yall!
Kristin
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
2011 is off to a quick start!
Saddle up, it's GO TIME!!!
The year has just begun and I'm hitting it head-on! Started the year off right with a trip to the Capital One Bowl in Orlando to watch a devastating loss by MSU; halfway through the game, I actually thought I was in some awful dream and I would wake up soon and everything would be different...no dice. Besides the horrendous score a great time was had by all!
The wedding is now about 4 months away so we're in full wedding-planning mode and finally nailing down (aka driving everyone crazy with) the details. On a related note: we're also planning a big weekend trip to Vegas - Mike for his Bachelor Party and me for my Bachelorette Party. It should be complete awesomeness, given everyone survives...luckily what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas (well maybe it stays in Vegas and on the blog)! Also, I need to really buckle down and figure out our trip to Hawaii for the honeymoon.
Mike and I are going to IU in about week to catch a basketball game (my secret trick to get him really sucked into IU basketball. You've gotta go see a game in Assembly Hall to really fall in love) and hopefully meeting up with some old friends from IU and MSU. Including KT!!!
And as if that's all not enough, we're also stalking every neighborhood in the area for houses that are for sale, hoping to find/buy the perfect starter home (with a pool and plenty of guest rooms of course!!)
All I can think is...what the hell am I going to do with my time when June rolls around? I'LL FINALLY HAVE A FREE-AND-CLEAR CALENDAR...yea right! haha
...I think I need a personal assistant. My goal in 2011 is to survive and have a good time...sounds totally do-able! What's on tap for you this year?
The year has just begun and I'm hitting it head-on! Started the year off right with a trip to the Capital One Bowl in Orlando to watch a devastating loss by MSU; halfway through the game, I actually thought I was in some awful dream and I would wake up soon and everything would be different...no dice. Besides the horrendous score a great time was had by all!
The wedding is now about 4 months away so we're in full wedding-planning mode and finally nailing down (aka driving everyone crazy with) the details. On a related note: we're also planning a big weekend trip to Vegas - Mike for his Bachelor Party and me for my Bachelorette Party. It should be complete awesomeness, given everyone survives...luckily what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas (well maybe it stays in Vegas and on the blog)! Also, I need to really buckle down and figure out our trip to Hawaii for the honeymoon.
Mike and I are going to IU in about week to catch a basketball game (my secret trick to get him really sucked into IU basketball. You've gotta go see a game in Assembly Hall to really fall in love) and hopefully meeting up with some old friends from IU and MSU. Including KT!!!
And as if that's all not enough, we're also stalking every neighborhood in the area for houses that are for sale, hoping to find/buy the perfect starter home (with a pool and plenty of guest rooms of course!!)
All I can think is...what the hell am I going to do with my time when June rolls around? I'LL FINALLY HAVE A FREE-AND-CLEAR CALENDAR...yea right! haha
...I think I need a personal assistant. My goal in 2011 is to survive and have a good time...sounds totally do-able! What's on tap for you this year?
What annoys you?
I found the second half of this article REALLY amusing and VERY true so I had to share...
http://marquee.blogs.cnn.com/2011/01/05/the-notebook-hazardous-to-relationships/?hpt=C2
http://marquee.blogs.cnn.com/2011/01/05/the-notebook-hazardous-to-relationships/?hpt=C2
Monday, January 3, 2011
Happy New Year!!
2011 should prove to be a very exciting year for all of us! Good luck to everyone in all that you do this year! Make it a good one!!
Friday, December 17, 2010
My Holiday Hate List (But I LOVE Christmas...really I do!)
I love Christmas. Seriously. LOVE. CHRISTMAS. (Or the holidays to all you non-Christmas celebrators.) I'm so happy around Christmas! Ask anyone! I've decorated my entire condo and my boyfriend's house, too! I just LOVE Christmas! So in a VERY un-like Christmas spirit I have a bone to pick. Yes, this is my Holiday Hate List 2010. I'm sure it'll grow and become another blog post in the following week, but here are the things that drive me crazy this holiday season (Note: Most of these have been observed while sitting in INSANE Atlanta traffic)!
- People with the Apple logo sticker on their car. SERIOUSLY? You love your computer that much that you need to put a sticker on your car to support it. People put college stickers on their car, pro-football stickers, and you have your computer company's sticker on your car - for real? N-E-R-D.
- People with antlers on their car. WHY? That is so cheesy! FYI - your car is not a reindeer. As much as you want it to take flight and bypass all the traffic we are both sitting in, NEWS FLASH, it won't. I also classify Christmas lights and garland in this category.
- People that work in a job that REQUIRES specific knowledge about the products they sell! Normally I'd say this definitely applies to Best Buy, Home Depot, RadioShack; however, come this holiday season, it should apply EVERYWHERE. In the Buckhead ULTA today, I'm trying to decipher the difference between a $99.99 Chi Straighter, a $159.99 Chi Straighter, and a $179.99 Chi Straighter. The box is in Swedish and the English subtitle is very minimal. The sales person has no idea the difference between the three and tells me she doesn't use Chi straighteners. Um, do you work here though? The cashier also doesn't know how to call another store to ask. WOW! I didn't even wait for her to make a 2nd attempt. I left the store and went out to the ULTA in Alpharetta, where service is phenomenal, and they were able to answer my question in 2.2 seconds. Moral of the story: KNOW YOUR STUFF PEOPLE!
- Websites that advertise "Gifts under $25" and the first item listed is $29.99. Hm...pretty sure I didn't need to go to Georgia Tech (Go Jackets!) to tell you that $29.99 is not under $25. WHY! This is such a tease!
- People driving bad while on the cell phone. If you can't drive and talk at the same time (not that hard), then DON'T. I was almost hit about 14 times today by people on their cell phone! This is also the slow person driving 10 MPH in the left hand lane and when you pass them and look over, oh WOW! , they are on their cell phone! It's the 21st century, go buy a bluetooth; it's $20! Or put it on speaker phone. And if you don't have that functionality, I work at the big T (NYSE) so I'll point you in the right direction.
Phew! So glad I got that out! This cocktail I'm drinking is definitely helping :) Now, my next post will be more Christmas upbeat because I can't wait! Christmas is in less than 10-days!
Ciao yall!
Kristin
PS - Thanks to the other K and A for their shout outs to Kirk-a-doodle! STATE CHAMPS BABY!
- People with the Apple logo sticker on their car. SERIOUSLY? You love your computer that much that you need to put a sticker on your car to support it. People put college stickers on their car, pro-football stickers, and you have your computer company's sticker on your car - for real? N-E-R-D.
- People with antlers on their car. WHY? That is so cheesy! FYI - your car is not a reindeer. As much as you want it to take flight and bypass all the traffic we are both sitting in, NEWS FLASH, it won't. I also classify Christmas lights and garland in this category.
- People that work in a job that REQUIRES specific knowledge about the products they sell! Normally I'd say this definitely applies to Best Buy, Home Depot, RadioShack; however, come this holiday season, it should apply EVERYWHERE. In the Buckhead ULTA today, I'm trying to decipher the difference between a $99.99 Chi Straighter, a $159.99 Chi Straighter, and a $179.99 Chi Straighter. The box is in Swedish and the English subtitle is very minimal. The sales person has no idea the difference between the three and tells me she doesn't use Chi straighteners. Um, do you work here though? The cashier also doesn't know how to call another store to ask. WOW! I didn't even wait for her to make a 2nd attempt. I left the store and went out to the ULTA in Alpharetta, where service is phenomenal, and they were able to answer my question in 2.2 seconds. Moral of the story: KNOW YOUR STUFF PEOPLE!
- Websites that advertise "Gifts under $25" and the first item listed is $29.99. Hm...pretty sure I didn't need to go to Georgia Tech (Go Jackets!) to tell you that $29.99 is not under $25. WHY! This is such a tease!
- People driving bad while on the cell phone. If you can't drive and talk at the same time (not that hard), then DON'T. I was almost hit about 14 times today by people on their cell phone! This is also the slow person driving 10 MPH in the left hand lane and when you pass them and look over, oh WOW! , they are on their cell phone! It's the 21st century, go buy a bluetooth; it's $20! Or put it on speaker phone. And if you don't have that functionality, I work at the big T (NYSE) so I'll point you in the right direction.
Phew! So glad I got that out! This cocktail I'm drinking is definitely helping :) Now, my next post will be more Christmas upbeat because I can't wait! Christmas is in less than 10-days!
Ciao yall!
Kristin
PS - Thanks to the other K and A for their shout outs to Kirk-a-doodle! STATE CHAMPS BABY!
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