The hardest time to eat healthy

We had a barbeque today. It was a get-together (or support group) for Travis and his Montessori teacher-training classmates. They went through a lot together and now they get to share triumphs and struggles about teaching in the classroom. For some, it is the anxiety of preparing to teach. Whatever the occasion, though, a barbeque is always fun.

We hosted this one at our place, so eating fresh during the barbeque wasn't that hard. We had burgers on the grill (no bun), grilled corn, and berries and watermelon. Juliet grabbed some bread and sausages from some other folks but we're not being too strict with her. The food and company was great and the kids played in the water and sunshine. It was a great time.

Then comes dinner, and we were exhausted and hungry and not wanting to cook. These are the times where it is so convenient to just run to the store to pick something up or order from a restaurant. We haven't been doing much eating out lately, but we have become reliant on the rotisserie chickens from the store. And while that isn't too processed, it is something that I can make myself (for cheaper) so I'd like to stay away from those this year. Anyways...

This is all to say that the hardest times to eat healthy are when you are dead tired and just want something quick and easy. Those are the times when you're tempted to spend a little bit more or eat something a little less healthy. But, if you're dedicated to eating fresh and cheap, it's likely you can find something to eat without going for convenience foods.

Which I did. I ate two bananas and some leftover beans and tortillas (the last of the store-bought ones!). And it was cheap, easy, and tasty.

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This is unrelated, but I wanted to share a picture of our meal from the other night. I don't take great food pictures, so if you're looking for fine photography, you won't find it here. From time to time, though, I will post pictures of food just because it was so yummy.

These are just taco salads, but they were so yummy. It included lettuce from our garden, ground meat, fresh corn cut from the cob, black beans (recipe below), homemade guacamole, and homemade tortilla chips (baked from corn tortillas). They were so yummy! (Did I say that already?)

The black beans recipe is from our friend Laurel and I hope she doesn't mind me posting it. I have always wanted to know how to cook black beans and have them taste good and flavorful, and I think this is the first time I've done it, thanks to her.

Black Beans de Laurel
1.5 cups black beans or 3 cups cooked black beans, salt and pepper to taste, 1 minced red bell pepper, 1 minced medium red onion, .25 cup minced cilantro or parsley and 2 Tbs of red wine vinegar plus more, if needed. All these things are just added together.