Tag Archives: homesteading

Black Bean & Brown Rice Burgers with Spinach, Mushrooms, Bacon, and Cheese

We’re a pretty adventurous family when it comes to trying new recipes and new foods. We don’t mind spicy, we love vegetables, and we’re even okay with meatless options. We don’t subscribe to any one diet other than portion control, focus on protein and vegetables. We try keto, grain, dairy, and egg free recipes, Whole 30, Paleo diet, meatless recipes just because they sound good to us, believing any extreme diet is likely unhealthy, but they each have their good points. We’re up for most anything.

A little while back we went to a restaurant with my parents. Our youngest daughter, nine at the time, shared that she was tired of kids’ menu options that are boring and not particularly filling. She politely asked if she could try the adult menu. We said she could, but imagine our surprise when our nine year old opted to try spicy black bean burgers! That is definitely not something I would have tried with all the other options on a restaurant menu, nor would I have expected from a child! She tried them, though, and not only did she eat the entire burger and sides, but she loved spicy black bean burgers!

I’ve been traveling. My aunt just celebrated her 80th birthday, and my cousin was throwing her a surprise birthday brunch back in New England. One only turns 80 once, and I miss many celebrations because of the distance. I didn’t want to miss this milestone celebration!

My 80 year old aunt, cousins, brothers, and my son and his wife.

Plus, my niece is in Girl Scouts and she’s selling cookies. What better travel staple than Girl Scout cookies from my young niece! And my Lilla Rose bobby pins and hair band!

 

But, I’m chasing squirrels here…because I had been traveling, and because I’d left sick children who weren’t eating much, there isn’t much in the way of food in the house. While I was away the children and husband survived on a 16 quart pot of chicken noodle soup I’d prepared for the sickies before leaving, and there were lots of eggs from our chickens for the non sickies. Imagine four days in a row of chicken noodle soup and eggs. The family is quite bored with their food options! Yet, yesterday I had appointments, errands, and did I mention not much food in the house? I didn’t have time to prepare a fantastic meal last night.

I had a stash of cooked and frozen black beans, left over frozen rice….and staples in the freezer or pantry. I knew I had to be creative around the time limitations, but not make the family feel deprived.

I decided to make black bean burgers. I consulted with a few recipes before coming up with my own.  I topped them with a spinach, mushroom, bacon, cheese sauce because we had those ingredients too. The family thought they were great.

Black Bean & Brown Rice Burgers, LoveLeavingLegacy Style

  • 4 cups of soaked and cooked black beans
  • 4 cups of cooked brown rice
  • 2 green peppers diced
  • 1 large onion diced
  • 2 shredded carrots
  • 7 oz can diced chili peppers
  • minced garlic to taste
  • 2 beaten eggs
  • 2 heaping tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 heaping tablespoons cumin
  • 2 teaspoons of tabasco sauce
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • bread crumbs as needed

In the food processor blend the beans and rice. Mix in remaining ingredients except bread crumbs. Then, add bread crumbs a little at a time until the mixture holds a burger form. Form 8-12 burger patties on a broiling pan, and broil til crispy and brown on low broiling temperature.

While burgers are broiling, prepare the spinach, mushroom, bacon, and cheese sauce.

Spinach, Mushroom, Bacon, and Cheese Sauce

  • 1 large poly bag spinach (one that serves 10)
  • 1 large onion
  • minced garlic to taste
  • 4 8 oz packages of sliced portabella mushrooms (My family thinks I should have chopped these more finely.)
  • 12 oz package of turkey bacon
  • 8 oz non fat cream cheese
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs
  • 1 cup of grated parmesan cheese
  • 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
  • pepper to taste

In a large pan, saute bacon, onions, and garlic. When bacon is nearly crispy, add mushrooms and saute until almost softened. Add spinach and saute until wilted and incorporates easily into the rest of the bacon/vegetable mixture. In the food processor, blend together remaining ingredients. Add to vegetable bacon mixture, and stir over low heat until melted and creamy.

Serve over Black Bean and Rice Burgers. Serves 8-10. Option: Serve with whole or halved cherry tomatoes on the side.

I love that spring fruits and vegetables are on sale again, and we loaded up on cantaloupe and berries at the grocery store. We served a cantaloupe cubed as a sweet side to our dinner last night.

As I said, my family raved, and they’ve asked me to make them again. Score one for Mom!

Maybe they were just grateful it wasn’t another chicken noodle soup night?

If you try our concoction, tell us what you think in the comments!

Blessings, 

Deb

 

 

A Peek Into How We Store Our Lilla Rose

The first weeks of January seem to be when most of us organize our piles, our closets, our papers, and more after taking down Christmas. Moms have purged toys and household goods the week after Christmas in time to get year end tax deductions for donations of goods to charity. We all know tax time is looming, and we want our financial stuff in order.

January 9th was National Clean Off Your Desk Day. I don’t have a desk, but I do re-organize my bins and bags of my Lilla Rose supplies or paperwork for all of the above reasons: organization and tax time is looming. I have customers to serve, and shows to apply for in the new year. I need to know where my business supplies are!

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In honor of National Clean Off Your Desk Day, we straightened up our Lilla Rose stashes instead, and did a FB Live demonstration.

I found I had to organize my Lilla Rose personal stash! My snap shut plastic bins were filled to overflowing and would no longer shut. There is no purging Lilla Rose products, of course! My daughters, too, have begun to misplace their clips, hair sticks, u-pins, bobby pins, and hairbands.

Lady L, my 15 year old daughter, received her third beautiful large wood jewelry box for Christmas, and has no room in her room for another large item on her dresser. I absconded with it, and now it stores my Lilla Rose! My minis, bobby pins, and extra smalls go on the top, hair bands go on necklace hooks on one side, and dangles and my braided 8 go on the other. In two drawers, I have my small flexis, and my mediums are in the bottom drawer. I keep my hair sticks and u-pins in a beautiful Lilla Rose zipper pouch that I was gifted by Lilla Rose at convention two years ago. I have a little bit of room to add more clips, but for now, this is a good solution.

Deb 1

Deb 4

Deb 2

Deb 3

 

In exchange for her jewelry box, I am buying Lady L a small wall mirror for over her dresser that matches her new turquoise theme and night stand. She is using an acrylic drawer set like this (affiliate link) that matches her make-up storage sets so her clips remain handy and with her own system. Her twenty-five clips and accessories, including her two extra-large flexis, with room to add, fit nicely, in the thin, wide drawers shown below.

Daughter #2, Miss-y E, also received another jewelry box for Christmas. Her box is three drawers, so it is easy to sort her items according to size and product. Now she has one jewelry box for her jewelry, and one for her clips, and she can keep both on the dresser she shares with her younger sister.

El 1

El 2

 

Daughter #3, A-Grape, uses the smallest sizes clips, so for now, she keeps her clips in my bathroom in a drawer in her plastic bin, sorted according to size. This way, I can help her keep track of her personal inventory and teach organizational skills in the process.

Anna 2

That is how we store our Lilla Rose flexi clips and hair accessories!

How do you or would you store yours? We’d love to see or hear in the comments below.

When you are interested in learning more about starting your own Lilla Rose business, I invite you to message me so we can chat. Note my video on the opportunity at the top of the side bar, or read more on my website.

Blessings,

Deb