I love baked beans. Any kind really, and nowadays there are probably 20 different flavors to choose from. Only one tiny problem. Most canned baked beans have a ton of grams of sugar – up to 21 grams per 1/2 cup! Because the WW points also pays attention to grams of sugar, my once beloved side dish can now be up to 9 smart points per half cup – or nearly 1/3 of my daily point value. I just can’t justify spending 9 points on 1/2 a cup of anything, well, unless it’s cheese or gelato. 
So I picked up this can of “Ranch Style Beans.” I really had no idea what the hell was inside the can, but I knew that for 1/2 a cup it only had 2 grams of sugar which meant 4 smart points per serving. Much better!
I had to laugh at the packaging – “Appetite Pleasin’ and Real Western Flavor!” What exactly is real Western flavor?? I used 1/4 cup over my egg white omelet yesterday and they were delicious. A bit bland, but nothing some hot sauce couldn’t cure. I Pam fried 6 ounces of potatoes on the side for an 8 smart point breakfast.
Since my blood sugar was so low on Monday so I couldn’t work out, I decided to skip insulin all together for breakfast yesterday to make sure it was high enough to do my planned hour walk/jog. Um, turns out that worked! 312 a good hour or so before I started. So I knew I had enough energy to push myself harder than I normally do. That’s the weird thing about blood sugar is that it can hold you back even when you want to work out harder or longer. I ran the last 1/2 mile back to the house and it felt amazing. When I walked in the back door, that’s when I could feel my blood sugar was REALLY low – so in one hour my blood sugar went from 312 to 50!
So while I made my leftover grilled chicken tacos for lunch, I munched on grapes and that did the trick. And for once I didn’t search for chocolate! #nsv
I took just one picture of my lunch and shoved it in my face. By the time I finished the first taco, I felt much better and took my time with the second one. Two corn tortillas (3) 4 ounces leftover chicken (2) 1/2 an ounce of cheese (2).
One of the items on my list of things to do was to can the BBQ sauce for the winner of my giveaway last week. I love, love, love my Fresh Tech canner. I preheat it for 11 minutes, then add my jars of BBQ sauce, touch a button that says “sauce”, close the lid and 40 minutes later my BBQ sauce is preserved. Just set it and forget it!
Since I was trying to meal plan with stuff I had on hand, I was happy to find that I had beef short ribs in a plastic bag in the freezer. Out of sight, out of mind. These are cut “flanken” style, which means they are about 1/2 an inch thick and cut across the bone so each rib has only a few small ribs in them. I used my Hardcore Carnivore rub, then grilled them on the gas grill on indirect heat for 15 minutes, then finished them off under the heat for another five minutes. This is the gas grill my Mom gave me that she barely used, and it’s going to take a bit of getting used to how it works – I already know the right side burns hotter than the left – good to know!
My plate – with 1/2 a baked potato with a tablespoon of bacon bits, two of the ribs, fresh green beans and I tried to make a side dish using the pears that I bought off the $1 rack, but they were too mushy, so I didn’t eat them.
I got a lot accomplished these last two days – nearly everything on my list. I still managed to sneak in a nap, and get my exercise in too – just never made it to the gym. 
I texted my dinner picture to my sister and brother and asked them if they would eat that. First, it was pretty much a joke question to ask because they both won’t eat any meat on the bone. However, I was shocked to find out how seldom they both eat beef!
Gah! So weird because we all grew up in a house that had beef on a regular basis. Oh well, I guess that leaves more for me!
And I’ll end with another picture of Roman not quite understanding how the kiddie pool is supposed to work. He will just stand there, one paw up and not move an inch the whole time he’s in there.
Back to work today – my long 167 mile drive day. And of course, the temps are going to be back in the low 90s, but at least no rain, so I’ll take that. I am doing my usual staggered breakfast/lunch/dinner and will probably have dinner around 10:00 p.m. tonight. I plan on picking up some mushrooms at the market to go with a small beef steak when I get home. Yum!
Off to squeeze in a 30 minute walk before it gets too hot. Make it a great day!
You may be happy to hear I like beef 🙂 There’s something with beef on the menu once a week most of the times. I try to variete with chicken and pork. And for the past 2 weeks we had a vegetarian meal too. R. doesn’t want meat every day and we eat smaller portions these days because of that.
Aww Roman is so cute, he really looks like he is lost and don’t know what to do.
I am very happy to hear that! I try to vary it up too – and I do give Hannah one meatless meal a week 😀 Although when Jacob and I had beef ribs, she had a baked potato and green beans!
I could take bean or leave them. Steak and eggs for me please. But I do like pork and chicken too. I think you should can your own beans, then you can put as much or as little sugar you want. As long as you have that high tech canner, I am sure there is a recipe for canned beans in there.
Your meals always look delicious, (must remember to eat before reading Biz’s blog).
Does WW have a book or magazine that shows how to do the point system without having to join????? Have a great day and keep up the great work.
That’s a good idea Louise – I have so many canning jars in my basement too.
I don’t know where you can find the point system without joining – the points take into account the calories, saturated fat, sugar and protein, and not sure you could figure it out manually. I get 30 points a day and then 35 flex points for the week – you’d probably be the same.
Here are some of my favorite WW bloggers though:
http://danicasdaily.com/
http://www.skinnytaste.com/
http://www.emilybites.com/
Why don’t you make a big pot of homemade beans from dried and freeze in containers? I rarely buy canned beans and I love all kinds, especially Limas! As for beef, I rarely eat it and I eat no pork but I like chicken/turkey and seafood. I always say if I had to choose a last meal, it would be mashed potatoes and ice cream with nuts LOL. I do love baking!
It’s funny, but I don’t think of making beans from dried in the summer – it just feels like a cool weather thing to do. I do make my own homemade refried beans that are amazing!
http://www.mybizzykitchen.com/2013/03/10/creamy-stovetop-refried-beans/
Ha, love your idea of your last meal 😀
I am cracking up at your just now discovering Ranch Style Beans – they have been an el cheapo staple in our household for probably 20 years, at least!
I like beef but don’t bother with it (other than a hamburger) very often. Same goes for most meat in general, actually.
Nice job crossing off so much from your list – I love a good list, and I love crossing everything off…in fact, if I’m doing that and come across something extra and do it, I’ll write it on the list just to have an immediate cross off. 🙂
Nope, never even heard of those beans until the other day – delicious though and I think will be a new staple in my house too!
Ha, I do the same thing – if I do something that’s not on the list, I’ll write it down so I can cross it off too 😀 GMTA!
Beef makes a regular appearance at my house (every 7-10 days) but it tends to appear on the weekends more as a treat for me since I love a good Porterhouse. I love a good Flank Steak too but it kills me when they say it’s an inexpensive cut. No, it’s not!!
I will say, I can’t even imagine eating a steak at 10 p.m. though – way too heavy for me right before bed!
Thank you – I say the same thing whenever I watch Food Network and they talk about what an inexpensive cut of beef it is – no way – more like that most expensive. Not on sale my store sells it for $13 a pound!
And you were correct – I decided not to eat the beef right before bed, so I’ll probably have it for breakfast this morning 😀
I used to eat a lot more beef. We ate a fair amount growing up and I used to do a lot of lean ground beef. I have found myself eating less and less meat now. Pretty much the only time I have a burger is when we are out at a restaurant. Some of that comes from John being a vegetarian, but I am finding the beef less and less appealing. Not sure why. I used to be a huge fan of medium rare steak!
I guess it makes sense because John doesn’t eat it – I think that’s why my sister never makes it because her husband isn’t a big fan, and not sure her kids have ever had it, or like it for that matter! I was joking with Jennifer yesterday that I’ve had more beef in the last two days then she and my brother have had all year!