Maple Baked Beans

Before I had children...I never thought about what I put into my body for food. I never turned down a chance to go out to eat. I rarely cooked something if it wasn't frozen or from a box. In fact, I think for at least the first month of marriage my husband and I ate frozen dinners. We had a very sporadic schedule and I didn't exactly know how to cook. I remember our 1 month anniversary, I made mashed potatoes and little steaks that were cheap at the store...it was 11:30 pm and he had just got off work and I had to get up at 5:00 am to get to class. But there we sat at midnight with steak and mashed potatoes...and he didn't eat any of it. The steak was "rubbery" and the potatoes were over salted.
When we decided to start trying for our first child 5 years ago, I was 220 pounds and miserable. I felt sluggish, I felt fat, I had no motivation. And I remember reading a book about conceiving and realized being obese could have an effect on my fertility as well as the baby's health. That is when things started to change. Very slowly indeed. I started working out every day and got down to 170 pounds before finally conceiving but I hadn't really adjusted my diet yet.
Then one day when I was preparing dinner, and Walnut was just starting on solid foods...I was making Stove Top Stuffing and flipped over the box to the ingredient/nutritional information. What the heck?!?! Look at all that sodium, mono-this, di-glycerite that, mono-sodium glutamate, oh and the list went on! It took me a few years to completely phase out boxed and frozen dinners, but now it is rare to find them in my house. I make my own pizzas (which taste way better anyways), beans, spaghetti sauce, stuffing, soups...this list goes on and on. I do treat my kids though to a box of Annie's organic Macaroni and Cheese, because quite frankly, I love macaroni and cheese.
Since I started running regularly and cutting out unnecessary processed foods, I can tell the difference in my body too. I've trimmed down to 145 pounds without a single day of dieting. I have plenty of energy to make it through work, running, dinner, kids, and cleaning the house in a single day. I am happier and feel better about myself then I ever have before.
Mostly, I want to do whatever I can for my children to make sure they don't grow up to be obese, or develop type II diabetes when they are still teenagers. I want them to be able to live a happy and active life, and not be held back by poor decisions I made for them when they were too young to make them for themselves. I want to be able to give my children the tools they need to live a long healthy happy lives and start good habits early such as eating their fruits and veggies and exercising and passing up on dessert every once a while. I don't want them to go through the struggles I did with my weight or be teased for being the "fat kid."
So, I do the best I can to set the best examples for them. I eat fresh fruits and veggies every meal and make sure they at least try them. I let them try to workout with me if they want to if I'm doing a video in the house. I bring them on runs with me in the stroller or on their bike so they can see mommy moving her body.

Here is a recipe for Maple Baked Beans that are awesome! They rival Bush's any day, but without the high-fructose corn syrup and mono-sodium glutamate. And beans are low in fat, and high in fiber and protein!


Maple Baked Beans


1 pound dried navy or great northern beans
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons molasses
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
2 thick strips bacon, cut in 1/4 inch pieces

In a large pan, cover the beans with water. Bring to a boil and simmer until tender, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 300°F.

In a bowl, combine everything else except the bacon. Add to the beans. Stir in the bacon. Add just enough water to the pot to cover everything. Cover the pot with aluminum foil, then a lid. Bake for 5 hours, checking hourly to make sure the beans aren’t drying out. (Add more water as necessary to keep them submerged.) Uncover for the last half hour to brown the top, if desired.