Thursday, September 7, 2017

BlackBean Inspiration Meals!

I have started to notice the changes in my life now that I am a college graduate. Most of those changes have fortunately been good ones. I think my most favorite change is seeing those who I graduated with get a good job, get engaged/married, or continue their studies. For this blog post, I will talk (and review) the blog/ delivery service of my nutrition graduate friend, Abby. Her blog is called BlackBean Inspiration!

The first food or rather a drink, that I tried is called the "Superfood Smoothie Bowl." The smoothie is made with mixed green vegetables. On top of it are chia seeds, flax seeds, almonds, bee pollen, and (surprise!) peanut butter. I was amazed at how delicious peanut butter tastes mixed with a green vegetable smoothie. The chia seeds were an exquisite addition to this smoothie as well. In the past, I had only tried Chia seeds with an "agua fresca" of cucumber and lemon.

The next meal was the "BlackBean Inspiration Chicken." This meal consisted of shredded chicken mixed with bits of tomato and with cauliflower and zucchini on the side. This meal is perfect for a lunch break at work (where I ate this meal). You can eat the chicken with tortilla chips as well. On the right is one of the snacks called "Energy bites" (which I called granola balls). The bites consist of dried fruits and nuts. I was able to taste mainly the dried fruit and coconut. They reminded me of cake pops but much healthier!





This upcoming meal was one that I kept craving for more. It is a baked sweet potato with blackberries, and peanut butter hidden in between. Next to it was a hard-boiled egg, which one can eat without microwaving (but if you like to eat things hot, be my guest). The yellow and orange bell pepper slices did not come with the meal. I'm obsessed with bell peppers, although the red ones are my favorite. I literally eat bell peppers every day, whenever I go to the store I always buy at least four for the week.



Abby's delivery service is one that you can count on when it comes to purchasing affordable and healthy food that can help you get started on a fitness journey or a healthier diet. The main impression that I personally received from her food was that peanut butter tastes so good on the most unexpected foods.

In addition this review, I was also able to interview her.

Angie: How did this idea originate, was it in a class, or did you always want to create a blog/ delivery service?

Abby: I started my blog to offer my meal prep services for individuals who would want to change their eating habits and try affordable nutritious foods. I wanted to call my business "BlackBean Inspiration" because "Blackbeans" refers to my Guatemalan background. Black beans are a staple food in Guatemala and it was important that my business reflected my background. "Blackbeans" also refers to the Latin American community in Chicago that I hope to teach about nutrition. "Inspiration" reflects my desire to inspire the Latin American community to eat wholesome foods and help them with their health journey.

Angie: How did the idea of the Energy Balls (or bites) originate?

Abby: The idea of my Energy Balls came from Pinterest. I am always looking for new, healthy recipes to recreate at home and when I saw this similar recipe on Pinterest, I realized I had most of the ingredients at home and would be able to recreate it using what I did have.

Angie: What do you hope people get out of your blog/food?

 Abby: I make my food with love because food is what I love. I know it sounds cliche but, it's super important that it shows and people also love my food/blog. Secondly, I hope my customers will achieve their ultimate weight goal through my nutritious foods. Some of my customers will achieve their ultimate weight goal through my nutritious foods. Some of my customers are into fitness and their goal is to tone their bodies through nutritious foods. Similarly, I also have customers who want to lose weight and don't have time to cook which is why they rely on me for nutritious foods.

Angie: What is your favorite food and why?

Abby: My favorite foods would have to be anything with yogurt, black beans, or tofu. I am obsessed with yogurt, black beans, and tofu. I am obsessed with yogurt because of its texture and its beneficial component for out bodies. Yogurt is full of probiotics, living bacteria, I think that's pretty cool! I love black beans because they are a Guatemalan staple food that I have grown up with and that reminds me of Guatemala, my happy place. Lastly, I love tofu because it's so versatile, you can make it taste like anything and it will still be so delicious!

Angie: What is one nutrition tip that you would give to everyone?

Abby: One nutrition tip that I would give to everyone would be, to pick a day out of the week that you will not eat out; instead, you recreate an unhealthy dish into a healthier dish.

UPDATE: Abby wrote about the Macaron Raccoon! Thank you so much! Check out the rest of her blog posts here.





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