It's pouring, it's humid...and it's Monday.

I hardly ever feel happy about Monday and all of this other stuff is making it...well, just not so much.

One thing I am happy about today? It's Secret Recipe Club reveal day!

To be honest, I have been feeling a little uninspired both in the kitchen and on the blog lately. I'm not sure if it's a funk or what, but SRC came along at the perfect time. I really love being a part of this series because it introduces me to new blogs, I've made new blog friends, and it's always so exciting to see who had my blog on a given month and which recipe they chose to make. Each month, The Secret Recipe Club, founded by the lovely Amanda, pairs a blogger with another blog. The blogger then chooses one recipe to cook or bake and reveals it as a surprise on a designated day. I like. A special thanks also to Angie @ Big Bear's Wife for playing hostess in Group C!

This month, I was given A Vegan Obsession as my blog from which to choose a recipe. To be honest, I am not really familiar at all with vegan cooking. I do own Peas & Thank You, but I haven't even tried many recipes from that book yet either. India-leigh is so beautiful and I adore her blog. It's happy, bright and filled with delicious-looking recipes!

I was excited to search around a new (to me) blog and find a great recipe to replicate! I actually found a bunch that I wanted to try (and will at some point!) but settled on her Fudgey, Sinless Black Bean Brownies.

I had seen black bean brownies around the blogosphere in the past and had been wanted to try them for some time. This seemed like the perfect opportunity!

Overall, I thought these turned out nicely for a seriously lightened up treat. I did make some modifications based on what I had on hand and added whipped cream, which I suppose takes all of the veganness out of them...but without the whipped cream, these are still vegan and ready to go! 

I do wish I had added a bit more sugar because I like my treats to be sweet. However, as I'm doing Weight Watchers and Physique 57 like it's my job, I was very happy to find a treat that is healthy and filling - thanks black beans!

Black Bean Brownies
*Adapted from A Vegan Obsession
1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 ripe banana
½ C unsweetened applesauce
¼ C unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp espresso powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ C sugar (or more for sweeter brownies)
1/3 C maple syrup
1 C quick oats
Cooking spray
Whipped cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small mixing bowl with an immersion blender ready or in a blender, combine the beans, banana, applesauce, cocoa powder, espresso powder, salt, vanilla, sugar and syrup. Blend like it's your job until super smooth and silky. This took about a minute and a half or so.

Fold in the oats. Pour into an 8x8 baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake for 30 minutes or until completely set. Let cool, cut into squares and serve. Top with whipped cream if ya like. 

I like.

Thanks to India-leigh for this great, easy recipe! I can't wait to try it again with a little more sweetness and possibly some mix-ins as you suggest!

For some previous SRC posts of mine, check out:

Individual Lemon Berry Trifles

Mexican Layer Bake

Chicken Noodle Casserole

Chocolate Quesadillas

NY Giants & Jet Popcorn Party Mix

To be honest, I don't have much variety in what I bring to work. I typically pack up the following for the day:

breakfast - oatmeal, a make ahead burrito, an egg sandwich or frittata

lunch - a salad, an apple with a scoop of peanut butter and a string cheese

snack - a banana, cut up with a scoop of peanut butter

Usually this gets me through the day without a problem! But it isn't much diversity admittedly.

I cart it all to the office in my trusty little Built lunchbag.

I love this thing. It's a neoprene material and that means it's sturdy and stretchy. It usually fits all of my breakfast and lunch goodies. Let's take a peek inside at yesterday's lunch:

The only thing not pictured is a tiny Tupperware with about 2 Tbsp of peanut butter inside. I think the key for me is having lots of sizes of Tupperwares. I use at least 3 per day (for salad, dressing and pb) but sometimes more if I decided to bring carrots and hummus, for example. I love having some really small ones which take up very little space in the bag.

Sure, I probably look incredibly dorky toting a lunchbox down the street. In fact, I pass by a church preschool on my walk to work and sometimes I feel like I'd fit right in :)

But in all honesty, this totally works for me. It's usually not super heavy. The handle slides over my wrist so that I can still hold onto the handrail on the train or put my hand in my pocket while walking. And for those days when I want more of a shoulder situation? I simply pack up the lunchbox and drop it into a tote bag, like my purple Burberry sweetie:

I especially use this guy when I also want to bring a pair of heels to the office (though admittedly I keep like 3 pairs of shoes at work at all times...don't tell Shaun because he already thinks my collection is out of control :)). I simply throw in the lunchbag and heels and I'm good to go. Usually I don't find it to be too heavy to carry this on one shoulder and my purse (with wallet, kindle, lipstick(s), lip balm(s) and more) on the other.

So that's how I get my daily lunch done and my tips for getting it all to the office unscathed. So far, so good!

Questions of the Day:

Do you bring lunch to work?

How do you pack it up and cart it around?

My week is completely thrown off by being away all weekend. Here I was on my soapbox, telling everyone to spend time prepping for the week ahead (by planning, shopping and cooking), and yet here I am now, on a Tuesday morning with...ahem...nothing prepped for the week.

Yeah.

It happens.

Luckily, we now have stocked fridge and all of the components for my daily eats...they just aren't quite put together. It definitely makes me realize that the times when I do have everything prepped is...well...much better.

One of my new favorite items to prep for the week is The Big Salad. It's exactly that...one big ol' salad kept in a big ol' bowl that I take from each day for my lunch. Talk about a time saver. I load up a giant container with my salad full of goodies and it makes me excited to eat come lunch time. Not to mention the time savings in the morning. Love The Big Salad. Any Seinfeld fans out there?

Love it.

Anyhow, I wanted to show you how my big salad comes together each week. We've definitely been varying the salad extras each week, but the one I'm about to show you is my favorite to date.

It all starts with deciding what you actually want in your salad and adding those to your detailed grocery list.

My salads usually include mixed greens (lately romaine and baby spinach), protein (chicken or hard boiled egg), vegetables (red onion, bell pepper, cucumber, carrots, etc), cheese (feta, blue or goat), and fun extras (like crispy turkey bacon, olives, chopped apple or dried cranberries).

I start by roasting up some chicken breasts. I drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper...and sometimes paprika and thyme. Once cooked through, I let cool completely and dice.

Meanwhile, I start chopping up some vegetables.

I add them to a big red bowl. Next comes the extras. This time, it's olives and feta.

I load the lettuce on top. 2 pre-chopped, pre-washed bags. Easy.

On this particular occasion when I snapped the photo, I had split it into 2 salads because Shaun and I each wanted different kinds. When the chicken is cooled and diced, I add it to the mix. I cover the big bowl and shake what my momma gave me. Serious shakage happening.

I whip up a quick dressing and store in a jar. Usually vinegar (red or white wine), dijon mustard and olive oil. Simple and works every time.

When it's time to leave in the morning, I simply portion it out into a large, totable container. I bring some dressing in a separate container. If I'm adding an apple, I bring that with me and chop it up right before eating.

At the office, I pour into a bowl. Makes it feel a lil' special. Drizzle with dressing. Eat.

Now, I will say that after a few days, the salad does get slightly wilty. I actually like it this way! The flavor is fantastic. If you aren't so down with that, then I'd say to leave the cucumbers separately and add them in on the day of eating. Otherwise, it should be good to go!

So that's how I've been getting down with salad lately. Exciting times, my friends!

But in all seriousness, having a lunch that is delicious, healthy and carefully prepared makes me excited to eat lunch everyday...and when it comes to salad - and bringing lunch from home for that matter - being excited about my food makes all the difference in the world!

Questions of the Day:

Do you do The Big Salad?

What are your favorite add-ins?