The pain, the pain

Well its Wednesday, and you know what that means? Powerplay class on Citadel Hill! Or as I like to call it -- the workout from the depths of hell. If you recall, last week FH and I headed to a crossfit class that our friends teach on Citadel Hill (Powerplay). Since my on call shift at work tonight was cut, we decided to give it a try again this week.

OH MY GOSH! THE PAIN!

Today's workout was the following:
3 runs up/down Citadel Hill
Ladders: 1 pushup - bear climb across the field, 2 burpees, bear climb back, 3 pushup etc etc until you got to 10
2 runs up/down Citadel Hill
Ladder - repeat going down (starting at 10 and going to 1) and exchanging bear climbs for crab walks
1 run up/down Citadel Hill

I'm supremely out of shape and this was a crazy workout, but the nice thing about it is that you can tailor it to your level, as long as you're pushing yourself. So some people only did half the hill, others walked between the ladder exercises instead of bear climbing, or they did ladder's up to 5 instead of 10, whatever you could do. Me, I did my laps around the field instead of up the hill, and I walked between some of the ladder exercises. But I still finished! Which I was quite proud of. I almost cried a few times as my shin splints were horrific and I had a hamstring cramp at the very beginning, so it was an uncomfortable workout. But I did it. FH did the whole thing - including the runs up the hill. NOT fun! He's zonked now and hasn't moved off the couch since he got home. I don't blame him, he flew to Toronto yesterday to do a fitness test for the Pearson Airport Fire Department (fingers crossed that it works out, it would be great if he could get a job, and as a firefighter!), then he throws this into the mix...crazy man!

He's looking kinda like our cats right now :

See, they do like each other!

Dinner tonight was a new experiment for us. Since FH is still unemployed, we're on a very strict budget and I'm trying my darndest to keep the grocery budget in check and as low as possible. This is difficult for us as we are total foodies, and tend to often overbuy and have to throw food out. The fridge currently looks emptier than it ever has.

Anywho, in an effort to economize, I'm trying to use as much food from my cupboards and freezer as I can. Tonights effort -- Spicy Black Bean Burgers

This is what they looked like before going under the broiler:

And what they looked like on my dinner plate this evening...Yum Yum!

These were fantastic. FH (who can be picky about meatless dishes) marked it as a make again. Its definitely going in my recipe file.

Bean Cakes:
1. Saute 2 diced green onions, diced small red pepper, 3 cloves minced garlic in TBSP olive oil. Add a small can of diced green chilis, cumin, coriander/cilantro, chili powder to taste and cook another minute.

2. Transfer contents to a large bowl, add one 19 oz can black beans (drained and rinsed) and mash with a potato masher. Mix in 1.5 cups shredded sweet potato, salt and pepper to taste, 1 egg and 1/2c plain bread crumbs.

3. Make into small balls and put on a greased cookie sheet, flatten with a fork. Bake under the broiler for 8 minutes on one side, flip and broil another 3 minutes.

For a salad dressing and dip for the burgers I mixed lite sour cream with some lime juice, cumin, chili powder and a pinch of sugar.

We made 6 burgers, approximately 200 calories each.

Yummy :)