First of all…
THANK YOU!
For all of you who commented, tweeted and voted on our behalf in the Ultimate Wedding contest — a big, sincere thank you. I could not ask for a more amazing group of people in my life 
The competition is steep, but so far it looks like Bobby and I are still in the top 25. There can be 50 finalists in all…so if we continue to spread the word, we could at least make it to the next round!
To clear up a couple of questions that you had on my last post:
- You can vote just by entering in an email address on the site. I know some of you are skeptical about providing that information and I totally get that!
- It appears that you can vote once per email account. If you happen to have more than one email account and are willing to vote on all of them…YAY!
The contest runs through March 31. I’m planning on tweeting @TheEllenShow, @Oprah and @Insertcelebrityhere just for kicks 😉 Why not?!
Do you have any other ideas of ways to get the word out? I’m trying to fight the fine line of being self-promoting vs. too pushy, so all thoughts are appreciated!
In closing…VOTE HERE!! 🙂 Thanks in advance!
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Another very exciting guest post today! This one comes from the lovely Monica of Run, Eat, Repeat. We’ve got a full line up of guests for the next few weeks and I will be popping in and out with some posts of my own, too! It will be great to keep the content up to date. Enjoy!
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Bean There, Done That
Hello this is Monica from Run, Eat, Repeat. I’m here to share my love of beans with Eating Bender ‘s readers. About me: I am a runner, eater, writer and blogger with an imperfect, but fun approach to health.
I recently transitioned back to a vegetarian lifestyle (after being veg*n on and off for six years). And despite my love for tofu, my current protein of choice is BEANS!
Beans are a very easy substitute for chicken or beef in so many recipes and this legume offers protein and tons of fiber. Hey, they’re not called the musical fruit for nothing 😉
I don’t discriminate when it comes to beans and enjoy all kinds. The great thing is this food comes ready to eat in a can or you can boil them up yourself. Either way it’s super cheap. A can or bag of beans both come in under $2.00.
I am always coming up with new ways to eat beans, too. My most recent recipes include Easy Black Bean Soup and a new take on a classic – Chickpea Casserole. Here I subbed chickpeas for a chicken and threw all this into a casserole dish. Top with crushed crackers and cheese and bake.
This dish is packed with good stuff and is delicious. My meat-eating husband even loved it (but did request more cheese on his side).
If you’re not willing to completely bean-ify a recipe then I suggest making it half and half. Use half the amount of chicken or beef and add in beans. It doesn’t work with everything, but I’ve never been disappointed.
If you have any questions or want to share your bean love please feel free to email me: runeatrepeat@gmail.com.
Thanks for having me, Jenn!
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Abrazos!
Yeah spreading the bean love 🙂 I’m soaking some chickpeas tonight to make some channa masala this week!
BEANS!! 🙂
Great post! Ever since I started eating beans as a dietary staple I have strayed away from super processed meat replacements and saved myself a lot of money!
That’s a great point! Economical and delicious — I’m a fan 😉
Crushed crackers and cheese- smart and tasty. Wish the hubs loved beans, b/c I’d love to make some casseroles for the both of us. Thanks for the recipe!
Agreed — Bobby only eats a certain bean a certain way. I’m going to make him try this, though!
Great ideas – nice guest post!
I voted at C&B for you Jenn – can you vote once a day??
Thank you so much, Biz! Unfortunately, it looks like you can only vote once per email address. They’re tricky that way. I’m wondering how some people can get 1,500+ votes…they must know friends who have a lot of email addresses 😉 Or have huge families! Oh well…it’s still fun and I really appreciate you voting on our behalf!
Jenn: Congrats on the number of votes so far! I wouldn’t worry too much about being pushy. The more you get it out there, the better your chances – and you deserve your dream wedding, for sure!!
Monica: this chickpea casserole looks perfect for our club.
Yay! Thanks for supporting my pushiness 🙂 We’ve got to chat this weekend, lady! Saturday?
Monica, awesome dish! My boyfriend is the same way with bean dishes or any healthier dish I make, I always give him tons of cheese on the side and he is super happy. If I don’t give him cheese… That’s another story!
Jenn, I am pretty sure you are going to get your dream wedding! You have so many votes! (I voted for you, too).
I do the same thing with pizza — extra cheese is all that matters to these boys. Thanks for the sweet comment about the wedding! It would be an absolute fairy tale to win…we shall see. THANKS FOR THE VOTE 🙂
You’ve gotta get people tweeting that- I know some people who’ll be bored in class today and I will make sure to pass it forward!
Great post!
Thank you!! I’m doing the best I can — I’ve got a hash tag set up at #jennkrenn with a link! I truly appreciate your help in spreading the word!
OOOH you definitely need to win the Crate & Barrel contest! Yay for that–I will vote for you of course. 🙂
Gracias, Diana! Your vote means a lot 🙂 Fingers crossed!
I hope you and Mr. Bobby win the Crate and Barrel Contest! I’ll vote from my other email addresses as well. 🙂
Great guest post Monica- I’m all for beans as well! I eat beans a lot and sometimes I feel badly for Isaac – just saying.
Beans beans, good for you heart….
Yay! You rock, Britt 🙂 Hurray for beans, too. I feel badly for myself when Bobby eats them – just saying. Haha, who am I kidding? I feel bad for Bobby, too!
Good luck!! My cousin who lives in Chicago works for C&B – I’ll be voting for you guys 🙂
Love the sounds of that casserole!!
Thanks, K! Think your cousin could hook a girl up? Just kidding (kind of)! I’m all about fairness 🙂 I appreciate your vote, lady!
Jenn, I’m totally keeping my fingers crossed for you guys! You deserve it!
Great Guest Bender, I always forget what a great, cheap staple beans are! 🙂