When the weather turns cold, it can be hard to find ways of staying active. Traditional exercise activities like jogging just don’t sound as appealing when the temperature plummets. But when the snow starts to fall, a whole new world of activity opens up.
Snowboarding is one of our favorite winter sports. Not only is it a rush to throw yourself down a mountain, it’s a wonderful aerobic exercise that can burn up to 450 calories an hour. To stay stable and upright on your board, you’ll need to work all of the major muscle groups in your legs, including calves, hamstrings and quads. You’ll use your arms for balance and give your traps and delts a workout, too. And that’s not even counting all the calories you’ll burn tromping around in the snow.
Whether you’re lucky enough to live in the mountains or are just taking a winter vacation, snow boarding is as fun as it is healthy. Once you’re done conquering those black diamond mountains, come inside and warm up with this pinto bean soup with cheesy toast. Spicy sriracha sauce warms you from the inside, while the cheesy toast warms you up after a long day on the slopes.
Cheesy Pinto Bean Soup
2 cups Randall Pinto Beans, not drained
1 1/2 cups Vidalia onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup Pecorino cheese, grated
Red chili sauce (like Sriracha), to taste
1 bay leaf, dried
Salt and pepper to taste
Garlic Toast
1/2 loaf French bread, sliced on the diagonal
Olive oil
2 cloves garlic, sliced in 1/2
Place all ingredients in a small pot and heat until bubbling. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover pot. Cook until onions are soft.
For the garlic toast, put bread under the broiler and cook both sides until firm to the touch. Remove the bread from the oven and vigorously rub garlic cloves over both sides. Next, generously brush olive oil on both sides and return the bread to the broiler. Flip bread slices once while cooking. Watch carefully to avoid burning.
