Easy, Delicious Refried Beans & Random Babblings

This is the kind of thing I've been whipping up in our house lately. Something that's super easy, healthy, and delightfully delicious. 

Okay, well to be honest this:

and this..

(*Insert a pictures of PF Chang's frozen "meals for 2"*)

and this..

and this..

With this:

And when my husband says, "Can we please have some fruit or vegetables?" I keep throwing him some spinach and apples. 

This may not seem so bad. I mean eggs and OJ for breakfast isn't too unhealthy. Spinach is packed with vitamins, those burritos are whole wheat and made with real ingredients. Even the PF Changs TV dinner is from a nice restaurant and for frozen stuff, it's not just horrible.Well except for all 2,000 ingredients and preservatives under the ingredients list. What IS that stuff? *shivers*

And it's not. But the problem is that he's been getting pretty much just what you see above, in rotation, for about a month now. I feel like we are in survival mode just to feed ourselves something healthy. With school finals, papers,and speeches, and dental cavities (10 to be exact) and 3 crowns (one of which I get the final of on Thursday of this week), and business at work, I've just had so little time to do any cooking. 

I'm always bound and determined to do it anyway, but I'm afraid I've spoiled my husband. He's been really stressed at having to microwave leftovers, place frozen tv dinners in the microwave, and drive me to dental appointments, that he's starting to look like Darth Vador's dad's dad's grandfather's cousin, which has yoda's eyes and disposition, Palpatines face, Chewbocca's hairiness, and Luke Skywaler's determination to persevere despite it all. I have the best husband in the world, and I just can't imagine anyone else being so supportive of all the mess going on lately. Oh did I mention 3-4 out of town trips and a stomach virus? 

So anyway, all this to say, the cooking that I have done has been incredibly odd, scarce, and yet somehow, healthy. I'm glad I've ruined my husband's taste buds because he never ever complains. 

So to tie up this post and the fact that it has nothing at all (in any way, shape of form) to do with the following recipe (which you will be ashamed of yourself for even reading), here ya go:

Refried Beans

1 can pinto beans (Eden's adds sea weed which is rad and makes me feel like a hippie)

*Salt
*cumin

*pepper

* whatever other spices you have time to throw in

Directions: 

*NOTE -- this is VERY DIFFICULT. So pay close attention!! ;)

Pour entire can of pinto beans into a medium sized pot (water and all). Heat over medium heat until warm and starts to smoke a little. Add spices and turn heat down to low or simmer. Grab a potato masher (or fork) and start mashing away, stirring every few seconds to combine spices. Mash until you get to your desired consistency. Mine below were mashed pretty well, and then I poured them into a pan and topped it off w/ some freshly grated pepper jack and stuck it in the broiler over high for about a minute. You can easily throw this on a whole wheat tortilla (esp straight from the bakery, mmm) and add some cheese for an amazingly tasty bean burrito.

Enjoy!