First Order of Business!

From the bottom of my heart, I want to most graciously thank all my readers for your time and loving support. And I want to thank my new co-writer, Mrs. Brenda Reaves LPN, for coming on board to address weight management issues which are specific to women. I recognize as a man that even though I may know the biology and physiology, I have never lived in your bodies to fully understand your journeys through life. This blog has now been read in 21 countries and is growing by leaps and bounds. Again, thank you kind readers, I am most humbled by your support.

Losing the Fat!

OK, this may not be the direction you may have envisioned, however, by losing some fat you will lose some of your own fat. And here is how;

Who does not love a hearty and delicious bowl of ham and beans? How many avoid this dish simply because it might contain too much fat? If this is the case for you, then I have a solid little piece of advice for you which is so simple it will almost be a “Duh” moment. And even better, you can apply this practice to more than ham and beans. You can do this with any dish that requires a meat based stock.

The first method you can use to remove fat is with a commercially available Fat Separator. These can be purchased for as low as $10 and as high as $35 which is about the highest I have personally seen. These are simple to use. All you have to do is simmer your stock for a while and then pour is over the strainer on top and pour our your tasty goodness from the spout. This is a simple and very effective means of removing saturated fats from your stock.

Now, lets say you have prepared a meat stock and have no separator. Or, maybe you want to get rid of the fat and retain the meat. I do this with smoked ham hocks when fixing ham and beans. Once I have simmered my ham hocks or a meaty bone from a bone in ham, I will remove the bone from the pot and separate all the meat which I will place back into the stock where it will settle to the bottom. At this point, my good old hound dog Abbie gets a treat with the bone out in the back yard and I place the pot in my refrigerator to cool down. Once the stock has cooled, all the fat will have risen to the top and solidified which makes for easy removal with a slotted spoon. This method can be used on any type of meat for any given number of meals.

Ham and Beans!

My beans of preference are Pinto, Black Eyed Peas, Red Beans and Black Beans. I like others, but these are my favorites on any given day. A lot of times I will use them canned, but the best is when you cook them from dry.

• 1 bag of Pintos, or bean of your choice
• 1 or 2 Smoked Ham Hocks or bones from a bone in ham to make stock with, or I actually prefer for myself just placing them in the pot and keeping the fat. That is just my personal choice.
• 1 Vidalia Onion
• Minced Garlic
• Italian Seasonings
• Red Pepper Flakes
• Salt and Pepper

I purposefully left out the quantities for the seasonings as I believe everyone’s taste is a little different and this leaves you the option to explore your own horizons with flavors if you have never been creative in the kitchen.

This meal is as hearty as it is delicious. Good enough to make you “Slap yo mama” and stupid simple to make. Simply place all these ingredients in a crock pot, turn it on high and forget about it except for the occasional stirring and taste.

If you want to keep the fat, simply place the bones or hocks in with the beans and cover with water. This is my personal preference for flavor and calories as I am at a point where I no longer want to lose any further weight. If you have made your stock, just cover the beans and meat with it and enjoy the day while it simmers in your crock pot.

Another tip for a great pot of beans. I like to cook them until they are well done. Then remove about a cup which I will mash up and add back to the pot to thicken it all up. It don’t get any better!

Nutrition and Cost

A 1 lb bag of Pintos that will easily feed 4 is about $1.50 at most stores. For about $2.00 you can buy 1.5 to 2.5 lbs of smoked ham hocks to add to your post of beans. So, in 2018 you can feed a family of 4 a hearty and delicious meal for the low cost of about $3.50 with really very little effort or time expended in the kitchen.

Just another Old School meal that is a large part of David’s Way. Getting back to the basics with nutrition as it used to be in our country before the obesity epidemic.

Again, thank you for your readership and support. I love you all!