Adoption costs a lot of money. Since we are in process of raising and saving money for our adoption, we are trying to figure out how to cut back on our normal monthly spending in all areas, our grocery bill being the biggest.
One of the ways we’re attempting this is to add more meals using mainly beans and rice to our diet. Beans and rice are healthy, a great source of fiber, protein and carbs and there are thousands of ways to make them. Plus, they’re cheap!
The least expensive way to buy beans is dry and in the bulk section. Unfortunately, dry beans are not a very quick meal… and I’m not great at planning ahead. I almost NEVER think about soaking beans overnight for the next day. Most of the time it’s around lunch time before I even start considering dinner. Which isn’t always great when you are trying to cook with dried beans.
If you have ever been in the same boat, this post is for you! I have a great way for you to save time and money in the kitchen. Here’s what you do:
First put your beans into a strainer. I decided on this batch to do half black beans and half red beans. Just for fun. Rinse and pick out any shriveled beans and check for any pebbles. You could also pour them onto a cookie sheet so you can see them all better and sort them that way.
Next, put your beans in a pot with water. I use about double the amount of water of beans. In this case, I used 5 cups of beans and 10 cups of water. Bring this pot of water to a rolling boil. Simmer for about 5 minutes.
Drain your beans and pour them into your crock pot. Put enough water to cover your beans by about an inch or so. In this case I used 8 cups of water. You could also use chicken broth if you wanted.
Put the lid on your crock pot and set to Low.
6-7 hours later, you will have perfectly cooked beans. You want beans that are soft enough to smash between your fingers without any difficulty, but not so soft that they are falling apart.
If you want to, you can use an immersion blender to blend some of your beans up, or mash some up with a potato masher. But that’s your call.
Now, here’s the genius part:
Ladle or use a measuring cup to remove your beans from the crock pot into meal-sized containers. Label the containers and put them in your freezer. Now you have already cooked beans, frozen and ready to pull out whenever you need them!
Just a little approximate break down of costs:
I used about 2 lbs of dry beans (5 cups) which cost approximately $1.50-2.00.
This yielded 12 cups of beans, which I am guessing would have been about 8 cans.
Regular price, even at a discount type store in my area would be ballpark about $.79/can, which would cost $6.32.
Maybe it’s not a huge price difference- but every little bit helps. Plus this way, I know exactly what is in my beans and don’t have to worry about anything processed.
If I combine these beans with some yummy spices, pour over rice, also bought in bulk, I can serve a meal to my family of 7 for under $5.00. THAT is a pretty frugal meal!
Easy peasy!
Thanks for the tip! We’re starting to use more beans and rice too. I was avoiding the dried beans, but now I don’t have to!
I just have to say that your black beans are THE ONLY black beans that I like. Brilliant idea to make ahead and freeze. I will have to add that to my list of things to do. Thanks!