Want to make 2012 a frugal and healthy year (healthy = save money on medical costs)? Dried Beans are the answer and they are CHEAP! Compare the price of dried beans to meat and poultry – YIKES!! Great savings when you switch a few of your meals!!
Increase dried beans in your diet – they are full of fiber, especially soluble fiber ,which helps lower blood sugar (glucose) and cholesterol. They are also a good source of protein, along with lots of vitamins and minerals.
1) Substitute beans for meat in your meals.
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2) Add beans to soups, rice side dishes, vegetable and pasta salads and the list goes on.
3) Need to hide them: puree them. You can even freeze them in old fashioned ice cube trays and pop a cube in your recipes. More “puree” tips below!!
a) Red kidney beans in tomato sauce
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b) Black beans in a brownie mix (puree one can, liquid and all – mix in a Brownie mix without anything else and cook according to box directions). You can also add 1/4 cup wheat germ, 1 tablespoon water and chopped walnuts (as desired) along with the black bean puree.
c) Mix in with your ground low-fat turkey breast or 93% reduced fat beef for a healthier burger.
d) Puree white beans and add to mashed potatoes
What are you waiting for?
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Nancy Ortiz, MS, RD
www.thefrugaldietitian.com
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2 thoughts on “Be Frugal and Healthy: Eat Dried Beans”
We eat lots of dried beans. We’re vegans, and eat a lot of white and black beans, and lentils. We eat lentils in tacos, make salad wraps out of them, and eat them in soup. They’re a good source of protein, and yes, they are very inexpensive.
I try to soak them for at least an hour or two before I use them, to cut down on some of the gas producing effects. I bring them to a boil for about 2-3 minutes, then turn off the stove and cover them.
Beans are good substitute or alternative for meat because it is also rich in protein. A recipe with beans will somehow give a good outcome and taste. And also, beans are good to those people who are in a diet and wants to lose weight, it has also fiber.