This weeks
menu will require 1 can each of kidney beans for two of it meals, Tuesday's Mexican Toss Together & Thursday's Taco Soup. So instead of buying canned beans at my last
market trip, I decided I would go with the cheaper route and use a bag of dried beans that were already in the pantry. Yes, canned beans are quicker, but they also cost more in the long run. The price to buy 3
(15 oz) cans of cooked kidney beans would average around $2.97
(in our area, they cost around 0.99 cents a can.) Buying a 16-oz. bag of dried beans is $0.69. One bag will make the equivalent of 3 cans, therefore saving me $2.28! It may not seem like a big savings, but think of how many cans you might buy in the course of a month or a year...that extra savings will really add up quickly. That's more money in your pocket and less in the retailers bank account. I now have 1 extra can equivalent of beans to put in the freezer and use at a later date. That just saved me a trip to the market later on.
Another benefit of using dried beans versus canned is that you control the seasonings that go into them. It's a win-win all the way around in my books.
Moving on...so tonight I have culled through my dried beans to remove any foreign particles, placed them in a strainer to rinse and then left them in a bowl with enough water to cover so they can soak overnight. Come morning time, all I have to do is drain & rinse, then transfer them to the crockpot and let it cook for the day. By the time I am ready for them on Tuesday, they will be completely prepared and all I will have to do is add them to my recipe. Cooking can be so easy if you just prepare ahead of time.
5 comments:
Your blog looks beautiful! My friend you are welcome to anything on my blog anytime~even the same background.
You are the winner of my candle. I just need you to email me your address ~it is ready to be mailed. I am at Osage Beach with my Brian and I am off to treasure hunt then back to work in the room. I have several book reviews due.
By the way you might want to sign up for the Mama Buzz book reviews on my blog. I am reviewing 4 books right now. They mail me the books I sign up for and I write a review on my blog on the given date and time they tell me to. It is a great deal. I get free books and they get free advertisement~ You never know until you get into a situation as this but it really is great. They are mostly Christian books ~I plan to pass them on as gifts. Just wanted to pass it on to you~I think you would like it too!
Well I am off for a couple of hours of fun!
Have a great day!
Carrie~
I do hope you don't mind me asking, but you do bring the dried beans to a rolling boil for ten minutes and then discard the water before you put them in the cookpot for the day? Many beans produce a toxin if you don't boil them first and discard the water.
Sarah ~
Please ask away anytime. In regards to boiling...I normally don't do that or even soak pinto beans but for kidney beans, the get a good soak and rinse. I have never boiled them first but I have heard of the toxins. So far we haven't had any reaction to them or anything from just being soaked. But I have pondered about boiling them next time to see if there is a difference. Great question! Thanks for asking.
~Mrs. M
Hi there. I just love reading your blog. I wanted to comment on the cost of dried beans vs. canned. I think that it might be more of a savings than you think or I might be reading it wrong. If a 16 oz. bag of dried beans costs $0.69 and makes the equivalent of 3 cans, wouldn't it just cost you $0.69 instead of $2.07? Which would actually end up saving you about $2.28, instead of $0.90.
I hope that's helpful. I know where I live the cost of dried beans vs. canned is a much bigger savings than $0.90.
Shilah ~
You are right...I don't know what I was thinking. Thank you for pointing that out for me.
~Mrs. M
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