That title sounds a bit ominous, doesn't it? Don't worry, this post is rated G.
The last few weeks haven't brought us to any new adventures really, just the regular rhythm of life pretty much - Joel is continuing his search for a job and working on manuscripts while Lydia and I hang out everyday - coloring, reading, going to 'story time' at a local shop, watching old Sesame Street videos on YouTube (did you know I'm home with her now full-time? I can't remember if I've shared that on the blog or not. Well, I am, and I'm loving it:). I'm still playing ultimate frisbee a few times a week but I've had to start bringing Gatorade because we're in full-on summer temps around here. Yowza.
Any-hoo (or is it any-who?), since I have no actual stories to share I thought I'd spend a few posts talking about something near and dear to my heart - food. I love eating it, I love growing it (or at least I will someday:), and with being home more I've found that I really love making it. I guess I always have, I just haven't had the opportunity before to really dig in and explore the responsibility of feeding my family healthy, homemade, yummy (usually), inexpensive meals and what that looks like in our kitchen (because I know it looks different for everybody). Instead of a hassle it's really become a fun challenge for me. I used to be a little intimidated but once I started trying some things I realized that it's not scary, or that time-consuming, or even that hard. My thought with these posts is to show you a few things that have worked for me and to hopefully get some feedback from you - I love getting new ideas to try! So please, comment away :)
I thought I'd start out with something that has recently been making frequent appearances in our kitchen - bags of dry beans. It started out with incorporating cans of beans (black, navy, cannellini) into some meals (beans are cheap and nutritious!), but after hearing about BPA levels in a lot of canned goods, we took the leap and now I can't imagine going back. I thought it would be lots of work and time in the kitchen, but really it's not. It's embarrassingly easy, as in, I'm a little embarrassed I didn't start doing this sooner. The only thing it takes is planning, and not even that much.
Here's what I usually do: the night before I plan on cooking beans, I throw them all in a big bowl and cover them with water. I use this batter bowl because it has a lid so I can leave it on the counter overnight and not worry about bugs. Gross.
The next day, I have two options - cook them on the stove if I'm going to be home, or throw them in the crock pot if I'm not. So easy. Even if they're on the stove you basically just get them simmering and walk away for 1 1/2 hours or so.
My favorite part is that they freeze so beautifully. If I have a day with not a lot going on, I'll cook a bunch of beans, and when they're done I fill up a few containers and throw them in the freezer. It's basically like having a cupboard full of ready-to-use cans of beans, without the nasty chemicals. For less money. And they're in your freezer instead but I bet you'd figure that out eventually.
What do we serve them with? I use black/pinto in Mexican dishes, usually instead of but sometimes alongside hamburger, white beans in casseroles and soups, or even in a stir-fry instead of chicken (most of the flavor is in the sauce anyway, right?). The other reason I like having them around is because, brace yourselves, Lydia loves to eat them just for a snack. Plain beans. She's weird, I know, but they're good for her so I don't want to jinx it.
Here are a few links with more info:
(we add salt to our water and I think it really helps soften the beans)
To sum up - I've found working with dried beans to be cheap, easy, healthy, and versatile. It's a win/win/win/win. Hard to argue with that! :)
1 comment:
I keep meaning to do this too, and even have the bags of dried beans in the cupboard...but so far keep going for the canned.
Also, thanks for removing the far more difficult for me than it should be security thingy. :)
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