Beans, An Affordable Source of Protein?

 

As news broke last week that meat is going to continue to rise in 2023 up to 30% more, I decided to take another look at the different proteins available at a reasonable price. Beans are a healthy alternative, although they have not been protected from inflation, they are still an affordable substitution for meat. They always have been. During the Great Depression, beans were a staple in most pantries. Beans alone are not a complete protein source, but if you serve a whole grain such as rice alongside your beans, you have a complete protein source and a filling meal at an affordable price.

Eggs are no longer an affordable protein due to the bird flu outbreak and shortages that we are currently experiencing. They are about .40 each now. Even if you purchase them in a 60-count carton, you are saving less than a penny an egg and will have to lay down about $23 bucks or more at the register. Colorado has a new law going into effect that only cage free eggs can be sold in the state. That is going to make the cost of eggs even higher as other states adopt this law. While I certainly support the humane treatment of animals, I also believe that humans also need to be able to eat and feed their children. This is a terrible time for this law to go into effect, while inflation and shortages run rampant through the food chain. 

White bean chicken chili, jalapeño cheddar cornbread served with a side of homemade fries. Number One added the homemade fries. Seemed like an odd combination, but he enjoyed the meal. 

We were able to find split chicken breasts at the store last week, but it is hit and miss at best. Number One decided to weigh some of our groceries to see if we were getting robbed. We are getting robbed. The chicken weight included the of all of the packaging in the price per pound. There is something wrong with this practice. The 10-pound bag of potatoes was also underweighted. I usually weigh bulk bags of potatoes and onions, but they have changed out the scales at this particular store. The scales are smaller. I don't know what you would even use them for. Looks, I guess.

What else can corporations possibly do to consumers to make more and more profits? As if Shrinkflation, price gouging and charging for the weight of packaging like it is meat isn't bad enough. What's next? Shame on you greedy corporations and whoever is politically responsible for allowing this kind of back door stealing to happen. I digress...

I have been keeping up with the situation in Europe concerning shortages, food inflation and energy costs. It is really bad over there. They (communities) have created warming centers in various types of businesses to warm those in need who do not have electricity. Some places serve hot tea and bread. 

We should not be too confident to think something like this could not happen here in the US, because it is already happening. 20 million households are behind on their utilities in the US. That is 1 out of six of your neighbors that can't pay their utility bills. 6 million households are behind on their rent. 

A meal made with beans a couple times a week can reduce your grocery bill by a sizable amount. There are so many ways to prepare beans. They are easily seasoned to replace meat in casseroles and soups. If the news is true about the shortages and price increases, beans are a great heathy way to consume less expensive proteins.

I make a big pot of beans and rice once or twice a month. I freeze the extras, so when I need to make a meal, they are already cooked and just need to be thawed. They both freeze well. Add beans and whole grains slowly to your diet, if you are not used to eating high fiber foods. I love to eat a bowl of brown beans with a side of fried potatoes, greens, cornbread, relish and sliced onions. That's the "Country Gal" inside of me, I guess.

The time to make changes is before a crisis happens. We have been warned that inflation on groceries is going to continue to rise. Slowly introduce changes to your family's diet for the best results, especially if you have picky eaters. 

Finding affordable meats and proteins are not the only challenge that we are facing today. I had to go to three stores last week to find whole milk. I have had to buy nasty bagged lettuce that rots in just a couple of days for ridiculous prices for a month now. 

But there are "Things To Be Happy About"

Cameo Rings

Antique Brooches 

Angel Winged Begonias 

Levi's 501 Jeans

Anticipation 

Knitted Afghans

Carnival Glass

Curly Ringlet Hair

Long Summer Floral Print Dress or Skirt

An Impending Snowstorm 

Wearing A White T-Shirt, Jeans and Tennis Shoes

Pony Tennis Shoes

Coxcomb Flowers

Reading Bumper Stickers

Blessings,

Mrs. Smith

So You Bought A Bag Of Beans, Now What? - Meatless Meal Series

 

Beans come in many shapes, flavors, colors and sizes. Beans are believed to be one of the earliest cultivated plants. Beans are still  affordable and can be made into a complete protein by pairing with whole grains like wheat, brown rice or nuts. While beans will never taste like meat they definitely add bulk, nutrition and flavor to your meals. 

Beans can be added to meat as an extender to save money. They can easily stand alone as a main course. Beans absorb flavorings, so spices are a must. Legumes can be used in place of meat in recipes like tacos or chili. They add nutrition to any dish. Fiber is also abundant in beans. Start out slow if you are not used to consuming foods like whole grains and legumes to avoid intestinal disturbances. 

Beans absolutely do not cook at our altitude without a pressure cooker. The first time that I tried I gave up after three days of cooking them on the stove. Rice is the same way. I cook a pot of beans and a pot of rice about every other week. I freeze the excess and use them on the opposite weeks. I love my pressure cooker. 

We decided to eat a vegetarian diet for a month or so last month. We made it about 29 days. It wasn't bad, but the amount of prep time was amazing. I felt like I was always trying to make something taste like something else. The best and easiest meals were just foods in their natural state. It was nearly a vegan diet. Very little animal anything was used during this time. I was also constantly trying to complete proteins by mixing this with that to ensure that we were getting the right nutrients. Basically, I just replaced meat with legumes, nuts, rice and other grains. That's it. We do not eat meat at every meal normally, so it wasn't too much of a change for us. 

I did buy a few out of the normal type things like cashew milk ice cream, vegan butter and vegan milk made from different grains. I will do a review on these items in a future post. I bought them at the end of our month because we were ready for something different. We didn't have hardly any added fats or sugar during this time either. It was a very cleansing diet. 

We used a lot of beans during this time. They were the most satisfying of the meals we had and they kept us full for a longer period of time compared to the other foods we were eating. 

Great Northern Beans

Always sort through your beans even if they say pre-sorted. This bag had a nice rock in it. Rinse well too.

I still have to soak my beans even though I use a pressure cooker.

I pressure up the cooker for 10 minutes and then I let them soak overnight. Then I drain and rinse them. I cook them in fresh water for about 55 minutes.

I decided to make an un-traditional humus

using some un-traditional items and

seasonings

made in the traditional way.

It turned out really really good. 

This is a great way to use and enjoy beans. We dipped toasted tortillas into the un-traditional humus. Veggie sticks could have been used also. These are just a few ways that I prepared the beans I cooked. We had tones of grains, smoothies, veggies, soups, stews and pastas also. The month was enjoyable thanks to the versatility of beans. The diet would have been very difficult and less nutritional without beans. 

   

A little garlic powder with a side of Backgammon. 

The frozen baby lima beans were only supposed to be cooked for 8 to 9 minutes on the stovetop. I cooked them for hours. I should have just given up and used the pressure cooker. I think I tried doing this before and I  remembered this after the fact.

  

Creole Brown Rice With Baby Lima Beans and Kale.

Mexican Pizza With Green Enchilada Sauce. I used the great northern beans that I had previously cooked and refried them. I flavored them with taco seasoning.

I hope this encourages you to add beans to your diet on a regular basis. They are less expensive than meat, healthy for you and versatile.

Enjoy,

Mrs. Smith

Refried Beans

I really do enjoy a good pot of beans, but beans are very versatile, so why stop there? Beans are easy to cook, but require a little more advance planning when cooking at high altitudes. I soak my beans for a few days and then cook them in my electric pressure cooker. The quick soak method does not work here and if you cooked them on the stove it could take days. The first time I cooked beans at this altitude I cooked them for three days and they were still a little hard. I finally gave up.

I started with cold cooked beans.

Fried up some smoky beef ends and pieces.

Then I added cold beans to the hot fry pan with some beef bacon grease.  

 

Once thoroughly heated, I mashed the beans. I used my wooden
mallet for the task.

 As far as seasonings I used salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. You can use whatever seasonings you like. I'm serving these as a side dish with fajitas tonight for our Sabbath meal.



I always make extra beans for freezer to save energy and time. I mixed the extra beef bacon fat into the extra beans
for added flavor.


Blessings,
Tina