Mommy Money Saving Tip: Buy Dry and Freeze for Later.....Beans That Is!

For the vegeatarian (or pseudo-vegetarian in this case), beans are an important part of the diet.  They help to fill up the protein needs in our diet.  Although beans are not a complete protein, they can provide all the protein needed when combined with other foods such as whole grains and some veggies.  This is why this family eats beans.......and a lot of them!

Even if you're not a vegetarian, substituting beans for meat a few meals per week can really help reduce the grocery bill.  Beans are considerably cheaper than meat, and they are packed with great nutrition.

Although canned beans are still cheaper than meat, they're still more expensive than I like.  This is why I buy dry beans in bulk.  However, soaking and cooking beans daily is just not reasonable for me since we're a busy family.  That's what leads me to this mommy money (and time!) saving tip.....buy in bulk, cook in bulk, and freeze for later.

My feezer is stocked with cooked beans that I have prepared days to weeks ahead of time.  I love having a stockpile, because it allows me to pull out what I need that morning to use later in the day.  Here are the very simple steps to preparing the beans and storing beans.

1.  Rinse and soak a large bag of dry beans (2 lbs) the night before cooking (any bean will do....black, pinto, garbanzo, etc).  You can do this in a large pot.
2.  The next morning, drain the soaking water and add more water.  I usually add enough water to where the water line is about 2-3 inches above the beans.  Salt the water to your taste.
3.  Bring the beans to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for about 1 hour (check the beans every once in a while to ensure that they don't overcook and become mush).
4.  Allow the beans to cool and separate the beans (1-2 cup portions) in small freezer bags.  Freeze for later use.

I usually do this every other day for about a week, and I get beans that last me a few weeks.  I try to keep a variety of beans, so we can have variation in our meals.  You can use these frozen beans in the same way you would use canned beans.  Just add them to your favorite bean recipe after they've been defrosted.