Success When Eating Legumes

When my children hear that we are eating beans I usually get more than one groan from them.  Beans are so healthy and adding them to your diet will help your health, and they are cheap so you'll be saving money as well.  Now...if there was only a magic bean that children loved like candy.  Don't worry, I found some great ideas on getting your family to eat more legumes. 

All of these ideas came from plentyofpicnics.blogspot.com!!

Success When Eating Legumes:

• Choose the easiest form!  Use canned, precooked beans to simplify recipes (no soaking needed). Keep the pantry stocked with a variety of canned legumes for a quick addition or side dish to any meal.
• Power up recipes!  Add dry or canned beans and peas when preparing casseroles, stew, and sides.  Make chili more interesting with combining pinto, black, and kidney beans.
• Serve satisfying soups!  Attract your family with split peas, lentil, minestrone or white bean chili.  Use pureed beans to thicken soups and sauces.
• Make it fun!  Call baked beans COWBOY beans!  Chili could be Chuck Wagon Chili, etc.  Instead of a tostado call it taco pizza, a flat shell, refried beans, hamburger, black beans, cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes.
• Use colorful garnishes!  Kidney beans are beautiful in taco salad, or in any salad.  Edamame is a brilliant green! Black beans add great contrast to your refried bean burrito and chili.
• Salad Bar Sundays!  Enjoy the textures and colors of beans.  Have a salad bar & offer red kidney beans, black beans, green Edamame beans, yellow lentil beans, ant then of course fun sunflower seeds or peanuts and cheese & veggies & wonderful low sugar dressings!  Have you tried the spray dressings?
• Bring back the classics!  Pair baked beans as a side dish with oven-baked chicken!
• After School Snacks!  Corn chips with bean dip.  Flour tortillas with refried beans and cheese.  Edamame beans are fun to pop out of their shells & kids love them.  Trail mix with soy nuts and peanuts mixed between and craisins & pretzels.  Tortilla with cheese, black beans, and salsa.
• Healthy Substitute for meat!  Add some black or kidney beans to your ground hamburger once it is cooked and then you can decrease the amount of meat (which means you also decrease the amount of fat & cholesterol too!)  Great in taco & burrito meat!  Sprinkle some beans in your shepards pie too.
• Try a New Legume Each Week!  Taco salad with kidney beans, refried beans on burritos & double tacos, white beans in white chili, variety beans in taco soup, etc.  

October Goals

 

Beans-60lbs per person per year.  Beans, peas, lentils, nuts, and sprouting beans.  Store in a cool dry place and dry beans will last 30+ years.  Canned beans have a shelf life of around 2 years.  Rinse your canned beans and soak dry beans to lessen the "effects" of beans.  Soak dry beans for 8-12 hours, rinse and add new water.  Simmer and cook as directed. 

 

Cold weather clothing and bedding-Take inventory of your coats, hats, gloves, boots, sleeping bags, long underwear, ski clothing, bedding and blankets.  Have a year supply of clothing for children.  Keep blankets and gloves in your car for emergencies. 

 

Enjoy the journey!

Enjoy the blessings!

Feel the peace!