Beans Three Ways and Home Equity Renovations

I am going to renovate my kitchen!! I hate the current placement of a peninsula which completely limits the usable space, and blocks both traffic flow, and cuts up the room into two tiny cubby holes. If I can keep the grocery budget under control, I can power through the next few months to pay for the reno. I think it's pretty cool that I can spend what I was spending on meat/eggs/dairy, (not to mention extra gym classes to burn off what I was unnecessarily eating) and INSTEAD pump it into my home's equity:) What a nice additional reward!

So? I pureed two cans of (organic) tomatoes and poured it into three separate preparations : a slow cooker, a soup pot, and an oven casserole. Next, I cleaned out the veggies in the fridge. Carrots, Celery, and some leftover oyster mushrooms. Sauteed them in some olive oil with a diced onion until soft. Pulsed the veggie mixture so it was lightly chunky for the red beans, and the pasta sauce. Pureed the rest until completely smooth for the soup.

Ever a label reader, I'll compare the beans for protein, calories and fibre:

1 cup of red beans has 18 grams of protein, 260 calories and 12g of fibre.
1 cup of white navy beans has 13 grams protein, 210 calories and 10 g of fibre.
1 cup of lentils has 36 grams of protein, 480 calories and 21 grams of fibre.

Last minute distinguishing additions?

Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice? Add 1 tsp of cajun seasoning, (I love Tony Chachere's), 1 cup of frozen chopped red pepper, and garnished with chopped celery leaves, green onion, and hot sauce to taste. Slow cook for 2 hours on high. Serve over rice.

Stovetop Lentil Soup Added some salt and pepper, to taste and it's perfect just the way it is. Simmer for half an hour on low. Serve with a green salad.



White Bean Pasta Sauce? Added some oregano, thyme and rosemary (frozen from my garden, but you could add a dried Italian spice blend) a splash of red wine and some additional chopped garlic. Bake for an hour at 350. Serve over a large whole wheat pasta like rigatoni or polenta (shown above).

FINAL DINNER NUMBERS: 10 Bucks, 18 meals (.55 per meal), half an hour of preparation, 4 cans, 3 pots, 2 grains and one happy woman heading into a busy week.