Thought I’d replace the traditional beef in Stuffed Green Peppers with some black and red kidney beans instead.  And I’m glad I did!  The “filling” is so delicious and fresh…and it be great rolled up in a tortilla for lunch.

(That’s what I’ll be having for lunch tomorrow.)

Ingredients

1 cup brown rice ($.40)
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped ($.30)
2 large tomatoes, diced ($1.20)
1 4 oz. can diced green chilies ($.59) Substitute the fresh tomatoes and green chilies with 1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes with green chilies
2 cups cooked black beans ($.40)
2 cups cooked red kidney beans ($.40)
1 tsp ground cumin ($.05)
Salt and pepper to taste
4 green peppers ($1.20)
Few pinchfuls of Shredded cheddar cheese ($.50)

1 bag frozen corn ($.88)

Directions

1. Cook the brown rice as directed on the package. (Takes about 45 minutes.) Substitute white rice if desired.

2. To the cooked brown rice, add the chopped onions, diced tomatoes, green chilies, cooked black beans, cooked red kidney beans, ground cumin and salt and pepper (to taste).

3. Slice the stem out of the top of the green pepper and place in a pot with boiling salt water for 5 minutes. Remove from water, then stuffed with the filling. Top with a pinchful of shredded cheese.

4. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and is bubbly.

5. Cook the corn as directed on package.

6. Serve Double Bean Stuffed Green Peppers with Corn.

(Note: I had a few extra smaller green peppers in the fridge…so I made Stuffed Bite Size Peppers for Steve to take to work for lunch!)

Top with some shredded cheese, then freeze.  Thaw in the fridge overnight, then reheat  in the oven long enough to melt the cheese before taking to work.

Cost $5.92 – With lots of leftovers for lunch!!!

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So grateful for a stocked freezer when coming home from a trip.  I grabbed some ground meat, cooked black and pinto beans, and set to work in the kitchen.  After thawing it all, I browned the ground meat, then added the beans and some BBQ sauce.

So. So. Simple.

I also had some drop biscuits in the freezer…so I thawed those and poured the cowboy beans over top. Served with a side of frozen corn…a delicious, well balanced manly meal from the freezer.

And the added bonus…plenty of leftovers for lunch!

Ingredients

1.3 lb ground beef ($1.93)
2 garlic cloves, crushed ($.10)
2 cups cooked black beans ($.40) Substitute 1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups cooked pinto beans ($.40) Substitute 1 15 oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup BBQ sauce ($.75)
1 15 oz can petite diced tomatoes, drained ($.29)
Drop biscuits ($.75)
1/2 bag frozen corn ($.44)

Directions

1. Brown the ground beef with the crushed garlic cloves. Drain and return to skillet. Add the black and pinto beans, as well as the BBQ sauce, diced tomatoes…and stir through. Let simmer over low heat for 5-10 minutes.

2. Make drop biscuits.

3. Prepare the corn as directed on package.

4. Serve BBQ Cowboy Beans over Drop Biscuits with Corn.

Cost $5.06

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For a while now, I’ve been toying with the idea of putting myself on a Gluten Free diet. No real reason really. Just want to see if I feel any different when eliminating gluten.

And here is a recipe that will be on the menu when (if ever) I decide to make that leap.

Ingredients

1 cup red quinoa ($1)
1 cup frozen diced green pepper ($.29)
1 cup frozen corn ($.29)
2 cups cooked black beans ($.40)
1/4 cup lime juice ($.10)
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped (free from the garden)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 avocado, diced ($1)

Directions

In a large skillet, saute the green pepper, corn and black beans.

Once softened, add the lime juice and cilantro.

In a saucepan, cook the red quinoa as directed on the package.

Once cooked, mix the quinoa in with the sauteeing veggies.

Dice up an avocado.

Serve the avocado on top of the quinoa and veggies.

(I could have eaten 18 bowls. I really would have.)

Cost $3.08

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I think I only got a few shots of these little beauties before little people hands started showing up in the viewfinder of my camera.

Let’s talk about these brownies for a minute.

While some of you have probably been making brownies with black beans for years, I have just been enlightened. My mouth thanks you Pam, not so much my waistline!

Pam’s version used a box mix and since I recently rid of all my box mixes, a from scratch version it would have to be!  I took my basic brownie recipe and added some pureed black beans…and it was all better!

By far, these are the BEST “from scratch” brownies I’ve ever made!!!

I have tried to make “box like” brownies from scratch over and over and over…to no avail.

Alas, these are quite close!!!

They have an OBSCENE amount of sugar. But I’m OK with that.

Because the protein and fiber in the black bean puree outweighs the calories from the sugar. Right?

Please tell me so!

Ingredients

3 cups pureed black beans (I filled up the blender to the 4 cup line and added a little water)
2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened) (and optional)
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

1/2. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9×13 baking pan with cooking spray.

1. Puree black beans with a little water.  I went for a “smoothie” like consistency.

2. Add the sugar to the mixer or mixing bowl and then pour in the pureed black beans.  Mix until smooth, adding the vanilla and milk as it mixes.

3. Dump in all the dry ingredients, flour, cocoa, powder, soda and salt. (Can you see the reflection of the chocolate chips bag!?)

4. Mix, mix, mix until nice and smooth.

5. Toss in the coconut.

6. And the chocolate chips.

7. And if a few don’t make it into the bowl and get stuck on the mixing tool, feel free to snack on those.

8. On the lowest speed, mix in the coconut and chocolate chips for 10-20 seconds.

9. Pour the brownie batter into the greased pan and bake in the preheated oven for 35-45 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean in the center.  Let cool on a cooling rack before cutting.

10. Slice and serve to the hungry people, big and little!

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Brown rice.

It’s my preferred rice.  We have white rice on occasion, usually when I’m running behind and forget to start the brown rice in time to cook (it takes at least 45 minutes to cook.)

But I have found that I only like brown rice “fresh.”  Therefore, I typically don’t make “extra”, unless I’m planning to make rice pudding for breakfast the next morning.  Last week the boys we not feeling well and were not eating their meals with gusto as they normally do.

So I was left with half a saucepan of brown rice. That needed to be repurposed. A fancy word for “Leftover-ized.”

Wait, maybe “leftover-ized” is better?!?

LEFTOVER-IZED: Verb. The art of transforming cold food from a previous meal into a fresh new meal.  Syn. Repurposed.

Think Webster would take it?!?

Anyhoo…leftover brown rice reheated with cooked beans and homemade salsa isn’t half bad!  Served over organic corn chips (the gluten and dairy free version) or rolled up in a tortilla with that little bit of leftover shredded cheese (the be thankful you don’t have food allergies/intolerances version!).

You’d never know the difference!

And I totally added some avocado slices on top. Because I *heart* avocados.

Leftover Beans and Rice Recipe – in “ish” form

2 cups-ish leftover brown rice
2 cups-ish black and red beans
1 cup-ish homemade or store bought salsa
Some cheese
Some chips
A few tortillas
Part of an avocado

Cost $ – What do leftovers really cost?!?  I’ve never been sure of how to calculate the cost of leftovers!  While the food is not free, the cost has been calculated from another meal.  Hmmm…

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2 words. Taco Cabana.

I sorta had a little Taco Cabana addiction when I was in high school. At lunch, we would race to see who could get off campus and down Nacogdoches to the closest T.C. and get their chips and queso order in first! First to the table won!!!

Bean and Cheese Tacos were always a fave then too.  Today, I prefer them a bit spicier. These will kick up the spice factor a few notches.

Would be great for breakfast, lunch or dinner! Or perhaps even a midnight snack.

Ingredients

8 soft taco size tortillas ($1)
1 15 ounce can of refried beans (or 2 cups homemade refried beans) ($.99)
1 10 ounce can of Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilies, well drained ($.20)
1-2 cups shredded cheese ($.75)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350. Lay the tortillas out on a baking sheet.

In a mixing bowl, stir together the refried beans and the Rotel diced tomatoes. Note: if you don’t drain the tomatoes well, the beans won’t be very thick.

Spoon the tomato-beans mixture over the tortillas and top with shredded cheese. Add lots of cheese if you like.

(If you want to freeze these, now would be the time to do that.  Roll and place in plastic freezer baggie, then freeze.)

***These would be a great addition to those of you who do OAMC!!! A quick and easy breakfast, lunch or dinner!

Bake in the preheated oven for 5 to 15 minutes.  5 minutes to melt the cheese and still be able to roll up the tortilla.  Or 15 minutes if you want more of a tostada/crispy tortilla.

Makes 8 soft tacos.

Cost $2.94

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We’ve talked about adding beans to taco meat to stretch the protein out a little further. But now, it’s time to take it even further. To “three bean” tacos.

So my idea for “three bean tacos” turned into a “two bean” taco!  If you look close enough, you’ll notice that there are only 2 beans in these tacos. Only the black beans and pinto beans made the cut.

I accidentally grabbed the bag of just pinto beans from the freezer.  Last time I made a batch of dried beans (how to cook dried beans here), I froze some red kidney beans with some pinto beans in the same baggie…knowing that I’d be using them for this recipe.

BUT.

Since I grabbed the wrong bag…you’ll just have to image some red kidney beans in there.

And this meal is just the beginning of my new love affair with avocados.

Ingredients
1 lb. ground chuck ($1.79)
3 cups cooked beans, pinto and black in this case! ($.60)
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes, drained ($.29) Bought on sale with coupon and store discount
3 Tbsp homemade taco seasoning ($.10)
8 hard shell tacos ($1) Bought on sale with store discount
Handful or so shredded lettuce ($.05)
1 cup rice ($.20)
1 avocado, sliced ($1)
Couple drops of lime juice ($.01)

Directions

Brown the ground chuck and drain.  Return it to the skillet and add the cooked beans, diced tomatoes, and homemade taco seasoning.  Let simmer for 5 minutes or so.

Meanwhile, slice the avocado. (How to select and cut an avocado. You can’t always believe that “Ripe for Tonight” sticker!)

And cook the rice as directed on the package.

Squeeze gently so the slices pull away from the avocado.

Assemble the tacos with the lettuce and taco meat. (I left out cheese, but my all means, sprinkle some on top.)

Place the avocado on top of the rice and add a few drops of lime juice. Divine.

Serve Three Two Bean Crispy Tacos with Avocado-Lime Rice.

Cost $5.04…This easily made enough taco meat for 8 adults!

And here’s my leftovers idea for you…

Leftover meat and a tortilla, warmed…with a few avocado slices.

(There’s that avocado again. Must be true love.)

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Tonight’s $5 Dinner Challenge recipe comes from Lisa, who I met in San Antonio at my cookbook signing! I’ve been intrigued by the recipe ever since she sent it…and it was yummy!

Chana Masala is popular Indian vegetable dish, with a distinct sweet and sour flavor.  Lisa has tweaked a few recipes and come up with this one that she loves and wanted to share with us tonight!

I liked the flavor as it was, but Steve thought it needed a little more heat.  So he found the Tabasco sauce to give it a little extra umph!  I’m pretty sure you won’t find Tabasco sauce in a traditional shop on a street corner in India.

I digress…

Chana Masala is vegetarian, gluten free, casein free (if you sub the butter) and soy free!  And of course, healthy too!

Ingredients
1.5 cups uncooked brown rice ($.60)
1 Tbsp butter or margarine ($0.10)
2 Tbsp olive oil ($.10)
1 yellow onion, chopped ($.25)
1 clove garlic, minced ($.05)
1 tsp ginger powder ($.05)
1/2 tsp cumin ($.05)
1/2 tsp paprika ($.05)
1/4 tsp cinnamon ($.05)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper ($.05)
1/4 tsp crumbled bay leaves ($.05)
1/8 tsp ground cloves ($.05)
1 Tbsp curry powder ($.10)
1 Tbsp tomato paste ($.05)
1 large russet potato ($.15)
2 cups chickpeas (1/2 of a 1 lb bag) ($0.50)
2 tsp lemon juice ($.05)
1/2 tsp salt ($0.05)

Broccoli or side salad

Directions
1. Cook the brown rice with the butter as directed on package instructions.

(1.5 Cook 2 cups of dried chickpeas as directed on package instructions. (Substitute 3 15 ounce cans of chickpeas.))

2. Heat the oil in a shallow soup pot and cook the onion until it becomes translucent.

3. Turn off the heat and stir in the garlic, all the spices and the tomato paste.

4. Scrape the tomato paste-onion combination in a food processor and blend until it is pasty. Return the paste to the soup pot and fry the paste on medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes, and stir occasionally until the paste is a medium brown.

5. Whisk in 1/4 cup or so of water to the pan, and let simmer until the paste turns into a thick gravy.

6. Dice the potato and add it to the pan and turn up to high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat and let simmer until the potato is soft.

7. When the potato has softened, add the cooked chickpeas and lemon juice. Return to simmer and cook for 10 minutes, then serve over the brown rice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

8. Serve Chana Masala with side salad or favorite vegetable. (We ate with broccoli.)

Cost $2.40plus veggie cost

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All I have to say is…you go girl!  Listen to her story…

Several months ago my husband and I were looking at our finances and decided we needed to make some major changes if we were going to attack our student loan debt. Since I have chosen to be a stay-at-home mom I felt that I could best contribute by cutting our food and household expenses so I started following couponing blogs and eventually cut our grocery budget to $200 a month for our family of five.

If you are a Dave Ramsey listener, you know he challenges people to “live like no one else, so later you can live like no one else,” be willing to “be weird,” and to eat “beans and rice, rice and beans.”At the beginning of this year I decided to challenge myself to not only prepare our meals based on the $200-a-month budget, but to also prepare something with beans or rice EVERY DAY for a year. I felt we needed the daily accountability to help us remember that right now we are living “like no one else so later we can live like no one else.”

Honestly, the beans and rice challenge has been a bit more difficult than I expected. I was really excited and the beginning and didn’t think it would be too hard since there are lots of varieties of beans and rice, but after a few weeks I hit a plateau and had to force myself to keep going. My sweet family has never complained, but after two months I could tell they were also tired of beans and rice.

Day 54 was a break-through day for me. I was writing a guest post on lentils and was experimenting with them a bit as I wrote my article. I didn’t realize that unlike dried beans, lentils have a fairly quick cooking time, and so I cooked my pot of dried lentils WAY too long and they were practically mush. I was ready to throw the whole pot away and start fresh…then I had an idea.

Several recipes back I had made black bean brownies which sound gross, but are actually a moist, fudgy brownie made with black bean puree instead of eggs and oil. The pot of mushy lentils reminded me of the bean puree so I decided to do a bit more experimenting and came up with an apple-cinnamon muffin and oatmeal chocolate chip cookie which both featured lentil puree. The best thing about these recipes? No one had a clue they had beans or lentils in them!

Since the mushed lentil incident I’ve come up with several ways to sneak beans or rice into some of our favorite meals. Sneaking them in helps me stick to my beans and rice challenge, helps stretch the meat by adding an additional protein or grain, and adds fiber to our diets.

French Toast Casserole is an example of a meal I came up with after buying some marked-down bread. We loved the results and no one had a clue it featured mashed white beans. Of course you could leave the beans out, but the puree aids in binding the bread chunks together as well as adding fiber to make the dish more filling.

French Toast Casserole

• 1 loaf bread ($0.39)
• 6 eggs, beaten ($0.63)
• 1 cup milk ($0.18)
• 2 tsp. vanilla ($0.10)
• 2 tsp. cinnamon ($0.05)
• ½ cup canned white beans, rinsed and pureed, ($0.20)
• Fresh blueberries and strawberries (more Manager’s Specials–$2)

Tear up bread slices into bite size chunks. Place in a well-greased 9×13 casserole dish. In a bowl whisk together remaining ingredients. Pour over bread chunks and let bread soak up the liquid. Bake at 350F for about 45 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean. Serve with favorite French Toast toppings (syrup, jam, cinnamon sugar, etc.).

Cost: $3.55

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Pam is an over-commited wife and mom of three who attempts to keep life creative everyday as she cooks, cleans, homeschools, scrapbooks, blogs, coupons, and, and, and. . . .

What are some of your favorite ways to incorporate rice, beans or lentils into your diet?  Have any recipes that you can share with us???

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There is just something about grilled chicken. It’s so….

What is it?  It’s so….

Tender on the inside, and a bit crisp on the outside.

It’s so……perfect.

This is a simple marinade for any kind of chicken. It gave the chicken a lovely, sorta sweet, flavor!

Ingredients
3 large or 4 small chicken breasts (about 1.5 lb) ($2.52)
Garlic pepper and salt
1 15 oz can of pineapple chunks, juice and pineapple ($.59) On sale with coupon
1 cup orange juice ($.20)
1 small can vegetarian baked beans ($.89)
1/2 Romaine lettuce head and salad dressing ($1)

Directions

1. Place the chicken into a small baking dish to marinate.  Sprinkle with garlic pepper and salt. Add the juice from the pineapple can and the orange juice to the baking dish.  Let marinate at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

2. Grill until cooked through.  Cooking times will vary depending on the thickness of the chicken and the grill.

3. Warm the baked beans as directed.

4. Wash and tear lettuce to make salad.

5. Serve Grilled Pineapple Orange Chicken with Baked Beans, Side Salad and Pineapple.

Cost $5.20

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