We’ve been having beans in almost every meal, including breakfast! I’ve never disliked beans (it’s actually my nickname) but it gets old trying to incorporate them into every meal. Beans are a slow carb (complex carbohydrate) so they stick with you longer and make you a less hangry person. There are over 40,000 different types of beans but only a handful are cultivated for mass consumption. They’re full of fiber, protein and iron which help with cholesterol and energy.
Everyone knows the old children’s rhyme ‘Beans, beans the musical fruit’ but do you know why? Beans contain oligosaccharide, a sugar molecule also found in cabbage, that can not break down in our digestion, therefore producing flatulence as a byproduct. By thoroughly rinsing beans you can lower the amount of toots! For a little more info, check out this article.
Now that we have a background on why beans are good for our bodies, here are some of my favorite ways to integrate beans into our meals.
My top go-to meal for beans is chili in the crockpot. It can be made a ton of different ways and I always have the ingredients on hand. I switch it up depending on what I need to use up, so sometimes it’s a 3 bean chili (chili beans, white beans, kidney beans), sometimes it’s a chicken and white bean chili, and sometimes it’s a standard beef and chili beans kinda chili. Check out Weight Watchers’ Chili.
Our second go-to meal is the burrito bowl. My husband would be ok with us eating this 3 times/day everyday. Again, we throw in the bowl what we have on hand and it can be mixed up according to your tastes. We put Tyson steak or chicken, Ro*Tel, black beans and guacamole on a spinach/romaine mix. You could always add cilantro rice, corn, cheese, salsa, or sourceam too! No body does it better than Chipotle though!
Another super yummy dish is this Garlic Shrimp and White Beans meal by Bon Appetit. If you like garlic, you’ll be obsessed! It takes a little bit longer to cook, so we’ve only had it twice, but it’s worth the time. If I want to cook something special for my husband as an ‘I love you’ this is one that I cook.
A tride and true heart warming soup is Ham and Bean soup. There aren’t a ton of different ways to cook this soup, which means there aren’t a ton of ways to mess it up. 😉 I have a recipe that my Mom passed down that I love. Mama B at My Edible Journey had the great idea to make this soup after Easter with the leftover ham!
The final delishous way to introduce beans into your meal is through Stuffed Peppers. I remember my parents making these for dinner and only eating the insides of the pepper. This is another meal that can be customizable for different people in the family by making them vegetarian, Italian, beef, chicken, or jalepeno! Check out Kayln’s Kitchen or Manly Kitchen for more recipes!
BONUS! Here’s a great snack food that you don’t often think of as a bean. Amanda at Pickles and Honey made these AMAZING Cool Ranch Roasted Chickpeas that are SO good! I always see chickpeas (garbanzo beans) with spicy flavors but these were perfect for the girl who can’t have chips!
Anyone else have ‘Beans, beans the musical fruit’ stuck in their head now? Are you guys bean fans? I LOVE baked beans with my favorite meal of hotdogs! What other ways do you include beans in your dinners?