Beans, Beans, Beans!

Lately I have been on a BEAN - kick!!! It seems that I am finding more and more meals that incorporate Beans as a main ingredient. The more I learn about the Meat Industry, the more appealing eating beans are becoming to me.

I grew up eating lots of meat. I loved meat - Steak, pork, sausage, burgers, lamb chops, ground meat sauce and chicken were often found on our dinner plates. As I've learned more about nutrition I am beginning to enjoy new foods that give me tons of energy and are more sustainable to our earth.

Dinner has become more about planning ahead (in my mind that is, because I don't have time to actually get it onto a piece of paper) and doing some preparation in advance.

While I'm food shopping on Saturday I'll make a mental note of the beans we haven't had in a while. Right now I'm thinking of Mung, Lentil, and Adzuki beans. So, before I head out to shop I'll check out some recipes online, or if I have a few "staple" ones, I'll just resort to those for an easy week.

When I get home from food shopping, I measure out some beans, put them in a bowl, add water and soak for 8 hours overnight. Sunday morning I begin cooking the beans. Once cooked and rinsed I return the beans back to a container to store in my fridge. I'll use the beans in my menu for the week. This system is very effective, and it makes cooking SO much easier when I return home exhausted. *As a side note, I don't serve my family anything processed. We don't buy anything in a metal can or boxed. Ninety percent of our meals are strictly made from scratch. It makes a huge difference and it's quite manageable once you have a system in place.

Here are a few meals that I've recently tried and posted on Facebook. Many of you asked for the recipes, so I'm including these below. As always, let me know if you try them, tweak them, and how your family reacts to them as well.

I made these for the first time tonight- Sweet Potato Burritos!! My husband and I thought they were really tasty but my son wasn't too keen on all the spices. It think it was a bit too much flavor for his liking. Other than that, I'd give it 4 stars!