Make Your Own Meal Starters: Beans

Beans are another yet another versatile addition to any meal that will help you save money.  I tend to not use them as often as I should for two reasons – 1. They take forever to cook and 2. They tend to get boring after awhile.

Well, here is a solution to both of those problems – a meal starter made from beans.  This allows you to cook a very large batch of beans at once and freeze them into portions large enough for one meal.  And instead of serving beans by themselves or as a side dish, they are used in the main dish simply as a way to make the meal stretch further.  Use a serving of these beans along with a pound of hamburger in just about any meal.

First you’ll want to soak your beans overnight, so the night before you plan on cooking them, put 3 cups of red beans, 3 cups of black beans and 3 cups of pinto beans into a large stock pot.  Fill the pot up so that the beans are covered and add about 1/4 cup of whey.

In the morning, pour off the liquid and refill the pot so that the water is about 4 to 6 inches above the beans.  Add a chopped onion and bring to a boil.  Once it’s boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for 2 to 3 hours.

Let the beans cool and divide the mixture into about  10 freezer bags.  Label the bags and freeze.