Posted on 05/14/2009 3:58:17 PM PDT by housemouse 1
My family is on a pinto bean diet, i'll call it that because money tight and this is all we have to eat, well rice, and homemade tortillas, but even those few inbetween times we can have eggs, cheese, fruit, vegtables, it's mostly beans, i make plain, and chili version, leftovers become soup, my kids think we are going to die, what i'd like to hear is what someone else thinks?
Beans of all sorts are good for you, when I was growing up we had pinto beans with every meal except holiday meals. I don’t put bacon or salt pork or ham in mine because hubby is on a heart diet (he never ate as many beans as I did/do) I season them with ground red chili, salt, pepper, garlic and I add a small can of tomato sauce. I started adding the tomato sauce when we lived where the well water would make the beans turn blackish and someone told me to add the sauce. They tasted so good I still add it. I do “fake” refried beans to avoid the lard or fat- I use a slotted spoon to get beans without juice, put into mixing bowl, add a little of the juice, mix with mixer with the whisk attachment- keep adding juice until you have the right texture and not too wet or dry. I learned this working in a Mexican food restaurant years ago.
Some good meals with pinto beans for variety:
When you do have meat, serve beans with and the rest of the food will go further.
Pinto beans and fried, baked, or boiled potatoes.
Beans/chili beans with cornbread or tortilla or regular bread.
Bean burrito- very good with enchilada sauce spooned over the top.
Tostados
Salad layered with refried beans in the bottom- with or without tortilla shell and meat as regular taco salad would have.
There is also a frito layered salad that is really good, I bet recipe is online.
A friend used to make a soup by adding to cooked beans drained canned corn, tomatoes, and macaroni that was really good.
Adding canned diced tomatoes, Rotel, El Pato sauce, enchilada sauce will add flavor for a change. Some folks add BBQ sauce but I don’t like that combo.
Son-in-law said his mother made tacos with refried beans, scrambled eggs and cheese when they were broke. I’ll take his word for that being good, but it sounds healthy.
I used to have a recipe for Pinto bean pie- I’ll have to see if I can find it.
Other cheap meals:
Note, when poor I would use the ground beef mostly for flavor and would divide a pound into fourths and freeze that way to use for these recipes- that way you can get four meals out of one pound of HB meat.
Cook and season ground beef, add a can or two of tomato sauce with just a touch of water- add can of corn and simmer- this should be watery/soupy but not too watery, depending on if you are adding cooked rice or minute rice. I don’t have all the amounts but this is the same mixture that many used to stuff bell peppers with.
Variation on spagetti: Cook elbow macaroni in pot, cook seasoned ground beef in skillet- when both are done, drain combine and add tomato sauce and canned tomatoes. My mother used to make this without the hamburger and we still liked it.
Cook seasoned ground beef, add a little flour and stir until meat absorbs flour, add milk and optional mushroom soup for gravy- serve this over biscuits, rice, mashed potatoes, egg noodles.
Homemade macaroni and cheese, and if you like tuna you can add that once in a while for a change. The version where you make a butter/flour/milk- gravy/white sauce and add cheese is much cheaper and tastes richer than just adding tons of cheese alone and is delicious.
you use the bones and skin with a bit of salt and pepper, some veggie bits and boil. soon you have a lovely chicken stock that beats hell outta anything you get in a can.
My parents grew up poor & they lived on soup beans and cornbread. When I get homesick for home-cooking, I fix a pot of pinto beans & a skillet of cornbread. Chop up some green onions to go with it & it’s good eating.
Also, peanut butter sandwiches eaten with a glass of milk provide a complete protein. Salmon cakes made with canned salmon are inexpensive & have good omega fish oils too.
you can grow a variety of veggies in pots. or if you have the space a large tub. tomato, green onion, green beans, cucumber, and a variety of herbs do very well in containers. if you have a large sunny spot in the yard, make a garden then you can have potato, corn, and cabage also.
First, you will not starve, your kids will not die. However, in my view you need to look for a few other things to balance out your family diet.
I am the oldest of 6 brats from a dirt poor family. I was born in 48, times were very tough back then but I loved it. We were always able to find food. You might be surprised as to what’s all out there if you look.
I can’t help much with ideas if you live in the big city, but if you are near farm country, remember that there are lot’s of farms that allow “you pick”. Don’t be bashful, let the farmer know that you’re poor and going through tough times. Offer a days work cleaning stuff or whatever you can do that he might need.
We ate deer year round (wink), one shot, one kill... tough to triangulate with only one report. Did you know that instead of hanging a deer that you can cure it enough by placing the meat into a clean bathtub with water and salt for a few hours ( another wink). Even after you butcher it, boil the bones, scrape off what’s left and if you know how, can that stuff. That otherwise wasted meat is great for sandwiches or hash on potatoes or over a slice of toast.
We all learned how to fish. We bought live chickens in crates of five... and spent an afternoon killing and processing. Messy, but easy. Just one chicken can go a long way if you get creative.
It’s cheaper to buy chicken than it is to raise them, but we range feed ours.
Plant a garden, even if is very small and it’s rough cut by hand with a shovel.... it’s not the best, but with a little work, it can help.
We never did this, because in my day asking for any help was just not something my generation did, but don’t forget that some churches will give you a hand. This time of year they start having outdoor cooking events.
Find a food bank... now.
Some small stores might give you day old bread... and when you can, buy peanut butter, it is good for you and may keep the kids happy. I would have never made it through school without mac&cheese,ramen noodle’s and peanut butter.
It’s tough to get ready when what you are down to is nothing but beans, but it’s survivable.
Things WILL get better and keep this in mind, being wealthy or poor is often a state of mind. I have been both.... you don’t have to let it stop you, you just need to use your head and work, work and work. With honest hard work, you will climb out of this and you will be both stronger and very proud. When I was a kid, I didn’t know that we were poor until other kids told me that we were.
I know, you asked about beans, yes.. they are good for you.
You might not like what I am about to tell you, but here it goes. Get your research on this done ASAP, and then sacrifice by shutting down your computer service... that money might be needed for food, seeds, gas and on and on. If you must, you can always use a public library for your computer needs for free or ask a friend for some time on theirs.
After I got out of the Army in 69, I showed up in Seattle with 37 cents in my pocket. I slept in a few phone booths and gas station restrooms. I know that you can’t do that with kids, I only mention this to emphasize that when it gets tough, you need to adjust and move on.. you can do it. Regardless of how down you might get... you can be happy again and somebody out there is far worse off than you.
Okay, I am off my soapbox. Good luck, I wish you the best and God bless.....
Beef stock with egg is my favorite winter snack.
How about a half a wooden wine barrel? I live in an area that can get hot and arid during the summer and the wood might be better at retaining water in the soil than a terra cotta or clay pot which might heat and dry during the day.
“Beef stock with egg is my favorite winter snack.”
You just made me very hungry.
Years ago ,my dad worked for DuPont. They went on strike one summer. All summer we ate pinto beans ,potatoes and/or rice for lunch and for dinner. We had fried potatoes ,boiled potatoes ,baked potatoes always with pinto beans. I’m 62 and never forgot it. Swore at that time (I was 7) that I would never eat them again.My favorite meal-pinto beans with rice and a pan of sweet cornbread.Trust me the kids will be fine.And they will look back fondly years from now. Would love having my folks back around that old dining room table ,eating a meal of pinto beans and rice with us once more.
Pinto beans and rice are great - you can add to it in a variety of ways.
If you would like, you can find a ton of great ideas/information/experiences at:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2181392/posts?q=1&;page=191
There are over 17,000 postings in two threads for like minded people concerning sustainable eating, survival, gardening, and much much more.
nw_arizona_granny keeps us filled with great recipes and great information.
Come check it out and join in. Very friendly thread.
those work just fine but in hot and arid make sure you water well and often. do not drown the plants but make sure you don’t let the soil dry out too much. i have seen people put veggies in those big oblong metal washtubs and it works great as long as you insure good drainage and keep the watering can ready.
Going to put some on to soak!
Thank you.:) Very good tips.
That sounds good. What amounts in the mix recipe?
Wow, I understand your pinto bean diet from first-hand experience.
In the early days of our marriage money was so tight and beans and rice became an everyday meal.
On day I thought I would change things up and made a bean patty(trying to pretend we had some meat).I served my bean patty with rice and a side of regular pinto beans.
We made it through our pinto bean diet just fine,and to this day we all get a chuckle about my bean patty dinner!
I liked my Ford Pinto.
Those are like growing in the ground (plenty of soil in them), I even grow fruit trees in them, I have one each of Papaya, Apple, Lime, Lemon, Orange, and Avocado tree growing in those half barrels.
Shucks, if you are worried about gas then do what I do, put a wooden stick or spoon in the pot while they simmer. That is so the farts can climb out of the pot. If you forget the stick- be sure to shake out everyones jeans and bedsheets real good before you wash them to get the farts out, so your washer will last longer of course. These words of wisdom were told to me by older ranch ladies when I first got married.
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