Bell peppers, my freezer, and grocery bills!!

I went over budget on groceries this month....about $35 over.  I was disappointed.  It's getting harder to stay at $300 a month for our family.  Gluten free stuff is just more expensive.  So are dairy free milk products.  But I'm one determined lady and I haven't given up on trying to figure out new money saving ways while still trying to eat pretty wholesome foods.  It's not the hugest deal if I go a little over because we went under in other categories and I just shifted some money around in the budget.  But I see a day when I have two teenage boys and a full grown man eating and I know it won't get any better.  Now is the time to learn the tricks.

I'm a believer in small things adding up.  I've even calculated that if I use app. 25 reusable grocery bags per month (at 6 cents per bag) I save $18.00 a year just by using my own reusable bags.  And they're more sturdy. (Yes, I'm kind of a math nerd).

One thing I like to do, when possible, is buy extra of something when it's on sale or at my "stock up price" and freeze it.  We do this when our bread goes on sale 4 loaves for $5 at Fred Meyer (though that is just for me and Mateo). Another thing I've started stocking up on is bell peppers. Ever since that one time I paid $2.00 for one bell pepper at regular price at Safeway, I have vowed to only get them when they're on sale for 68 cents at WinCo.

 

I cut all of the peppers into strips to freeze usually (though sometimes I'll dice them up).  They freeze wonderfully and can be pulled out and defrosted easily for pizzas, fajitas, quiches, etc.  It's a big time saver to be able to pull them out of the freezer ready to use for meals.  Throw the bell peppers in a freezer zip loc or a tupperware of your choice and voila!

Make it yourself: Beans

I didn't know pinto beans came in a can until college when my roommate Renee was making burritos one night. I was mesmerized! Really? I had no idea! I guess I was a little bit naive lol.

Growing up my mom always made "frijoles" by buying the dry beans and cooking them on the stove in this very pot (which has been passed on to me :) It's a very special pot to me and I love each and every crack. I took it out for this picture and when Aaron walked in he said, "Oooh, frijoles?". I had to break it to him that it was just the pot. But he does love my homemade beans.

I often make beans in my crock pot as well. I have found it to be cheaper and healthier and ridiculously easy. Over the last few years I have expanded my homemade bean cooking to include black beans and garbanzo beans. And now that we have a deep freezer I can make large batches to freeze and pull out at my leisure. Below is how I make garbanzo beans (aka chickpeas):

First I sort the beans. This was always my job as a kid and it's important because occasionally you will find a pebble! This is not nearly as common now that I buy them in the bulk section and they are sifted a bit more, but especially if you buy 5 or 10 lb bag of dry beans. Anyways, sort the beans and rinse them in a strainer.

I soak them overnight in my crock pot (or regular pot if I'm going to cook them on the stove). Cover with plenty of water as the beans will swell up a LOT. You could also choose to soak them during the day and cook them overnight (which is what I happened to do with this batch).



Come morning time the beans will have absorbed most of the water. Rinse them again. Then put them back in the crock pot fully covered with fresh water (or broth). Cook on low all day (about 8 hours). The crock pot option is especially nice if you're at work all day or if you're going to be out and about. Traditionally pinto beans in my family were cooked with a ham hock bone. You can cook them plain in water to be seasoned later, add salt, broth, etc. However you want. I cooked these garbanzo beans plain with a little sea salt. Tomorrow I'm going to make pinto beans with some homemade chicken broth.
8 hours later you have a huge amount of garbanzo beans. [If cooking on the stove top you would simmer on med-low for about 2 1/2 -3 1/2 hours...adding additional liquid as needed]


What am I going to do with all these garbanzo beans you ask?

Freeze them in Tupperwares. The smaller containers are just the right amount to add to a salad. The larger containers are just the right amount to make a large batch of hummus. My WinCo receipt said all these beans cost $2.70 and it will last us a long time! Make sure to leave in some of the liquid when you freeze them. You can drain it later.

I also love keeping pinto beans in the freezer to pull out for breakfast burritos, 7 layer burritos, etc. Black beans are especially good in rice bowls (like Yumm bowls), as a side dish with enchiladas, in salads, and more.

Though you may not believe it from some of these posts, I don't like spending a ton of time in the kitchen making dinner. I much prefer to prepare stuff ahead of time. Beans are one of those things that are easy to make ahead of time, freeze and defrost well, and are very inexpensive.

Now...if I can only convince my 2 1/2 year old that beans are delicious....then I will be a happy camper :)