We are in the middle of a Grocery Money-Saving Challenge right now! I don’t have anything new to report myself, except that I’ve been good and haven’t overspent my budget. 
One of the best ways to keep within a grocery budget is to use cheaper ingredients to come up with frugal, delicious meals. And one of the most frugal foods you can buy (which happens to also be excellently healthy) is dried beans!
Many people don’t know much about dried beans, though. How do you prepare them? How long should they soak? How do you cook them? How much do they really make? And what recipes do you use them in, especially if your family isn’t a huge fan?
Luckily, Katie at Kitchen Stewardship has the answer: The Everything Beans Book! Katie will explain to you everything you need to know about beans: why eat them, how to buy them, how to cook them, and more. She’ll answer all your questions! And then, she ends with 30 excellently healthy (and tasty) recipes that involve beans. What could be better?
Katie has also graciously offered to let giveaway ONE free copy to my readers! How excellent is that? One lucky reader has a chance to help reduce her grocery bill for FREE!
To enter:
- Check out The Everything Beans Book table of contents, and tell me what section or recipe you would most like to read/try (REQUIRED)
- Subscribe to me via RSS or email, or tell me that you already do
- Subscribe to Kitchen Stewardship, or tell me that you already do
- Follow me on Twitter
- Follow Kitchen Stewardship on Twitter
- “Like” me on Facebook (and I’d appreciate if you’d post this giveaway too!)
- “Like” Kitchen Stewardship on Facebook
That’s it! There are 7 possible entries. Please note that the first one is REQUIRED. If you do not do it, any other entries will not count. This giveaway closes on Wednesday, 3/16, and I will announce the winner by Thursday morning, 3/17.
Now…if you don’t want to wait to get a copy, Katie has graciously offered an exclusive discount code for my readers! Use code 20MAM to get 20% off the book! It normally sells for $9.95, but this code lets you buy for only $7.96! (It’s a great deal!) This code expires on 3/21, so you have some time, but don’t put it off too long or you might forget!
Other Frugal Ingredients
I know, I know…while I’m sure you’re all thrilled about this giveaway, you are saying: “But I cannot feed my family on beans alone!” You’re right. You can’t. There must be other ingredients involved!
Let’s look at a list of some of the most frugal ingredients you can use:
- Oats (if you eat grains)
- Rice (again, grains)
- Carrots
- Onions
- Cabbage
- Celery
- Bone broth (if you ask, some butchers give them away free!)
- Pineapples (especially frozen)
- Eggs
- Yogurt (if homemade)
- Canned tomatoes (I know, BPA…)
- Bananas
- Apples
- Peas
- Broccoli
- Corn (grains)
- Leeks
- Lettuce
- Potatoes
- Whole chickens
- Some types of cheese (we can buy some raw cheese here around $5/lb.)
- Canned salmon/tuna
This is a great list! It is possible to come up with a lot of recipes using these ingredients. For example, with a small bit of nuts and maple syrup, you could make the Maple Cinnamon Granola Bars from my Healthy Pregnancy Super Foods (which is not just for pregnancy!). All soups are very frugal, and if you can add a bit of rice they’ll stretch even further.
Smoothies are an excellent food. Casserole-type dishes can work well. Omelets and frittatas are good. You may choose to do some banana pancakes (I’m working on a recipe!!).
The point is, there are really a ton of ideas you can come up with. If you focus on these “cheaper” foods and add little bit of meat and other more expensive ingredients, you can really make meals stretch!
What are your favorite cheap ingredients?
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I would use both the section on cooking and on storing beans the most. I love cooking with beans however they often don't turn out as I would like them to so this would be great. I subscribe to your blog and have liked you on facebook
I would love to make the black bean brownies. That sounds so yummy!!
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I would be the most interested in learning how to prepare dried beans correctly. The last (and only) time I tried I had horrible stomach pains all night long. I've been scared to try again ever since.
I am subscribed to you on email.
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I'd like to try Black-eyed Pea Casserole! This book would be very helpful to me. I am trying to save, eat less meat, and incorporate legumes into our diet! Thanks for the giveaway!
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I'm interested in cooking with lentils and the lentil recipes. I use a variety of beans frequently but have only tried lentils once so far.
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This looks very interesting….especially the canned vs dry
First I would scan the recipes, but then I would read the "What about picky eaters?" section because my daughter is a picky eater.
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the brownies…or the white bean sauce!
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I'm an email subscriber to Kitchen Stewardship too!
Ok, I'm hungry now! The White Chicken Chili with Lime sounds yummy. I entered to try to win this book on another blog last week and no luck. Maybe this time!
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I would like to see the southwest pot pie