Beans

OK so beans are really easy to make and freeze ahead. I cooked up a huge batch of white beans a few weeks ago and after they cooled I stuck them in baggies in 1 1/2 cup quantities and then put them in the freezer. Now whenever we feel like having beans we can. We usually like to have white beans with pasta dishes to add a little extra protein and fiber. No need to stick with white- you can make ahead all types of beans.

I'm not going to include a recipe because you can just follow the directions on the bag or throw them in a slow cooker or google a way to do them. Cooking your own beans is really easy and quite economical as well. We got 8 baggies of cooked beans (the equivalent of 8 cans) from the bag of dry we bought for only about $2.00. Eight cans of beans costs around $8.00. Not only will you save money but you will also enjoy the taste of home-cooked beans.

A freezer full of beans!

If you need them in a pinch and don't have time to defrost overnight you can take a baggie and soak it in hot water which quickly defrosts the beans.