Super Food on a Budget- Black Beans & Rice

You may recall I polled readers last month asking what your biggest feeding the family challenge was. Many of you said budget and many said time, some said both. Beans and brown rice are both inexpensive nutrient dense foods and although they both take a long time to cook from their dried state, there is a way to make them from scratch and save time. Read on to learn why beans meet three important requirements you're all looking for: 1) Nutrient Density 2) Low Cost 3) Facility of Preparation.

Black Beans and Rice
1 lb pound of dried black beans (or other bean)
6 cups water or stock (I used 5 cups veggie stock from freezer and 1 cup water)
Any beef/ham bones you have stowed in the freezer (I saved the tiny bone and rind from a ham steak, I'm loony, I know)
1 diced onion
2 cloves garlic, peeled and bashed (but not cut)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp cumin
Salt and Pepper to taste.

Rinse, pick through and drain beans. In a large stock pot or dutch oven, bring water/stock to a boil and add beans. Then cover and remove from heat for one hour. Return beans to heat, add rest of ingredients and simmer. Cook until fork tender. (Mine cooked 1.5 hours after the quick soak but could have used less time). Remove bay leaf, bones and whole garlic cloves before serving. Serve over brown rice. Crock pot method: toss all ingredients in crock pot. Cook on high 4 hours or low 6-12 hours.


What Beans and Rice Do For Your Body
After a long holiday weekend of food over-indulgences I was a bit remiss that I didn't put a veggie on the table (other than the chopped onion and garlic in the beans) last night. The only veggies we've seen in days have been drenched in ranch on the relish tray or were swimming in campbell's soup and drowned in fried onions (aka green bean casserole). But then I reread the bean section in 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life by Dave Grotto and felt no guilt whatsoever. Here's the cliff notes on beans:

• 4 of the top 20 high antioxidant containing foods are beans. That's 20% of the foods with highest antioxidant levels in the bean family!
  
• Beans are veggies too! Even though beans are technically "legumes" they are considered both a protein and vegetable source on the USDA MyPyramid guide.
• They are high in soluble and insoluble fiber to promote regularity, control cholesterol and reduce risk of certain cancers.
• Black beans are as rich in anthocyanins as grapes and cranberries.
• Studies show regular bean eaters (3 cups per week) live longer
  
• Studies show people with type 2 diabetes who consumed 50g of fiber a day had lower levels of both plasma glucose and insulin.

Here are the cliff notes on brown rice

• Rice is rich in lignans (help establish healthy flora in the intestines protecting against hormone related cancers as well as heart disease), phytoestrogens and phenolic compounds
• Brown rice has 5X the fiber of white rice
• The germ of the brown rice contains vitamin E
• The bran of the rice contains pytochemicals that reduce cholesterol
• Animal studies show a diet containing brown rice reduced learning and memory deficits brought on by one of the leading contributors to Alzheimer's dementia
• It is the least allergenic grain, the reason it is often the first food for infants. Infants can digest the bran and and germ at 6 months, so switch to brown rice (whole grain) instant or home made cereals at 6 months.
  

Cost
I have bought all kinds of fancy (and pricey) short grain and local organic brown rice varieties and they are super tasty. However the el cheapo bags of brown rice pass muster in most recipes. Buy the value size and keep it uncooked in the freezer to preserve shelf life.

I want to say beans are around $.99 for a one pound bag. You can save if you buy and stock up when they're on sale or get the value bag. Dry beans can be stored in a cool dry place for up to 12 months.

Add flavor to pots o beans by using what you already buy. I save meat bones (cooked or uncooked) and veggie scraps in the freezer. These items usually flavor home made stocks or pots of beans.

Time
The fact is, long grain brown rice takes 50 minutes to cook on the stove top. Some of the short grain varieties take less time (30-40 mins). There are instant and parcooked versions that take less time and are equally nutritious. Not sure the cost on these varieties, I expect they are more expensive. I can't pretend that it doesn't take much time to cook brown rice and beans from scratch but I do know you can save time by making multiple meals out of doubled recipes and one cooking session. Canned beans are a time saver, but not so much a money saver. They aren't pricey, but not nearly as affordable as dried beans.

Here's some bean/rice prep ideas that might help these two low-cost, high nutrient foods make it to your table more often.

• Toss beans in the crockpot on low overnight. In the morning, put the crock pot in fridge and reheat half for dinner. The other half stays in the fridge or goes in the freezer.
• Don't add salt or tomatoes (acid) to beans while cooking, cook times will be reduced.
  
• Get a pot of beans going on the stove or crock pot in the morning on a weekend. Half for a meal that day, half for the freezer. Make a routine of doing this weekly or monthly.
• Make brown rice on the weekend when you have more time to cook. Use half for meal, freeze the other half for another meal.
• Let rice/beans cook while you eat and tuck the kids in bed. It won't be dinner tonight, but it'll be ready another night. Refrigerate/Freeze and reheat for a later meal.
• Don't soak. Rinse and toss them in. It increases cooking time, but anything I have to remember to start the day before is usually not going to end up on the table...
  

Kid Appeal Tip Having a hard time getting the kids (or yourself) on brown rice? Start with a new recipe. Don't replace white rice with brown rice in a dish your family already loves. Make a new recipe with brown rice (and don't tell anyone the rice is special). They may not even notice because they don't have an expectation of how the dish is "supposed" to taste. Once they accept the rice in new dishes, switch over to it in familiar dishes either by mixing half white, half brown, or going all brown. Fried Rice and French Salad are two of my favorite ways to eat brown rice, although beans and rice is a close third.

Excess Sugar Consumption Slows WBC to Destroy Bacteria

Something brilliant happened this weekend. I picked up a pamphlet at my chiropractor's office about antibiotic misuse. I read it while waiting in the carpool lane and left it lying on the front seat. I picked it up and re-read it on Sunday as the family was driving home from breakfast and noticed the following list of suggestions for what the average health consumer can do to avoid unnecessary antibiotic use.

Diet: Excess sugar consumption slows the ability of white blood cells to engulf and destroy bacteria.

I read it out loud and it resonated with my kids and husband. At times I feel like the sugar police, always rationing how much we all eat. Avoiding excess sugar consumption is not just about weight maintenance. It's actually hard for the body to process a lot of sugar, and as this pamphlet cites (it was cited in the pamphlet, and a link given for reference details, but link is not live, so alas I can't share the study with you), it actually works against you immune system to fight off infection. Hubby seems willing to limit candy consumption, but sugar in food (like oatmeal, cereal, syrup, jelly, etc.) seems to fall off his radar. I'm left to feel like the heavy when I suggest and try to enforce that we top our pancakes with a drizzle of syrup instead creating a syrup mote around the fortress of pancakes. I caught him reading the whole pamphlet after our drive and I suspect he'll be a little more supportive of my syrup rationing and recipe modifications to reduce meal time sugar.

I ask myself sometimes if all the sugar rationing is worth it. All the attempts to find lower sugar snacks the kids enjoy and ways to cut sugar out of our meals so we can indulge in occasional decadent treats like pie and ice cream are worth the hard work.

H1N1 and Sugar
In the midst of fears about H1N1 parents are wondering how to keep their kids safe, and protect against the rare event that their kid might get really really sick and have something terrible happen because of the flu there is something you can do. You can reduce sugar intake in general to give your child the best immune system possible, and as soon as you know you're dealing with a virus, drastically reduce sugar to ward off dreaded bacterial infections.

This makes me change my course too. I tend to avoid medications unless I'm so miserable I can't cope with life, but I do treat my sore throats with ice cream. I like the numbing feeling, I get temporary relief from throat pain. I need to switch to sucking ice chips and give my body the best chance of fighting off the cold virus and preventing bacteria infections.

Reducing Sugar in Your Diet
Here is a guest post I wrote for a Life Less Sweet a few months back with some guidance of what "excessive sugar intake" is and of the ways I reduced meal time sugar.

Honey Gingered Carrots & Biggest Feeding the Family Food Challenge

I have so much to say, and not nearly enough time to say it all.

First, thanks to all the readers that commented on my rather dreary, whiny happy birthday post. I should have titled it, unhappy birthday. And thanks for listening to me complain. I guess I needed give voice to my frustrations.... I especially enjoyed hearing the voice of some lurkers. I know my objective was to create a dialog about the journey of feeding the family better, but some of you don't have time to chat. I'm pacified in knowing that my posts do serve a purpose for you!

Second, I wanted post a "real" happy birthday post, you know, one where I actually mentioned some of the accomplishments that did occur as a result of a year of blogging, but as usual life intervened. I've had a 5 year old waking at 5a or 4 or more times a week for 2 months. I thought it would be temporary, and didn't start addressing my sleep deprivation by going to bed early until last week. Sadly, I can't go to bed early and write posts at the same time.

Third, I want to share a recipe with you because it's been an age since I have. I'm sorry about that. If I had enough time in the day I would post daily! I don't have a picture for gingered carrots, but they are divine and I can't hide them under a bushel any longer. If you don't have time to prep ginger and garlic, and you have a cast iron skillet that needs to get out more, this would be a tasty and quick side dish with just butter. Even the honey and salt are optional. The garlic and ginger make these carrots special, but they are oh so edible with just butter.
Fourth, I do want to post responses to the "biggest challenge in feeding the family" question. I wish I could whip them out all this week, but I feel certain life will intervene and I won't get what I want. Wah. You have been heard, and I will respond! In time. If memory serves the responses fell into a few buckets of constraints: time, budget, and appeasing family food preferences.

Fifth, (really no one should have more than 4 points because "Fifth," is unsightly, but i'm verbose and i'm over it.....) Some of you mentioned you didn't know how to comment on the blog. If you're reading in Google (or other) reader or in email subscription, you'll have to click through to launch the blog post in an internet browser/new tab. In email subscription the title should be a hyper-link that will take you to the blog in an internet browser. Once you're on the blog post at Food With Kid Appeal, scroll down to the end of the post, you'll see in blue text that says X comments. 0 comments means no one has commented and that makes me sad. 1 (or more) comments means someone has commented, and that makes me happy. If you see 0 comments, make me happy and comment! If you see any other number, click the comments link to see what others are saying about the post and join the conversation.

Honey Gingered Carrots (from CM on cooks.com)
1 lb pound of baby carrots (or 1 lb of whole carrots cut in similar size to baby carrots)
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons butter
salt to taste
3 cloves garlic, whole, peeled
1-1 1/2 tablespoons fresh ginger, finely minced

In a cast iron skillet (or non stick, heavy bottomed pan that can take a lot of heat) melt 2 TBS of the butter and the carrots over medium heat, stirring often until carrots are browned. Add salt, garlic and ginger and continue to cook until carrots take on a "roasted" color (not blackened). Be careful not to burn garlic, once it browns, mash it with a fork, and push to side of pan where heat (might be) lower. (As alton brown says, burnt garlic is not good eats....). Stir in honey and remaining TBS of butter until melted and remove from heat.


Kid Appeal Tip Kids enjoy experiments. Present a new dish, or a new way of cooking an ingredient a kid already likes at dinner as an experiment. Enlist them as scientists who can make observations about the taste, texture, flavor, sound and smell of the dish. As you eat, ask them to compare it to other dishes that contain the same ingredients. Or other dishes they already like. What is similar? What is different? Do they like it more or less than the other dish? Share your observations too. When they can map how it's close to other stuff they like they are more likely to take a bite. This method doesn't guarantee success of ingestion, but it will minimize complaints of unfamiliar food, and start a dialog of the ingredient/dish that could be the beginning of acceptance when the dish is offered in the future.

Carrots as a functional food
I wasn't going to talk about why you want carrots on your must eat list, but I just started reading George's synopsis about carrots and I'm all goose pimply. I must share even though I have already said quite enough tonight.... below are the highlights, for full carrot deets, click there.

• carrots are number one best veggie source of carotenoids
• as little as one carrot a day can lower lung cancer chances by 50%
• heavy lung smokers who took beta-carotene supplements did not show reduced cases of lung cancer (in other words) eat the carrot, don't swallow the pill.
• carotenoids may be inversely associated with insulin resistance and high blood sugar levels. (in other words eat carrots to help regulate blood sugar)
• Falcarinol in carrots promote colon health
• beta carotene helps protect night vision and prevent against macular degeneration
  

If you didn't chime in last week and want your voice heard on what your biggest challenge is in feeding the family, I'm listening to you in the comments section.

Happy Birthday to Food With Kid Appeal

Happy Birthday

Better belated than never? Want to give me a birthday gift? Read to the end to find out what I want. From you.

This blog turned one almost 2 weeks ago without a mention. This milestone came and went with mixed emotion. On the one hand it's been a great year of experimentation with organic co-op veggies and recipes, chronicling big boo and little boo's response to the menus coming out of my kitchen and a chance to be a foodie with other foodies I've discovered through this blog and twitter. The most fulfilling part is to relate with readers, on kiddo eating issues, recipes, ingredients and nutrition. I am happy to have everyone of you here. On the other hand....sigh.

On the other hand

• I became a blogger a year ago and no longer feel like a blogger. Turns out it takes a lot of effort to keep up with the technology, the trends and the writing of the blogosphere. While social networking and blogging 101 were a wild and fun ride, I quickly learned I couldn't really juggle the blog, my family, my foodie life and a demanding day job.
• I'd had plans of what my baby blog would turn into, and comparing what I accomplished to what I planned to accomplished leaves a long list of gaps.
• We won't even talk about readers. While I've come to know some lovely foodies and nutrition enthusiasts, I don't seem to resonate with my target audience, which is parents of kids who want to learn how to help their kids make better food choices. In terms of followers, subscribers and commenters, my numbers are no where near where I want them.
  
• The forum is another sore spot with me. I envisioned it as a place where frustrated parents could come and ask a question and get some guidance on doing something really hard. It evolved into a place for spammers to post nasty fleshy photos and links to discount pharmaceuticals. Sadly, I took it down a few months ago because removing spam was eating up all my very limited post writing time.

My biggest obstacle to tackle next year will be to figure out what does work in creating a dialog with parents in their journey of feeding kids better. Step one in that is determining what will resonate with parents, the parents that for the most part haven't made their way to this blog. (If you're here already, let me know!)

Getting kids to eat what they "should" be eating is hard. I know. I face these challenges daily in the midst of happy meals, packaged snacks, family/community gatherings loaded with low nutrient food, school snacks consisting of fruit loops, and buckets and buckets of candy. I would like nothing better than to enable parents to effectively and positively guide their kids through the "what should i eat" choices they will be making every day for their whole life.

We get one body. One set of organs. Food can sustain our life and enable us to dream dreams and give us the energy to see them accomplished. But the trick is, a diet has to be sustainable. It's not realistic to eliminate all "poor food choices" from the diet, especially when health isn't immediately threatened. Where's the balance? How do you maintain it? How do you enjoy it? How do you make a good food enjoyable and sustainable for kids? That's my journey.

Gimme Gimme
Dear readers, here's what I want as a gift. Visit me in the comments section (or send me an email if you're shy, jenna@foodwithkidappeal.com) and :

Tell me who you are. (work, primary care giver, number/ages of kids, like to cook, hate to cook, etc.)
What's your "good food" why? I'm guessing if you're here you are already motivated to make more good food choices for yourself and family. What's your why? (allergies, health issues, weight, foodie etc.)
What is your biggest challenge with feeding the family.
What you like/ don't like about the blog.

These are a lot of questions and I know your time is already over committed. Just tell me what you have time to say to one, some or all questions. I thank you in advance for your comments!

p.s. If I get what I want I'll be telling you soon about gingered carrots (new recipe I tried) and triple germ fighting rice (new recipe I concocted).