Weathering YOUR Storm

I've been "gone" a long time, I know.  The forecast of Hurricane Sandy encouraged me get back in the groove.  Anticipating the problems and coverage of such a large scale disaster reminded me of the importance of what we do here at Everyday Providence. You can take simple and effective steps today to take care of your loved ones in a disaster or other chaotic times.

I began National Emergency Preparedness Month (September) with a bang, a conference, and a plan.  And then my life went absolutely crazy.  We had been living in tiny (albeit lovely) temporary housing, waiting for a perfect and permanent residence to be available.  My husband called during the conference to announce that we were moving as soon as I got home.  We're now putting the finishing touches on the move, and I wanted to share a few things I learned (or remembered) along the way.

• Don't try so hard to keep things interesting in the kitchen during times of change. Your well-stocked pantry can help keep meals going when life gets hectic.  Pancakes and waffles from a mix, canned soup and crackers, hot and cold breakfast cereal, frozen dinners (bought or made in advance), and easy family favorites can help you put familiar food on the table without the hassle and dishes of complicated meals.
• Give yourself a break! Pick your top priorities and let a few other things go.  We tried to eat somewhat healthy meals (priority #1), but we stopped recycling and we used paper plates occasionally for the few days of the move.  
• There are only 24 hours in a day.  Know that you have to let something go.  We put packing boxes and relaxation (family) time above cleaning.  When we were out of the old place, we gave it a good scrub.  When we were moved into the new place, a once-over cleaning removed a week's worth of dirt.
• It's ok to ask for help.  Twice we invited friends and neighbors to help with moving and unpacking.  A fresh set of legs and a new perspective helped rejuvenate us with the overwhelming task.  I love helping others, knowing that I've made someone's day better.  Let someone else do that for you, too.

I used these concepts when we were new parents (2005), when we lost power three times in six months with small children (2007), and in these weeks as we moved (2012).  Got any tips that make your life easier when the seas get a little rough?  I'd love to hear your ideas, too. Share your story with me here.

What's in your pantry?

I adore this post about stocking a pantry.  A friend recently introduced me to Lindsay's blog at www.theleangreenbean.com.  In her article, she lets us peak into her kitchen pantry, describes her inventory, shares her ideas, and posts pictures for those of us (like me) that think a picture is worth a thousand words.  At Everyday Providence, we talk a lot about stocking a pantry.  But the benefits of a well stocked pantry are often overlooked, and the getting started can seem overwhelming.  Check out these basic benefits and motivations for keeping a pantry in your kitchen.

Is this safe to eat?

I found this bottle of tea in the fridge at work. The manufacturer's date is June 2009. Now, I don't make a habit of drinking long abandoned beverages from the kitchen at work, but... wait maybe I do. (This isn't the first time this has happened.) Anyway, it's fine and delicious.

In other times and places, far from our air conditioned and refrigerated world of grocery stores, shipped produce, fresh meat and plastic bottles... in those times and places people understood how to keep food for a long time. They also knew which foods would not keep. Our modern conveniences have eliminated the need to understand those things, but as we have lost that knowledge, we have become fearful.

Some foods expire (like fresh milk), others are just better by a certain date (a jar of peaches), and some are ok to eat for years and years (like whole beans and grains). Most store bought canned and bottled goods are fine to eat or drink as long as they were stored appropriately (in a cool, dark, dry place) and as long as the container is undamaged. Canned fruits and veggies could last 50 years! Really! If you open it and it looks good and it smells good... it's probably fine to eat.

You need to rotate through the items in your pantry.  Use the oldest (or soonest to "expire") first. As you stock up on your family's favorite foods in your pantry, take a minute to remember which items will last longest, prepare easiest, and taste delicious to everyone at your house.  Keep a little extra of those on hand... just in case.

Oatmeal: Pantry Staple, Survival Food, or Decadent Indulgence?

Oatmeal by: Spencer Ritenour via Park Slope Lens

Did you know this is National Oatmeal Month?  Apparently more oatmeal is consumed in January than any other month.  And no wonder!  Oatmeal is versatile, so start your oatmeal to-do list with a warm bowl of hot cereal but don't stop there.  (It's ok if you don't actually have an oatmeal to do list.)  Oatmeal is cost effective, and we all need that after countless holiday splurges.  Oatmeal is whole grain, so we can get more mileage out of our New Year's resolution to get healthier. Oatmeal lowers your cholesterol and may reduce your risk of heat disease, no really!

Living in a land of milk and honey

9/11's attacks, Katrina's havoc, Haiti and Japan's quakes, and Alabama and Joplin's twisters mustered us each to action.  We responded in different ways.  We prayed, we donated money, we gave blood, we sent supplies, we lobbied our congressman, we traveled to help, we offered shelter.  We really do want to make the world a better place.

But I believe we live in a world where no one needs to suffer from malnutrition and starvation or from the disease that unsanitary water inevitably brings.  I believe that there is enough food, work, jobs, and money to go around.  Many less privileged nations have already begun the difficult work to bring their economy up out of the depths, giving a better life and greater choices to millions of people living in desperate situations.

Functional Friday: 10 Things to Schedule RIGHT NOW for This Fall

As Labor Day week-end arrives, tipping us into the unofficial start of autumn, my mind is busy concocting all sorts of fall fare.  As my own favorite season, fall enjoys prestige and privilege in our home. Today's list includes ten fall-ish festivities that I am making plans for right now.  Call a friend, make a plan and save the date now to enjoy the season's best. 

Emergency Sack Lunches (for grown ups, too!)

When lunch plans take last minute or unexpected turns, you can be ready to throw together a kid-friendly or sophisticated sack lunch. Maybe your kid needs a quick lunch to take to the zoo with his class. Perhaps you need a grab and go lunch for a last minute bike ride with friends. Or your friends just invited you to a picnic dinner and outdoor theater. Selecting delicious and favorite foods ensures everyone enjoys a filling meal. Choosing the right food items and storage protects everyone from serious food borne illnesses. Stocking the right foods in your pantry can turn a dilemma into a dream. Here are a few suggestions for stocking up this fall:

Back to School Tips

You may be saying a tear-filled goodbye as your oldest trots off to preschool (She'll be ok, even in you're not.), or perhaps the youngest is finally off to college and you have the house to yourself (Although you may not be home much anymore.), perhaps a friend has taken the plunge back into academia (Plan to treat them to homemade goodies soon.), and maybe it's YOU that's heading back to those hallowed halls (Way to go!).  Use these helpful tips to get everyone's  school year started off right.

• Get plenty of sleep. New people, new routines, and new ideas use up lots of energy.  Our brains and our bodies need a little extra down time about now. 

Power Outage Day Two and The Great Generator Search

Everyday Providence blogger, Jennifer, shares her experiences and insight from last week's storm.

Chocolate! After a hot night of hearing every airplane fly over, every emergency vehicle whiz by, and the neighbor’s coveted generator, we were a little crabby.  I opened up a Hershey’s bar and gave everyone a piece before we headed out for breakfast from McDonald’s.  It helped.


We got word from the power company that our projected recovery time was 2-3 days (upgraded from 4-5), so I started seriously calling around to see if we could find a generator.  The refrigerator would already have to be dumped, and we were unsure about the contents of the freezer part, but a full deep freeze keeps food frozen and safe for up to 48 hours.  As we approached 36 hours, if we wanted to save that freezer (and we did!), we needed to figure something out fast.

Food Safety in Power Outages

Everyday Providence author, Jennifer, is putting theory into practice during day two of a likely prolonged power outage.  Although power was restored to over half a million people in less than 24 hours, she and over 400,000 of her neighbors are facing heat, humidity, and up to a week until power is returned to their homes.  She emailed me with her situation report, tentative plans and a few questions dealing with food safety.  It's high time we publish a emergency food safety article, so here it is!

12 Practical Ways to Beat the Heat

It's a scorcher here in the Midwest! Daily highs over 100 and humidity boosting the heat index even higher... everyone must find relief.  If you can simply hide out in your air conditioned home for a few days... perfect!  But if you cannot, here are a few tips to keep you safe and sound.

• Avoid spending time outdoors when the temperature exceeds 95. If you must be outdoors, drink plenty of water and/or electrolyte replacement (up to a pint an hour if you are working hard and sweating),

What motivates me NOT to eat that...

I hate counting calories.  I know what I should and shouldn't eat.  I understand the benefits of complex carbohydrates and the pitfalls of saturated fat.  I can estimate the number of calories in a serving of most anything you put in front of me.  If you catch me eating that muffin, soda, pretzel, cheeseburger or chocolate, it's certainly not because I don't know any better.  I'm eating it because it tastes good! And if one serving is good, then a second serving will be great, right? And tasting delicious food feels good (at least for a little while.)

I have discovered the one thing that will keep me on the straight and narrow path to nutritious and healthy eating. 

A Day in the Park

I caught photo today of this tiny little worker as my kids and I were enjoying a local county park. I wondered if this little lady was enjoying the park's amenities as much as we were. Nature areas like this have an abundance of flowers, including clover, and water is plentiful from fountains and water features. What sort of park might a bee design?

Bees are suffering worldwide from Colony Collapse Disorder, killing massive numbers of hives each year. We need bees; they are critical to our well-being. The luscious honey they may provide is merely the icing on the cake. Worldwide bees pollinate most of the food we eat, allowing trees and plants to produce the bounty we enjoy each season. (The UN reports that bees pollinate 70% of the 100 crops that feed 90% of the world.  That's a complex  statistic, but it means bees do a lot of critical work to feed us.) Where would we be without the bee?

Here are a few things we can do to help:

• Reduce your use of pesticides and herbicides in your home and lawn. - Bees are particularly sensitive to many of these products.
• Plant nectar rich flowers. - Urban bees enjoy a wide-variety of bee-friendly flowers in a small convenient space. Try the University of Illinois or UC Berkley for flower suggestions.   
• Buy pesticide free or organic produce, giving growers additional revenue to expand their bee-friendly farming.
• Encourage local bee-keeping by purchasing local honey.  Find honey this summer at a farmers' market (or just google "honey" and your city name right now) and continue to purchase from them year round.
• Ask your local market to carry local honey products.  Even our big box grocery stores carry some local products.
• Try keeping bees yourself.  If you're within city limits, check local animal code first.  Although you'll have some start up costs and a learning curve, the rewards are certainly sweeter than most.

Related Posts
"Exotic" Preparedness Ideas
10 Things You Can Do to Save the Earth
What disaster should I plan for?
What's the buzz?

Getting ready...

What a busy summer we've begun, and it promises to get even crazier.  Last week, I attended a class in Jefferson City, Missouri, to learn to better run an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) during a local disaster.  This week, I'm building a radio campaign to help promote and educate about basic emergency preparedness.  (You'll hear more about that later.)  I love talking to people about readiness because it's important and it's easy to do.

What is your readiness level?  How many of these boxes can you check?

• Family emergency plan is written and practiced for a variety of hazards.
• Family communications plan is written and understood.
• Out-of-State emergency contact is known (memorized) by all.
• Fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, and CO detectors are installed.  Fire plan and meeting place are practiced.
• Evacuation (go-bags) are packed and easily accessible.
• Home emergency kit contains 72 hours of food, flashlights and batteries, and other supplies.
• Shelter in place kit contains plastic sheeting, duct tape, and a bucket.
• Critical documents (legal documents, banking, insurance, and medical) have to-go copies assembled.
• Other emergency kits are in place: car, commuter, work, school, etc.
• A NOAA radio in your home, workplace, etc. is always on - someone is listening for alerts.
• Likely evacuation routes and destinations (hotel, friends, family, etc.) identified.
• Small business owners have a business disaster plan and expectations developed.
• Key employees (management, medical, government, etc.) have a plan for your family in a disaster.
• Alternative "utilities" identified for your home. (Heat, lights/power, cooking, etc.)
• Necessary medical needs have back-up and stock-up for a week or more during an emergency. (Power, medication, supplies, treatments, etc.)
• Safe room and wind mitigation prepared for high winds (straight line winds, tornado, hurricane, etc.).
• Earthquake mitigation begun (attach shelves, support water heater, reduce overhead storage, etc.)
• Get a little training, certification, and practice in your area of interest.  (First aid, search and rescue, Ham radio, alternative power, volunteer assistance, first response, home safety, public education, etc.)

Kitchen Time Savers

There are products and procedures that we all use to make our daily lives easier.  And nowhere are we more inclined toward efficiency than in the kitchen.  For centuries we spend nearly the entire day picking, preparing, processing, and preserving our daily bread.  In today's hectic and convenience oriented atmosphere, much of the food we eat is stylized for the purposes of marketing, convenience, taste, visual appeal, easy preparation, and stability. On the surface this sounds great, right?  However, few would argue that these food are equally nutritious as whole, fresh foods prepared at home.  Here are a few ideas and recipe that will same you time and effort in the kitchen while preserving that wholesome meal you want to eat.

• Even if you love your charcoal grill for the week-end, a gas grill is lit and hot in seconds.  And you can add wood chips (see manufacturers recommendations) for flavor, too.
• Steamed and grilled vegetables help us achieve our five a day with clean and delicious flavor.  We marinate frozen asparagus and grill for a few minutes for an indulgent treat.
• I generally use a large fresh onion, but I dice the left overs and store the pre-chopped onion in a bag in the freezer.  When I'm rushed (or out of onions), I grab those and save myself a few minutes. Many produce departments sell fresh chopped vegetables of every sort.
• Make kabobs a day or two ahead.  Store them in the refrigerator and pop them on the grill a few minutes before dinner.  Serve with a made-ahead pasta salad and make your own ice cream sundaes.
• Easy breakfasts and lunches help me save my culinary skills and kitchen patience (and clean up) for nicer dinners.  It saves on dish washing, too. 
• Buy desserts (or whatever course you like) from a local market.  Look for the culinary details you need (organic, sugar free, vegetarian, gluten free, local, etc.), and no matter who owns the market you are supporting your local economy through the cashier's paycheck.
• Thin cuts of meat marinate and cook quickly.  Skewers can add a fancy twist and make the meat easier to deal with.
• Smaller pasta (angel hair) and fresh pasta (in the refrigerated section at your grocery store) cook in a couple of minutes.
• Quick cooking whole grains and legumes (beans) offer nutrition, fiber, protein and flavor. Try quinoa (keen-wah), instant brown rice, lentils, split peas, and fresh beans for a quick and nutritious side.
• Boiling eggs ahead leaves them ready when you need them in salads.  They can be stored up to a week in the refrigerator.

What do you do to keep things quick and nutritious in your kitchen?

Functional Friday: 10 Things You Can Do To Save the Earth

If you are anything like me, you're approaching this 'environmentally friendly' article with a small degree of cynicism. So let me start with my point of view, which may help you ease up a bit. I believe humans have a God-given obligation to practice good stewardship of our planet and resources. We are responsible for taking care of this beautiful planet. I believe many "green" initiatives are trendy but hardly helpful. I believe that we can live in harmony with nature, and that we possess much of the knowledge and technology that we need to do so.  Keeping our world clean and productive is protecting our future and planning for the best.  Here are a few ways that I believe we can preserve the rich and beautiful planet we live on.

#1 Remember the mantra: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle? There is a reason that reduce is first. We are a society of mega-consumers. Production and transportation of all the products and packaging we "need" uses massive amounts of energy and creates a lot of waste and pollution. Try to simplify your life, use products as long as possible and bring home less from the store.

#2 Buy local products whenever possible. Reducing the distance a product is shipped will greatly reduce the energy consumed and pollution created for each item. Whether you need dinner or furniture, find local artisans that source local materials.

#3 Get thee to thy local farmers market. Organic or conventional, locally grown produce tastes better and is often more nutritious. And many small growers use heritage varieties and use fewer pesticides and fertilizers. (And you reduce fuels used and pollution created from shipping, storing, processing, and packaging.)

#4 Drink out of glass and ceramic. Using disposable paper and plastic cups increases the amount of trash going to a landfill. Many coffee shops let you bring your own cup, too.

#5 If you use them every time you shop, those reusable shopping bags really do help. Fewer plastic bags are manufactured, shipped and sent to the landfill. Many reusable bags are also made of recycled plastic or natural fibers.

#6 Use fewer harsh chemicals. Cleaners and household chemicals end up going down the drain or in the trash at some point. Use the safest and mildest ones you can to get the job done. You'll be amazed what baking soda or vinegar can do.

#7 Dress for the season and match your activity to the weather.  Dressing warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer lets you use less energy to heat and cool your home.  Saving money on fuel costs is a great perk as well.  And don't forget to change your air filters every month, it keeps the air in your home cleaner and reduces your energy usage even more.  Turning your water heater down can help too.

#8 Eat less fast food.  Saving the environment can help you be more nutritious conscious and cost effective.  The production, packaging, storage, preparation and wrappers of much fast food creates an enormous amount of trash.  A nicer meal in a restaurant that uses fresh ingredients (and maybe even local ones) will produce significantly less trash and pollution.

#9 Dispose of dangerous items safely!  Don't ever throw batteries in the trash.  Consider buying rechargables.  At least, drop off used batteries at your local battery store or check with your local government office for alternatives.  And keep chemicals out of the storm drain.  If you wouldn't dump it in your pool, don't put it down the drain.  Take advantage of hazardous waste collection dates and locations to keep our wildlife and water sources clean and healthy.

#10 Consider the impact your small contribution could make.  Start small, then if you like it, you can build on that.  Routinely purchasing one recycled or refurbished product, planting a tree, using one package of fluorescent light bulbs, taking shorter showers, or growing your own vegetables will make a difference, even if you can't see it.

Functional Friday: 10 Things - Where Was Moses When the Lights Went Out?

Everyone knows he was down in the cellar eating sauerkraut. But he could have been enjoying something a bit tastier if he had planned a little.

Did the earthquake and tsunami in Japan make you take a second look at your emergency supplies? Does the thought of storing a full 90 days of food, water and household supplies seem to be too much? Start Small! Here are my top 10 picks of food to keep in your pantry. (And when the "lights go out", you won’t be forced to eat sauerkraut.)

Water. Adequate water is so important. Everyone in your household needs 1 gallon/day. Store, at a minimum, 3 days worth. When you have that, strive for 7 days, then 21, and so on. You can go a long time without food. Not so much on the water. You can buy a gallon of drinking water for about $1. So for a family of four people, for way less than $20, you can store over 3 days of water.

Nutrition Bars. Individual snack pouches of crackers are nice, but many aren’t very nutritious. Have a look at the nutritional information. Nutrition bars are portable, and yummy. My favorites are the all-natural Zone Perfect Bars.

Fortified Breakfast Cereals. These require no preparation and have a significant shelf-life. Many have protein, and are fortified with vitamins and minerals. They’re mostly portable, lightweight if nothing else, most people are accustomed to the taste. My favorite is Kashi Go Lean. Cereals are often found on sale any given week at the grocery store. Sometimes you can get a box of something substantial for less than $2. If you eat cereal regularly, then this is just planning ahead for normal use.

Peanut Butter. Unless you have an allergy in the family, peanut butter is a great shelf-stable item full of protein, fat, and flavor. It goes well with lots of other snacks you might have, or just from a spoon. My favorite is Smuckers Natural in the glass jar.

Crackers. Crackers can serve as a great substitute for bread. If you happen to have cheese and ham, make a tiny sandwich, same for peanut butter or nutella. I’m a fan of good old Ritz, and if you find them on sale, you can store a few boxes of them.

“Canned” soup. It requires minimal preparation, and feels like a homecooked meal. (crumble some crackers on top!) My pick is a carton of Trader Joe’s Red Pepper Bisque or TJ’s Latin Black Bean (spicy!).

Pouched tuna. It’s a great source of protein, the pouches require no can opener, so it’s very portable. Make yourself a little tuna sandwich out of the crackers or add tuna to your soup.

Dried Fruit. An easy, portable snack full of energy, kid friendly, and it stores well. My pick is prunes and apricots.

A treat. Whatever that means to you and your family: a 2 liter bottle of soda, big bag of M&M’s, Little Debbie Snack Cakes, Chocolate bars, Starbuck’s via instant coffee, pudding cups, chips, gummi worms. It’s going to raise your spirits to have a little indulgence when the lights go out.

Multivitamins. This should probably be part of your normal routine anyway. There are numerous studies showing that people who regularly take a multivitamin have a lower incidence of cancer and other diseases. But if you don’t eat an adequate variety of foods, a multivitamin will fill in the gaps.

Do It Yourself - Granola

I didn't want to be left out of the fun.  After making my own yogurt (with a couple of humorous errors), I wanted to tell you about my granola creation experience, which perfectly complemented our recent begun quest to create homemade fruit and yogurt parfaits.

The only person in our house that loves granola more than me is my ten year old daughter.  She loves anything that seems special and out of the ordinary.  (She is quite a princess and deserves only the finest things, don't you know.)  I have also discovered foodily.com.  This website mines other cooking sites to bring together recipes that fit your criteria.  You can search by the recipe name or by the ingredients in a dish, and you can specify which ingredients to leave out, as well.  I typed in granola and Whammo! there are 25+ recipes for me to peruse.  I picked this one, and left out the raisins.  (There are no raisins in a Fruit 'n Yogurt Parfait.)

The results were delicious and it was so easy.  I want to try a few other granola recipes.  I'd like to get the pieces to clump together and crunch a bit more.  I'm not sure how to do that, yet.  I also want to try this recipe for citrus granola.  Mmmm...

Do It Yourself - Yogurt

I've been a long-time fan of the McDonald's Fruit & Yogurt parfait for many reasons: the low price, convenience, total nutrition of carbohydrates, fat, and protein, the fruit, and convenience. But, I know that I can do better at home making my own.

So I set out on a mission to do just that.

First off, I bought quart of vanilla yogurt, a box of strawberries, and a sleeve of 9-ounce cups. The yogurt was about $6.00 (for the organic, all-natural kind), the fruit was a tad out of season so a quart of strawberries was around $5.00. The strawberries had to be used right away, and I quickly learned that a quart of yogurt makes about 6 parfaits if that's all we're eating for breakfast. While I felt a little better about the all-natural yogurt, the price tag was almost double of the dollar version at McD's. Additionally, I didn't even add blueberries or granola, and the cups were a bit wasteful to throw away each time. We also noticed that trying to eat on on the run was difficult because the natural yogurt was much more runny than McDonald's.

The next time around, I found a bag of frozen berries on sale about 16 ounces for $2.30. McDonald's isn't overly generous with the fruit, so while I can make my parfait to my tastes, comparatively, the 1 lb bag would go a long way. (Assuming 1 ounce/cup, that's about $0.14/cup.) Secondly, I bought yogurt on sale. This time, store brand, plain yogurt. It was a little thicker than the organic, all-natural, but I had to add ~1/2 cup of brown sugar and a 1/2 Tablespoon of vanilla to make it palatable. The cost of the additions were negligible since I already had them in my pantry, but the additions made the yogurt thinner - not what I wanted. The advantage, though, was that a quart was only $3.00, making the cost of each yogurt parfait about $0.64.

If you're a yogurt eater, you know that greek style yogurt is very popular right now because of the thick consistency. So, finding inexpensive greek vanilla yogurt would be the best scenario. But the greek style is actually more expensive than the regular.

So here's where I'm at - why not make my own?

I went to several sources for instructions and to see what sort of specialized equipment was needed. This one: http://www.makeyourownyogurt.com/ calls for stainless steel pots, a thermometer, and a heating pad - all things that I have in my house because my husband is a home brewer.

This one: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/10/you-can-make-yogurt-in-your-crockpot.html uses a slow crock cooker to heat the yogurt and a thick towel to insulate while the cultures are doing their thing. I definitely have those.

A glass gallon of organic milk without rBGH is pricey, over $6.00. But by making my own yogurt, the cost of that milk-turned-yogurt becomes ($6.00/24 yougurt parfaits) $0.25, a bargain! Add the frozen fruit at $0.14 and I have a $0.39 yogurt parfait. The great thing is that I can use any fruit that I have in the house, especially ones that need to be used up - chopped apples and cinnamon, bananas and chocolate sprinkles, fresh strawberries on sale, raspberries from the garden.

Beans, Beans, the Wonderful Fruit...

Photo Credit: Mats Heyman

I cannot help smile as I recall this rhyme that my cousin taught me when were in elementary school.  It must have been ghastly listening to the two of us chanting this amusing verse, but we were right.  Common beans just might be magical as Jack (of legendary beanstalk fame) thought they were.  I've recently fallen in love with these wonderful legumes for their nutritive and "clean eating" properties.  Beans are economical, versatile, shelf stable and SUPER good for you.  When we use dried beans, we also avoid additives like sodium and BPA, and we reduce our carbon footprint by reducing packaging, processing, and shipping.  My kids love them, but my husband doesn't, so I've been carefully collecting varieties of beans and interesting recipes, hoping to come away with a winning combination of meals that my whole family can enjoy while I (silently and inconspicuously) bask in the glory of the money I've saved and food additives I've avoided.  I made a simple lentil dish this week that everyone at my house loved.  I've included that recipe and a few links to other bean-y recipes that we all enjoyed. 

Boston Baked Beans (Here's where I mentioned these before.)
Curried Ham and Mayacoba Bean Salad
Red Beans and Rice

Easy Lentils (serves 6-8)

6 rashers bacon - optional (I call them slices, but was recently informed they are rashers.)
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
2-3 ribs celery, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil, If you didn't fry the bacon.
2 c lentils (rinsed and sorted - Lentil do not have to be soaked.)
4 c chicken, beef or other broth
2-3 carrots, peeled or sliced (or frozen carrot slices)

Fry bacon until crispy, remove from pan.  Saute onions and celery in bacon grease or olive oil on medium heat for five minutes.  Add lentils and saute an additional five minutes, stirring constantly.  (Add additional olive oil as needed.) Slowly and carefully add broth.  (Lentils may "pop" as you add the liquid.)  Reduce heat and allow beans to simmer for 30 minutes.  Stir in carrots and bacon crumbles and simmer an additional 30 minutes.  Serve with cornbread.

Easy Cornbread (serves 6-8)

1 1/2 cup flour (I use unbleached or whole grain white.)
1 cup corn meal (I use Hodgson Mill, which is whole grain.)
1/4 cup (I sometimes add 1/2 cup to make it very sweet.)
2 teaspoons baking powder (I use aluminum free.)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 c milk
1/4 cup oil
1 egg (or two egg whites)
1/2 cup frozen corn (optional)

Mix dry ingredients, add wet ingredients, stir in corn kernels.  Pour into greased 8 inch pan.  Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes.