Beans: budget-friendly and delicious (part 1)

Dried beans are a great food bargain and one of my favorite ingredients for cooking the $2 Dinners way. A budget-friendly deal at about one third of what you would pay for canned beans, dried beans also lend themselves to a wide variety of flavors and cuisines, and they are super-easy to prepare. The best part however, is that not only are they a great value, beans also pack a healthy punch. Fiber-rich and full of protein, several studies suggest that beans help prevent cancer and reduce cholesterol as well. With all these benefits, it’s easy to see why beans are a favorite ingredient here at $2 Dinners, and why I am featuring them in a 3-part series!

In this 3-part series on beans, I’ll give you a basic recipe for cooking a specific type of dried bean, and then a second recipe that shows you just one of the many ways you can use it. In part 1 of the series, we’ll look at an easy way to cook black-eyed peas (contrary to what the name says they are beans- not peas), and then we’ll use them in Hoppin’ John, a traditional dish served on New Year’s Day here in the south. Are you ready? Let’s cook some beans!

Click on the orange boxes for printable versions of the recipes
Easy Black-Eyed Peas (makes 6 servings @ about 89 cents per serving)


Hoppin’ John (makes 4-6 servings @ about $1.35 per serving)



Protected by Copyscape Plagiarism Check

For Breakfast or Dinner Eggs Are Economical

At a cost of only about $1.16 per dozen, eggs are an economical source of protein that lend themselves perfectly to preparing meals the $2 Dinners way! At my house we often make breakfast for dinner, and that usually means eggs in some form. One of my favorite ways to use eggs for these “breakfast dinners” is to make a quiche.
Quiche is the perfect idea for any easy, budget-friendly dinner, and it comes together in a flash! The perfect "go-to" meal when you’re on a budget and you have the "what's for dinner?" blues, quiche is also a smart and economical way to use up leftover meat, veggies and cheese. Add some fruit or a side salad, and you have delicious, thrifty and easy meal your family will love! Just follow the basic recipe, and the sky is the limit as to what you can create! Try these combinations or have fun coming up with your own:

Click on the orange box for a printable version of this recipe

Easy Quiche (makes 8 servings @ about 95 cents per serving)


Protected by Copyscape Plagiarism Check

$2 Dinners Does Dessert

Think you can’t afford dessert when you’re on a budget? You can if you make it the $2 Dinners way! For less than $2 per serving, you can still afford to make sweet treats for your family and stick to your budget too. Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars combine two made-for-each-other flavors in a scrumptious cookie bar. Our other dessert, Mudpie Chocolate Cake, is super moist and chocolate-y and you can make it right in the pan- no mixer or bowls required! Satisfy the sweet-tooth cravings at your house today and make dessert the $2 Dinners way!

Click on the orange boxes for a printable version of the recipes

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars (makes 2 dozen bars @ about 30 cents per bar)


Mudpie Chocolate Cake (serves 12 @ about 25 cents per serving)


Protected by Copyscape Plagiarism Check