Week 8 of the 12 Week Meal Prep Series is all about beans, beans the magical fruit. The more you eat, the more you toot!
All kidding aside, beans are extremely healthy for you! Beans are loaded with protein AND fiber, hence the reference to farting! I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables throughout the day and I try to get at least 25g fiber. Sometimes I fall short on fiber, even with all those fruits and veggies. However, if I have a serving of healthy beans throughout the day then I blow my 25g goal out of the water!
The fiber in beans helps with digestion and shouldn’t cause too much gas if eaten routinely! Beans are also low on the glycemic index, which means they help keep your blood sugar steady throughout the day.
So what is the difference between a bean and a legume? Well technically, a bean IS a legume. Legumes are a class of vegetable that include all beans. All beans are legumes, but all legumes are not beans! Legumes that are not beans include lentils chickpeas and edamame.
You have so many options when it comes to adding beans and legumes into your diet. Black beans, red kidney beans, cannellini beans, pinto beans, chick peas/garbanzo beans, lentils and edamame. The list goes on and on. For a glimpse at my favorite beans and legumes, check out Staple Food Items: Legumes.
During meal prep this week, I want you to incorporate some type of beans or legumes. Make a soup or chili. Add them to pasta. Make a vegetable sauté and add beans into the mix. Make a burrito bowl and add both chicken AND beans for extra protein! The possibilities are endless.
Canned beans are a great option to add to a recipe quickly. The slow cooker is a fantastic way to cook beans, especially since you can do other tasks while the beans cook! The stovetop method is great, but does take extra time. I don’t own a pressure cooker, but that is a great way to cook healthy beans as well.
So now, I challenge you to incorporate some type of healthy beans or legumes into your diet this week. Use Pinterest, cookbooks or magazines to find healthy bean recipes and add it to your meal prep schedule!
Make sure to sign up for email so that you can get even more healthy bean recipes, ideas and tips in regards to adding them into your diet! If you have any questions, please email me at eatliftplayrepeat@gmail.com.
