Beans, beans the magic fruit….the more you eat the more you toot! Why do you toot? Legumes such as means are full of fiber, which is important to add to a healthy diet. Beans are probably the most popular legume, but peas, lentils and even peanuts fall into that category. There are several legumes that are staple food items in our house.
Beans are the most popular legumes, but peas, lentils and even peanuts fall into that category as well. Legumes are low in fat, high in protein and provide key nutrients to your diet including iron and potassium. There are several ways to incorporate this staple food into your diet. Legumes can be added to salads, soups or spiced up and eaten on their own.
Here are the legumes that we keep on hand.
Black Beans:
Black beans are the #1 most consumed legume in our household and definitely a staple food for us. I’m a big fan of adding black beans to salads for a southwestern flair. They are also great to have on hand to make a quick burrito bowl! We generally have both dried and canned black beans, but I would say we use more canned.
Don’t worry canned beans have the same nutritional content as dried, but they have a little more sodium. Rinse them off before adding to dishes to minimize the additional sodium. If you are looking to incorporate more beans into your diet, then try making this Mexican-Style Quinoa Bake during meal prep or for a simple weeknight dinner.
Pinto Beans:
My father-in-law is a pinto bean broker, meaning he is the go between person between the farmer and the purchaser. He sometimes gets his hands on the most fresh pinto beans you’ll ever encounter! Needless to say, we have a lot of dried pinto beans on hand at our house. Don’t spill the beans (pun intended) but we also purchase canned pinto beans!
Pinto beans can be added to dishes the same way black beans are including in soups and salads. You could also make your own healthy version of refried beans! Check out Lovely Little Kitchen’s recipe for Healthy Crockpot Refried Beans.
Peanuts:
Peanuts make a great snack. In-shell peanuts are a good option even if they are messy! If you buy shelled peanuts then grab the dry-roasted, unsalted variety. Roasted peanuts are basically deep-fried, so choose dry-roasted for a healthy crunch.
I like to simply snack on peanuts alone, but you could put them on top of oatmeal, sprinkle some in an Asian stir fry or make a trail mix by adding whole grain cereal, dried fruit, etc.
