Thrifty Thursday Slow-Cooker White Bean Stew Recipe: Healthy and Low Cost!

What is it with so many people claiming eating healthy is expensive? Yeah, maybe when you go and buy organic doughnuts and poptarts, but that’s hardly healthy anyway. Not everything has to be organic, either. I feel choosing something with little to no processing is usually the better choice.


When I use the convenience of slow-cooker cooking, most of the veggies I use are frozen and not organic. You can find frozen store brand produce for cheap, and I stock up on these each week. If I need a quick dose of veggies, I just put a mix in a microwavable dish, cover, and steam in the microwave for a few minutes. Add several herbs and spices plus some tasty brown mustard and mix it all together….wham! Healthy eating in minutes for pennies on the dollar.

Example of a meal prepared for the work week lunch. I just add frozen okra that will cook when I reheat at work. Easy Peasy!

Frozen veggies, good; frozen meals, bad. I can’t stand seeing people open their Lean Cuisine or SmartOnes meal, tear a slit in the plastic covering, and set the timer to nuke for “X” amount of minutes. Then stir and cook a little more. Boo. If you really have no time, at least buy the microwavable bags of frozen vegetable mixes (beware of added salt and creamy sauces) and have some salsa to mix in once cooked. There are plenty of frozen mixed veggie medleys with beans for a healthy dose of protein.

Canned tuna or salmon in water is another easy add-in. Be creative and fast, people, it’s your health! Do you ever see people with their frozen meals and want to just tell them how easy it is to eat something better? It shouldn’t bother me, but this is my passion and for some reason I care. Sue me…….ok, don’t. Please, don’t.

Microwaving frozen vegetables seriously helps cut down the time I spend cooking meals for Kelley and me to bring for work lunch. I try to keep it varied to avoid meal monotony, but Kelley says she’d rather spend time with me than me taking longer in the kitchen. I still end up taking a long time though; I think I have a kitchen addiction. I could have no reason to be in there, but I’ll make sure to find something. Anyone else ever do this?

Quick and delicious tuna barley bowl with microwave steamed veggies. The Zevia was a refreshing drink to wash it all down.

Back to the slow-cooker. Today’s recipe is simple and very easy to change the ingredients to suit your preferences. You can make it vegan, vegetarian, or add meat if you choose. I actually added tilapia filets on top of everything in the cooker and then served them with a baked sweet potato and broccoli. This is another time saver tip; cooking food for 2 different meals in the same pot. It may not always be extravagant eating, but if it tastes good and is healthy, your body will thank you. And Kelley thanks me too…….unless I added too much cayenne. I didn’t think that’s possible!

I must cut today’s post short as I’m short on time. Balancing my job, exercise, meal prep, and quality time can be hard, but I feel it’s more than worth it when it comes to health. I make my food to be in control of my health, and am always up to help give advice to anyone who wants it. That’s the hard part, most people I see don’t want to hear they are doing the wrong thing. Ok, I’m stopping before I go on another rant.

Slow-Cooker Rosemary White Bean Stew

by RC Liley

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours

Ingredients (Serves 3 to 4)

• 2 (15oz) cans drained and rinsed or 1 cup dry white beans; I used dried cannellini beans and soaked overnight; use whatever bean you have at home
• 1 26.4 oz box of Pomi Chopped tomatoes; 2 (15oz) cans of diced/chopped will work too
• 1 bag of frozen fiesta blend mix; usually has red peppers 3 types of beans, broccoli, and carrots, anything you have works fine, this is very customizable!
• 1/2 bag of frozen or fresh sugar snap peas
• 12oz bag of frozen chopped broccoli
• 10oz bag of frozen diced green peppers, onions, and celery mix
• 4 – 6 cloves fresh garlic; crushed and chopped
• 1 T each of cumin, chili powder, turmeric, dried basil, dried parsley, and paprika
• 1 T dried rosemary
• 1 t cayenne powder
• 2 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable stock; or fill that almost empty container of mustard or salad dressing with water and use instead
• 2 T balsamic vinegar

Instructions

Heat a pan on medium-high heat on the stove and sauté onion and pepper mix with garlic until fragrant

Add remaining ingredients to slow cooker (you may need more liquid, but it should be thick to be called “stew”) and cook on high for 4 hours.

Serve in bowl or store in a dish to heat and eat later.

Garnish with extra paprika, parsley, and crumbled goat cheese if desired

Serve with hearty, crusty bread and refreshing iced tea; it is summer after all!

Optional: Try blending everything for a creamy soup or healthy dip.

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Thanks for listening and enjoy this stew. Make a double batch for a quick meal later too!

Q: Do you find yourself trying hard not to lecture those unaware of what they are actually eating in some processed food?

Slow-Cooker Franks and Beans over Toasted Millet

Do you have healthy franks or hot dogs you want to grill but the rain won’t let up? No worries! Just add a healthy does of various beans and veggies; frozen makes it really easy. Then slow cook in spicy tomato sauce and serve over toasted millet for the healthiest version of Franks and Beans maybe….ever!

Millet seems to get lost in the shadow of quinoa’s limelight. Did you know, just like quinoa, millet is actually a seed and complete protein? It’s actually a common ingredient in bird seed mix. I bet that’s what makes some fly better than other, non-millet eating birds. Or not, but its fun to imagine!


I eat millet almost every day in its puffed form. The minute, puffy spheres add volume to crunchy cereals like Food For Life Ezekiel 4:9 or Grape Nuts. This helps me make the more expensive cereal last longer while still reaping the benefits of healthy whole grain seed.

Although quinoa is a favorite in our home, I decided to branch out and make something a little different. It’s good to change things up anyway. Thanks to slow-cookers and a few healthy packaged items, I created a fantastic meal with little work. My recipe uses minimally processed turkey franks and pasta sauce from Whole Foods. This sauce had the least ingredients and no oils added which is sadly hard to find.

That Yuengling was so good as a prop, I paid it back by drinking it all!
Wish we could get it here in Texas.

Healthy Millet Franks and Beans is Kelley tested and approved. I’m always trying to pass these tests; what’s up with that? Oh yeah, the whole husband and wife, happiness and health thing! Anyway, after letting me know how much she enjoyed lunch, she was delighted to hear we were having it again today. Having the same meal twice in the same week can be risky since Kelley may not like the meal the first time; fortunately this is not the case!

As with many of my recipes, this one is easily adaptable to your own needs and preferences. Use other veggies, fresh or frozen, choose just one bean, swap meat for veggie franks, or use fresh-made chicken sausage. The possibilities are endless. Even when the rain goes away, and you can use the grill again, remember that the rain will come back another day. Wow, I just got goose bumps from my extremely corny use of a Mother Goose nursery rhyme!

Q: Do you still use your slow cooker in the summer months or is strictly grill season for you?


We got rid of our grill when we moved last December, so I don’t have a choice unless I use a grill pan on the stove. I hope to get a grill soon, though. Those infrared ones seem to be the most popular right now.

Slow-Cooker Turkey Franks and Beans over Toasted Millet

by RC Liley

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 4 Hours

Ingredients (Serves 4 - 6)

For the Millet

• 1 cup millet, uncooked
• 1 cup low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 cup homemade or store-bought tomato soup; I used Pacific Naturals Organic Low-Sodium Tomato Soup, but you can use your favorite or just add another cup of broth
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
• 10oz bag of frozen, chopped onions; you can use half of a fresh yellow or white onion too

For the Franks and Beans

• 4 healthy hot dogs/franks cut into 1/2 in circles; I used Applegate Farms Turkey Franks, but choose your favorite meat or veggie frank
• 25oz jar of pasta sauce; I chose the Whole Foods brand that had no added oils and only a mix of tomatoes with other veggies, herbs, and spices
• 10oz bag of frozen chopped onions, green peppers, and celery
• 12oz bag of frozen mixed bean and veggie blend; I used the Fiesta Blend from Kroger which has broccoli, carrots, bell peppers, and kidney, garbanzo, and navy beans
• 12oz bag of frozen chopped broccoli
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced and chopped
• 1/2 of a 12oz bag of frozen sliced carrots
• 1/4 of a 10oz bag of frozen shelled edamame
• 1/2 t cayenne powder
• 1 ½ T cumin
• 2 T parsley and oregano
• 1/2 T garlic powder

Instructions

For the Franks and Beans

Add all ingredients to your slow-cooker and mix well.

Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.

Prepare Millet while waiting on the slow-cooker

Heat a non-stick sauce pan over medium heat

Add millet to dry pan and continuously stir to evenly toast; you’ll know it’s toasting when you hear the millet cracking and popping

Add garlic and onions and let cook for 30 – 45 seconds

Pour all liquids in pot and bring to a boil

Stir, cover, and reduce heat to simmer for 25 minutes

Turn off heat and let sit for 5 minutes

Transfer cooked millet to individual serving bowls and generously top with the franks and beans mix

Add fresh ground pepper and parsley to garnish if you like and dig in

Enjoy with a chilled lager at home or unsweetened iced tea at work

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A Healthy Boost with White Bean Bell Pepper Puree

Did you know meatless meals are gaining ground in popularity and meat and poultry consumption is expected to drop 12 percent this year? To some, this is no surprise as the price of meat is only going up, and when you’ll only consume humanely raised meat (like Kelley and me), things get expensive fast!

Source - http://www.formerfatguyblog.com/2008/05/17/black-bean-recipes.html

Pound for pound, beans actually offer just as much if not more protein than beef; and at a fraction of the cost! Many people fear they won’t get enough protein unless they eat meat, but this is not true. Check out this link from the Vegetarian Resource Group providing a sample menu for the day with the total amount of protein consumed.

Luckily, vegetables and legumes have plenty to offer in the way of nutrition and flavor. Don’t get me wrong, I love meat, poultry, and fish, but most of the meals I consume are meatless.

If you feel like you “can’t” go without meat, I’m willing to bet you haven’t had a vegetable dish that ranks high on the flavor scale. As always, the key to consistency with anything is that YOU have to like whatever it is you’re doing; or eating in this case. This holds true for anything from exercise to the food you eat.

The colors make this dish stand out already!

Red, White, and Green.....Italian colors for an Italian (kinda) meal!

Now it's orange, but still really good!  I added some arugula to mine

I made an incredibly creamy and tasty slow-cooker white bean, bell pepper and mixed veggie puree this weekend that will please the vegetarians and carnivores in your life.

White Bean Bell Pepper Puree

-1 cup dried white kidney beans, soaked (use this method for soaking)
-1 small avocado, ripe
-2 red bell peppers, seeded, cored, and chopped
-4 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
-10oz bag of frozen chopped onion and celery mix (you can use half an onion and 2 stalks of celery too)
-16oz bag of frozen broccoli and cauliflower
-1 ½ cups chicken or vegetable broth
-I just eyeballed the following dried herbs and spices: cumin, turmeric, paprika, chili powder, pepper, cayenne, basil, oregano, and thyme

Add all ingredients to your slow-cooker and mix to combine. Turn cooker on to high and cook for 4 hours or low and cook for 6 – 8 hours. Once everything is cooked, use an immersion blender to puree everything right in the pot; I added 2 tablespoons of non-fat dry milk powder to help thicken everything, but it’s not necessary; plain yogurt works well too. If you don’t have an immersion blender, scoop the mix into a blender (filling only half-way) and blend in batches until everything is creamy. Serve right away in a big bowl with ground pepper, cayenne, and parsley as a garnish. This should be enough for 3 or 4 servings; make extra and freeze for a quick meal next week!

 I love slow-cooker cooking; it requires little prep time but offers loads of flavor. If you don’t like or have any of the listed ingredients, you can simply sub whatever you have on hand and it will still turn out great! These white kidney beans (a.k.a cannellini beans), as with most beans, are low in fat, high in fiber and protein, and offer generous amounts of minerals and B vitamins.

The weather is warming up around here and I hope it stays that way. I am not a fan of cold at all; unless it’s in Colorado and you’re surrounded by awesome landscapes. In Texas, you just get cold and wind which suck together. Ha ha, that sounds funny; maybe I should say cold and wind “blow” together. Sorry, lost my train of thought.

Are you excited about the weather warming up, or do you prefer the cold?

The Weekly Routine.....with Grass-fed Roast Beef!!

Do you ever get bothered by going through the same conversation week after week? I am sure, for the majority of the working population, we go through the same conversation with people each week.

On Monday, when asked the all-too-common “How are you?” most of us give some type of generic response like “I’m good…. it’s Monday, ughhh.” As the week progresses, most responses form around whatever day we are on; “At least its not Monday,” or “Half-way there, almost Friday!” This cycle, along with people always asking “What’s up?” or “How are you?” as they keep walking past you really gets to me. I’m just as guilty as the next person, but have been trying to stop asking unless I sincerely care to stop and know how a person is doing.

This routine has been weighing on me for a while, so I’m using my blog as a way to vent. I’d like to start responding with something related to food, but most people don’t care if I cooked Overnight Oatmeal Crisps or dehydrated okra and green beans with my new food dehydrator. But on my blog, the people reading actually do care (hopefully!) for my thoughts on food and health, so it’s nice to have Just Add Cayenne as an outlet. I just want to thank everyone who stops by to read this, if you like it, please share with others you know.

I’m done now. On to food!

On the topic of work and the weekly routine, I am excited about some of the meals I made for Kelley and me to have for work lunch. We very rarely buy beef or bison since it is pricey for the type of high quality meat we demand. While at the store, Kelley and I saw a lean cut of grass-fed beef and decided we should have some red meat this week. I already knew what I would do with this round cut……beef stew in the slow cooker! Kelley was/is excited to have this meal this week.

One thing I’ve been trying to work on is not taking so long in the kitchen so I can spend more time with Kelley. You might think “Really? Doesn’t she enjoy a husband cooking?” but I agree, I take way longer than usual. For example, I woke up at 7:45am on Sunday, and basically stayed in the kitchen up to 7pm. So, I constantly have ways to reduce time in the kitchen running through my head while still making 5 lunches ready to bring to work throughout the week. Kelley says I don’t have to do this, but it’s just my “thing” and I enjoy providing meals from home…….I really despise relying on going somewhere that I can’t control how my meal is prepared.

With time saving on the mind, I decided to use the slow-cooker with a healthy mix of garlic, onions, barley, veggies and the cut of beef on top. I let this cook on low for 8 hours while I cooked and prepared other food items for this week. In order to save time with the slow cooker (sound odd, huh?), I used half of the 1.1lb cut of beef for another dish. We have a meal with Jersey Sweet potatoes and a veggie bean mix just about every week, and I figured using slow roasted beef chopped and served with veggies and the potato would be a tasty change. Kelley liked the idea, so that was all I needed to be inspired for this simple dish. That’s 2 meals for us right there; actually 3 meals since I made enough beef and barley stew for leftover leftovers. No complaints here, this is an excellent meal full of flavor and nutrition!

I still made the other vegetarian sweet potato meal since it is pretty quick to make; steam the potato, steam the veggies and beans, season with herbs and spices, and it’s ready to go. For the final meal, I soaked dry black beans that I used for a hearty black bean with long grain and wild brown rice dish that is sure to please. Rice and beans provide an inexpensive meal that supplies you with complete protein and can take on many flavor variations.

We are looking forward to week full of healthy beef lunches; did you make anything you’re looking forward to this week? Next time you are confronted by a co-worker; try discussing something else like food instead of talking about what day it is or isn’t…..you’ll probably catch them off-guard.

For those that are curious, here are the ingredients used for the beef and barley stew:

- Onions, celery, 5 cloves of garlic, and red peppers sautéed for 3 minutes to bring out their natural sugars; all but the garlic came in a frozen 12oz bag
- Frozen broccoli, cauliflower, and green beans; I just used the whole 12oz bag for each
- 1/2 cup pearled barley
- Jar of salsa (use your favorite kind) and chicken broth to top off
- Without measuring, I added cumin, chili powder, paprika, ground mustard, cayenne, basil, cilantro, and thyme

Just give everything a good stir, pan sear the beef round on each side and place on top of everything. Put the lid on your slow cooker, set the heat to low, and wait until done.