Chile Relleno

I know better that to make a recipe that involves deep frying things.  Too much effort.  But the CSA box came with both the pablanos and the recipe, and it certainly did seem like an appropriate dish to place squarely between some beans and rice.  Turned out better than I had expected.

Poundage Update

This just in... we're down to 16.2 pounds of beans and 16.4 pounds of rice, so 17.4 lb. down and 32.6 to go.  35% consumed.  That also means we've eaten 9.4 lb. since the first weigh-in on 9/9.  So, we're looking at about a third of a pound per day which I calculate to be roughly one cup per day dry.  Tonight we had rice and beans with kale, cheese, salsa and a fried egg, over medium, on top.  Delish.

I made oatmeal before work today which is another hearty meal based on a cheap staple.  Quaker Rolled Oats from Costco run about $8 for 110 servings.  Granted, I usually make myself one and a half servings, so count $0.11 for the oatmeal.  I'll have to add up the costs for the pecans, raisins, sugar, milk, cinnamon, and fresh grated nutmeg I put in as well.  Mmmmm.

Goals

I searched the web for "50 pounds of rice and beans" and didn't find my prose at the top of the list, or by page five for that matter.  I mostly found people's advise on how to store food in mylar lined plastic buckets for either the coming apocalypse or for the fulfillment of their Mormon commandments.

I did find some interesting blog/comment posts about people trying to do a No-spend Month experiment.  Typically this would involve not spending any money, or sometimes a goal of very little, during a whole month with the exception of a few things like rent and electricity and the like.

Having worked a serious budget for the last four months and seeing how much we "have" to spend each month made this sound like a laughable goal.  But I was reminded of something I recently heard on a piece featuring Ted Turner's successful career and charitable givings.  He said you have to set your goals high (as have a million other people I suppose).  So even if we've felt successful putting away some savings each month according to our budget, are we just coasting?  Could we put away a serious chunk if we really put our minds to it and set a big goal.  No-Spend November?

Reverse Course

I have let you down my rice and bean fans.  A whole week without a post.  The blogosphere is dismayed.  I have sinned!  I must atone.  I... I'll fill you in.  Over the last week we had for all intents and purposes some plainish rice and bean dishes.  And we brought out the old rice and bean salad, previously made for the Boardwalk outing, for Ev's Rockin' BBQ Baby Birthday Bash (no babies were barbecued in the making of this party).  Other than that the most shocking development is that we've started going backwards.  C is doing a science experiment, and now we're growing beans.  They're multiplying!

Rice and Beans for Everyone

I just placed a new link on the right side of the page.  I wrote the HTML code myself.  It's nice that the internet teaches you how to use the internet.  The Rice and Beans Foundation is a non-profit that distributes chickens and fruit, j/k, rice and beans to the needy in Nicaragua.  They source it locally which is good.  For $35 they can buy 100 lbs which I know makes quite a few meals.  Together rice and beans make a complete protein, provide complex carbohydrates and fiber, and they store well.  

Tonight's Dinner - Quinoa Pinto Bean Patties

I was going to donate $88 to 88bikes.org this month, but work set me back $30 for a baby shower and charity walk, so I chipped in for 100 lbs this month and will stick $88 back in the budget next month.  I'm not sure how Dave Ramsey feels about all the line item adjustments we make each month to the budget.  The $88 bucks has been getting bumped for months now, as has my new iphone.

One Hit, One Miss

You know how sometimes you throw together a few ingredients into a simple dish and the dish never comes together, but rather tastes like those few ingredients?  I was concerned we might get that with this cabbage and rice casserole that was glued together with a can of tomato sauce.  It surprised and came out good, and even better as leftovers.  It did have bacon, that could be it.  And it did have low expectations.

The half beef, half bean meatloaf however did not work.  Maybe when the Depression comes we'll applaud Emily for her ability to stretch that special meat purchase, but until then we probably don't need to hear from C again how we ruined her favorite meal and that we never make what she wants.

Meatless Dinners

Not that all our dinners have been or need to be vegetarian, but the beans do have a certain heartiness that leave me feeling satisfied, not craving meat like after some vegetarian dishes made primarily from vegetables.  And there is certainly something to be said about not hassling with meat.   I like not having to worry about getting to the chicken in the fridge before it goes bad.  I don't like frozen meat because freezing it reduces the quality, you have to take it out the night before and thus still worry about using it before it goes bad, and you end up with cuts in the freezer of questionable dates.  At $0.35 - $0.55 per pound for beans and rice before water is added .vs $4.00-$10.00 per pound for meat before water is cooked out, we're looking at a 10-20 fold increase in cost for meat.  That makes sense because I remember reading that you have to feed a cow 10 pounds of grain to make a pound of beef, or something like that.  And Emily and I think that the rice and beans might be easier to digest than meat.

Now, don't get me wrong, we're not going vegetarian.  In fact, as Emily was frying up the bacon at the start of the Polenta Slop a few nights back, we both were drooling over the scent and agreed that bacon would be the ultimate barrier to going vegetarian.  Ev, I'm sure you'd agree.

Last night's dinner...  Mexican rice and beans wrapped in homemade flour tortillas.  Really Honey, you're gettin' crazy.












Tonight's dinner, leftover rice and beans and vegetable enchiladas with sauce made from scratch (there's no stopping her).

Still chuggin

Knocked out a few more dishes, none of which deserve repeating.  I did some sushi rice styled fish molds that required cream cheese to get the long grain rice to stick together (temporarily).  E ate two, but C wouldn't touch them.  The tortilla rice bowls were too difficult to make and weren't great.  They have mushed beans with cumin on the bottom.  The beans and rice with vegetables certainly weren't exciting, though they turned into decent leftovers today with the addition of an egg and cheddar cheese.  Even Aunt Josie stopped by and helped polish it off.

Breakfast Rice

I suppose I could call it Rice with Zuchinni, Green Onions and Eggs, but that would be a silly title.  I've been wanting to fry up a batch Breakfast Rice since the experiment began, but we've been out of hot sauce the whole time.  Now that I've made a Costco run and returned with two 12 oz bottles of Cholula, let the hot sauce flow.  I envision having beans with the Breakfast Rice, or Breakfast Beans and Rice, but we didn't have any beans already cooked up.  And how long do you really want to wait for breakfast.  I like that it was fairly plain and a little bit mushy, reminiscent of the comforting warmth and heartiness of a nice bowl of oatmeal.

Weigh In

Looking over at the two bags of rice and beans sitting on the kitchen floor by the refrigerator, too big for a proper home, I certainly don't feel as though we're making much progress.  But after a short trip to the bathroom scale I find that we've worked through an impressive 4.6 pounds of beans and 3.4 pounds of rice.  That's a full eight pounds for those mathematically challenged.  16% gone like that.  I actually felt a twinge of sadness that we'd be through it so soon.  Ha!  Honeymoon is over and good luck on the next 42 pounds.

I had leftovers today from Emily's bean recipe from last night.  I think it wins the prize for worst recipe title.  It was pulled off of Epicurius and was titled Polenta with Cabbage, Beans an Bacon.  Technically, that was what it was, but I'd say it lacked a bit of imagination.  And it didn't look great either, looking like slop with a mucus-green hue (feel free to use that one Crayola).  My expectations were driven down so low that I was pleasantly surprised.  The polenta was creamy and the flavors were tasty (thank you bacon).  I'd definitely eat it again.

Spoon

It was a long Labor Day weekend.  Saturday found us at the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz.  On Sunday I biked up to the Kings Mountain Art Fair, met the family, pounded a pancake breakfast (including the kids leftovers), and kept my purchases to a single item.  A beautiful handcrafted rice spoon made from Manzanita.  There was a similar looking spatula/rice paddle that had an even nicer grain contrast, but alas I had to acknowledge that it was better suited for stickier short grain rice.  I thought a nice spoon would add to the ritual of the rice and bean production.  And Emily thinks it will be nice to toss out the old wood spoons because she doesn't think the gunk in the cracks "adds flavor" to the dish.  Lastly, on Monday Aunt Josie took us all rock climbing for our first time.  Convincing the kids not to be scared went a long way in distracting myself from being scared.  I was feeling good until I looked down from the top.

Today, we had a nice simple dish of plain rice and beans with sautéed zucchini topped with parmesan cheese.  Just what I've been wanting, something simple.  Emily must have read my mind (or my blog).

Under the Boardwalk

Beautiful day in Santa Cruz.  Riding rides.  Playing in the surprisingly warm surf.  And feasting on a specially prepared rice and bean salad.  One of my favorites so far.  Rice, beans, fresh corn, red bell pepper, tomatoes, green onion, olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, oregano, and salt and pepper.  More than a side dish, it was a meal.

Double Bean Day

While waiting my turn for a haircut with my favorite $10 Pro-Cut lady on Grand Ave is SSF, who doesn't feel the need to make small talk with me, I thought I'd run into a new taqueria and see it they had tacos al pastor that were better than my favorite local joint.  Alas, they weren't even close, and you couldn't get them a' la carte.  You could only get them with rice and beans.  So I proudly ordered pinto.  And the beans and rice weren't great either.  And when I arrived home, another mexican themed bean dish, taco salad, with a tree-huggin california flair of kale.  Not bad.

Honey I'm Home II

One of the reasons I started Rice and Beans was to have a steady supply of wholesome calories at the ready.  I've been training for this Markleeville Death Ride, so I'm riding the equivalent of about 70 miles per week (part of that spin class which I do know we're traveling zero miles technically) and lifting another four days.  Having cut down on sugary foods for the most part, it takes a lot of calories and thus a lot of food to replace the burn.  I had pictured large helpings of plain rice and plain beans.

But again for the second time, the Magic Bean Fairy, which I'm beginning to suspect is Emily, has struck again.  I innocently soak a bowl of beans overnight, and when I arrive home the next day from work, viola, a tasty dinner.  Meaty Bean Chili wth Parmisian Rice Souflee.  Outstanding.

Honey I'm Home

Emily really stepped up the game.  I came home to a rice and bean casserole baking in the oven and a sweet bean pie cooling in the window.  With homemade crust!  It was gooood too (extra o's intentional Jason).  Grandma gave it a "wow", "amazing" and "really good."  Of course she has a slightly positive bias.  I'd put it up against any pecan pie I've had.  I also had two helpings of the casserole.  Dinner always tastes extra good when it's waiting for you when you get home.

Rice Pudding

I like me a good bread pudding, but rice pudding has some similar good qualities too.  This recipe had you throw in a tablespoon of molasses at the end.  I thought it added a little mature flavor kick to it, but it was subtle enough that I might just have been tasting the vanilla.  And Emily just thought it merely served to color the pudding into an unpleasant color.  C said it looked like cat food.  Even with whipped cream on it I couldn't get the kids to eat more that a few bites.  What is wrong with them?  Well I thought it was good.

Meal 5 - Repeat

Oh, no.  Five meals in and we have a repeat.  Made the pork 'n beans.  First thought was fear.  The experiment only so new and already the creativity is gone.  But as it turned out I steamed up some chard, made a cucumber salad from the CSA box and had an easily meal.  And having been alive for 35 years, at three meals a day, that was my 38,325th meal.  Does it really have to be that special?

And if anyone was wondering, no the kids didn't touch it... mandarin oranges and a quesadilla for E and mandarin oranges and a tuna fish sandwich for C.

Spanish Rice

Tonight I decided to leave the beans alone and spice up the rice.  I sauteed onion in oil, the added the rice to toast and the garlic to flavor.  Then added water, a little bit of salsa and two peppers, and simmered.  Again, not bad.  One more clove of garlic and a little more salsa next time.

The Complete Protein

I ate my leftover pork and beans for breakfast while researching "rice and beans." According to Wikipedia, the two foods together have all the eight essential amino acids: phenylalanine, valine, threonine, tryptophan (isn't that the turkey thing?), isoleucine, methionine, leucine, and lysine.  Also essential to many people is Listorine and Visine, but for some reason they left those off the list.

Bachelor Night

Home alone tonight.  What else can a bachelor do but make pork and beans?  Of course, instead of rubbery hotdog pork I used an Aidells' Chicken and Apple Sausage and garnished it with parsley... I'm not an animal for goodness sake.

It was good too.  How could you go wrong with such a classic?

Accomplishments:

• Kept it down to two servings
• $0.50/365 calorie serving (85% of the cost was sausage, only 23% of the calories)
• Investigated salt portions and measures

50 mile bike ride tomorrow from Pescadero to the SF Zoo.  Will the meal hold up?

The Experiment Begins

So Dave Ramsey, financial guru of get out of debt fame, encourages us to cut our budget by eating "rice and beans, beans and rice."  I'm up for the challenge I say as I stroll through the isles of Costco.  Despite the fact that many a one pound bag 'o beans has sat in the pie safe without so much as a sideways glance, I jumped in with both feet and bought a 25 pound bag of rice and a complimentary 25 pound bag of beans.

$21.98.  No tax.  Just to give you some idea of the size of this adventure, the bean bag has 324 1/4 cup servings and the rice has 250.  They total about 80,000 calories together which is enough to feed a typical adult for 40 days.  That would cost $0.55 per day or $0.18 per meal.  Of course I plan on adding a few ingredients.  Can I keep it fresh?  Can I make it through?  Can I get my family to eat it?


First Meal  - Refried Beans and Plain Rice

Soaked a cup and a half of beans overnight.  Simmered them the next day for four hours (forgot they were on the stove).  Sauteed up some onion and garlic in canola oil.  Added the beans, some salt and dried chilies, and smashed them.  Result?  Edible.  Could be improved?  Definitely.  Lasted for too many meals too.  Let's try one cup of beans.  Unappetizing picture to the right.

Meal Two - Beans with Lamb and Plain Rice
Basically I had Emily boil the beans with a bone-in lamb chop and salt.  Will have to make some adjustments before trying that again.  I'd describe it as lamb flavored beans mixed with Crisco.

Stay tuned.  Recipes, quips, life reflections, Ramseyisms and more to follow (or a bunch of sporadic posts that all start, "sorry it's been so long since I've posted...").