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How to Make Budget Friendly Family Meals
Beans and Franks for One or for a Family Meal
Please rate this family meal recipe.
Family Friendly Recipes
Having to cook for a family means having to find great budget meals that the whole family likes. It's difficult in today's world to find cheap and healthy recipes. Sometimes you must compromise just a bit.
Beans are cheap and healthy. Adding meat or processed foods to the beans decreases the healthy factor, but increases the flavor factor. Any additions to a healthy food must be measured by very high flavor satisfaction for the calorie buck.
Bacon is one flavoring that has a high taste factor. It only takes a small amount of bacon to boost flavor up to the heights demanded by discerning connoisseurs of family style meals. Of course, if you are a vegetarian, you will have to settle for whatever flavor enhancer you prefer.
Nutrition information for Beanie Weenies
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Serving size: One bowl | |
| Calories | 375 |
| Calories from Fat | 126 |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Fat 14 g | 22% |
| Saturated fat 5 g | 25% |
| Unsaturated fat 9 g | |
| Carbohydrates 45 g | 15% |
| Sugar 18 g | |
| Fiber 8 g | 32% |
| Protein 19 g | 38% |
| Cholesterol 40 mg | 13% |
| * The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA. | |
Other Nutrition Info:
Net Carbs = 36 grams
Glycemic Index = Low
Cook Time for Beans and Weiner Pot
Ingredients for Beanie Weenies!
- 2 - 1 lb. cans pork and beans, or vegetarian beans
- 1 envelope dry onion soup mix, or spices of your choice
- 1/3 cup catsup or catchup or ketchup, I prefer Heinz brand (low sugar)
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 - 4 Tablespoons packed brown sugar, depending on sweetness desired
- 1 Tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 pound wieners, I prefer all beef, but there are vegetarian varieties available
Family meal recipe preparation - kids can help!
- If the children are old enough, they can chop or tear the wieners into bite sized pieces. They can open the cans or measure out the ingredients directly into the crock pot.
- Open the cans of beans and pour into the crock pot.
- Add the onion soup mix, catchup, water, brown sugar, mustard and chopped (or torn) frankfurters.
- Give everything a good stir, put the lid on the crock pot, plug it in, and set the timer for one hour on high or two hours on low.
- If you want to cook this meal without a slow cooker, then just put everything into a soup pot, bring to a boil and then simmer for five to ten minutes until done.
- Serve the beans and franks in soup bowls with fresh or steamed vegetables on the side. This meal will serve a family of five easily.
Family Friendly Vegetables.
Prepare a Vegetable Tray:
Pick your family's favorite vegetables and serve them raw to go along with the Beans and Wieners.
Wash and trim the vegetables and divide into sections on a plate or on a veggie tray. Some good vegetables to go with this recipe are:
- celery
- carrots
- broccoli
- cauliflower
- grape tomatoes
- roasted garlic
- bell pepper
Add some crunch!
My family used to love home made cornbread with beans and wienies. We mixed it up sometimes and served a few crackers on the side.
And Now for Dessert!
Mango Shakes!
In a blender add the following:
- A pint of Mango Sorbet
- One chopped fresh Mango if available - frozen mango if no fresh ones are around
- 2/3 cup of plain, low-fat yogurt
Blend until frapped or until your desired consistency is reached. You may need to add some crushed ice to help make this mango smoothie. Serves two large servings or four small ones.
The Perfect Mango
How to get free mangoes!
Being from Texas, I had never seen a mango. When I moved to Hawaii in 1989, I rented a room from a little old Japanese lady. She had the largest mango tree on Maui.
Each and every morning, she left a mango for me on the breakfast table. I had no idea what it was or how to eat it or what to do with it, so I carried it to work with me and left it on the community table in the break room. It was free to anyone who wanted it.
Finally, someone thanked me for bringing in the mangoes every day. I had to ask them to show me how to eat this delicious fruit. Peal a mango the same way you peel a peach.
Now I eat mango everything, mango sorbet, mango pudding, mango shakes, mango ice cream, fresh mango, whatever! Try it, you'll love it.
© 2012 Lela
Comments
- Author
I miss Mexican avocados. they are so large and full of flavor! Did you find the "real" market in Cancun before? If not, we will have to find it for sure.
Mmmm you know - I bet my kids could follow the instructions and make this for ME! I love beans, all kinds of beans. I love Mango too and I bet picked off that tree it was unbelievable!
Every time I go to Mexico - I am dreaming about the fresh fruit....I could eat that for breakfast, lunch and dinner!
- Author
No, I haven't had green mangoes. I'll bet they are very tasty. I can send you my address and you could mail me a case? :-)
I wonder if they would make it through customs. Doubt it.
Sounds great! And thanks for sharing your lovely mango story. In Thailand, we have several types of mangoes and I like them all! Have you ever tried green unripe mangoes? They're pretty awesome as a salad ingredient.
- Author
Cute!
My recipe knowledge, dear Lela, is rather teeny,
So I appreciate your directions for beenie weenie.
- Author
The brown sugar adds a lot of flavor to the beans. But if you don't want the sugar, just leave it out.
Both adults and children should eat more vegetables, right?
Great idea for a family meal. Very creative and easy to make. The presentation would certainly encourage the kids to eat more vegetables too.
Shared on Twitter. Voted 5 stars
It all looks really nice, but why all the sugar in a savoury dish? I could use sweetener instead probably. But why does it need sweetening?
I ate my first mango about three years ago. I've loved them ever since.
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