And no, we aren’t asking you to sign up in our downline. 😉
All it takes to save BIG BUCKS on your food storage is to make a few simple swaps. In this case, we’re talking beans.
BEANS THE FOOD STORAGE SUPER FOOD
Beans are a Superfood and one of the most nutritionally complete foods available. In fact, no other food comes close to beans in providing protein, fiber and anti-oxidants in such high quantities. Beans give you a lot of bang for your buck. They are low in cost, cholesterol free, low in fat (2-3%), and high in fiber, protein, carbohydrate, folate, and many trace minerals. In fact, because beans are high in fiber and low in fat, they can actually help lower your cholesterol.
In fact, EATING THREE CUPS OF BEANS PER WEEK WILL:
- Balance blood sugar by digesting slowly (good for diabetics)
- Reduce Risk of Cancers and heart disease
- Lower Blood Pressure
- Lower Cholesterol and triglycerides
- Prevent and Cure Colon & Bowel Problems
Plus, if you’re on a tight budget (let’s be real, who isn’t?!) BEANS ARE MORE COST EFFECTIVE THAN MEAT.
Beans are very low in sodium and offer many of the same nutrients as meat, but without the fat and cholesterol. In fact, each half-cup serving of dry beans provides six to seven grams of protein, meets at least 10% of the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein, yet costs about 20 cents per serving. Now that’s cheap!
3 EASY WAYS TO STORE BEANS IN YOUR FOOD STORAGE
It’s pretty simple, there are three types of beans easily stored as food storage: dried beans, cooked beans and instant (or freeze-dried) beans.
DRIED BEANS: Are beans that are uncooked, hard, and small. They can take longer to cooker but are much cheaper in price and store for 30 years.
COOKED BEANS: Can be purchased in the store in 15.5 ounce cans and are completely cooked. You can open re-heat and eat. These have a best by date of a few years.
INSTANT BEANS: Have been cooked and then freeze-dried. They need to be re-hydrated before eating.
BEST STORAGE SPACE FOR THE BUCK
Amazing, right?! To have the equivalent 1 can of dried beans, you’d have to buy 23 cans of cooked beans (15.5 oz size) and 3.5 cans of instant beans. Really the picture speaks for itself. How is all of this possible? Well, dried beans are just that—dried and therefore 2-3x smaller than a cooked bean. Because instant beans are actually freeze-dried cooked beans, they are the size of a cooked bean and larger than a dried bean. And, of course, the 15.5 oz. cans of beans you purchase from the grocery store are full of not only cooked beans but liquid as well.
THE SURPRISING PRICE DIFFERENCE
Do you know what this means? That if you filled your food storage with dried beans you’d save $500 PER PERSON. You’re welcome, that trip you’ve been saving for has just been paid for! The bottom line, food storage buying principle is that dried or dehydrated food is always A LOT cheaper than freeze-dried. The numbers just don’t lie. Now, don’t get us wrong we are a big believers in mixing and matching cooked and dried beans for all of their benefits…just maybe not those freeze-dried beans. Consider buying dried beans and canning them yourself (see video below) or shopping sales at the grocery store for deals on cans of cooked beans…the TRUE instant bean (the freeze-dried variety still take 20 minutes before they are ready to eat opposed to opening a can and using right away). And, if you’re looking for the best place to purchase dried beans, you won’t be surprised to hear us tell you it’s the LDS Home Storage Center. You can purchase them from one of the centers located across the U.S. or simply buy it online and have it shipped to your home, it’s never been easier!
BONUS MATERIAL: DIY HOME CANNED BEANS….THE EASY WAY!
Canning doesn’t have to be scary, intimidating, or a lot of work. Just watch this video from Debbie to see how unbelievably easy it is to can beans right in your very own home…oh and have fun on that vacation you can now afford. 😉
BECOME A FOOD STORAGE PRO-THE EASY WAY!
Look—we get it, the world of food storage can be a confusing place not many people want to visit, but we’re changing all of that with our food storage best-seller books Store This, Not That! The ultimate food storage guide and I Can’t Believe It’s Food Storage: A step-by-step program for using food storage in your own recipes. Think of them as the Cliff notes for food storage. You know, just go straight to what works, and forget everything else. We’ll help you quickly decipher what you should and should not be storing, share with you space saving tricks and insider information to save you $1,000s of dollars when buying your food storage, and in the end, how to make something your family would actually eat! Grab your copy today at Amazon.com or Deseret Book.
You made a mistake at the end saying to make sure to use a pressure cooker, not a canner.
Thank you so much for noticing that!