Comments on: Dinner With My Family #4: Bean Burritos

By: Anni

Anni — Sun, 08 May 2011 22:10:32 +0000

Personally, I like Trent’s meal posts, and I do go back and reread, as evidenced by this comment. I have all the aforementioned books, and I still learn from Trent and from other blogs I read, as well as life experience. The shock of Uncle Sam’s take after all my children moved out and I changed my withholding has caused me to re-evaluate my finances and the old posts have been very helpful.

By: AH

AH — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 14:34:51 +0000

I just discovered this websit & I love it! I have been a thrifty creative cook for decades but have not tried this particular dish before. I use a lot of black beans & other dried beans, but didn’t know you could cook them in the crockpot overnight. I DO know not to season dried beans before they are tender or they will NEVER get done. Someone above spoke for all of humanity & wrote, “EVERYBODY knows. . .” Hmmmm Anybody can recommend a tasty healthy cookie recipe that travels well & keeps?

By: littlepitcher

littlepitcher — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 16:25:03 +0000

Since the Cherokee used over 100 varieties of beans, many now lost, the use of beans, especially heirloom items, makes this an interesting post for those just beginning the practice of culinary frugality. We eat beans directly from the pot, over cornbread, and then use the leftovers for burritos. For a single person, though, a can of marked down refrieds and cheap jalapeno cheddar melted over the top tastes far better than the multinational’s offering.

By: Anne

Anne — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 21:31:44 +0000

Thanks for the post. I seem to disagree with many commenters but I like when old ideas are revisited. I find the reminders helpful. It’s probably just how I learn.

I would like to hear more about how coping with new dietary restrictions has impacted Trent’s meal planning and grocery shopping.

By: Interested Reader

Interested Reader — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 17:47:40 +0000

Leah -it’s probably just personal preference. You might want to also try pink beans – if your grocery store has an ethnic section they can be found with the Mexican/Latino section. Usually you can find them canned by Goya but sometimes dried. They have a nice texture and a very mild flavor.

By: Julia

Julia — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 17:36:49 +0000

The burritos, while they sound tasty could do with a bit larger quantity of beans and more seasonings (as noted previously). And also, how about a nice leafy green salad to go with, and a small side of Spanish/Mexican rice? This would be a more complete and healthful meal (along with whole wheat tortillas substituted for the white flour variety, as also previously mentioned). Skip the apples, or save them for dessert. Showing a more complete meal would go along way in these posts to entice more people. We eat with our eyes first, after all.

By: Janis

Janis — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 17:20:06 +0000

Leah (#28), Trent said he enjoys the bean taste. My husband also has a strong preference for black beans and is disappointed if I use any other kind of beans in burritos. It doesn’t sound as though you share this preference, so to each their own.

Kristine (#27), you make an excellent point! I stopped in earlier, was going to make a comment about how I make and freeze my own version of black bean burritos, but ultimately left without commenting. The reason? I was saddened to find myself agreeing with those who thought this post was a skimpy treatment, but thought it would be rude to pile on. I thought “why put the effort into a comment when Trent didn’t put the effort into his post?”

By: Leah

Leah — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 16:47:33 +0000

I’m wondering why Trent is recommending black beans — as in, is there a reason, or is it just a personal preference?

I’m not a big fan of beans, but I appreciate the health benefits. I’ve found that both red beans, pinto beans, and kidney beans are all much more mild and more palatable. I do add some rice when we make burritos so that I don’t taste the beans as much. And I’d definitely add seasoning and way more veggies — just doesn’t seem like he’s getting enough veg in there. Roasted red peppers (you can roast them at home easily), bell peppers, onions, and garlic all feature prominently when we make fajitas or burritos.

By: kristine

kristine — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 15:44:17 +0000

Kate- I agree on all counts. I posted this on the water bottle entry, but so late I am sure no one saw it- last post.

Many people have poo-pooed those how have complained of late, but the truth is, this site has a reciprocal relationship. The blogger is asking people for their time, or at least hoping to get it, and this readership provides his main source of income. He provides content in exchange.

In this kind of self-employment, there is no other performance review other than the commenters. And from my background in publishing/advertising, I can tell you that you want the squeaky wheels. Your worst luck is customers/readers who say nothing, then quietly just go away when they lose interest. This affords no notice to be aware of a shortcoming or its effect, and no opportunity to change it. Winning back almost never works, and it is almost never cost-effective.

It is 10X easier to keep a client/ customer/reader than it is to recruit a new one. Calling out complacency may seem rude or ungrateful, but instead, it is valuable feedback- a call to action, and it can keep a business from slowly eroding.

By: Kate

Kate — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 12:23:55 +0000

deRuiter…I could agree with so much of what you wrote but I’m saddened by your bitterness.

By: deRuiter

deRuiter — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 11:13:30 +0000

This post IS thin. The problem is that after a person has written on a certain topic a number of times, for years, they run out of ideas. That’s the reason Amy (rhymes with “decision” and no, I can’t spell her last name!) finally published all her newsletters in that neat three volume set of books and retired on her amazing profits, she’d done it ALL! There was no more which interested her to write, she had taught everyone who read her newsletters / 3 books how to do the cost analysis, how to live a thrity life, the philosophy of thrift, the environmental benefits of saving vs spending, what could be accomplished (nice chunk of money in bank, paid off farm in Maine, paid off cars, retirement, husband with public sector job providing lifetime insurance (Navy).) I don’t know if Trent has run out of ideas, but he has to publish SOMETHING in order to keep his income. As long as the column gets hits, whether positive or negative comments, he cranks out the money. He gets paid whether the column is thin, whether he writes well or badly, whether or not he edits and runs spell check. People produce something if they get paid to produce it. This is why welfare mothers continue to crank out inferior children whom they ingore, they get paid for their product with no bonus for good quality, they get paid for the quantity of welfare babies they crank out.

By: lurker carl

lurker carl — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 04:41:35 +0000

The gasous effect is mostly due to the high volume of soluble fiber in beans without the optimal amounts of various bacteria in the gut to deal with it. This results a higher than normal volume of gas produced as a byproduct of inefficient digestion. Moving to a diet higher in soluble fiber will reduce those bean toots.

By: kristine

kristine — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 03:58:40 +0000

Beano works for me. But does anyone know a generic alternative? Beano is VERY expensive. I have also found that Culturelle has been an invaluable addition to my already very controlled and healthy diet, preventing IBS symptoms. But between the two, it’s almost a dollar a day! Worth every dime, and more, to live without pain, but man, oh man, there’s got to be cheaper versions out there somewhere! Anybody?

By: Patty

Patty — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 03:44:44 +0000

I prefer the taste/texture/price of white tortillas but whole wheat & corn are both other tortilla options. Also homemade tortillas are fantastic (I havn’t done it yet myself but I live in Texas).

By: Johanna

Johanna — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 03:19:42 +0000

@chuck: This won’t solve it entirely, but you can avoid the worst of the problem by making sure the beans are thoroughly cooked. The insides should be soft and creamy, not crunchy or chalky at all (if they are, then they’re undercooked).

Also, if you’re using dried beans, make sure you cook them and eat them within six months or so of getting them – despite their rock-solid appearance, dried beans do not actually stay good forever. When beans are too old, their skins remain tough no matter how long you soak them and cook them, and that can contribute to gas problems too.

By: krantcents

krantcents — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 01:07:38 +0000

Personally, I do not care for beans, but we added pasta as a weekly vegetarian dish in various forms. Some Sunday nights, we have big salads or hearty soups (mushroom/barley) or frittata (mushroom/spinach).

By: Aryn

Aryn — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 00:24:45 +0000

Chuck – if you cook your own beans, skim off the foam that develops during the boiling portion. Some people think it cuts down on the gas.

By: valleycat1

valleycat1 — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 23:37:29 +0000

#14 Gretchen – 4T is 1/4 cup of beans, which is a on the skimpy side (1/2 cup is a standard veg. serving), but if you add other food to the 2 tortilla wraps and have the apple, that’s actually a legitimate amount of food for an adult meal.

By: Liane

Liane — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 23:34:05 +0000

A great idea! I’ve been looking for some new, easy, few ingredient recipes that are different from our usual menu and I’m so glad you posted this. I know that all members of my family will enjoy them and maybe have fun building their own burritos.
Thanks!

By: SwingCheese

SwingCheese — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 23:21:37 +0000

Chuck – I’ve heard a couple of different theories. The first says that simply eating more beans will decrease the amount of gas. Proponents of this theory believe that the musical effect is beans is due to the fact that we are unused to eating them in the USA. I don’t know about that. The second is to rinse all canned beans before using them. And the third is to take a Beano (or something similar) before enjoying them. :)