Kick Canned Beans to the Curb

Canned beans or dry? I started using dried beans about a year ago after BPA in can linings really came to light. I try to reduce the amount of canned foods I use and dried beans is one great way to cut back.

What is BPA and why should you care? Well, BPA, or Bisphenol A, is a substance that mimics estrogen. It is linked to many health problems such as obesity, cancer, and thyroid problems. You can read more about it here. It has been declared a toxic substance and has recently been banned from baby bottles. So, it's not something you'd really want in your food.

Other than the health reasons stated above, two other solid reasons to use dry instead of canned are that they are MUCH cheaper and when kept in the right conditions they will quite literally last forever. At my local grocery store, the store brand canned great northern beans are 79 cents for a 15 oz. can. A one pound bag of Goya great northern beans cost $1.69. Doesn't sound like a big deal until you realize the fact that you can get about 5 cans out of one bag. That's a savings of $2.26. You can even buy the organic dry beans and still save money.

As for the storage, I like to keep mine in mason jars in a cool dry cupboard. They will last a very long time but they do take longer to cook the older they get. Do they seem a little too old for your comfort? Make a bean bag!

How to use dry beans:

Pick through your beans to make sure there are no small rocks or creepy looking beans.

1/2 cup of dry beans is equal to one 15 oz can

Place your desired amount of beans in a large bowl and fill bowl to the top with water. Let it sit overnight.

For best results, I recommend cooking your dish in a crockpot on low for at least 6 hours. If you don't have the time or means for this, boiling works just fine, too.

Best Banana Bread

Something that is always in my kitchen is bananas. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear my husband leaves them to get extra ripe so that I'm forced to make banana bread. (I hate wasting anything) I found this recipe over a year ago and have been tweaking it ever since. I feel that I've got it to the perfect point. This recipe has only failed me twice. The first failure was the first time I made it, recipe as found. The second failure was after hubby tinkered with the oven and now it heats up about 15 degrees hotter, so I had to adjust my baking temperature. All that aside, this recipe has a strong banana flavor and is a little on the sweeter side. It's really more cakey than bread-y and it's super moist. Enjoy!

2 c. unbleached white whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. butter
3/4 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
3 ripe bananas
pure vanilla extract
pure cane sugar, to sprinkle (Sugar in the Raw or Woodstock brands work well)

Plan ahead: set the butter and eggs out until they are at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x5 loaf pan or use a stoneware loaf pan (ungreased, of course). Get out three bowls, one large and two medium (or if you have one, just throw it all into the Kitchen Aid mixer). In large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. In second bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar together. In the third bowl, place the peeled bananas and mash. (I use an old-fashioned potato masher but a mixer or other device should work just as well). Stir the eggs in with the bananas and add a splash of the vanilla extract. Mix until blended well. Add the banana mixture into the brown sugar mixture and stir well. Add that bowl into the flour mixture and stir until blended together. Pour into your pan and sprinkle with cane sugar. Bake for one hour. Let it sit for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan. Enjoy!

Cloth Diaper Stash

Who doesn't love snooping through other people's cloth diaper stashes? Mine isn't that extensive or impressive but I love it all the same.

 Official list:

Pocket Diapers
1 bumGenius 4.0 in Albert
1 Rumparooz One Size in Platinum
1 Thirsties Duo Diaper size 1 in Meadow
1 Kawaii Goodnight Diaper in Lime Dot
4 FuzziBunz Elite One Size in Watermelon, Kumquat, Spearmint, and Grape
4 Diaper Rite One Size Pocket in Parrot, Dandelion, Nessie, and Black

Covers
1 Rumparooz One Size in Pumpkin
1 Blueberry Coverall in Cow
1 Thirsties Duo Wrap size 1 in Blackbird
2 small covers made by me in Monkey and Owl prints (not shown)
6 Flip One Size in Butternut, Ribbit, Moonbeam, Bubble, (Sassy and Mirror not shown)

Flats and Prefolds
4 prefolds made by me
12 Diaper Rite unbleached birdseye cotton flats
23 Osocozy unbleached prefolds size infant

Miscellaneous
1 Snappi in Mint Green
1 Boingo set in Yellow
1 Planet Wise medium wet bag in Lime Cocoa Bean
1 Planet Wise Wet/Dry bag in Laughing Leaf
2 Kissaluv's Antibacterial Pail Liners
6 wool dryer balls made by me
10 HempBabies hemp doublers

There you have it. If you're curious about anything on the list or want more information or my opinions just let me know! I'd be happy to help. Also, there will be future posts for more detailed descriptions of each type I have, how I use them, how I like them, and eventually my wash routine.