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Typically we do about 1/2 normal meals and 1/2 bottle for my son, but lately he has kind of been self-weaning himself from the bottle. He only wants real food and will throw his bottle on the ground if you try to give him one.
I thought weaning him from his bottle would be difficult, but he’s really made it easy for us. And, thankfully, he’s not too picky with his regular foods. He will pretty much eat whatever we eat especially if it includes chicken. His favorites seem to be chicken enchiladas, chipotle chicken (tinga de pollo), and chicken mixed with beans & green chilis.
This week I decided to make a big batch of beans for the cute munchkin.
Now, I always make these from scratch. I just feel like they taste better that way. And it’s really not that difficult, just requires a little planning..But I’m sure you could also just buy a can of beans and season them the same way and they’d taste fine, but for me nothing beats homemade.
Homemade Pinto Beans
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds dried pinto beans
- 1 small white or yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 serrano chili peppers (optional)
- salt to taste
Step One:
- Place beans in a large stock pot with water (around 3 inches higher than level of beans) and soak overnight
- beans will expand and release gas bubbles
(see all those gas bubbles from the next day? crazy!)
Step Two:
- Drain & rinse beans
Step Three:
- Put beans back in pot & fill with water
- Boil beans on medium high heat for about 3 hours or until beans are soft
- TIP: do not add any salt to this water, it will harden your beans. Save seasoning for next step.
Step Four:
- Cut onions in slices and slice the serrano peppers horizontally (the bigger the slices, the easier they are to remove later) [tip: if I know I will have leftovers, I don’t remove the onions or peppers because when stored overnight in the fridge, the beans start to lose some of their flavor. If I keep those seasonings in with them they stay delicious]
- Place in pan or small pot with small amount of canola oil & your minced garlic
- saute for a couple minutes until onion start to soften
Step Five:
- Add about half your beans and mash with a potato masher
- Then add second half and continue mashing, adding salt to taste
Step Six:
- Once beans are mashed to desired consistency (I like mine mostly mashed with some whole beans in there as well) add about 2 cups of the bean water to the pot & mix until well incorporated
- this will help keep beans from drying out
Alright!, now you are done & ready for the taste test (remember, add more salt if you need to).
I hope you enjoy this recipe! My favorite way to eat beans is with scrambled eggs & tortillas in the mornings. This was actually a HUGE craving for me when I was pregnant with David. It’s also something I give David regularly as well, just without the tortilla..
If you are curious about the serrano chili peppers, it is definitely optional, but really it doesn’t make them spicy, just gives the beans a nice smoky flavor. My one year doesn’t mind it either, but then again he’s not very picky..
Let me know how yours turn out!
Serving size: 1/2 cup, makes 24 servings
Macros per serving: 1.6 g fat, 24.2 g carbs, 8.2 g protein
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