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Overheard my coworker talking about meal prepping with canned beans and it got me thinking | Budget Friendly Meals - Opinions Matter

patricia685•5mo ago

Overheard my coworker talking about meal prepping with canned beans and it got me thinking

So I was grabbing coffee in the break room yesterday and this guy from accounting was saying he feeds his family of four on like $60 a week using canned beans as the base for almost everything. He said he does black bean tacos, chickpea curry, white bean soup, all that. Honestly I've always thought canned beans were just filler or whatever, but he was saying they are super cheap and filling and you can get them for like 79 cents a can at Aldi. I usually just buy frozen veggies and chicken thighs for my budget meals. Has anyone else tried going heavy on beans like that? Do you get sick of them after a few days or is it easy to mix it up?

3 comments

3 Comments

miamitchell4mo ago

Canned beans for 79 cents but @taylor_young called them tiny sponges and now I can't unsee it.

blake_bell295mo ago

MAN I gotta say I completely DISAGREE with the whole canned bean hype. Look, I tried that stuff for about two weeks straight last year after seeing some budget meal guy online and honestly it was MISERABLE. Your coworker is probably gonna be sick of beans by week three if he's eating them every single day. The texture gets old real fast and no matter how many different spices you throw on black beans or chickpeas they all start tasting the same after a while. Plus canned beans are loaded with sodium unless you rinse them like crazy which takes forever anyway. Your chicken thighs and frozen veggies are WAY better because you're getting actual protein variety and not just carbs that make you feel bloated all the time. That $60 figure sounds good on paper but I bet his family is eating bland repetitive meals that nobody really looks forward to.

taylor_young5mo ago

Oh wow, "bland repetitive meals that nobody looks forward to" - yeah, that's exactly what I picture when I think about saving money on groceries, a family dinner with zero excitement. Like congrats, you saved forty bucks but now everyone at the table is staring at their beans like they're a punishment. I gotta agree with you on the texture thing too, after day 4 of straight bean meals you start feeling like you're chewing on tiny sponges. Chicken thighs at least have that crispy skin and actual flavor that doesn't disappear after the third bite. So really you're just trading money for sanity at that point, and I know which one I'd pick.