crispy bean burritos

cook the filling all in one pot!

Click here for the WTC recipe index, and scroll to the bottom of this post for a printer-friendly PDF of today’s recipe.

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This recipe was inspired by two major topics of conversation in my life right now. Number one: stocking the freezer with easy meals in preparation for baby number three’s impending arrival. Number two: ways to grocery shop and cook less expensively right now since grocery prices are up so much.

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stocking the freezer

I’ve been getting a lot of questions about how I’m preparing for baby, food-wise. Specifically: what am I stocking the freezer with to prepare for postpartum life?!

The honest answer: not much. When I had my first baby, the freezer was overflowing with individually portioned food. It was packed with chilis, soups, pastas, enchiladas — you name it.

But once baby Mattis arrived, I found that after eating something from the freezer once or twice, I was sick of it! I didn’t want to eat the same thing over and over again.

It was a major bummer. The 10 portions of chili staring at me every time I opened the freezer to freeze another bag of breastmilk were taunting me! I wanted nothing to do with them.

So while preparing for my second baby, Calum, and this third one who is due any day now, I have done things a little differently. Rather than batching and freezing huge portions of the same meal, I decided that, starting a few months before the baby’s arrival, I would just freeze leftovers of whatever I’m already cooking for my family.

For instance:

• Earlier this week, I made miso-roasted veggies with coconut rice. We had tons of leftover rice, so I froze it all in a ziplock. When I want rice, I will just chip away however much I want out of the bag into a bowl and microwave it. To make it a meal, I’ll dump chickpeas and some masala or curry simmer sauce into a skillet, let them simmer, stir in some spinach, then serve over this rice. An easy, nutritious meal with very little effort.

• I’ve been testing a white chicken chili for later this fall. George and I have been eating it for lunches, but I’ve also frozen a few individual portions in quart-sized ziplocks for easy reheating.

• George and Mattis made cookies this weekend (Mattis’ fave activity) and instead of giving the leftover cookies away to neighbors like we normally do, I froze them all for late-night newborn-induced hunger attacks. Muahaha!

• And now, I’ve got two bean burritos waiting for me in the freezer for when the mood strikes!

• This week’s midweek topic will be all about freezer meals, so save up your best freezer tips and recipes to share then!

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an inflation-proof recipe

Rice and beans! Perhaps the most classic low-cost meal of all time. So many cultures have their own version of this classic cuisine: the South has red beans and rice, Mexico has its simply seasoned rice and beans, the Caribbean boasts coconut rice with jerk-spiced beans. All so perfectly simple in favor, rich in plant protein, and packed with fiber.

You can serve your eaters a burrito bowl — AKA the rice and beans topped with whatever toppings they fancy — or go all the way and roll the rice and beans into inexpensive, filling tortillas.

P.S. Be sure to scroll through this week’s thread on inflation cooking tips — so many incredible inexpensive recipes, money-saving grocery shopping tips, and more! Thanks to all who participated, this was a great discussion!

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find the best fresh tortillas in your area!

Store-bought tortillas don’t hold a candle to freshly made ones, and the tortilla makes or breaks a burrito.

My favorite brands that are pretty easy to find in grocery stores are Tortilla Factory and Mission, but I have a fun foodie outing for you this week, should you choose to accept: find the best freshly made tortillas in your area!

How? GOOGLE! Ask around! Chances are, you’re going to discover a bad ass taco shop or incredible Mexican market that you might have never stumbled across otherwise.

For my local peeps: IMO the best tortillas in Monterey County are at El Charrito, but you better get there early (like, by 10 a.m.) if you want to snag a stack.

Do you have a tortilla spot? Let us know what town you’re in and where to find the best tortillas!

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crispy bean burritos

Makes 8 baby burritos or 4 big ole taqueria-style burritos