New menu idea – Monday night is bean night. Beans are a healthy and inexpensive protein, and since I do my grocery shopping on Tuesday, a consistently easy Monday meal will ensure I’ll have something to put on the table.
Black beans and rice are an easy go-to meal; add a little cheese and salsa and we’re happy. But with inspiration from another blog on Frugal, Real Food Meals, I gave beans and cornbread a shot. This took a further turn toward the Southern when I pulled out the Brussels sprout greens from our CSA basket.

Since I use beans frequently, I save money and avoid a little BPA by cooking batches of dried beans in my slow cooker and freezing portions. This time, I threw in a little bacon and onion when cooking the white beans.
The Brussels sprout greens were new to me, and I figured I’d sauté them like collard greens or spinach. Fail. They just browned and got crispy, kind of like kale chips. But they were really tasty, reminded us of those crunchy outer leaves when I roast Brussels sprouts.
Next on the plate was the cornbread. I used a recipe from the More-with-Less cookbook, and Brett pronounced it his favorite cornbread ever. I cut a large piece in two, then topped one half with the beans as garnished with crispy bacon. The other half I buttered then drizzled with maple syrup. Cornbread sweet and savory.
This was delicious. If you think beans are boring and bland, try something like this (bacon! happy!). And if you have any more ideas for my Beany Monday rotation, let me know!
My ingredient upgrades: homemade beans, organic greens, whole wheat flour, uncured bacon, pure maple syrup