If you have been reading my blog for a while now or know me, you know how much I love meal prepping ahead of time. It does not only save me money but also the time in the kitchen. Time and money are both valuable commodities. We sometimes fail to see how time can be a commodity. If you think about it, time spent is not something that you can get back and how we spend it will pretty much dictate our day then our week, months, and a lifetime. We always say that there is not enough time in a day. How true is that especially for a busy family? Very true! That is why if you ask a busy family or a large family, a common theme that you will notice are: prioritization and keeping things simple (to save time). I do not have a large family and we always do not have a busy season BUT saving time and planning ahead will always be a part of me. 

  Speaking of planning ahead of time, I love cooking beans in batches. It will save you time and money of course. I use my Instant Pot for my beans and freeze them for later use. I do not always cook batch plain beans. I am sharing below a recipe that I always cook and my family's favorite. It is flavorful and versatile in such a way as you can pair this with several dishes. It is good on its own with rice and sprinkled cheese on top. I love using them for burritos and as a side too. I categorized this recipe as a $5 meal since the majority of the spices used in this recipe are in my pantry. All I had to buy was the 2 lb pinto beans. The recipe below uses a pound of beans only. I doubled all the ingredients. You can also add chili flakes or jalapeno.

Few things to consider:

• This recipe uses an Instant Pot. While it can be expensive, it will be a great investment in your kitchen. My instant pot had saved me time and money. I had made bulk pantry staple items such as beans and batch-cooked eggs as well as meals. 
• I live in the Inland Empire (Southern California). Prices in my area will be different from where you live. I know that Socal is a bit pricier than other states.
• I only spent $2 on this recipe. I bought the beans from Dollar Tree.
• It's okay to substitute if you missing an ingredient, For example, you can use vegetable broth instead of chicken,  use whatever you have on hand.
• I used homemade broth. This also one of the pantry staples that you can make ahead of time. When I roast a chicken or make my Instant Pot Whole Chicken, I save the bones to make bone broth.