Beans are good for you and your kids!

• Beans are a great source of fiber.  Beans have about 15 grams of fiber for one cup! Kids need fiber to fight constipation! 
• Beans are a great source of protein!  Kids need protein for growing muscles!  Beans have about 15 grams of protein per cup.  A good rule of thumb to know how much protein your kids need is, 0.45-0.55 grams per pound of body weight for kids age 1- 14 years old.  So, a 40 pound child, only needs about 20 grams of protein for the entire day- a little more than 1 cup of beans!  This soup will get them to their recommended amount in no time!

Bean and veggie soups are the perfect slow cooker meals!  You can start your beans from dry (rather than canned), which is cheaper and void of added salts.  Then, you can add a variety of veggies and the soup comes out perfect every time!  We save our Crockpot dinners for those days when I know I'll be gone all afternoon.   When my kids activities run back to back, I have meetings, or three carpools, we usually have to put something in the slow cooker.  It's the perfect way to eat a healthy, hot meal, despite a lack of time.  

I usually keep several of these mixed bean soup packages in the pantry because they are cheap, shelf stable, good for you, and totally delicious!  I've never used the seasoning packet it comes with, but I love the variety of beans it provides.

Our crockpot creation tonight was simple:

• Dried beans
• Chicken broth
• Veggies: Onions, celery and carrots.
• Seasonings: Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
• Grains: Rice!  I like to add rice, barley, pasta, or other grains to our soups to give it a little more hardiness.

The hardest part- chopping the veggies.

The easiest part- dumping it all in and leaving!

 Here is our final recipe!   Also, don't forget to check out our menu plan for this week!