We love Mexican food in this house.  We’ve discovered, though, that we probably prefer an Americanized version of it.  The few times we have had the opportunity to sit down in an “authentic” Mexican restaurant, we have left disappointed in the flavors and go back to our favorites.  The problem is that, with the Americanized versions, you never know exactly what you’re getting.  We are so conditioned to processed foods, in the United States, that we hardly recognize them and their dangers, anymore, as we’re eating.  The beauty of the authentic Mexican food is that it is cooked with whole food ingredients, from scratch, and you know exactly what is going into it.  That’s what I’m trying to do, more and more, in my own kitchen.  (With the exception of tortillas.  Oy!  I still haven’t mastered them, yet.)

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Once you make these from scratch, you’ll never buy canned again. They are flavor-packed, easy to make in your slow cooker, economical and infinitely more healthy than store-bought.  SOOOOO GOOD!

So, refried beans are a staple in our house.  My kids will eat them for a quick snack, spread on a tortilla like peanut butter, then cover the beans in grated cheddar, roll the tortilla and pop it in the microwave to melt the cheese and heat the beans.  These have been fondly dubbed, “Cheesies”, after a similar dish in a local restaurant.  We also like them in beef and bean burritos, bean burritos or in tacos.  They make a fabulous beginning layer in our favorite layered Taco Dip recipe and there are tons of other uses.

I used to buy refried beans, canned, but I never will, again; and it won’t be for the reasons you’re thinking.  I’m not opposed to fat in our diet.  I never bought the so-called low-fat or vegetarian beans. Our bodies are crying out for healthy fats — whole food fats that can nourish our immune and nervous systems, create strong cell membranes, aid in digestion, provide energy and work to help detoxify the liver.  The politically correct demonization of saturated fats in America has not led to a healthier, stronger, less obese population.  It has turned the unknowing public to fake fats, artificially created and hydrogenated, that our bodies don’t know how to utilize and it has introduced toxins and free-radicals into our systems.  Free radicals are cancer-causers, and wreak havoc on our bodies, at a cellular level. Look around you at the large number of Americans who struggle with their weight.  Most of them are drinking diet sodas, eating fat-free bagels, lowfat yogurt, reduced-fat milk and dairy products, and unwittingly, continuing to support a billion dollar food industry lie, because they’ve been told it’s good for them.  The foods they are putting in their bodies are mixtures of chemicals, genetically modified foods and “enriched” ingredients.  Do we look like it’s been good for us?  Heart disease, cancers, and diabetes aren’t “going away” with the use of these products, obesity is on the rise and more and more of our children have allergies, diabetes and weight issues.  Clearly there has to be a better way.  I’m not a scientist, but I inherently know that food in the form God created it for our nourishment, and in balanced and common-sense serving sizes, must be the answer we’re missing.  That doesn’t sell products, though.  And the money created in this toxic industry has created something we never anticipated — powerful, conglomerates that have the money to pass legislation that protects them from the truth and limits our ability to know what they are trying to feed us.  It’s madness.  And it’s definitely time to take control of your own food supply, again.

I use our homemade refried beans in all our families favorite Mexican dishes. You will find the flavor of your favorite recipes to be so much richer and delicious when you prepare the refried beans from scratch with this simple method.  Your family is going to love them!

The problem is that now, even though we recognize what’s happening, it’s difficult to change, because the majority of the food available in local grocery stores and markets is laden with genetically modified corn and soybean products, sugar, polyunsaturated oils, hydrogenated fats and tons of chemicals we can’t even pronounce.  Those are the cheap, affordable products that tempt and woo us, from the shelves.  It costs more to purchase whole, untainted foods, in the short-term, but what you’ll save in medical bills and time lost from work due to illness, over the long-term, will more than make up for it.  Plus, with careful planning, buying local and seasonal whole foods and watching sales and coupons, many are surprised to find that these healthier foods don’t have to increase their grocery budgets.  Be informed, buy smart, eat normal portions, not super-sized, and consume the flavor-dense, whole and natural foods that build health and vitality.  You can do this!  It’s never been more critical to know what we’re feeding our families.  It’s hard to know who to trust and where to get the truth, but I have been studying a fantastic book, backed up by a lot of science and common sense, that debunks what we’ve been “taught” about food and health.  I would recommend Nourishing Traditions as a must-read for your family’s health and to help you navigate the sea of myths, lies and misconceptions about our food supply, as well as what is critically necessary to properly nourish our families.  Plus, it’s full of delicious and nutritious recipes.

688 pages packed with practical, do-able whole foods nutrition info that you will never get in the mainstream media. You’ll love the recipes and you’ll have the tools at your fingertips to make wise food choices for your family, debunking the latest politically correct food fads. This picture is my affiliate link, where Amazon has Nourishing Traditions for only $15.68 – a 42% savings!

And you thought this was just going to be a recipe for beans, didn’t you?  lol  The last can of refried beans I purchased had the following list of ingredients: cooked beans, water, salt, tomato paste (no mention of the ingredients in the tomato paste, but it is likely more salt and sugar), partially hydrogenated lard (Lard in its pure form is NOT hydrogenated.  That is an “improvement”, by the powers that be, and that the human body cannot metabolize properly.), chili pepper, sugar (Really? Sugar?  Do we need sugar in refried beans?  And what kind of sugar? Corn, beet, cane, honey?  How was it processed? is it GMO like most sugar beets and sugar cane?), natural flavors (What does that mean?  Do the flavorings occur naturally, in nature, or are they chemically processed flavorings that mimic the flavor of naturally occurring ingredients?) and yeast extract (Again, do I need this in my beans?  Typically it is added to products as a flavor enhancer.).  My refried bean recipe only contains five whole food ingredients that we all recognize, costs a fraction of the price you would pay for canned beans, makes a large quantity that you can divide up and freeze in portions for future use, so you’re not tempted to just “grab a can at the store” and they only take a few minutes of your time to prepare.  Simple, delicious, cost effective and nutritious.  Isn’t that what you want your family’s food to be?

You are going to love this recipe!  I got the idea to make these delicious beans when I was pinning all the fabulous recipes over at Chef in Training.  Nikki loves to cook as much as I do and her pictures are absolutely gorgeous!  I can tell her family’s tastes and favorites must be similar to our own.  I modified the recipe, somewhat, to make it fit my family’s taste buds and my whole food, not-so-processed goals.  It’s a keeper and we’ll make it over and over, again.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

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