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" Todd&amp;#039;s been using Mint to track our spending, and it&amp;#039;s become quite clear that I need to be a bit more frugal in the grocery department. I know the slow cooker is a great way to take big, cheap cuts of meat and turn them into something delicious, but even those cheap cuts have been hurting the budget. The kids and I are just not big meat eaters, and Todd can&amp;#039;t eat a whole chuck roast by himself. Dried beans, on the other hand, cost just a dollar or two. I added andouille sausage, which was $3 for a 2-pack, and brown rice.  I used this recipe from the Food Network web site. I soaked 2 cups small red beans (also called chili beans) in a lot of cold water overnight, then put everything in the slow cooker the next morning. It can cook on low all day, but I cooked it on high for 4 hours and we had red beans and rice for lunch.  I minced about 1/2 a medium onion and 2 garlic cloves and put them in the slow cooker with 1/2 pound (1 link) diced andouille sausage. I drained the beans and added them to the slow cooker, then added 1 quart water and 1 teaspoon salt. Covered and cooked on low for 4 hours, then tasted and seasoned with more salt. Served over rice with hot sauce. The kids weren&amp;#039;t around for this lunch, but Todd and I enjoyed it. It was very mild and subtley flavored, though, so the hot sauce was a welcome addition. Next time I might start with more salt and I may even throw in the other sausage in the package. Want it fast? Try this: Quick Beans and Rice "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.womansday.com/food-recipes/a47256/slow-cooker-red-beans-rice/>