Canned goods certainly add weight to your grocery bags. Lugging them into the house can be an unnecessary challenge for those rheumatoid arthritis-ravaged hands.

My solution is to forego the canned goods as much as possible. Not only is it healthier, but there is less recycling involved.

I've written about the joys of using a pressure cooker to prepare chickpeas and beans in bulk. It's also very budget-friendly when you prepare beans and chickpeas this way.

I always had a certain amount of trepidation using the stove-top pressure cooker. I was sure it was going to be a thar-she-blows type scenario. It never was, thankfully! Now that I have the Power Pressure Cooker XL, I don't have those fears.

I soak a big batch of dried chickpeas or beans overnight. The next day I rinse them and cook according to directions. When slightly cooled, I scoop them into small batches for freezing. These margarine containers are the perfect size for freezing. Since we don't eat margarine, my mother-in-law supplies us with the containers.

If I have one regret, it's that I didn't buy the Instant Pot. It has a yogurt setting, while the Power Pressure Cooker XL does not.