Lentils

Over the last 6 months, I have gradually changed the diet of my family.  There have been a lot of ups and downs.  We started with drinking green smoothies everyday.  Then we started adding a salad to every dinner meal.  Then we started making homemade salad dressings and I admit that this one has been difficult for us.  I completely converted our cabinet oils (vegetable and canola) to olive oil and coconut oil.  This month, my goal has been to find 12 "staple" meals that can replace our once meat based meals.  Through this process of trying recipes two times (because the first time I always discover things I would change), we have really found a secret ingredient.  My new favorite ingredient is lentils!

  Lentils require no soaking or extra preparation.  I have found they make a very logical replacement for meat and they are super filling.  When combined with a whole grain, they can make a complete protein.  So for those of you who think that meat is the best protein source... here you can cook a nutritious meal and walk away with a comparable protein source.  I ran across a "lentils taco recipe" which really sparked my interest in lentils.  I mean, who doesn't love tacos?  It took 20-30 minutes to make and was almost as quick as a ground beef taco recipe.  I prepared the lentils as directed on the package, however, in the preparation process I added a package of taco seasoning (I used one without MSG).  I made homemade wheat tortillas, added some lettuce, tomatoes and salsa.  It was delicious!  I have since made lentil enchiladas (which isn't as whole food friendly because I used a green chili enchilada sauce) and lentil nacho chips minus the nacho cheese and made from homemade corn tortilla chips.  I will include recipes for these at a later date. 

  So if you are out there looking for a good way to start using more beans and creating more whole foods based meals... seek out lentils.  They are quick, easy and delicious.  They smell a bit gross but we love them!