Real Meals

on June 4, 2012
in All Posts

I was the snack queen today.  Queen o’ snacking.  Hummus and crackers; a popsicle; a spoonful of peanut butter; a handful of nuts.  I practically snacked away my lunch appetite (but it returned around 3:00 with a vengeance).  Finally, I focused and make two delicious real meals.  As much as I love to snack, sit-down real meals do feel so much more satisfying.

 

Meal #1 – brown rice with lentils and a salad with goat cheese. 

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I think lentils are my new favorite food.  I was always a bit scared of them before; I’ve been buying the Trader Joe’s pre-cooked ones but want to figure out make my own {flavorful} lentils, too.

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And Meal #2 – Eggs and toast with creamy polenta (also a Trader Joe’s item) and carrots.  The eggs and polenta were excellent when mixed all together.

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I’ll admit – I shared most of my carrots with the dogs.  Maggie especially.  I was experiencing one of those, “OOF! Baby is on my stomach and I cannot take another bite” moments, despite being hungry.  Maggie has also discovered that she loves watermelon – I need to make a video of her eating some off the rind.  Crazy dachshund and her fruits and veggies.  She’s a good role model for me. Winking smile

 

Anyone else snack away the day?  Yum.

{ 35 comments }

 

  • kathleen @ the daily crumb June 4, 2012, 9:19 pm

    i was a snacker today too! my once full bag of skinny pop is now dangerously close to empty. oh well! all have these days 🙂

  • Army Amy* June 4, 2012, 9:24 pm

    I had chips and salsa at 4, and it has totally spoiled my appetite. Now it’s 8:30 and I’m in that “what do I eat for dinner?” haze. Hopefully I’ll figure something out soon!*

  • Amy @ What Jew Wanna Eat June 4, 2012, 9:28 pm

    I’ve been snacking all day too! At least it all was healthy. Alas, now I’m making a real dinner. I used to eat that Trader Joe’s polenta all the time back when I lived near a TJ’s! Sigh.

  • Katie @ Peace Love & Oats June 4, 2012, 9:28 pm

    oh my gosh, that creamy polenta looks amazing! What area of TJs was that in, I haven’t seen it!?

  • Alisha @ Pink Spatulas June 4, 2012, 9:28 pm

    Lentils always get a bad rep, but they are one of my new favorite foods to. I cook them with veggie broth, bay leaf, a teaspoon of sugar, salt, and an whole jalepeno pepper. Somehow, it just works and they are delicious! Just thought I’d share!

  • Christine @ BookishlyB June 4, 2012, 9:39 pm

    I’m trying to cut back on my snacking- it’s so hard! I did make a small smoothie in between work and dinner, thought.

  • Erin June 4, 2012, 9:56 pm

    Lentils are actually really easy to cook – use broth (any kind you want) instead of water and simmer them on the stove for about 20 minutes. You can just turn up the heat to boil off excess liquid. Also, the French green lentils are really good with more flavor than the brown ones although they take a bit longer to cook (Depuy I think is what they’re called).
    I have a recipe for a warm lentil salad with goat cheese that’s to die for. So yummy that I will eat it as my lunch when I make it and there are leftovers.

    • Keri June 4, 2012, 10:40 pm

      Agreed! Also, I boil my lentils in water, and then turn them into salads during the summer. A great way to get more iron in a vegan/vegetarian diet!

  • Scargosun June 4, 2012, 10:19 pm

    I love lentils too. There is a really great soup on Serious Eats that has a TON of stuff in it and a good deal of prep but is so worth it. It’s called Lentil and Coconut Soup with Cilantro-Habañero Gremolata. Seriously file it away for the cooler weather. It is veg and probably my new fave.

  • allie June 4, 2012, 10:28 pm

    red lentils are so tasty! i buy the trade joe’s too though- they are just so easy.

  • Julia H. @ Going Gulia June 4, 2012, 10:29 pm

    Lentils rock. When I studied abroad in Barcelona this past semester, I didn’t have a lot of room in my apartment fridge to keep frozen chicken & whatnot to cook for my dinners. I DID have room for a giant bag of dried lentils, though…and boy, I cooked those A LOT. So easy, so nutritious, & so good!

    • Jeanelle @ Glocal Girl June 5, 2012, 11:03 am

      I used to live in Barcelona! (For grad school) I know what you mean.. I would be so discouraged to buy frozen chicken, meats etc and drag them up 4 flights of tiny stairs. I had a lot of rice, salad and eggs while living there 🙂

  • amelia June 4, 2012, 10:35 pm

    I am always super snacky on my days off work or days that I have a long or hard workout. I’m loving cold fruit right now, esp with no A/C in the Charleston heat. Everything from grapes, farmer’s market peaches, blueberries,blackberries, strawberries, and ICE cold watermelon!!(Eating a bowl now).

    My Chihuahua, Lily, LOVES watermelon too. We gave her a piece the other night when hanging out on the dock and she took off running. So funny! We weren’t sure what was heavier, her or the melon. 🙂

  • Keri June 4, 2012, 10:38 pm

    Oy! I definitely snacked way too much today. And by dinner time wanted a REAL meal. Only now I’m stuffed. Better remember this tomorrow when I’m perusing the freezer for popsicles or think I need rice cakes and Justin’s maple almond butter!

  • Kristin June 4, 2012, 10:42 pm

    yes i finally got in some sunbutter from vitacost…where has it been all my life?! So good!

  • Claire June 4, 2012, 10:57 pm

    Lentils are truly the best. Here’s a great easy lentil recipe using dried brown/green lentils: put a finely chopped onion, a couple of finely chopped garlic cloves, 500g dried lentils, 800g canned chopped tomatoes, a generous bunch of chopped fresh coriander/cilantro, a bunch of chopped parsley, a teaspoon of hot paprika, 2 teaspoons of turmeric and a bay leaf, all in a large soup pot, fill with water, bring to the boil then simmer for a couple of hours. Once cooked, use a stick blender to partially blend the soup – you want to leave it a bit chunky too. Serve topped with ground cumin. It makes heaps of delicious vegan soup that is so good because of the coriander. You’ll be able to freeze portions for easy lunches or dinners when baby arrives.

  • Jen June 4, 2012, 11:47 pm

    Lentils are my favorite legume! They cook up so much more quickly than dried beans and they’re crazy cheap. I make lentil soup a lot, but lentil burgers are even better: boil 1/2 c of red lentils, diced onions and peppers, mushrooms, and spices (usually I go with paprika, salt, and pepper) until almost all the water is gone, then mix with 1/4 c of bread crumbs, 2 tbsp of flour and 1 tbsp of rolled oats. Form the mixture into patties and pan-fry or freeze.

  • Lexi @ You, Me, & A World to See June 5, 2012, 12:07 am

    ooh thought those were garbanzos at first! Polenta sounds fantastic though 🙂

  • Sana June 5, 2012, 12:16 am

    Maybe you could try this recipe! I love lentils!
    http://www.supersana.com/2012/05/02/bloggers-love-a-challenge-and-moong-dal-recipe/

  • Michelle June 5, 2012, 5:01 am

    I snacked a lot when I was at the end of my pregnancy and would be hungry but have no room so used to eat really high energy foods. I ate hard boiled eggs, cold milk milo (which is simialr to hot chocolate), nuts and dried fruit.
    Now that I am breastfeeding I still snack lots but doesn’t have to be high energy all the time can be more fruit and healthy options (although I keep baking and eating that as well) Mmmm cookies, slice and muffins

  • Alex June 5, 2012, 5:15 am

    I love lentils, especially the red ones. I had a phase while writing my bachelors thesis where I would just cook a giant pot of Indian Red Lentil Dal and have a nice warm meal the following days that actually seemed to get better when reheated. It’s more of a winter thing though, spicy and comforting.

  • Nic Dempsey June 5, 2012, 5:31 am

    Love lentils, I cook a cup of green lentils in 2 and half cups of water with a teaspoon of Marigold veg bouillon, and then have the lentils in the fridge for using whenever needed. Though buying them from Trader Joe’s might be easier!!

  • Fittodo4health June 5, 2012, 6:03 am

    FITTODO teaches us that eating every two-and-a-half to three hours will provide us with the ability to enable better fitness.

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  • Kris June 5, 2012, 7:30 am

    I love lentils! So easy to cook and they can be enhanced with so many other ingredients. Was thinking about you while we were in the Charlotte area for my MIL’s 90th birthday. After FL heat, we loved the weather over the weekend 🙂

  • Emily June 5, 2012, 8:27 am

    Queen references when in Britain we’re all celebrating the diamond Jubilee.. I so hope that was deliberate in honour of your husband!!

  • Nicole June 5, 2012, 8:46 am

    I’ve hopped on the Trader Joe’s Lentils bandwagon. After I saw your “lentil sammie”, I thought I’d like it. I had it last night on a toasted whole wheat english muffin topped with a sprinkle of cheese. SO good! Thanks for the idea!

  • Katie June 5, 2012, 9:25 am

    I made the vegan lentil and mushroom burgers posted in the last issue of runner’s world and they were delicious! Might want to add those to your lentil recipes!

  • Katie June 5, 2012, 9:29 am

    What kind of polenta was that??

  • Lauren T June 5, 2012, 10:25 am

    I often end up snacking the day away too just because I get too lazy to make a real meal, or my fridge is empty because I haven’t gone shopping in a while ha! I would like to make it Trader Joe’s soon though! My dog (he’s a Pomeranian who just turned 16 years old!) love veggies too, especially peas and green beans! I’d love to see a video of Maggie eating watermelon 🙂

  • Erin June 5, 2012, 10:32 am

    I tried this lentil recipe the other day and it turned out really well (I added seasoned, shredded chicken): http://wholenewmom.com/recipes/indian-lentil-curry/

  • Meghan Telpner June 5, 2012, 10:45 am

    Wowza- looks so good. I too love my lentils. I seem to now be replacing most of my grains with lentils and using them the same way.

  • Pauline June 5, 2012, 10:56 am

    I just made Angela’s recipe yesterday and LOVED it. I used less broth to make it less soup-y and (accidentally…) used green split peas instead of green lentils, but it was delish!
    http://ohsheglows.com/2012/01/09/triple-lentil-recovery-soup-booty-camp-fitness-giveaway/

  • Jeanelle @ Glocal Girl June 5, 2012, 11:06 am

    I really feel like I need to try lentils after this post! It’s definitely one of those intimidating foodie things in the kitchen (no idea why) but I like ordering them in restaurants.

  • Caitlyn @ With a Hint of Honey June 5, 2012, 11:16 am

    I know exactly what you mean about lentils! They’re delish! Which kind do you like the best? I think my preference is red lentils! I sometimes make this really good Butternut Squash Red Lentil Stew. It’s really amazing left over! I haven’t made it in so long; this has inspired me to do it again :P!

    Lovely blog, by the way! I love your book, as well.

    🙂

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