Lentil Edamame Soup

After indulging in the holiday treats of sugar and butter topped with more sugar, I am ready to eat healthy. My taste buds feel worn out and my body is in need of serious nourishment. Since my January focus is health, I am excited to try out recipes that are chocked full of goodness. I'm looking to reduce the amount of meat we eat, increase the fruits and veggies and lay off the sodium. Even if I get only a couple healthy dinners in each week, I'm happy and feelin' good.

I was thumbing through an old issue of Cooking Light, looking for inspiration, and found a recipe for lentil soup. The picture made it look so yummy, I had to try it. I changed it a bit to fit our taste preferences and also to use what I had on hand. It was awesome and I had leftovers for lunch. Score.

This soup is so good AND versatile AND cheap! The edamame and lentils together make it so hearty that I'm not hungry an hour later. It packs a protein punch. Here's the surprising thing: my 17 month old devoured his bowl! I was not expecting that at all. (cut the edamame in half for the little kiddos)

I usually top everything with cheese. Ever since I was little, it's been a habit. I'm trying to stop that. So, I didn't put any cheese on this and instead, I focused on the different flavors and textures and guess what? I didn't even miss the cheese. Good riddance.

Like many soups, you can toss in, substitute or omit stuff to make it work for you. You could totally toss in any veggies you want and play with the seasonings to make it yours. Next time, I'm throwing in roasted butternut squash. I love flexibility.

This meal cost me around $5 and took 45 minutes to prepare BUT you could cut that down to 15 minutes with some night-before prep.

Lentil Edamame Soup
Ingredients:

1 c of brown lentils
1 c frozen shelled edamame
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 red onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 tbs parsley, chopped
1 tbs fresh mint, chopped
1 c water
1/2 tsp of salt
pepper to taste

Make it:

Put the lentils in a saucepan and cover with water about 2 inches above lentils. Bring to a boil then simmer for 20 minutes, drain. Place edamame in a saucepan of water and boil for 5 minutes, drain.

In a dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat then add onions and sauté for 6 minutes or until slightly tender. Add garlic and cook for 3 more minutes. Add tomatoes and remaining ingredients along with the lentils and edamame. Stir to combine and cook for 5 minutes over low-medium heat.

Get it on the table faster with some night-before prep:

1. Cook lentils and edamame.
2. Chop onions and garlic.

These 2 steps can save you a boat load of time to get this hearty meal on the table quick!

The Joy of Cooking

We didn't have a lot of money when I was growing up. I never cared though. As long as there was food in the house, a hot meal on the table for dinner, I was content. I still feel like that. When my pantry and refrigerator has food in it, I feel good. When I make good food, I feel good. The fall weather in combination with good food, is by far the best. All of this in addition to the effects of pregnancy...I want to live in the kitchen.

I posted a while ago about needing to find a way to get dinner on the table faster and I turned to.....dun dun dun...boxed meals. We tried that for a couple of weeks. Ick. Bleh. Not worth it. It tasted terrible and we were eating garbage (a ton of sodium, ground beef, high fat...). I didn't feel right about it. Even if it did save us some money.

This week I've been making real food. With some planning and do-ahead prep, I've managed to put some good meals on the table, quickly. I've even spent some evenings (after baby is in bed) in the kitchen baking. I feel really good about it. I love to cook and bake. There's something therapeutic about following a recipe, step by step in a formulaic way. Then to have successful results....confidence boost!

Cooking really is a joy (even if my son throws it on the floor...) and it makes me happy. I think I've found a way to make a hobby be part of our daily lives. Yay!

I'm really into the blogs onelovelylife.com, joythebaker.com and shutterbean.com. They inspire. I've discovered you don't need a ton of wacky and expensive ingredients to make awesome food.

My schedule is really tight getting home at 5 and needing dinner no later than 6. Here's how I make it work:

• Prepare a menu for the week along with my shopping list. Everything. Breakfast, lunches, dinner, snacks. Important: Read the recipes. I need to know what I'm getting into before I commit.
• Do my shopping for the week. This way I'm not running to the store after work.
• Post my menu on the refrigerator so I never forget to defrost something.
• Look at the menu each night (after baby is in bed) to see what I can defrost, chop, marinade or take out of the pantry in order to be ready for dinner the next night. This is the biggest help. With as much prep done as possible, I can throw dinner together quickly.
• If I have a night with a lot of energy, I use it to bake up stuff to freeze to have on hand.
• If I'm too tired to do the dishes, I leave them until the next night (gasp!)

Don't give in to the boxed meals!