When I was told that my diet was perfect for someone who wanted to move to Shady Lawn Estates by their mid 60s, I decided that I needed to change it. After all, the only people who live there are…..well….dead! My doctor suggested veganism or something as close to it as possible. As a foodie, I thought it might be a bit drastic. It’s one thing to live some place called Shady Lawn, it would be worse to eat one!
Because I love my wife and six kids, I decided to give the whole, whole food plant based diet a try. I figured it might be really difficult to embrace such an extreme diet, but it turns out I was right. Eating only vegetables and beans is really hard, nearly as hard as Keto. Then the words of a wise old sage came to me:
Everything In Moderation My Son
The wise sage told me that balance was the key and not to over eat. She said minimize the consumption of too much fat and sugar, and to eat lots and lots of veggies. I decided to listen to that old sage, because, well because, she’s my mommy. But not only that, my mom has a M.S. in Nutrition, she’s in her mid 80’s, and most impressively, she’s managed to keep my dad alive and healthy into his mid 80’s as well. He’s outlived all of his male ancestors by 20 years!
After six months of struggling to eat whole food plant based, I’ve decided to be not so extreme with my diet. That’s not to say that I hated everything that I have been eating for the past six months. Some of the food has actually been quite delicious. One dish in particular is one of my favorites and my kids like it, too.
Not Your Average Lentil Stew
If you have ever popped open a can of lentil soup, you might have a hard time believing me when I say that this stew is fabulous! There is absolutely no comparison. Not Your Average Lentil Stew is thick, hearty and ridiculously easy to make. The lentils are so yummy, I refuse to hide their flavor behind a bunch of herbs and spices. Every last one of my kids love this dish which is a serious bonus. At around 120 calories per 8 oz. serving, you can eat this all day and not feel guilty.
Ingredients for 8 servings plus lots of leftovers:
- 12 cups of chicken stock, vegetable stock or water (your preference)
- 16 oz. pkg of dried lentils
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1/2 cup diced carrots
- 8 garlic cloves minced
- 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes
- 8 oz. pkg of baby spinach
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Method:
- Saute the diced onions, carrots and garlic in the olive oil for five minutes on low/medium heat until they begin to get soft.
- Add the lentils and chicken stock, bring to a rolling boil and reduce the heat back to a simmer for 45 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes and cook for 15 more minutes
- Turn off the heat and stir in the spinach.
- Serve with garlic ciabatta bread and/or a salad.
I hope you give this recipe a try. It’s way more delicious than you could even imagine, it’s super cheap at about $.60 per one cup serving, and it’s very healthy with all those lentils, tomatoes, garlic, onions and spinach!
Brian at Daddy Go To Timeout
P.S.
I recently went camping with a bunch of friends. One night we had a Greek themed meal with shrimp kebabs, falafel, grilled eggplant and flatbread. If you would like the recipes for the falafel, grilled Eggplant and tzatziki sauce that we served with the meal, please click here to sign up for my newsletter. I call it Timeout, and it’s the only place that you can find the recipes. I promise you I won’t share your information with Shady Stan’s Siding, or any other door to door salesmen.
