Meal Planning Monday and How to cook Lentils

 How to cook Lentils

 Cooking lentils is a great way to break into the dry bean game. They don't require any soaking, so you can cook a batch of lentils in half an hour and have them ready for dinner or for the rest of the week. They have kind of a peppery taste, so are great additions to foods that have strong flavors.

1. Rinse and drain dry lentils
2. Cook on stove top, using 3 cups of water for every one cup of beans
3. Bring to a boil
4. Cover and turn down to a simmer (barely bubbling) for 15-20 minutes

• Be sure not to season or salt the lentils until after cooling or they will be tough
  

You can cook just enough to make 1 meal, or you can measure and cook a whole bag at one time and refrigerate or freeze the rest to use later.

                                                

  As December rolls on and we are gathering our gifts for our favorite people, we find ourselves having less and less in the bank account. Knowing that for this month, I have been planning a lot more meatless meals so that I can use the money I would have spent on meat on presents. I love giving presents, so the temporary sacrifice on meat is totally worth it for me.

  For those that work physically demanding jobs, they need protein, and sometimes lots of it. Beans are a great substitute for meat, or you can use them to stretch your meat. One way we regularly use beans to stretch our meat is in Mexican meals. We love tacos. Like LOVE tacos. And burritos. And chimichangas (baked or fried burritos). And quesadillas.  Pretty much anything that has taco seasoning or cumin in it, we are all about it. We add 3/4 cup of cooked lentils to each pound of hamburger and they seem to just blend right in.

  So this weeks menu plan has lots of our favorite Mexican inspired meals with the added benefit that I can make a batch of lentils ahead of time and keep using them all week. Rice also goes good with these kinds of meals, so I will be making a batch of rice and storing it too.

Breakfasts: 

• Oatmeal or pancakes with fruit
• Eggs, toast and sausage on the weekend

Lunches: 

•  Bean and cheese quesadillas , fruit
  
•  Burritos made with leftover lentil and rice casserole, fruit
  
• Sandwiches (tuna, pb&j),  pretzels and fruit or applesauce
• leftovers

Dinners: 

•  Tacos
  
•  Lentil and rice casserole (mix a bag of frozen vegetables with a can of tomato soup, 1/2 can tomato paste, pre cooked rice and lentils, 1 tablespoon chili powder or taco seasoning, bake 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Top with cheese if you want), corn
  
• Chicken thighs, baked potato(bake extra), roasted frozen California blend (toss with oil, seasoning salt & pepper, bake at 400 for 30 minutes)
  
•  Vegetable soup with lentils added for protein, egg salad sandwiches
  
•  Fried egg sandwich, fried potatoes (made with the extra baked potatoes), peas
•  fried rice