You will want to add this lentil bolognese to your meal plan – perfect for meatless Monday!
I can’t remember the last time I made an English muffin sammie for breakfast! My store had English muffins on sale for .89 cents a package, so I couldn’t pass that up. Mine had egg white, baby spinach, a slice of deli roast beef and Cabot alpine cheddar cheese.
The work morning dragged along, and it was time to test my blood sugar before working out. Damn. It was 139. So I ate a small fruit cup that I had in the fridge – it had 20 grams of sugar, yet only 60 calories and I thought that would do the trick. Nope. Twenty minutes later I was still 139. WTF?! So I ate my fruit that I was going to have as an afternoon snack – watermelon, honeydew melon and cantaloupe. Twenty minutes later I was up to 179, and figured that was going to have to be enough. I didn’t want to eat more food to work out, kind of defeats the purpose of working out!
On tap was back exercises, and then I finished with a 2 mile walk.
My step daughter-in-law is having a birthday in a couple weeks. Instead of asking for presents, she asked if her friends and family would go vegan with her for 30 days, starting the day after her birthday, and ending right before Thanksgiving. While I would love to join that challenge, it’s just not going to happen. First off, I don’t think I could get Tony to eat anything vegan, and secondly, I would be going through cheese withdrawal by day 2!
But I did tell her that I would commit to at least one vegan recipe a week to show my support to her. When I was cleaning out my pantry over the weekend, I realized I had two packages of green lentils. So I decided on a lentil Bolognese, subbing the lentils for the beef. So I look on the package to see how to cook it. Put the whole package of lentils in 8 cups of water . . . huh. That seemed like a lot of water, but what do I know. I ended up boiling the lentils for 30 minutes, until they were tender, only to realize that the instructions I was reading was for lentil soup! Hence the 8 cups of water. No worries, they turned out fine.
Lentil Bolognese
This hearty sauce is not only healthy, but delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup chopped red pepper
- 2 cloves of minced garlic
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups cooked lentils
- 28 ounce can tomato puree
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a stock pot. Add the carrots, celery, red pepper and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 25 minutes.
If you have members of your family that would see the lentil and think “no fucking way I am going to eat that” just puree the whole mixture – they’ll never know! And hopefully that wasn’t your five year old swearing like a truck driver.
Okay, so I had to add a bit of mozzarella cheese to the top of mine, so it’s not 100% vegan, but I believe the recipe for the Bolognese is! When I got to my desk I mixed it all together – the perfect bite!
I put the picture of my lunch on Instagram, not only did my daughter-in-law like the picture (and Natalie!) but so did Sunny Anderson! You know, we are pretty much BFFs!
Tony didn’t have an appetite again for dinner, so more Biz food! When in doubt – make tacos! I made mine in blue corn tortillas with ground beef and spinach, with some cheezy chips on the side. Made in less than 10 minutes!
And I got my steps in – just barely, but I did!
Tony now gets blood tests once a week and the results are reported to the Mayo Clinic, and they adjust his medications accordingly. Well I was at my desk when my cell phone rang, and the nurse was telling me that she was trying to contact Tony but there was no answer at home. She said “I really need to get a hold of him.” Holy crap. So I called the house phone – just rang and rang. I ended up calling his cell phone and he answered “What?!!” He was talking to his son and he said the phone kept ringing and ringing. He sounded pissed and I was just trying to tell him that Mayo was trying to get a hold of him. You can tell when I write that Tony doesn’t have an appetite that he’s not feeling well. Since basically Saturday he’s felt like crap. Well, his numbers are a bit off, and they took him off one medication completely because it was causing his kidneys not to work right.
Well, I was just happy that weren’t going to tell us “go straight to the hospital” like they did before. But with that stress, my work life sucking ass lately, I just lost it when I got home. You know, sometimes it’s just good to get a cry out and move on! Tony just held me and said “I’ve got you.” That’s all I needed.
Alright, time to get this show on the road – I made breakfast cookies this morning – my twin sister had been trying to come up with a copycat recipe for Baker’s Breakfast Cookies for a couple weeks now. I’ll let you know tomorrow if they turned out! Make it a great day!
p.s. if you wanted to add a meat protein to your bolognese, check out my chicken bolognese. Would you prefer this lentil bolognese?
That is so cool about Sunny Anderson!!!!!
I would have been extremely stressed by that situation as well 🙁 I’m sorry Biz. here’s to a happier Friday and perhaps we will see the sun?!!?
So happy the sun is out today Courtney! Maybe the dreary weather we’ve been having altered my mood too!
I hear ya’ girlie.
And especially glad that Tony didn’t have to go back.
But tell the man to answer his damn phone. There is a reason it’s ringing, constantly. 😉
Hang tough Biz – one day we’ll get together, crack a bottle of wine and cry ourselves stupid. It’ll be fun. you’ll see.
Love and hugs my friend.
That comment made me smile Skip – OMG, you and me together crying and drinking – we’ll have to surround ourselves with all our snowmen to make that picture complete! Hugs and love!
I wondered about the lace of appetite lately – so sorry that Tony isn’t feeling well again. But I love that he just held you and let you cry it out and reassured you!
Hang in there!!!
Oh – I’ve never tried lentils – I”m not 100% sure exactly what they are – beans???
They are a legume, which is basically in the bean family. They are low glycemic and have tons of nutritional benefit. Not sure I’d eat them all by themselves, but in a soup or this Bolognese, they are delicious – not to mention cheap! Big Lots sells them in 1 pound packages for .89 each!
If you want less trips to the Mayo, you’ll get Tony on a plant based diet. It would be super interesting to see how his weekly blood tests change with him on a plant based diet. Not vegan, plant based. No soy and processed crap. It would take some planning but it would be an interesting experiment. Cheese tastes awesome but wouldn’t you love to see how you FEEL with no cheese?
Well, I am the cheese eater in the family, not Tony. And he eats healthier than me – fresh fruit and yogurt during the day most days, and then whatever I make for dinner.
As for a plant based diet, he is prohibited from ingesting Vitamin K because of medications he’s on – no dark leafy vegetables allowed at all.
I am sorry work made you cry (been there). I think you are very unappreciated at your workplace.
It’s just that my line of work is a dying art. When I started as a legal secretary the attorneys did nothing administrative, type letters, reports, wills, etc. It was all dictation. Now all they attorneys are computer literate, especially the young associates, their is voice recognition software for dictation, so most days I punch holes in filing and file – which we might go to electronic filing and then there will be nothing left for me to do. 🙁
Stress sucks, but it’s always good to have a cry and let it out! Never apologize for that either! Food is not the answer – release is the answer…crying, walking, breathing, sex….whatever works to let it all go! Hope Tony’s number stabilize and you can have a relaxing weekend. Peace!
PS
I saw a cooking show recently – I think America’s Test Kitchen -and they made a lentil dish and said the best way to cook lentils was in the oven! They made a big pot of the French green lentils(the best) that way and said they come out with the perfect consistency.
Thanks Lynne – I will have to look that up – I have a membership to ATK online – so worth the $14.95 a year!
Gosh, so much to comment on….lentils. my first experience with lentils was called “dirty soup” so that’s what I always make with my lentils. But your Lentil Bolognese sounds really good that is a must try.
Was wondering about Tony when you would say “Tony does not have an appetite and he does not feel like eating” so glad Mayo is watching him from afar. I can understand why you had a good cry…you deal with so much stress, “honestly, a women can just take so much….Thank God he gave us tears to relieve the stress!!!”
Dealing with diabetes is hard enough and trying to keep those numbers right is stress in it’s self. I think when you have the added stress of life and things going on around you, can raise those numbers. Glad you have Tony to calm things down for you. Have a great day….hey there is a light at the end of the tunnel (I sometimes wish the tunnel was not so long 🙁 )
As always, thanks for your kind words Louise – I so appreciate it! 😀
Love this challenge and kudos to you for one day a week. Progress not perfection is more than admireable. I have too many great vegan cookbooks and recipes, most without artificial meat substitutes and soy-free. You will be surprised not only at how amazing vegan can taste but also how satisfying life without cheese can be, LOL. If you ever want to meet for lunch at Chicago Diner, my treat I will make the 4 hour trip. Everyone in Chicago should experience their Thai Chilli Wings at least once in their life, although it probably wouldn’t be their last! Love how you Love your man : }
Is that an all vegetarian restaurant??!!
Yes lots of comfort food aka not all healthy just good. Look at their menu if you have a chance. I have one of their cookbooks too
Awwwww……….sometimes a good cry is all we need. And the support of our loved ones – which you definitely have.
Hope you have a better day today!! Hugs!
Thanks Heather! Hope you have a great weekend!
With your “Biz dinners” lately I was wondering about Tony. Sorry he hasn’t been feeling great – hope that turns around real quick! Sounds like you had a chocolate moment last night – a good cry and hug from the man you love is so much healthier than my solution these days! On the bright side, only one more day until the weekend. Take care of you today, too. 🙂
Thanks Christine! I appreciate it! 😀
I might be one of the few people on the planet who dislikes lentils – I think they taste like dirt! And not in a good way…
Hope you have a better day today, and I hope Tony gets to feeling better soon, too. I am reading a book right now for a small group I am in through our church, and it’s about de-cluttering your life. After reading just the first chapter, I am ready to go through and start pitching stuff! We have way too much junk in our lives…I need to stop and remember what’s important more often. Glad Tony was there to help put things in perspective for you!
Ha Erin, I guess I didn’t know that dirt could taste in a good way! I agree – today I am focusing on the positives, not on the negatives – I feel better already. 😀
Wishing you a much better day today. You deserve only the best Biz!
Thanks Jan – only thinking positive today! 😀 Hugs!
Aw biz, I know what it’s like to have a big cry.
The lentils looked good. I like lentils.
I have a lot of vegan cookbooks. Three years ago, I was trying to lose a little weight, and I had a master plan: Do 3 weeks of paleo, see how much weight I lost, eat normal for a couple of weeks, and try 3 weeks of vegan.
Well, paleo (all that good fat!) apparently made me fertile, I ended up pregnant right after, so there was no vegan trial.
Ha – I had to laugh at that last sentence Marcia! And I think this would freeze well too, although I don’t think I’ve ever frozen lentils before, but I never have a problem with black beans.
ah! SO cool that Sunny liked your picture. You totally are bffs. I think the vegan challenge is a fabulous present idea. Love that you’re contributing (without going full on vegan). I’m totally making this bolognese
I think you’ll love it E! And tell your daughter to stop growing so fast! 😀
Good for you to let it ALL out. I do that too with my Hubs…my very best friend….and he comforts me, encourages me, even prays for me and I never fail to feel so much better. The other day I ended up really screaming and crying and he sat and cried with me for I have been through so much with my health, and everything. I often get to the end of my rope and he helps me to tie a knot and hang on till things get better. I am TRYING to make lemon aid with those lemons, but some days it is not so easy. Bless you Biz and keep on keeping on. Many of us who read your blog are going through so many things too and that is why we like to read your blog! We are in this TOGETHER!
Sending huge hugs your way Joyce! So glad you have a supportive husband too – makes all the difference, doesn’t it! 😀
The lentil bolognese will be on my meal list next week. I’m a lentil fan, and in fact have lentils in my hugh jass salad for lunch today!
Yeah! I am loving them too – its a nice change of pace from ground beef – and um, definitely a whole lot cheaper than beef!
Ack, all the stress you have…I’m surprised you don’t break down more often. Hope changing the meds makes Tony feel better.
Thanks Shelley – have fun running this weekend! Sending cooler weather thoughts your way an no humidity!
See, I often don’t get the whole vegan thing. First of all they eat a LOT of soy which is now being found to be not so good in large amounts, especially for women. Secondly, they substitute a lot of dairy for fake chemical or soy products. I mean I guess I get it when someone has ethical reasons but going vegan doesn’t necessarily mean eating better.
And, why wasn’t your phone going to voicemail when Mayo was calling? Turn that on – that way they can leave a message!
That’s so true Helen, I’ve been sending my DIL “normal” vegan recipes, like black bean chili, etc., and steering her away from processed soy “chikn” nuggets!
If we are on the phone, it just rings and doesn’t go to voicemail 🙁
I hope the cookies are good! Love you B!
They are amazing – can’t wait for you to make them Jenn! 😀