Rosemary Lentil Stew

Is anyone else tired today, or is it just me? I have not caught up from the late night on Tuesday yet and I am dragging horribly. I did the workout negotiation with myself for 15 minutes in bed this morning before my brain realized that I had already been awake for 15 minutes and I really should just get up already! So, I rolled out of bed, literally, and decided on an easier, calmer workout for today. We are going for our walk in a little bit so I figured doing SlowRobics (Ellen Barrett) would be perfect. I do the one on FitTv, but I think this one is close to it from the reviews online. It is NOT high intensity at all. It incorporates strength and movement and it's nice for a change when you want/need to move, but you don't want to go crazy for fear of hurting yourself (through sleepy stumbling). Anyway, I jog in place and do jumping jacks during the commercials and add my own intensity blasts where she does lower intensity. I am definitely one of those people that has to get moving or I will be tired all day. I guess the endorphins help wake me up (along with the coffee that I consume pretty much as soon as I am done), so this was perfect this morning.

On to food! I have been craving Tony's vegetable soup lately and well, the pantry is starting to run low and I didn't have any cooked chickpeas. So, I decided to change it up a bit and kind of mix two of our favorites, the lentil stew and Tony's vegetable soup. I had a deep craving for rosemary bread too...so soup and bread was the plan.

I came up with a gluten free bread last week that Tony and I loved, but I wanted to try it out again a little differently. I wanted to add rosemary and I wanted to make a larger amount. I don't know if it was the moisture in the air from all the rain or if I wasn't measuring carefully since I was making it between getting the boys from school, but I ended up adding more flour and well...it took over the pan while it proofed and cooked over the sides a little in the oven. Luckily, I put it on a pan to catch what I knew would come over the top. I am so glad I did, because those bits that cooked over onto the pan were like perfect crispy crackers and my house did not smell like it was burning down. I think I may try to make them on purpose next time!

Then I had the moment of truth when I had to get this sucker out of the pan while it was gripping to the sides for dear life! I protected myself by lining the bottom of the pan with parchment so I just had to get the sides off. I had to get it out though because it would keep baking in the pan if I didn't. 

The boys made turkey sandwiches with their bread chunks while Tony and I dipped.

The soup was perfect for the cool fall evening and was really easy to make. I loaded it with frozen veggies and lentils so it was quick to come together and cooked while the bread baked. This was the meal I was waiting for all week!

Rosemary Lentil Stew

(makes 18 cups)

1 16oz bag lentils (rinsed and drained)

1 medium onion chopped

4 garlic cloves minced

10 cups water

2 large or 4 small vegetable bouillon cubes

1 jar pasta sauce

1 12 oz bag frozen brussels sprouts

1 32 oz bag  frozen mixed vegetables

2 TBSP fresh rosemary

salt and pepper to taste

Put everything in a large pot and boil for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the lentils are cooked.

I have realized that I am really more of a stew person than a soup person. I like them to be thick and chunky. I left the brussels sprouts whole and Tony said he would have preferred them cut in half. I told him to think of it as a vegetable "dumpling". Next time I will cut them for him. I am such a sucker for texture in my food.