Finally!
I made it to Hot Yoga yesterday morning with my Mom!
recycled picture but we were just as bundled up!
I really haven’t done much activity the past few weeks, so I had to remind myself a few times during the intense class that it is okay to hold back and rest. But I LOVED getting back into my weekly workout routine, and it was even more special to have my Mom yoga-ing right next to me. After class, I tried to convince her to come to Whole Foods with me, but she was headed another direction in search of veggies for her own Healthy New Year Soup.
I love shopping at Whole Foods!
I picked up some fresh fruits and veggies to make one of Jenna’s hearty stews.
And then came home to chop veggies and warm up the crockpot. Right on cue, the BOY started to smell the Indian flavors from upstairs and hollered down ‘Honey, what are you making? Smells Good!’
I’m hoping that he will dig right into the stew and won’t even notice the butternut squash.
Without interesting (to me anyways) football today, I was a little bit lost with what to do with my Sunday. After I got my stew into the crockpot, I baked up some Pumpkin Pear Bread. Then did a little bit of cleaning and organizing before settling into some comfy clothes on my couch. I was really excited to finish my book Eat & Run, and it did NOT disappoint!
This recipe requires about 10 hours to get a thick and hearty stew. Perfect for a Sunday! The only problem…I was exhausted last night and not going to be able to stay awake until 10pm.
So I put the BOY in charge of unplugging the crockpot and putting my stew into the fridge before he came up to bed.
I was eager to see (and taste) the results this morning!
These pictures don’t even do it justice! Not only is this the ideal stew texture, but the flavors are incredible. Everything blends together marvelously, so you know what I will be eating for lunch today. I love having a house full of healthy food options and fingers crossed, I will be getting in workout number 2 today!
Crock Pot Chickpea, Butternut Squash
and Red Lentil Stew
From Eat, Live, Run
Ingredients
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 tbsp olive or canola oil
2 large carrot, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
2-3 tsp garam masala
1 butternut squash (about 3 lbs–average sized), peeled and chopped
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes in tomato juice
1 quart vegetable broth
1 cup red lentils
2 15-oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1-2 tsp sea salt (to taste)
Directions
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion, carrot and jalapeno and sauté for about six minutes. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 30 more seconds, and then add the garam masala, stirring well to coat. Take off heat.
Place the chickpeas, butternut squash, canned diced tomatoes, red lentils, vegetable broth and onion mixture in your slow cooker. Turn the heat on LOW and cook for 8-10 hours…the longer you cook, the thicker your stew will be.
Season with sea salt to taste and serve with minced cilantro on top (I didn’t do this). This stew freezes extremely well and will keep in the fridge for up to five days.
