Hearty Vegetable and Green Lentil Stew

--> Hi folks!
My 21 Day Eating Challenge is now complete.  One of the new meals I cooked during the challenge was organic vegetable and green lentil stew.  I was so pleased with the outcome that I decided to make it again tonight (plus I didn't have much else I could create from what I had to work with lol).  If you read my eating challenge posts, then you know the story behind my organic green lentil bulk purchase from Amazon but for others, just a quick note: I have six 16 ounce boxes of Eden's Organic Green Lentils in my cupboard.  Needless to say, this meal is an easy go to meal to prepare when I'm low on groceries, need to get rid of some aging veggies, or just being lazy.

The story behind the stew

simmering on the stove

As I was deciding what I would eat for dinner today (while at work lol), I considered stopping to pick up more salad fixings on the way home, preparing pasta to use up some leftover homemade marinara, eating one of my easy favorite Korean foods, or making this stew.  Well, because I had some leftover brown basmati rice in the fridge (that was dry and hard and I knew it wouldn't heat up well in the microwave), I decided on the stew because I could throw it in there and it would soften up and make a great ingredient.  I  added in all my leftover veggies including green onion for flavor (I was out of lettuce so it was nay on a salad to accompany the soup) and the leftover marinara.  I seasoned it with a little tiny bit of salt, sweet paprika, worcestershire sauce, fresh garlic, crushed red pepper, a pinch of cumin and coriander, and some fresh ground pepper.  It turned out spicier this time because of the crushed red pepper and slightly more generous amount of paprika but the taste was just fine for me although I will not be adding the cumin and coriander next time. It just didn't "fit in" with the rest of the ingredients.  I did make the mistake of putting too much black pepper though. I read recently that freshly ground black pepper aids in weight loss and I think I got a little too excited about that when adding it to the stew.  :)

Here are three different kinds of worcestershire sauce, two of which are organic that I have yet to try.  The third one, Lee and Perin's, is the one I used for this stew and the one I'm most familiar with.  I purchased this item prior to my switch to organic items. I'm not sure how important it is for this one to be organic really and truly (as opposed to a Dirty Dozen item) but because of my commitment to greener, sustainable, and less toxic production methods, I prefer organic and vegan (because vegan options are inherently non-GMO) at all times. :)

 

Food is my addiction!

I'm excited about having lunch for the next few days because that means less headache on a daily basis and I can maintain the commitment I made during my eating challenge!  It's still difficult to adjust these habits and as great as challenges are, it's gonna take a miracle to cure me of my addiction to food lol! I've learned over the years that I cannot make sudden changes and stick with them. It has to happen gradually and I will fail sometimes but as long as I'm committed wholeheartedly to a life long goal of healthy choices, then I know I will be able to get back up again and succeed a little more each time.  And I'm certainly wholeheartedly committed to that goal.  It's not only a physical change but also a mental and emotional change.

It's time to break the cycle!

In the past, I strictly focused on the physical changes and just did whatever it took to reach those physical appearance goals but guess what, it was very difficult to maintain.  So as I started this blog and this new lifestyle, I set goals focused on eating healthier, cleaner, more balanced and nutritious, and less processed foods. This was nothing I had really ever tried before.  When I dieted, I did make healthier choices many times but healthier relative to hamburgers, fries, and colas.  I've since learned that those "healthier" choices, albeit weight loss is possible, aren't necessarily the healthiest choices I could be making.  Hence, the birth of this blog and others.  As far as fitness is concerned, I'm not setting a goal to knock P90X or Insanity out or anything like that. I'm merely setting goals to move, period.  And I'm setting a goal to heal my body via nutrition and yoga.  By no means am I where I want to be yet (and the key word is yet) but as I said before, this is a life long commitment and there is no going back.

It's gonna be a battle but I will win!

With that being said, wish me luck as I struggle to overcome some difficulties regarding food.  Many of you can relate I'm sure because this truly is a nationwide epidemic and it's growing to a global scale.

*This post has been linked to A Blossoming Life blog community.*