Goodness, what a whirlwind week! I can’t believe Christmas has come and gone. Every year I’m left feeling like the few days of Christmas were a dream. So much work goes into prepping for the holidays and here it has just come and gone.
My Christmas this year ended up being shortened a bit. I ended up clocking some hours at the hospital on Christmas day. My closest family is about three hours away so I wasn’t able to make it back for the days activities. What I did do was indulge in all of the treats and drinks served during the gatherings I attended.
I probably ate my weight in shrimp. I had cocktail shrimp, marinated shrimp, and even shrimp jambalaya. So when I got back home I was ready to get back on track. My normal routine is pretty balanced when it comes to food. I eat plenty of fruits, veggies and whole grains, complemented by a treat or two. It’s even balanced out with a few days at the gym. But full disclosure, I’m three days out from my Christmas festivities and I’m definitely on the struggle bus.
No doubt its been difficult for me to stray from the processed meats, cheese, and leftover peanut butter balls. My cravings have been out of this world for the last couple days. Straight up sugar monster over here. Most likely all related to the lack of sleep I’ve been getting.
Finally, last night I was able to get a pretty solid eight hours. I was feeling a little more motivated in the cooking department. Additionally, I even got my butt to the gym for the first time since Saturday.
I’m getting there, slowly but surely. Even though I’m getting my routine back together, I still was looking for some comfort foods. One of the weeknight meals my mom always made us as a kid was sloppy joes. But, I wouldn’t say sloppy joes are a self-proclaimed “health” food. My mom’s recipe was pretty simple and consisted largely of ground beef, tomato soup, ketchup, and a little of this and that. Not exactly what people associate with healthy.
But hey, they tasted good as a kid. As per usual, my favorite thing to do is make my less nutritious recipes more nutritious. This brings me to lentils. Lentils make for a perfect “ground beef” substitute. They even packed a punch of fiber, protein, and vitamins/mineral. Boom, insert Vegetarian Lentil Sloppy Joes. Once again, hubby approved. I always like to test my recipes on him before bringing the recipe to all of you! He even ate three and confused the first for a beef sloppy joe. That’s a win-win in my book!
In my recipe for Vegetarian Sloppy Joes, I still didn’t stray from the can of tomato soup. I know it may sound gross, and I hate to say it, but it’s kind of a staple. Just get the soup. You can even grab the low sodium can like I did! It’s a one pot meal and will beat “Manwich” any day of the week.
So let’s get back on track and start cooking! Throwing some Vegetarian Lentil Sloppy Joes together for your weeknight dinner? Be sure to let me know by tagging a photo #stephanieleenutrition on Instagram. I’d love to see what you all cook up. Happy eating, xo!
| Prep Time | 5 minutes |
| Cook Time | 30 minutes |
| Servings |
sandwiches
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- 1-2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 tablespoon garlic, minced (about 2-3 cloves)
- 1 cup red lentils
- 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 can low sodium, tomato soup (I use Campbell's)
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup (more or less to taste)
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- pepper, to taste
- salt, to taste
- 6 hamburger buns
- pickles (optional)
Ingredients
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|
- Place a large skillet over medium heat. Drizzle with olive oil and add onion and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and saute for an additional minute. Then add lentils stirring well and saute for another 1-2 minutes.
- Add broth to lentil and vegetable mixture, bringing to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes, or until lentils are tender. The lentils should absorb most of the liquid. If not, drain excess liquid.
- In the same skillet, add tomato soup, mustard, maple syrup, Worchestershire sauce, and seasoning. Mix well to combine.
- Cook the mixture over medium-low heat until it starts to simmer, about 5-10 minutes. The mixture should thicken slightly. Taste and add additional seasoning as needed.
- Serve on toasted buts with pickle slices.
