Crock Pot Lentil Soup with Kale and Potatoes

Lentils represent luck and prosperity in the New Year, so today is the perfect day to share this easy recipe!

Lentils are a great source of fiber, magnesium, iron, folate and protein. This is a warm, nutritious, hearty soup for a cold winter day!

You can add ground turkey, chicken, sirloin or vegetarian crumbles (I like Beyond Meat) to increase the protein of this meal.  I like to round it out with a salad as well.

Crock Pot Lentil Soup with Kale and Potatoes

Ingredients: 

2 cups carrots, chopped
2 cups celery, chopped
2 cups potatoes, chopped
1 onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup lentils
6 cups vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste
Italian seasoning
3 tablespoons olive oil 
3 cups kale, roughly chopped
1 cup parsley, chopped


Directions:

1. Add carrots, celery, potatoes, onion, garlic, lentils, vegetable broth and spices in your Crock Pot. Cook on high for 5 hours.

2. Remove 4 cups of soup from the Crock Pot and place in a blender along with the oil. Blend, then add back to the Crock Pot. Turn off the heat. Stir in the kale and parsley. Wait until the kale has wilted then serve!

Serves 6

Nutrition Information (1/6 of the recipe): 199 Calories, 7 grams Fat, 27 g Carbs, 6 grams Protein

Healthy Mac and Cheese Cupcakes

Holy comfort food... these are amazing. I've read a lot of mac and cheese recipes using butternut squash to make a creamy cheese sauce, so I thought I'd give it a shot. Baking them in muffin/cupcake tins is a great way to control the portion size. Although your still probably going to want to eat the whole thing :)

Creamy, cheesy, delicious mac and cheese. You wouldn't even guess they are healthy.

Make this. Now.

Healthy Mac and Cheese Cupcakes
Ingredients:

1 (12 oz) package frozen cooked butternut (or winter) squash
3 minced garlic cloves
3/4 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup unsweetened cashew milk (this is what I had, cow's milk should work fine)
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded Colby and Monterey Jack Cheeses
3 cups cooked whole wheat elbow pasta (I used Barilla Protein Plus)
3 teaspoons panko breadcrumb
Parsley for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Spray a 6 cup muffin tin with cooking spray.

2. Nuke butternut squash in the microwave for 2 minutes. Add to a large sauce pan with the garlic, chicken broth, and milk. Bring to a boil then simmer for about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

2. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and toss to coat. Evenly distribute the pasta mixture to the muffin cups. Top with about 1/2 teaspoon panko bread crumb and then bake for about 18-20 minutes. Turn the oven to broil and cook for about 2-3 minutes or until slightly browned. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Per one "cupcake": 233 calories, 9 g Fat, 26 g Carbs, 12 g Protein

Beefed-Up Veggie Lentil Stew

Perfect comfort food for the snow storm that's about to hit NYC (whomp, whomp). I used lean ground sirloin, lots of veggies, and fiber-packed lentils for hearty, filling, and nutritious stew.

Beefed-Up Veggie Lentil Stew

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked lentils (1 cup dry)
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1/2 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
2 handfuls chopped kale
1 lb 90% lean ground sirloin (can use ground turkey too)
1 cup tomato sauce (I used Hunt's)
2 cups water
Dash of salt
Tumeric
Cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. Heat a large non-stick pot over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray. Add carrots, onion, garlic, and bell pepper. Saute until soft, about 5 minutes.

2. Add ground sirloin to the pot. Cook until brown on all sides. Next, add lentils, tomato sauce, water, salt, tumeric, and cayenne (I didn't measure, just sprinkle a little and taste test to your liking). Bring to a boil; reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes.

3. Add kale to the pot. Cover and cook an additional 5 minutes. Turn off heat and serve!

Makes 6 cups (4-6 servings)

Nutrition Information (1 cup): 216 Calories, 4 grams Fat, 21 grams Carbohydrates, 7 grams Fiber, 24 grams Protein

Pumpkin Turkey Chili

What's more perfect than chili and pumpkin for the fall? Comfort food at its finest. Protein and fiber-packed, this chili is healthy, satisfying, and a stick-to-your guts type of meal. It's a great go-to, crowd pleasing meal!

Note: When I went to the store to buy my ingredients, I forgot the diced tomatoes. So, I used Progresso's Recipe Starters Cooking Sauce in Fire Roasted Tomato because it was what I had on hand. Worked amazingly well! You can probably substitute with a 14.5 ounce of diced tomatoes and 1/2 cup tomato sauce, but I can't promise it will be the same!

 

Pumpkin Turkey Chili

Ingredients

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1/3 cup chopped onion

1 package lean ground turkey (I used 93/7)

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin 

1 can (18 ounce) Progresso Recipe Starters cooking sauce in  Fire Roasted Tomato

1 can (15 ounce) black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup water

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

1. Spray a large pot with cooking spray. Heat over medium heat. 

2. Add garlic and onion to pan. Cook until soft (about 2-3 minutes). Add ground turkey. Break apart the turkey with your spatula or wooden spoon. Cook until pink begins to disappear and meat begins to brown. 

4. Add pumpkin, tomato sauce, black beans, water, chili powder, and garlic powder to the pot. Bring to a boil.

5. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 25-30 minutes. 

6. Enjoy topped with greek yogurt and cheese if you like!

Serves 8 (about 1 1/3 cup per serving)

Nutrition Info: 272 calories, 8.4 g Fat, 25 g CHO (7 g Fiber), 24 g Protein