Moroccan Lentil Stew

Moroccan Lentil Stew, a budget friendly and healthy family meal made in under an hour!

Moroccan Lentil Stew, a budget friendly and healthy family meal made in under an hour! ~vegan, gluten free~

This week I’m bringing you a couple of my favorite “family meals in under an hour” recipes.  I realize it’s very challenging for working families to put a home cooked meal on the table each and every night.  It’s not easy, however meal planning helps A LOT and I totally recommend it.  Start by finding a few recipes that are easy to make, the whole family enjoys and are economical.  Over time you will build up your recipe library and you can rotate them through the weeks.  This Moroccan stew recipe is made a few times a month in my family and has been for a few years now…and we’re still not sick of it!   I’m not sure where my sister-in-law originally found it, but we’ve altered it a lot through the years.  In fact, we alter it almost every time we make it!  It’s a very versatile stew, you can include all sorts of vegetables or grains and it will still taste good!

Moroccan Lentil Stew, a budget friendly and healthy family meal made in under an hour! ~vegan, gluten free~

 My mom adds pasta or orzo however, I didn’t add it this time to keep it gluten-free.  I sometimes add brown rice or serve on top of warm quinoa.  

Moroccan Lentil Stew
 
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Moroccan Lentil Stew, a budget friendly and healthy family meal made in under an hour! ~vegan, gluten free~
Author:
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Vegan
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 celery stalks, chopped
  • 3 carrots, chopped
  • 1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 cup green lentils, rinsed
  • 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained (or 1½ cup cooked chickpeas)
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ⅓ cup raisins or currants
  • sea salt and pepper to taste
  • extra fresh cilantro and lemon wedge for garnish
Instructions
  1. Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent.
  2. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant.
  3. Add celery and carrots and sauté until tender crisp.
  4. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until lentils are tender.
  5. Add sea salt and pepper to taste.
  6. Remove cinnamon stick, top with fresh cilantro leaves and lemon wedge and enjoy!
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1 Calories: 423 Fat: 7 Carbohydrates: 82 Fiber: 10 Protein: 17

 Moroccan Lentil Stew, a budget friendly and healthy family meal made in under an hour! ~vegan, gluten free~

Moroccan Lentil Stew, a budget friendly and healthy family meal made in under an hour! ~vegan, gluten free~

Roasted Sweet Potato Tostadas

Roasted Sweet Potato Tostadas

Chili scented roasted sweet potatoes, smashed black beans, salsa and avocado served up on a crisp corn tortilla! No utensils needed making these tostadas the ultimate finger food…perfect for a New Year’s Eve Party!

 Roasted Sweet Potato Tostadas Chili scented roasted sweet potatoes, smashed black beans, salsa and avocado served up on a crisp corn tortilla! No utensils needed making these tostadas the ultimate finger food...perfect for a New Year's Eve Party!

I love the combination of sweet potatoes, black beans and avocado. I use these three ingredients together at least once a week for my family’s meals. Something about this trifecta is super satisfying and easy to incorporate into so many recipes. Oh yea, and they are incredibly healthy for you! In fact, all three are on my “superfood” list and here’s why:

Sweet Potatoes: Loaded with antioxidants, vitamin C and fiber, which can help with controlling glucose levels.

Black Beans: Help lower cholesterol naturally due to their high fiber, antioxidants, folic acid and magnesium content.

Avocados: An excellent source of monounsaturated fatty acids, which may combat inflammation in the body.

For the recipe head over to my contributing post on the Real Housemom’s site by clicking here!

For a vegan version forget the cheese!Roasted Sweet Potato Tostadas Chili scented roasted sweet potatoes, smashed black beans, salsa and avocado served up on a crisp corn tortilla! No utensils needed making these tostadas the ultimate finger food...perfect for a New Year's Eve Party!

crock pot 3 bean pumpkin chili

Crock Pot 3 Bean Pumpkin Chili, a true fix it and forget it meal!

Crock Pot 3 Bean Pumpkin Chili, a true fix it and forget it meal!

I used to be baffled by people who said they were too busy to eat.  What do you mean you don’t have time to eat?  My life revolved around food and leisurely trips to the grocery store.  Preparing meals was fun…and relaxing.  That was before I had kids!  Nowadays, I’m lucky if I can manage avocado toast let alone prepare a whole meal!  I’m starting to realize dinnertime turns into total chaos if I don’t have a thought out meal plan in place with ingredients already prepped.

Here’s what I’ve been doing each week to make life easier!

~Choose recipes for dinners Monday-Friday, buy groceries on the weekend

(Online shopping and pick-up helps with this!  If I have to take the kids to the grocery store we open at least 3 snacks, take 2 potty breaks and I can’t get out of the store without buying a balloon!)

~Cook a large batch of quinoa and short-grain brown rice

~Bake sweet potatoes and/or roast veggies

~Keep a basket full of bananas, apples and pears out on counter

~Cut melon, wash berries and grapes

~Have hummus and  whole wheat wraps handy for roll-ups

~Saute spicy chickpeas and tofu scramble

~Stock the pantry with broth and beans for soup

~Stash lara bars in the diaper bag

~Keep ripe avocados and rice crackers available for avocado smash (avocado mashed and topped with sea salt, tastes amazing!)

~Cook one large pot of soup to have for lunch a few days during the week (this week was 3 bean pumpkin chili, see recipe below!)

Crock Pot 3 Bean Pumpkin Chili, a true fix it and forget it meal!

crock pot 3 bean pumpkin chili
 
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Crock Pot 3 Bean Pumpkin Chili ~vegan, gluten free~
Author:
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Vegan
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup onion, chopped
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 1 (15 oz.) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
  • 1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1.5 teaspoons cumin
  • 1.5 teaspoons oregano
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 2.5 cups vegetable broth
  • Toppings:
  • Fresh cilantro
  • Avocado
  • Scallions
Instructions
  1. Add oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and pepper, sauté until tender. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant. Transfer to a crock pot.
  2. Add remaining ingredients to crock pot and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4 hours.
  3. Top with fresh cilantro, avocado and scallions.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1 Calories: 256 Carbohydrates: 43 Sugar: 7 Fiber: 12 Protein: 13

Crock Pot 3 Bean Pumpkin Chili, a true fix it and forget it meal!

Recipe adapted from Taste of Home

You may want to alter the amount of chili powder added.  I kept it on the mild side for a kid-friendly version.  I threw this in the crock pot at night to have lunch ready and waiting the next day.  At ~250 calories, 13 grams protein and 12 grams of fiber you can’t go wrong!  A nutritious meal that will keep you feeling full!

Crock Pot 3 Bean Pumpkin Chili, a true fix it and forget it meal!