My goal for tonight is NOT to do what I did last night, which was stay up until midnight working on a contract for the clinic and eating four of these epic cookies. Whoops.
Easier said than done, of course.
At least I have a healthy dinner under my belt. Good place to start.
Featuring… red lentils. I usually buy the precooked lentils from Trader Joe’s but ventured out on a limb and grabbed these red lentils from the bulk bins at Whole Foods.
Fun facts about lentils:
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They are technically legumes.
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They’ve been eaten by humans for more than 9,000 years.
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1/4 cup of red lentils contains 13 grams of protein.
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Lentils come in a rainbow of colors – brown, yellow, red, green, and orange. Black ones are the smallest.
Now you know. 
And they taste really good when mixed with marinara sauce and served on toast.
I overboiled mine (about 20 minutes, 5 minutes too long for these red lentils) but they were still tasty.
Grrrreens.
Thought of the Day:
I posted this on the HTP Facebook page but liked it so much that I wanted to share it here, too!
PS – Thanks for all your sleep advice today! Soooo invaluable. I’m pleased to report that H went down for a grand total of four naps (unfortunately, all very short – but it’s a lot of progress!) and is now dozing happily in his bed for the night.
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{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }
I love lentils too, but don’t buy/cook them nearly as much as I should! I think that’ll change though as the weather gets cooler and I crave more soups, stews, etc. Looks like a tasty dinner!! Hope tonight is a restful one!
I have about a million lentil recipes I want to try, I’ve only had them a few times but I loved them so I need to start cooking them myself!
I seriously learned a lot from the comments of that sleep post today… I’m psyched to work on the 2,3,4 rule, I’d never heard that before and I’m on Baby #3!
You really should try and make daal. It is a simple Indian dish and it’s not hard
YEA…. Henry!!! And Caitlin…. and The Husband.
I think the saying “it takes a village to raise a child” is 100% accurate, moms are so full of knowledge that you could never find in a book (although books are super helpful to us first time moms too haha)
SO true!!
Good to know I’m not the only one who doesn’t mind overcooked lentils. I just make them into a mash, lol. They’re so easy to overcook! Love them, though.
Yay naps and snoozing babies!
i loved lentils!! i hardly actually cook them – the precooked TJs version is so much easier.
Red lentils are my favorite! I make tomato-lentil soup, which is very easy and very filling – just crushed tomatoes, lentils, carrots, onions, garlic, basil, s and p, veggie stock. Simmer until lentils are done. Delish.
Not sure what happens when he wakes up from his naps but we were having trouble getting my daughter (3 months also) to nap for as long as she should also. She would literally wake up like clockwork 45 minutes after she fell asleep. They say that 45 minutes is about the length of a sleep cycle for a baby and often babies have trouble transitioning from one cycle into another. I read the other day that what you can try doing is go in at 40 minutes (or we do 35 minutes just to be safe) and give the baby a pacifier or turn on some white noise and rock him/her through the transition. This has worked for us more than not over the past week. Our daughter was extremely cranky during the day (also due to acid reflux) and this technique has allowed her to get a full 1.5 hour nap and definitely helped with her crankiness. So, if H is waking up after about 40 or 45 minutes this might be something to try.
We tried this too. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t. I ended up just driving myself crazy watching the clock.
I think Ive heard this to be called “The 45 minute interrupter.” It starts around 3-4 months, I think, although you might want to research more to be sure. It’s a common issue though for babies this age, or so Ive read.
Way to go Caitlin on the 4 naps! The more you keep at it the longer naps Henry will give you.
In time, the naps will get longer and more spaced out. You’re doing great!!! In a few months, he’ll have 3 consistent naps a day. Then he’ll start dropping naps until he has one really long one in the afternoon.
mmmm lentils!!
Lentils are one food I keep meaning to try! Your dinner looks delish
And so glad you are finding some solutions for the sleep stuff!
You know what is a great “overcooked” lentil dish? Khichri. I eat it all the time in Mumbai. Technically you are supposed to cook spices and rice in with the lentils (and let it all overcook to mush up) but I have thrown in rice and more spice when I accidentally overcooked lentils.
I love the fluffiness when they are overcooked!
I love lentils too! I haven’t ever thought to combine them with Marinara sauce. Thanks for the inspiration.
I have never tried cooking lentils before but that looks so good I might have to try it. Perhaps I’ll add that to my weekend to-do list…
Congrats on the sleeping baby btw
Have you tried Veganomicon’s Snobby Joes recipe? Basically sloppy joes made with lentils instead of ground beef? SOOO good! I especially like them open-faced on toast. My “meat and potatoes” husband even likes them! Just Google it – yum!
I’ve never effectively tried lentils. “Effectively” meaning the only I’ve tried them they were under cooked with too much bite to them which I’m sure affected the flavor, but it really turned me off from trying them again…they were the brown ones, too so maybe I should try another variety? I know they’re not that mysterious, but my husband and I just tend avoid them for some irrational reason
Glad the naps are going better
I have yet to try lentils, although I really should because they always look delicious!
I know I tell you this pretty much every day, but I love your tasty/simple/healthy meals. You first turned me on to TJ’s pre-cooked lentils. Red lentils are next!
Yum! Lentils rock! Green lentils are my fav though. I like to cook them in chicken or veggie stock along with an onion and some thyme. Sooo tasty!
I still can’t believe I’ve never tried lentils!!!