Protein Power Goddess Bowl

Thank you all so much for your votes in Project Food Blog! I am thrilled to say that I got into the final three for the 10th round due tomorrow. I appreciate your tweets, comments, and emails yesterday!

It doesn’t look like I will be getting much sleep this weekend… ;) I am a big ball of nerves and excitement right now and I was up until 3am last night working on my post. There isn’t much time to finish it, but at the same time, I am glad it is due tomorrow and doesn’t drag out another week.

I have been using my treadmill as a stress relief lately, pounding out a few miles whenever I need to clear my head. I actually think of most of my Project Food Blog ideas when I am running and I often jump off to write things down as I think of them. I am always amazed at the ability that running has to help me think and get my creative juices flowing.

OSGMOM gave me a new Ipod Shuffle for Christmas and it has been fun having music again after 3 months without any.

Here is the current running music I am loving (Eric made it for me!):

I have been running about 4-6 miles on the treadmill about 5 days a week and the music has helped so much with indoor boredom! I’m going to be changing up my exercise for the winter months and I will be telling you about that in the next week or so. :)

Also note, I am obsessed with the song ‘Little Lion Man’…fantastic running song!

Of course, after a tough run on the treadmill I am always looking for a delicious dose of food to restore my energy levels and leave me feeling amazing.

Protein Power Goddess Bowl

Rock your inner goddess with this incredibly delicious, creamy, and tangy high-protein vegetable bowl. It fills me up for hours and takes away all my cravings.

Adapted from The Coup Cookbook’s Greek Goddess.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups uncooked brown rice (or however much you want to make)
• 1.5-2 cups uncooked lentils (you need 4 cups cooked lentils)
• 1/2 red onion
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and diced
• 1 red/yellow/orange pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1 cup Tahini lemon garlic dressing
• 8-10 sundried tomatoes, sliced (optional)
• 2 large handfuls of mixed greens (or spinach)
• 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
• Lemon wedges and olives, for garnish (optional)
• Kosher salt and pepper, to taste (I think I used about 1/4-1/2 tsp kosher salt in the sauté)
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil for sautéing

Directions: Cook lentils and rice according to package directions, rinse with cold water, strain, and set aside. In a large skillet, add in the oil and heat to low-medium temperature. Now add in the onion, garlic, red pepper, salt, pepper, and optional sundried tomatoes. Sauté for about 5 minutes over low-medium heat. Now add in the cooked, drained, and rinsed 4 cups of lentils and stir well. Cook for another few minutes. Add in 1 cup of tahini lemon garlic dressing and stir well. Cook until it starts to bubble and then remove from heat. Add in 2 large handfuls of greens and parsley and stir well again. Portion cooked brown rice into the bowl(s) and then scoop the sauté lentil mixture overtop of the rice. Garnish with olives and a lemon wedge if preferred. Makes about 6 large portions.

The first thing we do is cook the lentils and brown rice. If you want to save time, you can cook them the night beforehand and just place in the fridge overnight.

Rinse and set aside.

Now gather up your veggies!

Chop, chop!

Add the tomato, garlic, optional sundried tomatoes, salt, pepper, and onion into the skillet:

Mix well and cook for 5 minutes on med-low heat.

Now stir in the cooked, rinsed, and drained 4 cups lentils (you will have some leftover cooked lentils)

Cook for a few minutes and then add in the delicious dressing!

I loooooove this dressing. Lock me up and throw away the key.

Bring it to a low bubble and then remove from heat. Stir in 2 huge handful of mixed greens (or greens of your choice!) and the parsley. I added my parsley in early on, but you can add it whenever you wish.

Mix well.

Serve over a bed of brown rice and rock your inner Goddess!

You can also mix in the brown rice right into the skillet. Your call. Have fun experimenting with different kinds of vegetables and grains too! :)

This Goddess bowl is creamy, a bit tangy, filled with healthy vegetables, and packed with protein. It feels decadent without weighing me down. I have been eating it all week long and it leaves me feeling energized and full for hours.

I hope you enjoy it too!

On that note, I have some Challenge #10 madness to tend to. See you tomorrow… :)