Man Boobs Busting Super Foods Part 4

Spring and summer are definitely my salad seasons. Chicken salads, tuna salads, greek salads – you name it I can live on the stuff with hardly a second thought!

But once the holiday season approaches, bringing shorter days and slowly dropping temperatures, my body naturally starts to crave certain other kinds of meals, the kind that send you off to bed feeling super warm, full and satisfied – the kind of comforting soups and hearty stews that are best eaten in front of a roaring fireplace!

That’s why whenever I feel that slight autumn chill in the air and leaves begin to fade yellow and brown, my old friend the lentil makes its annual return to my larder.

The lentil is a thing of simple wonder and beauty. Packed with fibre and protein, super low in calories and super rich in essential nutrients like folate, iron and magnesium, if I were to list all the potential general benefits of a lentils this post could easily turn into a science essay.

So instead, just take my word for it when I say – they’re good for you. Very good.

And if prepared right, they taste great as well. In fact lentils are naturally ideal for cooking because of the way happily absorb the flavours from other foods.

Personally, I am a sucker for a good lentil stew.

It’s so easy to prepare – just start with some chopped onion, garlic and maybe red or green pepper as a base. Celery also works well if you have it. You can also add a little left over meat such as ham or chicken if you like.

Fry that mixture off for a few minutes. Then throw it all together into a deep stewing pot with a mix of whatever other vegetables you have to hand. Carrots. Parsnips. Broccoli. Whatever veggie floats your boat.

Then add some tinned tomatoes, some stock, a slug of good quality olive oil and maybe a glass of red wine. Season to taste, add a few herbs and a bay leaf, maybe even a pinch of chili if you’re that way inclined and that’s it.

Let your creation simmer, slow cooking the contents until the lentils are tender, making sure the liquid always covers the mixture by adding water whenever necessary. It’s such a flexible, satisfying way of cooking. Whenever I can I like to make a really big batch and freeze plenty of extra portions for the week ahead!

Photo by foodistablog

Tagged as: lentils, living with man boobs, man boobs diet, man boobs recipe, metabolism