Superfast Red Lentil and Sweet Potato Curry

This week’s recipe is a simple one, but solid one. In fact, instead of thinking about this Red Lentil and Sweet Potato Curry as a recipe for something to make for dinner in this chilly fall season, I’d prefer that you think about it as a life hack. And if you’re like me, you can use a few of these in your back pocket.

Maybe, like me, you’re not great at unloading the plate, even when things get full on.

Last week, for example, before leaving for a little Moab escape, I was absolutely under the impression that I could do all the laundry, clean the house, finish editing recipes for the new website launch, finish designing the menu for Sister Summit, bake homemade cookies to surprise our friends in the desert AND make dinner from scratch every night.

Well, I didn’t get all of the laundry done. And the house wasn’t spotless. I didn’t finish all of the recipe edits, and I only got half the cookies baked that I wanted to. But I did make dinner from scratch every night. And while there were a few things I didn’t finish, I’m proud of what I prioritized. Because cooking a nourishing meal for myself when things are so insane is the best measure of self-care. Far more than folded laundry, spotless floors, or a sense of accomplishment over a half-assed take-out burrito or slice of cold pizza.

I couldn’t have such a high level of success without this life hack of a recipe, or the InstantPot that basically cooked dinner for me while I did…all the other stuff.

As these weeks get more and more full with obligations, end-of-year activities, and the festivities that go along with it, there are definitely going to be nights I’ll need a healthy lifeline. This recipe will be it. Maybe for you too!

Is it really so bad to eat the half-assed burrito?

This is a great question. And it probably depends on who you are, and what you expect from yourself and your days. I know that I notice a great shift in my digestion when I wander down to our local joint and order a fat, chicken burrito with all the fixings. I feel pretty sluggish the next day. Probably because I don’t sleep that well that night. I don’t really know where they source the chicken from. And I’m not so certain that they’re using the best quality cheese, sour cream or tortillas – even though they all smell and look amazing.

But the biggest thing is that – I know that I probably would have felt better about making myself something simple at home than spending $14 on a burrito that “did the job,” but that my body didn’t enjoy. I could make a bowl of cereal, or toast with eggs…but sometimes I need more than that.

This pot of Red Lentil and Sweet Potato Curry was ample enough to last us for a few meals, and even lunches on the go. And, the lentils, seasonal cooked vegetables, and rice are easy to digest, made even more so by the spices that keep digestion high. The ingredients are simple, I know where they were sourced, and I was actually able to make the curry in less than the amount of time it would take me to drive down to the burrito joint, order, and get home with my now-sorta-cold burrito.

So it’s not that eating the half-assed burrito is “SO BAD.” But is it really “that good?”

Praise the InstantPot

If you’ve been reading along here for a while, you’ll have heard me rant on about my  InstantPot. There are lots of ways to embrace modern convenience for the good of our health and, instead of embracing packaged products, I embrace appliances – this InstantPot being my numero uno.

This handy little device does the heavy lifting for me at least two times a week, all year round, and even more often than that during the winter. I use it to make beans most weeks, but also soups, stews, and even braises any time I don’t have the ability to be home at the stove, but want to eat something delicious and homemade when I get back.

Your Red Lentil and Sweet Potato Curry actually need very little “making” from you, and only needs a few minutes of simmering in the InstantPot to be ready to go. Without it, I would absolutely be dead in the water when I open the fridge and pantry and see only “ingredients,” but nothing to eat.

With this little lifesaver on the countertop, I practically never have an excuse why not to make myself something healthy and nourishing. It’s a time saver for certain, but also a budget saver as well, and I can’t even quantify the hours of sleep I’ve gained knowing that I’ve made great nutritional decisions and helped my body to be its best, even in the busiest of times.