Hello there!

How’s your day going so far? I’ve got lots to tell you about today (including another fun giveaway!) so let’s kick things off with the usual….

1. Recipe of the Week: There are a few foods that I love to eat but don’t generally tend to create recipes for the blog with because they don’t look so hot on camera. As you guys know, I like bright colours, and that usually means a whole lot of fruits and veggies. By contrast, it does not usually mean lentils.

raw lentils

Well, until last week. I’ve been on a mission to clean out some of my kitchen cupboards, and I recently found a bag of green lentils which I felt compelled to transform into something great. I brainstormed a few ingredient combinations on my drive to work, and I just couldn’t get the thought of tempeh out of my head. (Another not-so-photogenic food, but just wait – you’ll be impressed with the results).

tempeh

On a side note, if you live in the Kitchener Waterloo area, did you know that you can buy locally made tempeh? In fact, if you already buy Henry’s (it’s the one I most commonly see in the grocery store), you’re already doing so! The factory is located in Kitchener and this is by far my favourite brand. Anyways… back to the recipe.

lentil kale and tempeh saute

This Lentil, Kale, and Tempeh Saute was initially going to be one all sauced up with dark balsamic vinegar, but since about 99% of the meals I eat are drenched in said condiment, I forced myself to get more creative. If you look at the full recipe, you’ll see that the lentils are cooked in veggie stock, the tempeh is marinated in soy sauce (or tamari if you prefer), there’s a splash of apple cider added in near the end, and a small drizzle of agave nectar. You’re probably thinking, “Has she got condiment ADD? These ingredients are all over the place! How can that possibly taste good!?”

vegan gluten-free healthy lentil kale and tempeh saute

But it does.

vegan gluten-free healthy lentil kale and tempeh saute

Oh, does it ever. There’s lentils and kale and mushrooms and leeks, and they taste flippin’ amazing when jumbled all together. But don’t just take my word for it. Tasting is believing friends, and you’ve GOT to make this one!

Click here for the recipe!

 

lentil kale and tempeh saute

2. Love Grown Foods Hot Oats! I’m super excited to tell you about this new thing because it comes courtesy of one of my favourite brands, Love Grown Foods. One of the reasons I agreed to be an ambassador for this company is because they’re so passionate about teaching children in schools nationwide about the importance of nutrition. In case this is the first time you’ve heard about Love Grown Foods, this is what else they believe:

We believe you should be able to pronounce every ingredient in your food. We believe in whole grains. We believe in putting healthier, delicious, high-quality foods on the shelves that are also affordable. Our goal is to create incredibly delicious foods that are packed full of nutritional benefits and that are available to everyone. (Source)

Alex and Maddy, the two founders, travel around the US teaching kids in schools about how delicious healthy foods can be, what constitutes a healthy breakfast, and why wholesome ingredients are essential. I don’t know about you, but I think what they do is pretty darn important.

love grown foods hot oats

In addition to Love Grown Foods’ delicious Oat Clusters Granola, they’ve recently launched Hot Oats. Their latest LOVE product comes in 4 delicious flavours:

  • Strawberry Raspberry
  • Blueberry Banana Walnut
  • Apple Cinnamon
  • Peach Almond Vanilla

How delicious do all of those sound? When my great big LOVE package arrived in the mail, I couldn’t decide which one to start with first. I decided on the Peach Almond Vanilla one, and was practically flying home from the gym yesterday morning because I was so pumped to make my oats. It just so happened that I had to be at work super early for a meeting, so I really enjoyed the convenience of having the on-the-go cup to take with me.

peach almond vanilla hot oats

As the back of the package instructed, I added boiling water and covered it for about 3 minutes. Conveniently, there’s a faint line inside that indicates how much water to put in – a must unless you travel with measuring cups!

love grown foods hot oats

love grown foods hot oats instructions

The result when I re-opened the little container was a perfect consistency – not too runny, not too dry. The peach bits got really nice and bright yellow, and unlike other brands of instant oats, these are REAL peaches, folks! Also unlike other instant oatmeal packages which tend to be really, really sweet (especially fruity ones), the flavouring in this cup was very subtle. I think I’ll always prefer old fashioned oats made on the stovetop, but on really busy mornings, Love Grown’s Hot Oats make a good substitute. Come to think of it, I might buy a stash for when I have to travel for work – they’re the perfect hotel room breakfast!

love grown foods hot oats

If you’re wondering how to get some of this goodness for yourself, the Hot Oats will be arriving at the following locations over the next month or two:

  • Raley’s (Northern CA)
  • Whole Foods – Southern CA
  • Whole Foods – Rocky Mountain Region
  • Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage
  • King Soopers/City Market (Colorado)
  • Sobeys (Canada)
What’s that you say? You want to win some instead? Well, I can arrange for that too! Maddy and Alex at Love Grown Foods are super generous and they’ve got an awesome prize pack waiting for one of you! In order to enter, all you need to do is answer these 2 questions in the comments below:

If you could create any flavour of hot oats or granola, what would it be?
What delicious ingredients would it contain?

 

You can earn yourself up to 3 extra entries by doing the following:

 

This giveaway is up for grabs for ANYONE in Canada AND the US, and you’ve got until midnight EST this Thursday to enter. I’ll announce the winner this Friday January 25th. Good luck, and have a LOVE-filled day!

 

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