Run Pink. Run Happy.: Homemade Lentil Soup & Shakeology!

Happy Hump Day!

Ok, so I have an awesome recipe to share with you, I made homemade lentil soup for the first time EVER this week! My mom used to always make it but I've never made it myself- it's delicious and so healthy!

Also, I have been sucking with my music selection in bootcamp. Dang, music can be so motivating or so NOT motivating. So I have been trying to get feedback about what music PUMPS YOU UP! Please leave a quick comment at the bottom of this post telling me a favorite song you have that pumps you up when it comes on! COME ON YOU WILL HELP ME OUT! Thanks!

That's my Mama and I at the Pittsburgh Marathon last May. She's my biggest fan & I love her to the moon & back. Thanks for being awesome, Mama! xo!

VEGGIE LENTIL SOUP

-Put 1bag of ~16oz lentils in collander & rinse THOROUGHLY

-Add to pan with 7 cups cold water

-Bring to boil

-Boil for 2 minutes then remove from heat and cover for 1-2 hours

(I was impatient and only did for 65 minutes)

-While this is setting, Chop up any veggies you have in the fridge

I used 1 head broccoli, 1/3 head red cabbage, 1 large onion, 4 cloves garlic, 1/2 bag baby spinach (I did not chop spinach), and 1/2 cup of that Sunny Creek Farm crunchy mix I posted about earlier- It is lentils, peas, and adzuki.

-Drain Lentils then add 4-5 cups fresh water- veggies/lentils should be almost covered in water. Don't let water boil down- feel free to add more if it gets low.

-Add ginger, chili pepper, garlic, & black pepper- bring back to boil- continue to stir.

-Add 1 large can of diced tomatoes at the end of process - drain excess tomatoe juice if you still have extra water in your pot, it should be a stew like consistency and it will thicken up after cooking.

-Cook everything for about 10-15 minutes and only add salt to taste as you're eating it. Do not add salt until lentils are fully cooked.

I will add mushrooms, carrots, as well next time, but they were not in my fridge.
Feel free to add meat to this dish as well- it was so good! It made a ton of food so I portioned it out for the week and froze the rest!

What is all the buzz about Lentils?

Lentils, a member of the legume family, are an awesome source of cholesterol-lowering fiber. Not only do lentils help lower cholesterol, they also manage blood-sugar disorders since their high fiber content prevents blood sugar levels from rising rapidly after a meal. Lentils also provide good to excellent amounts of six important minerals, two B-vitamins, and protein—all with virtually no fat. The calorie cost of all this nutrition? Just 230 calories for a whole cup of cooked lentils. This tiny nutritional giant fills you up—not out.

They also have been proven to help prevent heart disease!

Researchers followed more than 16,000 middle-aged men in the U.S., Finland, The Netherlands, Italy, former Yugoslavia, Greece and Japan for 25 years. When researchers analyzed this data in relation to the risk of death from heart disease, they found that legumes were associated with a HUGE 82% reduction in risk! CRAZY Right? Source: World's Healthiest Foods

I got the best package EVERRRR YESTERDAY!

So excited!! I got my LesMills COMBAT Fitness DVD with a ton of tracking material that makes you ACCOUNTABLE + measuring tape & meal plan. I also got my order of CHOCOLATE SHAKEOLOGY. Hands down, the best meal replacement shake I've EVER, EVER had. It's not a fad diet, you just replace 1 meal/day everyday and it comes with recipes on how to put a spin on their shakes to make them taste different! I had it at 7:45pm yesterday and was full up until I went to bed at 11pm! CRAZY! It's full of protein, vitamins, minerals, probiotics, AND DIGESTIVE ENZYMES. This is not a protein shake, it's a MEAL REPLACEMENT. The digestive enzymes are key to allowing your body absorb the nutrients. I mixed my 1 scoop chocolate with ice and unsweetened vanilla almond milk. It was delicious! I have cut up frozen bananas in my freezer that I am going to use in place of my ice-cubes tonight for a chocolate banana shake (IT ACTUALLY TASTES LIKE A MILKSHAKE!) This was not meant to be a protein shake, so do not put it in a shaker with water- it WILL taste yucky- make it like an actual milkshake! YUM!

I also want to try this recipe for my shake:

Nutty Banana Chocolate Shake

1 cup milk (I use unsweetened vanilla almond milk)

1/2 cup water

3-5 ice cubes

1/2 medium banana (peeled and frozen) or 1/2 cup fruit

1-2 TBS Nut Butter (natural PB or PB2)
1 scoop Shakeology

BLEND & ENJOY- Add more ice for thicker, if you like it thinner, use no ice!

I DEF gave myself a brain freeze last night SLURPING IT UP SO FAST! YUM!

I'm also SUPER stoked to do my LesMills COMBAT fitness program. It mixes martial arts, kickboxing, and bootcamp style moves. I'm PUMPED! I will be taking before/after pics to show you the results! WOOHOO!

If you'd like to join my active challenge on facebook to keep yourself accountable and talk to others trying to lose weight about your workouts, recipes, and weight loss progress -- Just add me to facebook. Http://www.facebook.com/april.pinkney.5 and let me know you would like to be added to the challenge group. DO YOU HAVE P90x, Insanity, or Turbo Jam in your closet and you'd like to dust it off? Tell us about it- it will make you WANT to stick to the program and see results FAST! ESPECIALLY, if you pair it with Shakeology- but don't take my word for it- ask the people in the challenge group that are using the products everyday to reach their goals.

OH- and when you say "I don't have timeeeee"

BOOM! You can't give yourself & your health & future 4%? This puts it in perspective YOUR HEALTH is the most important thing to you. Do something for YOU! DON'T MAKE EXCUSES, STOP HATING THE WAY YOU LOOK, START getting people asking "HOW DID YOU DO IT?"! I believe in you, you can do it! It starts with TODAY!

I'll leave you with this, because it made me smile enough to add my own editing. My dog is obsessed with sticks and this just cracks me up, 1. because I'm a nerd, 2. because I'm obsessed with German Shepherds and any furry creature with 4 legs or less. :) ANYTHING WITH MORE THAN 4 LEGS CAN GET LOST- ESPECIALLY THOSE CREEPY GREEN WORMS THAT HANG FROM TREES IN SPIDER WEB LIKE STRINGS! I got like 8 of them on me on my run yesterday and almost had a panic attack. I get the chills thinking about them- EWWW. Whyyyyyy did you think they were important to the Earth, God? I just have to ask ya what you were thinking when you created those suckers, lol.