Not Your Mama’s Lentils~Lentils and Rice goes Tex-Mex

November 13, 2010 by
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Feeding a Family of 4 for $5
~Week 1~
All of the recipes I feature will be healthy, one-dish meals with enough food to feed a family of 4.  I realize that prices of food will vary depending on your location, where you shop, and whether you purchased the food items on sale.  The ingredients necessary to make each meal are minimal and I usually have plenty left over to make other meals with.  Of course, the amount your particular family eats will vary.  For instance, a family of 2 adults and 2 teenagers may need more food that my recipes provide, though often we have enough leftovers for each of the 2 adults in our family to have another meal. 

~A little disclaimer before I start.  I cook by smell and rarely measure things so feel free to adjust the amounts to fit your family’s tastes.~

“Lentils and Rice” Tex-Mex Style
  • 3/4 cup rice (I like to use calrose, but I’m sure any medium or long grain rice would be fine.)
  • 3/4 dry lentils (lentils are awesome!  They are high in fiber, protein, and iron.)
  • 1 bullion cube–chicken or beef 
  • 1/4 tsp. onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp. cumin
  • 1  1/4 tsp. chili powder
  • a couple dashes of cayenne (optional, though, this amount is not enough to make it spicy)
Combine these with 2 cups water in a rice cooker (easy, peasy) or pot and just cook it the way you usually cook rice.
While the rice is cooking cut the veggies.
  •  1/2 bell pepper–any color will do but red, orange, and yellow are the most flavorful
  • 1 tomato
  • 1/4 onion
  • cilantro 
  • Cheese–about 1 cup shredded
  • Tortilla Chips
Feel free to substitute any of the veggies.
When the lentils and rice finish cooking simply scoop some on top of a plate of chips, throw on some cheese, and top with lots of veggies.
 
Note: the lentils and rice are pretty dry so make sure you throw on some sour cream, ranch dressing, or your favorite Tex-Mex topper!
 
Some of factors that made this an inexpensive meal: the cheese and chips were purchased at Costco (large amount for little $), this meal is meatless.
 
 If you have a favorite, inexpensive meal that would feed a family of 4 for $5 and would like to have your recipe featured email me or leave the recipe in a comment below.


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Filed Under: food, Healthy Living, Recipes
About Amy @ Oh So Savvy Mom

Amy is mom to three, wife to one, and a sister and aunt to many. Her family is a former military family now settled in Lehi, Utah. Oh So Savvy Mom began as a way for Amy to share parenting and product advice with others. Just as she has evolved, Oh So Savvy Mom has evolved into a resource for Healthy Living for Families, Food, Parenting, and Family Travel.

Comments

  1. Karlyn says
    November 13, 2010 at 9:36 pm
    Ooo, Josh is always looking for yummy ways to use our lentils. I think this one will be a winner in our house.
  2. Amy says
    November 13, 2010 at 10:17 pm
    Oh, no, and I forgot to add that we often eat this on chips 'cause that's The Husband's favorite way, but my favorite is to pile all of it onto a tortilla, fold in the ends, roll it up and throw it on the frying pan with a tablespoon of olive oil. Yummy either way you eat it!
  3. Keli says
    November 15, 2010 at 3:05 am
    Hmmm... My family would not eat lentils... I wonder if they would eat them hidden like this.. Wonder if I would eat them! LOL
  4. Liz says
    November 15, 2010 at 7:09 pm
    Yum! Looks delicious and I love how cheap it is, always looking for ways to save!
  5. Mike Thayer says
    November 17, 2010 at 7:09 pm
    I love lentils. That looks really good!
    Jill