Woodbridge is oftentimes referred to as a “bedroom community” because most of us live here yet work elsewhere. It is no secret that Virginia drivers have one of the worst commutes in the country and it is only getting worse. Woodbridge’s average commute time to and from work is approximately 45 minutes!!! Honestly, I’m like, where? My average commute time is approximately 60 minutes plus.
With such a long commute the last thing that we want to do when we finally make it home is to cook dinner or go out to eat. What seems to work extremely well for my husband and I is meal prepping/cooking for the week. Meal prepping looks good on both our waistlines and our wallets!
Religiously, every Sunday, I meal prep/cook breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks for the darling husband and I. I put in about 2 hours for a full work week of grab and go convenience. And let me tell you that it’s great! You should give it a try.
Tune in on the last Friday of each month for our featured meal prep post.
Hope you Enjoy it Woodbridge!
#WoodbridgeMealPrepSunday
This Month’s Meal Prep Feature: Dinner- Lentils and Root Vegetable Stew!
Ingredients:
2 stalks of celery,
1 large sweet potato,
2 medium red potatoes,
½ large rutabaga,
1 large parsnip,
1.5 cups of baby carrots,
1 medium sweet onion,
1.25 cups of sorted and rinsed lentils (I used the red ones),
3 garlic cloves,
1 bouillon cube flavor of choice (I use chicken),
Fresh or dried herbs of choice – I used thyme, parsley, oregano, 1 bay leaf),
Additional seasonings of choice – I used cayenne pepper, a little curry powder, salt, black pepper,
Water to fill the crockpot (We have a 6 quart) with all veggies inside (Do not over fill),
Drizzle of EVOO at the end.
Directions:
Gather all ingredients.
Add your seasonings to your crockpot, minus the EVOO.
Add your lentils.
Wash, peel, chop all veggies to desired shapes/sizes.
Add your veggies.
Add the water.
Place on the lid, plug in the crockpot, and set to low for 7 to 8 hours and high for 4 or 5 hours.
Drizzle EVOO around the crockpot once finished and give it a nice stir.
The above is for approximately 8 to 10 servings. You’d have to adjust the ingredients and quantities to suit your needs.
I have been all about my crockpot these days. The meals come out absolutely delicious and I am able to plop everything into the crockpot and move on to other tasks versus standing in front of the stove to cook.
I like this meal because it is so versatile. You can literally add/omit any root veggie that you like. You think greens are missing? Add them in the last 30 mins of cooking.
Have fun with it! Bon Appetit!
