On to the next month...

I have survived my first month of this year with mostly good things happening around me. I am firmly following some of my resolutions and so far all is smooth sailing. One of the biggest things I have accomplished other than dropping 10 lbs, is having been able to participate in an amazing event. Feed My Starving Children is an organization that is faithfully trying to eliminate starvation in children throughout the world. They have different locations throughout the country where people can volunteer to pack meals of dry foods and then they ship these to places like Haiti, Angola, Colombia, India etc...

  http://www.fmsc.org/ <<check them out here!

My place of employment is very involved with the organization and when they come to town they pass word to all the employees to volunteer. Well, I managed to get a group of about 15 people, from friends to co-workers and even my sister to do a shift. As a team we packed 23 boxes, as a whole we prepared meals for about 300 kids. What an AMAZING feeling!!!  Nothing is better than giving to those in need. I encourage you all to look into this organization, they just may be packing meals in your neighborhood.

Now time for some comfort food that is healthy and will be one keep around for when you are sick, or on a cold day... This is one of those that I just cannot get enough of!

My mamas lentils-

What you need:
16 Oz Dry Lentils
2-3 Medium size potatoes, peeled, cubed to about 1 inch size
3 Lb piece of pork tenderloin
1 heaping tbsp of sofrito or guizo (as mentioned in previous recipes)
1 Tbsp EVOO
Salt & Pepper
Ketchup
1 Beef Bouillon cube

How to make:
Soak the lentils in water the night before you make them in a container. The next day gently remove all the skins that are floating in the container. Slowly grab a handful of lentils and rub them with your hands to take off all (or almost all) the skins. This may take a few minutes, but trust me it is well worth it- wash them with water as you go until you see that most of them look a shade lighter. Rinse completely and place them in a pot with just enough water to cover them set on med-high heat and just when you start to see them boil add the potatoes. Allow to boil until the water has almost evaporated making sure the potatoes are soft but not falling apart.

In a separate pot cook the pork in water with salt and pepper until you can pull it apart with a fork. Set aside.

In a large pot on med-high heat, sautee the guizo with the evoo and the beef bouillon for a couple of minutes, add the pork and mix well and cook for another couple of minutes. Add this mixture to the lentils, add about 2 tbsp of ketchup and mix everything. Lower heat at this point. If the consistency is soupy, allow to simmer for a few minutes. Taste and adjust with salt, pepper and ketchup as desired. You can add a dash of powdered color if you would like.

Serve this on top of white rice.

Enjoy!