Marriage- The Good Wife's Guide

So what exactly is the Good Wife's Guide to Marriage?  Well it all started with this thing I found on Pinterest.  Oh Pinterest- how you do get me into so much trouble sometimes!  However, this guide, published by Housekeeping Monthly in May 1955 was very inspiring to me so I decided to pursue it further.  And I must admit to a mini-obsession with the 1950's housewife as a result.  I know it's pretty hard to read, sorry about that! But not to worry- I will touch upon the important parts!  So let's dive right in, shall we?

The first couple paragraphs discuss making yourself and your home ready for your husband's arrival at the end of the workday.  Now, I know this may seem silly but I can tell you that it works.  I do my very best to have the house picked up and dinner started (notice I didn't say "done"-what am I, Martha freaking Stewart?) by the time my husband gets home.  Now- for me, this can be especially tricky because I never know when my husband will get home.  Some days it's 6pm, some days it's 8pm or 11:30pm- yesterday it was 1:30 in the afternoon! Gah! Doesn't he know I'm trying to be a good wife here?  Clearly not!  So as a result, I shoot for eating dinner at 6pm and if the husband isn't home by then, I just make him a plate for later.  Done and Done.

There is also discussion of being happy & gay and making yourself look good for his arrival.  Ladies- I'm not expecting a miracle here.  You've been in the trenches all day long.  Dirty diapers, piles of laundry to fold, floors to wash etc.  However, I will say that it might be nice for your husband to arrive home and see a smiling face.  Even if that smiling face has on a stained t-shirt and your hair is in a bun, reminiscent of the look I rocked all day yesterday.  That's right, I'm sexy and I know it.

However, the general idea here is that no one wants to work all day long and then come home to a grouch.  Am I right?  So save the complaining for later and just give him a hug and a kiss and tell him you missed him.  And while you're at it, tell him how much you love him too!  This is something I strive to do every single day.  I watched my parents do it every day and they've been married for almost 40 years- so something must be working here!

The other main parts of this guide are about serving your husband.  Whoa! Did she just say "serving" her husband?  Wait just a minute- I'm no one's servant!  Hmm...did that thought just cross your mind?  Well, let me just point out that if you're a Mom- you are a servant.  Relax- it's just a word.  A servant can truly be a wonderful thing.  Imagine, doing for others out of the goodness of your heart.  Helping those who can't help themselves.  Doing kind acts because you care enough to show others how much you love them.  See- nothing wrong with those things, right?  So forget the word "servant"- but focus on the true underlining meaning behind what it is.

You love your husband, right?  You want to show your husband how much you love him, right?  So do nice things for him.  Don't expect anything in return.  Love is given freely and without expectations.  For me, I show my husband I care by waking him up every day for work.  I pack him a lunch and make him a hot breakfast.  I also make sure he takes all his vitamins.  When grocery shopping, I always make sure to have plenty of his favorite things in the house.  I pick up his prescriptions and I make all his doctor's appointments.  I cut my husband's hair and I wash all his clothes.  I do these things because I love him and I want to serve him.  I encourage you to try it- you may be surprised at the positive outcome it has on your marriage.

Perhaps the most important lesson I've learned from the Good Wife's Guide- is to listen to your husband.  Listen without speaking.  The guide says to "listen and let him talk first because his topics are more important then yours".  Ok- while I don't agree that his are more important then mine- I do believe they are equally important.  I try every day to look him in the eyes and listen to what he is saying.  Pay attention!  NO Candy Crush, NO Facebook, NO tv- just listening.  We all need someone to vent to, to talk to and someone who will listen.  And the reality is- if you're husband isn't getting what he needs at home, he will look elsewhere.

Yikes!  I realize that's a harsh statement.  But I can say that if you are not meeting your husbands needs, either emotionally or physically, he will most likely begin to look elsewhere.  You simply must make him and your marriage a priority in your life.  I know this is hard- especially if you have kids, but you will be much happier in the long run.  An easy way for me to make my husband a priority is to simply ask myself each day "what can I do for my husband today?"  Some days I bake him his favorite pumpkin bread.  Other days I might attempt to let him sleep in late- hard to do with 2 barking dogs and a active boy running around, but I try.  Perhaps we go to a movie just the two of us or I pick up his favorite takeout for a surprise dinner.  And let's face it, many days it's just making sure he has clean underwear to wear to work.  But the goal is to try every day to do something loving and kind for your husband.

So to recap- 

• Greet your husband with a hug & kiss, I also suggest doing this when he leaves for the day too
• Tidy up the house & yourself as best you can before he arrives home
• Try and have dinner ready or at least started- the way to a man's heart is through his stomach after all!
• Don't be a grouch & show him you're happy to see him
• Do nice things for your husband
• Love him freely and without conditions or expectations
• Listen to your husband
• Make him your priority and put his needs before your own

See, it's not so bad!  I realize some things in this guide are VERY outdated.  How about that last line "a good wife always knows her place".  Ha! I know my place and it's right beside my husband.  Not behind him, BESIDE him because we are equals in our marriage.  You also won't find me taking off my husband's shoes, fluffing his pillows or speaking to him in low & soothing tones.  PUH-LEEZE! He's not a child and frankly that would probably be a bit emasculating not to mention a ridiculous waste of my time.  But I do think that many of the points discussed have merits.  See my recap above!  It's really very easy to adapt this 1955 guide to fit a much more modern time- just take what you think will be valuable to your own marriage and apply it.  Easy as that!

Marriage- The UNpopular guidelines we follow

Recently my marriage has been under attack.  Can you believe it!?!  There's people out there who are SO upset with the way MY marriage works that they are compelled to bring it to my attention.  Ha!  Too bad I could give a shit.  I'm in a committed loving relationship and we will be celebrating 10 years of married life this November.  Clearly, we are doing something right.

So what exactly are we doing??  To be honest, I don't think we *do* anything out of the ordinary or differently than anyone else.  But in preparing for this post- I suppose that we do.  It became clear to me that our traditional marriage also has some very old fashioned values.  We never sat down at the beginning of our marriage and wrote out a big long list of rules.  Ha!  That's absurd.  What has happened though is that we have naturally developed guidelines for our marriage along the way.  Issues have come up and we've agreed on a compromise and moved forward.  Seems easy enough, right?

Now- I fully acknowledge that many of these guidelines may be extreme for some of you.  They have certainly been less then popular among some who know us.  You may feel they set women back 50 years and your inner feminist may beat at the door to come out.  I get it.  This is certainly not the path for everyone but it's my path and it's my marriage.  So take a hike!  Ok, not really- stay and read more about our guidelines.  Maybe you'll find something useful here?  Maybe not.  But I'm pretty sure you're curious- so read on!

What We Do:

• We guard our marriage from outside influences.  We keep ourselves free of distractions and temptations.  Simply put- you will NOT find me clubbing with the girls on a Saturday night sans hubby.  And you will NOT find my husband out with the guys at a strip club.  Mainly because we both have no desire to be in those horrid places (that's what your 20s are for!) and because we value our marriage above all else.  We keep ourselves away from places or people that could cause harm.
• We do NOT have friends of the opposite sex.  This is a biggie.  We just don't do it and it works well for us.  We believe this opens the door for misunderstandings and lets other's know that we are available.  Emotionally, physically- whatever- we let others know that we are not available.  As I said before, we guard our marriage against outside influences and by not having friends of the opposite sex- this is the easiest way we accomplish this.  And frankly- I just don't have time for any man but my husband!  Now sure- we can have couple friends.  But we do not ever hang out with someone from the opposite sex without our spouse.  We just don't. 
• We keep ourselves drama free.  Now- there are some folks out there who thrive on drama, much of it is self-created, I'm sure.  People like to gossip, rumors fly, hurtful words are said- you get the point.  If we meet someone (or know someone) who likes to engage in this type of behavior, we simply cut them off.  We do not give them access to our life and allow their hatefulness & issues to spread into our marriage.  Simply put, their problems are not our problems.  Good riddance.
• We keep each other informed on our whereabouts.  I like to know what my husband is up to all day because I miss him.  Not because I'm distrustful of him.  And he likes to know where I'm going to make sure I will be safe.  We spend as much time together as possible because we genuinely enjoy each other's company.  And since my husband works so many long hours, we stay in touch via text messages & phone calls throughout the day.  Contrary to some recent opinions (you know who you are!) we don't do this because we don't trust each other, we do this because we LOVE each other.  I miss my husband and sometimes the longest conversation I get to have with him is a quick "how's work going?" text.  This is also done as a courtesy to one another.  Many times I will be heading to the grocery store and will call and ask if there's anything special he wants.  Or maybe if I know he's going to be home soon and I have to take our son to the doctor- I will send him a text and let him know I will be gone when he gets home.  This way he doesn't worry. 
• We keep an open door policy.  I have all his passwords, not that I can remember them and he has mine.  There is nothing he is not allowed to see- my phone, my text messages, my emails, facebook and vice versa.  Simply put, I have nothing to hide and nothing to prove because I am not behaving in an "unwifely way".  Until recently we shared an email address for goodness sakes!  We are always looking at each other's facebook accounts, or he's showing me a funny email someone sent him or a dirty joke via text- it's just the way we've always operated.  With this, we don't have any secrets.  We tell each other everything.  Seriously- everything.  He is my best friend and I am his- there is nothing we don't share with one another.  Nothing is off limits.
• We do our very best to listen to one another and we are learning, always learning- how to properly communicate with each other.  We are very different people my husband and I- we literally have nothing in common.  So for us, it takes effort to reach a middle ground.  We argue and we may not always agree.  However, we have learned how to argue with purpose and how to communicate respectfully.  But dare I say- this is why our marriage works so well.  At least we will never get bored!!  And if we cannot reach a compromise- my husband always has the final say.  Yep, you heard it right. I always let him win.  I may not be happy about it, I may not agree- but he is the Man of our house and if we can't agree, it always comes down to his way.
• We embrace our gender roles.  I am happiest cooking, baking and reading.  I like getting dressed up and take great pride in my feminine appearance, to which I think my husband likes too!  In fact, I'm pretty sure he approves.  My husband enjoys guns and fishing and is great at working with his hands.  Sorry ladies, but there's nothing sexier then a man who is good with his hands!  Ahem! Sorry, I got sidetracked....the point is, we embrace who we are as individuals.  I am very much the woman in our marriage and my husband is the man, we love it this way!  We firmly believe that a woman's place is at home.  She is after all, the heart of her family.  And a man's job is to provide and protect his home and his family.  Wow- how very sexist of us! Clearly, we are not afraid to be ourselves and our marriage works better because of it.

So as you can see- these are some unusual guidelines for marriage in modern times.  Clearly not the norm we are used to witnessing.  I fully admit that my marriage is NOT perfect.  But my marriage does make me happy, it does bring me fulfillment and it does work for myself and my husband.  What more could you want?

*Up next in this marriage series-  The Good Wife's Guide to her Husband and Home.  OOHH- that's sure to be exciting!

Marriage- A Traditional Housewife

What would a Homeschooled Housewife blog be without discussing the Housewife part of things?  So here begins a series of posts about all things marriage and housewifey.  Yep, pretty sure housewifey is a word.  So hold on feminists and watch out single gals- here we go!  And if I ruffle some feathers along the way- please know that these posts on marriage are a reflection of what works for me personally.  I don't expect everyone to agree or to do things the same way.  I'm simply stating what has worked for us in our marriage and what we personally believe.  Well alright...might as well jump right in!

Let me first begin by saying that my husband and I have a very traditional marriage.  It didn't start out this way 13 years ago when we first started dating.  We certainly didn't have a big huge discussion on marriage, our roles, expectations etc.  In fact, looking back- we were pretty naive about the whole thing.

Over the course of our relationship, we have naturally settled into the roles that fit us best and work the most for our marriage.  And surprise! They just happen to be very traditional roles.  Not many of them left these days and it's certainly not a very popular choice among my own generation.  So what exactly does our traditional marriage look like? Well, I like to think it's very reminiscent of Grandma & Grandpa's marriage circa 1950 with a little bit of modern times thrown in!

To put it simply- I am responsible for everything inside the house and my husband is responsible for everything outside the house.  But it's not just about the division of labor- because to be honest, I could care less if he washes the dishes or I take the car in for an oil change.  Which BTW- I have never in my entire life taken a car in for an oil change, so I don't expect that to change any time soon.  But back to the topic at hand....it's not really about who does what.  It's more about how we view ourselves in our marriage that would classify our marriage as traditional.  I'll explain...

I am the keeper of the home.  I am my husband's help mate and I am the foundation for our family.  Basically, I'm the glue that holds this ship together.  I begin each day with one simple question- "what can I do to make your life better today?"  By doing for others, I do for myself.  I am happiest when I am with my boys and I truly enjoy being a Wife and Mother.  Hmm...if this doesn't scream June Cleaver, I don't know what will!

My husband views his role in our marriage as protector.  He is the provider and the protector for our family. Everything he does comes from this desire to financially provide for us and to protect us from harm.  I know that when I am with my husband, I am always safe and I am always loved.

I have noticed that more people, especially from my generation, are abandoning the traditional roles of marriage.  Most times it's out of necessity- you just can't afford for the wife to stay at home like you could 50 years ago, I get it.  However, many times its because this is what they desire.  Society has changed the face of marriage and somehow made the traditional marriage less acceptable.  A true housewife is a thing of the past.  Which is sad really- there was some sort of beautiful fantasy involved in the whole 1950's housewife.  If you like that sort of thing I suppose...but there were also some very real benefits to the lifestyle.  Such as:

• Less stress.  My husband goes out and works, earns the money while I take care of the home.  No one person is attempting to do it all.  This causes you to become overwhelmed and burdened with the day to day responsibilities.  This way, my husband can leave each day knowing that he will return to clean underwear, a home cooked meal, and a hopefully fairly clean house.  In turn, I do not feel the pressure to "do it all" and be some sort of Superwoman.  Too much work, I'll pass.
• More time.  There is simply more time to accomplish more things in any given day.  Sure, I have a LOT on my plate right now.  I work part time, I homeschool, I run a household, I raise a child- blah, blah, blah....you get it, I'm busy.  But I'm not so busy that I become overwhelmed.  I have the time to provide a home cooked breakfast for my husband before he leaves for work.  I have the time to make his lunch every morning.  I have the time to clean the house and wash the clothes-well, most days that is. Most importantly- I am not rushed and everything that needs to get done, gets done.  I am also free to give the best of myself to my family simply because I have the time to devote to them.
• Respect.  I respect and admire how hard my husband works to provide for his family.  My husband respects and likes the man that he is, his work gives him purpose- many times men are defined by their work.  As I sit here typing this blog post, he's just come off a 70 hour work week and has already put in 10 hours today with several more hours to go and will be back up and out the door at 5AM tomorrow morning.  Whew- now that's a hardworking man!  In turn, my husband respects me for how hard I work to ensure our family is well taken care of.  And ladies- let's not forget how sexy a little hard work & respect can make a man!
• The kids are taken care of.  There is no childcare shuffle.  I am home all day, every day.  I am the one raising my son with the morals and beliefs set forth by myself and my husband.  I do not have to worry about where my child is, what he's doing, if he's happy, well fed, etc because I am providing all of that. In turn, my husband is free to go about his work day knowing that our child is safe and secure.
• It's cheaper & you save money.  I never used coupons before becoming a stay at home wife & mother.  I never sewed a button or patched a hole in jeans- I just threw them away.  I also relied heavily on processed foods as they were much faster and easier to prepare.  However they are also more expensive to buy, so by simply making homemade foods, I ensure we aren't eating boxed crap and I save us money.  WooHoo!  We also don't pay for childcare.  I don't have work clothes to buy, lunches out, espresso's on the way in to work, gas for a super long commute, etc- all of which was part of our finances prior to me staying home.  In fact, we share one car now because we don't need two!  Ka-ching!  And let's not forget the pesky IRS.  The more you earn, the more they take!
• We are happier as a couple.  This is perhaps THE biggest reason why I feel a traditional marriage is best.  My husband is happier because I take as much stress out of his life as possible.  His needs and desires are met.  I am happier because I get to fulfill my lifelong dream of being a Wife and Mother.  I am not burdened down with work stress and can focus entirely on my family.  We have more time to enjoy each other and spend time together as a family and as a couple.

In general- our home runs the way we want it to run.  I do more of the things that are thought of as traditionally female and my husband does those that are traditionally male.  One could not function without the other, so we are very much a team.  Could my husband make dinner and do the dishes?  Well, yes- I suppose he could.  Does he want to?  Well, no more then I want to mow the lawn and fix the brakes on our SUV.  So why go against who you are in order to fit into the modern mold of marriage?  Embrace who you are and be happy in your marriage!

*Check out the next post in this marriage series discussing the NOT so popular rules we follow in our marriage.

How I Taught My Son to Read

As a homeschooling Mama- no task seemed so great, no obstacle more large then the dreaded one of teaching your child to read.  Seriously, how does one teach someone how to read? How?? I was really stumped on this one.  My smart 6 year old was entering 1st Grade and I thought- for sure, this is the year! He's going to learn to read!  Ha!  Was I wrong!

First, we used super, super easy readers from Barron's Reader's Clubhouse.  They were a gift given to William from a wonderful friend and included all the books in all 3 levels.  Exhausting- but a great starter and sadly, I would recommend them.  Perfect for the kid who is not quite ready for Scholastic level 1.  Click here  to order from Amazon if you so choose.  Let's face it though- they are no literary works of art.  In fact, I'm pretty sure Lucky Dog & Buddy Boy could read these things!  Dan the Ant...Dan the Ant likes to eat.  Dan the Ant likes to eat food.  Oh, Dan-what silly antics you have in pursuit of your yummy snack.  And let's not forget, Nick is Sick, Parade Day and Joe Boat.  What masterpieces await you!

William mastered that playful and silly Dan the Ant.  Level 1- done.  Gah only 2 more to go!  Over the course of the entire school year, William read each book in these simple readers, slowly and painfully moving ahead to the next level.  Until finally one day, level 3 wasn't as difficult.  He was ready for....wait for it...wait for it.....Scholastic Level 1.  Ugh, back at Level 1.  Again.  Parents, let me just tell you that teaching your child to read is by far, the most gruelling, patience testing process ever invented.  During that year, I pushed and I pushed. If I could will my child to learn to read- I was that determined.  I exercised more patience then I thought possible & engaged in a fierce battle of wits with William.  The more I wanted him to read, the more he fought me.

So it should come as no surprise that by summer time, we had both had enough.  I said- I give up.  I give up! There you have it, I confess....I totally gave up.  For a while that is & so we decided to take the summer off.  It was blissful, it was calm & it eventually had to come to an end.  By the time August rolled around, I was making myself crazy trying to figure out what in the world I was going to do.  I could NOT have a 2nd grader who couldn't read! Surely that would make me the World's Worst Homeschooling Mom, right?  I'm mean really- there has got to be a judge and jury just waiting in the wings to convict me of my crimes against homeschooling.  No?  Hmmm...maybe not.  So back to the month of August-  I did something I'm not entirely proud of, although it was a genius idea. <Insert evil laugh here>  I said, "William, you know you're entering 2nd grade and all your friends will know how to read.  Don't you want to know how to read to?"  Ohh- I did it, I totally guilted my child into learning to read.  If that doesn't make me win the title of World's Worst Mom, I don't know what will.  Eh- who cares.  I did what I had to and it worked.

If was after that, that William decided he was finally ready to become a reader.  I thought perhaps we should take on a different approach then before in the hopes that this might do the trick.  Each day, William sat down for 20 minutes in any book of his choice (although I made sure to have plenty readers available) and he read quietly.  The first week I stayed close by and was on hand to answer all his questions.  "Mom, what does a-n-d spell? T-h-i-n-g-s? How about d-o-o-r?" And on and on it went.  Grueling.  Exhausting.  Endless.  But you know what- with each week, he asked me less and less.  And then a funny thing happened, he just started reading.  All by himself.  He did it!! I did it!! WE DID IT!!!!!!!!  My son was now a reader!  Oh thank the heavens! Break out the happy dance, I don't totally suck at this homeschooling business!

Now I look back on the last year and can't believe that he's only been reading on his own for just one year.  He's come so far and it's truly amazing to think- we did this.  William and I- we freaking killed it!  Learn to read? Challenge Accepted.  Challenge Concurred.  You'll notice I say that we did it.  I tried my very best, but it wasn't until William decided that he was ready, that everything finally clicked.  I trusted him and I gave him the freedom to accomplish this task.  Imagine what would have happened if I kept pushing him?  Nothing pleasant I can tell you that!


William reading for FUN!

I've been blessed with a boy who loves to read.  His current favorites are the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, he's finished book #6 and we need to go buy #7.  There were rumors of more books in the series- so he's pumped about that.  He also likes  The Boxcar Children series and anything about Lego.  He's signed up for the free Lego magazine and devours that each time it arrives in the mailbox.  He also just started reading Harry Potter- a little advanced for him but I'm happy he's reaching & pushing himself.  William continues to read quietly each day, except now he's up to 40 minutes per day and next Fall, we will increase that to 60 minutes each day.  I could NOT have imagined a better outcome then this and I'm so proud of both of us.

This is how I taught my son to read.  You Go Homeschooling Mama- you got this!

July 4th- It's NOT the President's Birthday

Driving in the car the other day, William asked me how many more days until the 4th of July.  Nothing new- we've been counting down since mid June.  But when I said, "America's birthday is in 6 days" his immediate reply was "it's not America's birthday Mom! It's the President's".  Hmm...no. Not quite child.  Clearly this Homeschooling Mama has failed in the teaching of the true meaning of the 4th of July.

So I set out to teach him.  I put some books on hold at the library and looked up some YouTube videos.  Seriously- every proper homeschooling Mom needs to utilize the library & YouTube!  But then I thought- does William know the true meaning behind any of the holidays?  I like to think he understands Christmas and Easter, but let's face it- Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny are more present in my home then Jesus is.  And so begins the real dilemma.  How does one go about teaching the true meaning behind each holiday?  And further more- is it really necessary?  Seriously- do you know why we celebrate St.Patrick's Day?  I know we all love pinching those unlucky folks not wearing green & enjoy getting shnockered on Guinness (blech!) but what's it really about??  And what's up with Valentine's Day- that's not even a real holiday!  How about those lesser known "B list" holidays, like Earth Day & Flag Day?  Arbor Day anyone?  A busy Mom could drive herself crazy trying to celebrate each one.  And let's not forget other cultures and their holidays.  I sure would like my child to have a basic understanding of Kwanzaa & Yom Kippur and other holidays- wouldn't you?




William & his Firework Swords

I know that when William gets older and looks back on these celebrations, it's the traditions he will remember.  Blowing things up with Daddy.  Making ice cream sodas with Mom.  BBQ with the grandparents & neighbors.  Trips to the Indian Reservation for the "good" stuff.  Staying up late, eating too much junk food, making the "snakes" grow, dancing on Pop-It's, having Sparkler wars and more.  Does it really matter that for now, he thinks it's the President's birthday instead of America's?  Hey- at least he still thinks it's someone's birthday, right?

So I decided to give myself a reprieve.  I'm not the worst Mom ever- I've still got time to teach him.  And let's face it, if he went to a "normal" school, he wouldn't be learning the true meaning of any holiday.  Jesus who?  And for goodness sakes, what is a Fall Festival? Seriously??  Sad but true my friends.  Sad but true...

So I relaxed....and then a wonderful thing happened.  He started reading those books.  He started asking me questions.  He wanted to learn and so he did.  "Mom, is the White House in Washington?  Mom, is Obama the President of our country?  Mom, how old is America?  Mom, who bakes the cake for America?"  That last question was my favorite and indeed a good question.  I don't know son- lets google it.

Has this ever happened in your house?  This my fellow parents is called  Unschooling.  The radical idea that children can learn from their environment.  No formal anything- nada, zip, zilch.  And it's amazing!  You as parents provide the tools, the materials, the books, the YouTube videos, the opportunities and your children learn.  Simple as that.  Man, do I love when this happens!

Now as we approach The President's America's Birthday- William knows just a little bit more about it then he did last week.  For me, that's good enough.  And perhaps, we will bake that cake for America.  It is her birthday after all.


Happy Birthday America!

It's Meatless Monday! Lentil Chili Time!

That's right folks- it's Meatless Monday up in this hizzouse!!  Hmm...is that even how you spell it? Clearly I am lacking in the slang department.  But you all understand what I'm laying down for you, right?  It's Monday.  It's Meatless.  It's Meatless Monday!

Years ago we started our journey to better eating, by simply making Monday's meatless.  This has evolved into a mostly vegetarian diet for the Homeschooled Housewife- much to my husband's irritation.  Oh well- you'll live longer to gripe at me.  Get over it.

For those of you considering going meatless- may I suggest you start with lentils?  If you've got a meat & potatoes loving husband like I do- lentils are a very good substitute.  I've even made lentil meatloaf & he had no idea there wasn't any meat in it.  No Idea!  Now that's amazing.  Lentils- you get my vote!  So let's start with lentils then, shall we.  One of my all time favorite recipes is Lentil Chili.  It's easy, filling, tastes good, cheap to make & can easily be frozen.  All the things I love out of a recipe!

The original recipe can be found by clicking here, although my altered version is much better.  So why bother?

Here's my recipe for Lentil Chili-

Almost done! 

6 cups chicken or veggie broth
2 1/2 cups rinsed lentils (not cooked)
1 15oz can tomato sauce
1 32 oz can diced tomatoes
3 15 oz cans kidney beans
1/2 small can diced green chilis
1 large onion, cut up
3 Tablespoons chili powder
2 1/2-3 teaspoons cumin
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
splash tabasco

Basically you dump all of the ingredients but 1 can of kidney beans & lentils into a large pot & bring to a boil.  Then turn down to low- no reason to scald the poor pot. Once you've boiled it long enough, get out your immersion blender.  Your what?  Immersion blender- you need one, trust me.  Click here to see what mine looks like.  Ok- so now you've whipped out your immersion blender- so blend baby, blend!  I like to leave a few chunks for texture & the hubby says he likes to see what he's eating.  Bwahhaha- like he has a clue!

Now add your leftover can of kidney beans & the lentils to the pot. Cook this on low for at least an hour- the longer, the better.  You may want to adjust the seasonings depending on your spice tolerance.  I'm a wimp, so we keep it light. You can totally add some green peppers, garlic, other types of beans, carrots, etc- this recipe is so easily adaptable.  However, it's one of my go-to "easy meals".  You know the ones folks- you dump & run.  So really, the less prep work, the better!

Lentil Chili-serve w/cheese & sour cream.

And there you have it.  Lentil Chili.  I serve it with a little shredded cheddar cheese & a scoop of sour cream.  I also use only organic ingredients because well....it's just better for you.  Look up GMO's.  Better yet, read my post the March against Monsanto- GMO's if you are scratching your head in confusion.

Now- if you're a step ahead, like I pretend to be sometimes- you'll double this batch & freeze half.  My tip for freezing meals is to put it in the fridge overnight, then in the morning, fill up a large storage sized ziploc bag & label, label, label.  For goodness sakes- label it!  You'll thank me later.

Enjoy!