First we must Zumba!
Zumba
Yesterday ended up being a little more active than I anticipated. Late in the afternoon, I got a call from my friend Lindsay who wanted to meet up to take a Zumba class. I’ve taken Zumba a handful of times before and knew we’d have fun, so I changed into some workout clothes and headed out.
I was anxious to try out some new workout gear that Reebok sent to me to review and figured Zumba was the place to wear a new brightly colored tank! The Reebok yoga pocket tank top is actually part of Reebok’s new yoga line that they created with Tara Stiles, the founder of Strala Yoga.
While I generally prefer tank tops without words on them and am not sure that I’m really a “who made the rules” kind of girl, the minute I slipped the tank top on, I loved the fit. It was really light and long and covered most of my butt. It also wasn’t clingy around my stomach.
The tank allowed for lots of movement during Zumba and was incredibly comfortable. I paired it with the Reebok short bra sports bra in medium gray heather.
You can’t really tell from the picture, but it has a slight metallic look to it that I adore. And it was lightly padded which you know this small-chested girl appreciated. (If you’re interested in the top, I would recommend ordering it a size smaller than you might think because I think they run a bit big.) Thanks again, Reebok!
Hike
After Zumba, I came home, drank a snack-size smoothie and suggested taking Sadie on a hike before dinner. Ryan was more than game, so we headed out and walked around the trails for about an hour before heading home for another crockpot dinner!
The huntress in Sadie immediately spotted a squirrel and went into super-stalker mode. Don’t worry, no squirrels were harmed during our hike. Sadie stalks them and then once she gets really close, she looks back at us like, “Okay, I got it, now do something.”
Speaking of Sadie, the paranoid puppy mama in me surfaced again last week. Yet another bump appeared on Sadie’s shoulder last week and we have an appointment to get it checked out this afternoon.
(Sadie’s eyes in that picture are just too perfect. She looks like such a little drama queen.)
The good news is that Sadie seems unfazed and is acting like her normal crazy self. Unfortunately the bump is much larger than her previous lumps and popped up out of nowhere, so it’s a bit more concerning. Better safe than sorry.
Dinner
Last night’s Crock Pot Challenge dinner was a success!
Yes, it may look less-than-appetizing, but lentils aren’t exactly a thing of beauty. They are, however, quite tasty, especially when they cook for hours in a slow cooker with flavorful Indian spices.
Yesterday afternoon Ryan found a recipe for Slow Cooker Indian Spiced Lentils online that sounded great, so we bought everything we thought we’d need to make the dish, plus a few extras to change it up a little bit.
The end result was fantastic!
This recipe can easily be made vegetarian if you omit the chicken thighs and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. With or without the chicken, this recipe is a winner, especially if you’re a fan of curry and garam masala.
Please note that this recipe makes a ton of lentils. If you’re cooking for two people, I’d recommend cutting it in half. Ryan and I currently have enough leftovers to feed us for days. Anyone want to come over and eat some lentils? Par-tay!
Crock Pot Curried Lentils
Crock Pot Curried Lentils
- Cook Time: 6 hours
- Total Time: 6 hours
- Category: dinner, recipes
- Cuisine: dinner
Description
This recipe creates a nice dish with flavorful Indian spices.
Ingredients
- 2 cups lentils
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 2 cans (4 cups) chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1/2 tablespoon garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon corriander
- Dash of cayenne pepper to taste
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cups cauliflower florets, chopped
- 4 cups fresh spinach
- 4 chicken thighs
- Fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients except for cilantro in the crock pot and cook on low for 6 hours.
- Scoop lentils into bowls and top with cilantro.
Notes
This recipe makes a lot of lentils… feel free to cut into half if necessary.
Enjoy!
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Adorable workout clothes! I think Tara Stiles is great; I’ll have to check out her clothes.
Mmmm I love lentils!! Looks awesome.
YAY for Zumba! Did you like? I love teaching that class–soo fun to booty shake 🙂
Lentils sound amazing, will have to try them minus the chicken! I’m in need of a slightly padded sports bra! The reebok is really cute!
check out my post today about a bad monday run:
http://runningathousandmiles.blogspot.com/2013/01/case-of-mondays.html
Definitely better to be safe than sorry…my dog Maggie just gave me a scare but a quick trip to the vet assured us it was just a bladder infection and some antibiotics were all she needed. So much better to know than worry!
I just got a ton of lentils in a goody bag, and I was wondering what to do with them!! This may be the recipe I choose…it looks so tasty 🙂
Oh no poor Sadie! I hope she’s okay! Also, that workout outfit is so cute on you!
wow you put my crock pot to shame! way to go! I wish I got this much use out of mine haha!
I have always wanted to try Zumba. I’m such a chicken!
Hi Julie!
Cute outfit! I’m sorry to hear about Sadie’s lump–I hope it turns out to be a benign fatty cyst. I have an 8-year old Weimaraner and he has a number of dermoids (fatty cysts/tumors). Apparently this is a common condition in Weims as they age.
I’m sure your vet will be able to determine if Sadie’s needs further investigation. Wishing you and Sadie the best!
Kim
I LOVE zumba–it took me a while to get over the idea of “looking stupid” cause I’m an awful dancer haha…but since doing that it has become a regular thing for me. So fun!
I love that tank! I’ve just recently gotten really into yoga and went searching for tanks just like the one you’re wearing. I’ll have to look to Reebok in the future.
I have a German Shorthair Pointer which is a dog fairly similar to Sadie, and he recently had a big old bump removed. It was non-cancerous but practically the size of a golf ball, and he’s fine! Hopefully Sadie is okay as well!
hi christa! were they concerned at first? the vet removed some fluid from it this afternoon and was concerned, so they’re sending it out to a pathologist. i’m nervous and hope everything is okay. so glad to hear your sweet dog is okay!
My slow cooker meal from last night was a FAIL, or else I’d share it with ya! 😉 Glad to see that yours went better!
Those lentils look DELICIOUS! I’ll have to give them a try. I’m still new to lentils but so far I’m loving them and looking for new ways to try it. 🙂
I’m a lentil addict. YUM! What a great recipe!
Sometimes it seems hard to find good vegetarian recipes, but this one looks excellent! Can’t wait to try it!
Vegetarian Crock Pot Recipes**
A classic PBF post, the way it used to be! Love it.
I’m making the original version of this tonight. We love to eat lentils and it’s perfect for Meatless Monday! Thank you so much for sharing. I hope everything comes back clear from the vet.
We take my lab in all the time it seems for lumps. Some big and some small. They have been worried a few times but luckily they have all been benign. I’m sure it will be the same with Sadie <3
I love that tank!! And Sadie looks as cute as ever 🙂
Side note, one of my dogs has a lot of those lumps and it always really concerns me, but the vet constantly reassures me that it is nothing to worry about. I hope you hear the same.
I adore lentils, they are so versatile and hold up really well in slow cooker dishes like this one!
I’ve really got to soak those lentils! This looks good 🙂
Oh I hope your sweet little Sadie is okay. Glad you are taking her to the vet, you never can be too safe. Let us know how every thing turns out. Thanks for the recipe, looks delicious.
I live in Fairbanks, Alaska and it hit -50 yesterday, so seeing you in your tank tops and shorts always makes me feel like you’re on another planet!
I’m keeping Sadie in my thoughts; I know how scary possible doggy health scares can be <3 You're a good mom for getting it checked out right away, and hopefully it will be nothing or easily treatable/containable like you said. As some of the others have mentioned, our lab had lots of miscellaneous lumps that were never anything to be worried about, so hopefully she will be fine! In any case she looks as happy and go-lucky as ever =)
O no! So sorry to hear about another bump appearing on poor Sadie. I hope everything goes well! Love the Reebok gear & the delish crock pot curried lentils recipe. 😀
I shouldn’t chuckle, but our vizsla Copper ( age 11 1/2) has had lumps for years. Our vet says not to remove them. Why cause pain when it is not necessary? We had a Weimaraner with the same problem. We’re told it goes with the breed. Copper is frisky as ever and the Weimaraner (Maggie) lived a long life!
Hoping Sadie’s bump is nothing–Cooper has one as well that I am tempted to have removed even when the vet said it was a fatty tumor. Tank looks fab on you!
I just finished the prep work for slow cooker lentils and can’t wait to try it!! looks soo good!! 🙂
love all your recipes!!
I’m so excited to try that curried lentils recipe! I love that the slow cooker takes care of doing the work. Your blog is great by the way…I’m a new reader and I’ve loved reading your posts about workouts and recipes! 🙂
Thanks for this recipe, I left it in the crockpot before I headed to work today. I made it veggie though (omitted the chicken and used water instead of chicken stock), and maybe it was the omission of the chicken that caused this but I needed to add another half cup of water to get the liquid to cover everything. I guess the spinach takes up a lot of space fresh so if you pre-wilted it that might solve this too. I hope this might be of help other readers!
Thank you for your site/blog but more importantly your recipes. I love your honesty and the pictures are great. I am making this particular recipe tonight! Keep up the awesome work!
I made this recipe minus the chicken tonight! It was great. I was inspired to cook lentils after having a delicious salad at a restaurant yesterday with pepitas and lentils on top of it– YUM!
Thanks for posting this! I’ll watch for more great recipes.
Following study just a few of the blog articles on your site right now, and that i really much like your way of running a blog. I bookmarked this to my bookmark web site itemizing and can be checking again soon.
I know this was ages ago now, but I was looking through the 2013 recipes post and when I read this, I just thought to leave a comment. My old dog Maggie had multiple cancers, in her skin, in the muscle and even a sarcoma on her leg. And had surgeries, radiotherapy etc, and she lived a great life until a ripe old age of seventeen. These ginger doggies are at higher risk for lumps and bumps, vets always told me, but if you keep on top of it, they are very resilient and doesn’t have to shorten their life at all. I am glad Sadie is good now, and she obviously loves you very much. All the best for the new year!
Did you have to soak the lentils over night?