I think I have said it before, but if I haven’t, one important thing to know about me is that I love routine. I not only love it, I NEED it, thrive on it.  And that is why the first few weeks of summer are the absolute worst (for me).

Once school ends it takes us all a few weeks to shake off the hectic busy end of school and embrace the “routine” of having basically no routine. For my order-craving brain, this is a tough transition.  Needless to say, we have all been a wee bit unsettled here but are moving towards acceptance.  Honestly, this is just a big fat excuse for why I haven’t been posting. But the bottom line is that the dust has settled and the smoke has cleared and I’m ready to post on the reg again. (Yay!)

I have been focusing on quick, easy flexible meals to keep on hand.  Having four kids at home gets a little dicey – they want to eat – a lot – like every single day – multiple times. Crazy – I know!

One crowd pleaser has been these Pressure Cooker Lentils that I made in my Instant Pot.  If you haven’t discovered Instant Pot yet – go check it out.  It’s life changing! I’m sure you can make this in your slow cooker as well, but the Pressure Cooker makes is so fast and easy your head will spin. I like to make a batch and keep it on hand to reheat portions as needed.

This is honestly barely a recipe.  Truth be told, the kids tried something similar at the tasting station at Trader Joes and we decided to go home and make a gluten free version. My favorite way to serve it is with a fried egg on top.  The runny yolk makes the lentils extra creamy and it’s a protein packed lunch, or breakfast, ready in just a few minutes.

Pressure Cooker Lentils

Prep Time: 2 min.
Cook Time: 20
Serves: 6

Ingredients

1 Cup Dried Lentils (I used small black lentils)

1 8oz. container of Fresh Homestyle Salsa

1 tsp. Cumin

1 tsp. Celtic sea salt

Fresh Parsley for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients (except for parsley) in pressure cooker.
2. Using the manual setting, set for 10-12 min. at high pressure (depending on side of lentils).
3. When cooking is complete, allow pressure to release naturally for 10 min and then quick release.
4. Stir
5. Garnish with fresh parsley, grated cheese or more salsa.

Notes

Using the salsa saves a ton of time chopping the vegetables individually.  I prefer the fresh salsa because it has no preservatives and brighter flavors.