Hi friends 
How are you? Hope you’re sleeping away peacefully when this blog post goes up.
I’m up before the birds (and haaaate the morning!) to go on a work field trip to one of the health resorts in town. It’s purely work-related, but I’m sure we’ll be able to sneak in some fun stuff 
I have an exciting dinner to share with ya:
Lentil loaf!
Let me start off by saying that this loaf didn’t come out quite the way I wanted it to. It was still DELICIOUS, but didn’t quite stick together. I’ve never had a great relationship with “loaves (loafs?)” of any kind, but was borderline impressed with the results.
I used this new Giada loaf pan from Target.
To make it fully authentic, I wore a low-cut shirt, smiled with all of my teeth and said things like “ri-CO-tta”, “mozarella” and “marscapon-ay”
These TJs lentils also made the recipe SO much easier.
Lentil Loaf
Vegan and gluten-free (Check the BBQ sauce to be sure)
Serves 4
-16 oz cooked lentils
-1 C quinoa, cooked (will make about 2 cups)
-1/2 C baby carrots
-1 shallot
-BBQ sauce of choice (I used the Sunflower Market brand)
-sage, garlic, oregano, sea salt, pepper
1. Preheat the oven to 350* and coat a loaf pan with nonstick spray or the Misto.
2. In a food processor, chop 1/2 C carrots and 1 shallot. Add the chopped veggies to a large bowl.
3. To this bowl, add the cooked quinoa, 1 pack of lentils (2 C), 1/2 C BBQ sauce, 1/2 t sage, 1/2 t oregano, 1/2 t garlic powder, sea salt and pepper.
4. Add the ingredients to the loaf pan and press down.
Bake for 45 minutes, top with more BBQ sauce and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
5. Let it cool completely, and then set in the fridge before warming up- it will stick a little better.
*It would also be excellent scrambled in some eggs, or on top of of a massaged kale salad. Mmmmm
So I had a confession to make:
since I’ve been in Tucson, I’ve been drinking a boatload of bottled water.
The townhouse roomies and I are renting doesn’t have a water filter in the fridge like I’m used to, and Tucson tap water is a little sketch to say the least. I’ve been filling up water bottles at my mom’s house and buying lots and lots of bottles from Trader Joe’s. Even though all the bottles are recycled, I felt guilty about it and picked up this bad Johnny:
Do they really work?
Please say yes.
Haha.
Well I’m off to carpe diem and all that jazz See ya this afternoon with a re-cap from the resort.
xoxo
Gina
Something to think:
A Creed to Live By
Don’t undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special.
Don’t set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you.
Don’t take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as you would your life, for without them life is meaningless.
Don’t let your life slip through your fingers by living in the the past or for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live all the days of your life.
Don’t give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over … until the moment you stop trying.
Don’t be afraid to admit you are less than perfect. It is this fragile thread that binds us to each other.
Don’t be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.
Don’t shut love out of your life by saying it’s impossible to find. The quickest way to receive love is to give love. The fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly, and the best way to keep love is to give it wings.
Don’t dismiss dreams. To be without dreams is to be without hope. To be without hope is to be without purpose.
Don’t run through life so fast that you forget not only wher you’ve been but also where you’re going.
Life is not a race, but a journey to be savoured each step of the way.
Hi, I'm Gina. Welcome to The Fitnessista! I love blogging about my adventures as a new mom, military wife and fitness instructor, as well as sharing new workouts and recipes. Check out the About page for more info - thanks for stopping by!
Great post, babe. “I never know what she’s doing back there…” haha <3
HAHA. So many goodies in that movie!
I have a brita from when I lived in an apartment with no water filter and I LOVED IT! It was a life saver! Enjoy it!!!
I love that Creed!! snaggin mmkayyy. have a fun day!
I love lentil loaf, but I have the same sticking problem as you! This is so simple-sounding though, I can’t wait to test the waters with my next batch of lentils!:)
Britas are the best! You will be hooked instantly, the water always tastes great.
The roommate and I have one of the Brita pitchers and I love it! I once looked at a glass of my lovely NYC tap water compared to a glass from the Brita pitcher and it was pretty amazing to see the difference! Needless to say, I’m a water snob haha.
I swear by my Brita, but that’s mostly because I like my water super cold!
I don’t actually taste any difference; however, Chicago has really good tap water.
Ick, I remember the CAP water debacle in the early 90?s. Tucson tap gives me the creeps.
I have BOTH a Brita pitcher for the fridge, AND a PUR tap thing that screws onto the water faucet. I’m a little obsessed with filtered water and I TOTALLY agree Tucson water is super sketch! When I first moved here I was horrified when I filled a glass with water straight from the faucet and it was literally cloudy and the water “settled” after sitting for awhile. I’ve been told it’s extra vitamins, but it absolutely grosses me out!!!
hahahaha “mom, the lentil loaf” Britta filters definitely work!
Yum! That lentil loaf looks good. It would be great for taking to work for lunches.
I am definitely going to try this recipe! Thanks Gina!
I am obsessed with my brita pitcher! All I drink at home is water and I am constantly filling it up for more! We’ve reduced our use of bottled water and the water from the brita always tastes crisp, fresh and is super cold! Enjoy!
I love your Giada impression. My sister always makes fun of how she’ll be talking with an American accent and then randomly bust out the “ee-taaal-ya” when naming ingredients.
i love the “what to think” quote!
I love that creed Gina! Thank you so much for posting it. It really made me sit back and think.
Haha, your Giada impression made me laugh. I want to make this lentil loaf, any ideas for what you would do next time to make it stick together better?
P.S. My former roomie had a Brita and it made the water taste great.
in the comments, people have said to process half the lentils in the food processor. i’ll have to try it next time!
Love the pan! (Did you make sure your head is twice the size of your body? Because that’s a necessity for being Giada, too. Although, I do love her and think she’s super cute. Maybe she just has a ton of hair.
hahah! i think she’s way cute too- one of my faves
I have city water (which tastes gross!), and the Brita works like a charm
I love that yours is orange…fun!
Also, random, but request…I have a cockapoo (named Stella), and I was wondering if you have any tips for how you keep her fur looking fabulous. I was reprimanded yesterday for some of her matting.
Do you brush/comb daily? Use detanglers?
sure i can post some of bella’s favorite products
she has a paul mitchell leave-in conditioner that smells and works fabulously
Dear Gina- I just got engaged and am getting married in like 10 seconds (july). We are then moving to Tuscon (whaa?!? totally scared) in August and (then will be husband) will start business school in August. i’m sure i’m going to be frazzled and stressed. I’m thinking i’m going to have to find out where your DT studio is and come and shake my awkward non skilled dancing bum to realease some energy….yes?
Rori
please do! is your hubby going to eller? that’s where i graduated from
you’ll LOVE it here
So I made your amazaballz last week and they were AWESOME. I forgot share some with the hubby. Even better-I had everything in the house to make them again…this time I will share.
yummm that looks great!
The Brita totally works! I did an experiment comparing tap, bottled and Brita water in a chemistry class in college
I’ve also been drinking more water. I just finished a 28-day commitment to drink > 64 ounces of water each day (YEY!). I drank my fare-share of Brita.
hahahah – i LOVE that pic of giada!! we always say MARSCAPONAYYYYY in my house when we’re cooking with it. she’s way too funny
.
I love TJ’s precooked lentils. I’m all about the shortcuts! I’m def going to have to try out lentil loaf one of these days.
The lentil loaf looks great! I’ve been on a lentil making kick lately…I boil some up and add everything from salsa to bbq sauce to sweeter sauces to ketchup & mustard + whatever veggies I have on hand that need using…and voila, 3 days worth of dinners that cost about 50 cents to make. Planned, cheap leftovers = my salvation. haha
Your loaf looks delish!
Good for you for buying a water filtration setup rather than using plastic bottles! The environment and your budget thank you
And I love the creed. This comes at a good time for me, thanks Gina.
I love my Brita! My only issue is the size. I can down that entire pitcher in under a minute so I bought a long boxy bottle that is about 4 inches wide, 10 inches tall and goes all the way to the back of the fridge with a spout in front at Target. Every night I fill up the Brita about 5 times to fill that, then fill the Brita and I’m all set for the next day. It makes my life run more smoothly.
Oh, and thank you.
“Don’t undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special.”
I needed that today.
<3
haha we used to say that to my mom all the time and she would just say, “no meatloaf!” haha
Love it!! Oh and I LOVE LOVE LOVE my brita!!! It’s the BEST!
Yay! SO happy you got a Brita! I have one and it’s great. Plastic bottles make me sad!
I don’t know if they work, but I swear by them for college living. It absolutely improves the taste by a tenthfold, and I’m sure it filters out MANY impurities
Bahaha! It’s so true about Giada. I literally laughed out loud on that one. I make lentil loaf at least once every coupla weeks. So easy and delicious! Love it.
Hehe, I love your jokes about Giada. She is one funny, italian lady indeed, but oh- so beautiful
I never would’ve thought to use quinoa as the base in a lentil loaf– I usually use oats in mine! I’ll have to try yours out!
Yes – the Brita water filters work… just PLEASE remember to change the filter at the recommended times.
Mmmm, that lentil loaf looks great. I love Giada, but does anyone else think she has a freakishly large head?!
The brita filters work good but I prefer the larger ones since i drink a lot of water!
Bah, best blog post title EVER!!!! Brita filters are great and really do help filter out the funky stuff/smells. You can also get ones that go right on your kitchen tab but I like the fridge ones because the water is colder. I understand the pains of no fridge filter none of the fridges in my college apartments ever had one.
I used to be the bottled water queen, and recycled them, but now have a Brita pitcher at home AND at work. Now the bottled water is just for emergencies.
I’ve been trying to get my family to try a lentil loaf. They’re all meat-eaters so they’re extremely leery! I’m showing them this post! Your loaf looks amazing!
Bella is so cute – I love her cute smooshy face
Loaf looks killer!
I just bought a really cool water bottle that filters the water as you drink it! I bought it at Target for
$9. It’s called the Bobble (I think). It would be good for being on the go if you need to fill up real quick and aren’t near the Brita pitcher
You were quoted in a magazine yesterday and now the lululemon blog – you’re a rockstar
http://www.lululemon.com/community/blog/how-not-to-wear-prints/
i had no idea that i was on there!! thanks for letting me know.. and making my day!
omg. thank you for that something to think today. i so needed that. i am saving it. i drink a ton of bottled water (distilled is my choice, i re-mineralize) and feel bad too about all the plastic i recycle. i don’t trust a lot of water filters for some reason..i would have to research to no end before i get one, which i have barely started to do..
I’ve only made lentil loaf once, but I absolutely loved it! I had the same problem with it not sticking together though.
Great buy with the Brita, I love love love our Brita! I honestly believe the water tastes better out of a Brita versus tap water!
Enjoy!
I’m personally a huge fan of the Brita pitcher!
And I love that yours is orange!
Oh my gosh! I can’t wait to try ou tthis lentil loaf!!! Anything with BBQ sauce can’t be bad
I used to make a lentil loaf once a week and then completely forgot about it. I made it last night. I thought I had all the ingredients, but I didn’t. It still made it work and was delish. Not enough lentils so I added moon dal, didn’t have quinoa but had wheat berries. Doesn’t cut very well but who care, sooo yummy
Hey Gina I know this is an old post, but i just made this tonight, but i made it like i would meatloaf… i processed half of the lentils and used a flaxseed egg and ketchup instead of bbq sauce and it didn’t fall apart! YAY… just wanted to share i used the bbq sauce on top tho =))) I love your blog and recipes!
Yum, this recipe sounds simple and delicious.
Love that Giada dish