Red Lentil Roll-Ups

Every now and then, I have a moment as a mom where I discover a breakthrough so mind-blowing, that I cannot wait to get myself in front of my laptop to shout it out to the world. All too often, however, I soon find out that some other momming guru beat me to it. A simple Google search can sometimes be such a downer. But, I’m not going to let those other more innovative mom’s steal this one from me. Sure, they beat me to it, but does NASA not get at least a little credit for also sending humans into space, albeit, after the Russians? Of course they do!

So, onto my equally impressive discovery.

After a long, sports-filled weekend where my husband and I hardly crossed paths, I was in no mood to shop. I figured I’d go during my lunch break today and find something simple to throw together after work. Of course, the first Monday after the first Sunday I think I’ve ever skipped shopping brought with it an 11:00 meeting that went well into my lunch break. Ugh! I knew I’d be super unpopular if I told the kids we were having oatmeal for dinner. And we’re really trying to eat healthy, so fast food of any kind isn’t an option either. So, instead of shopping, I had just enough time to speed home and make something magical happen. I flew into the house, headed over to the pantry, took a deep breath, and hoped for the best. Nothing. Not even some pasta, which always comes in handy for moments like this.

After what seemed like forever, accompanied by the loudest clock ticking away in my head, I scanned feverishly and desperately. The only thing that caught my eye as even somewhat of a starting point was a jar of red lentils. But what to do with it is my new Everest. Do I whip up a soup that is sure to be “gross” or “icky?” Do I try to make some sort of side dish and play it off as the main event? I know my audience and I know neither of those is an option I’m willing to roll with. “ROLL!!!” That’s it!

I know that it is possible to turn any kind of grain, legume or seed into some kind of batter or dough, so why not these little nutritious nuggets? I soaked about 4 cups of lentils water, plopped them in the fridge, and sped back to work. The rest of the day was filled with trying to figure out my next step. What was I going to roll inside of these things? Enter mom-magic moment number two. There would be some sort of a crepe bar. Or taco bar. Or both!

So I broke out the peanut butter, several homemade jams, some hazelnut chocolate spread, leftover froze carnitas, leftover frozen taco meat, homemade salsa, shredded cheese, diced up a tomato, chopped up some lettuce, and... voila! The fam can figure out the rest. My work is done!