“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” — 1 Corinthians 10:31
Let me give you a quick rundown of what I was capable of in the kitchen before I met Brianna. This could take a little bit so I hope you have some extra time. Are you ready?
- A mean bowl of cereal
- A nice, gourmet microwaveable meal.
Impressive right? I hope that didn’t take up too much of your time. Fast-forward to a little over a year later, Brianna has me making eggs & toast for breakfast, chicken and broccoli on a cast iron skillet (had no idea what that was either until I met her), macaroni & cheese, and breakfast sandwiches. I’m sure sometime in the near future you’ll be seeing those make an appearance on here as well. My repertoire is still probably pretty pathetic to most people, but to me those are some major accomplishments!
You might say there’s some bias in me saying this, but Brianna truly is the best cook I know. I can’t wait for you all to get glimpses of some of the foods she makes. Brianna does almost all of the cooking in our household, but recently we have started to cook together at least once a week. I thought the idea of that was pretty neat, especially after I saw what Aaron and Sarah Charles were doing on their publication Cooking with Sarah. Brianna and I don’t know them personally, but it’s inspiring to see another couple stay committed to making time for one another every week and bring it to life through Medium. Those guys are awesome, go check them out!
So why the name Thyme Together? I came up with the name before I even knew what thyme actually was. How I went about that process was a Google search looking for food that started with ‘T’ and thyme was one of the results that had showed up. Later that night, Brianna enlightened me on what it actually was, and turns out it’s an herb. It works though, right?
Thyme Together is going to be a series of recipes and foods made by my bride, while I take the photos and probably get in her way the majority of the time (thanks for your patience honey). It turns out this week’s food was actually supposed to include thyme, but in the words of Brianna, “Our broke butts can’t afford it.”
This Week’s Meal: Lentil Soup
Joining you in the kitchen will be…
- water
- medium sized sauce pan
- cast iron skillet
- uncooked lentils
- butter
- bone broth
- salt
- pepper
- garlic
- corn chips
- sour cream (can also be substituted with Greek yogurt)
Instructions
Night Before
1. Cook the lentils ahead of time. My wife bought the lentils from Trader Joe’s, which happens to be one of our grocery go-to spots, along with Sprouts, Costco, and Big Lots.
2. To cook them, put 1 ½ cups of lentils and 2 cups of water in a medium sized sauce pan.
3. Turn the burner on high until it starts to boil.
4. Once boiling, turn the burner down to low and put a lid on the pan. Leave for about 35–40 minutes.
5. Turn off the burner, and let it sit all day on the stove.
Later that evening
1. Place ½ pound of hamburger meat on a cast iron skillet. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic.
2. Add 1 cup of bone broth and 2 cups of water to the lentils. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic. If you have thyme available, feel free to season with that as well!
3. Once the hamburger meat is cooked all the way, add to the sauce pan with lentils.
4. Add about 1 tbsp. of butter to the sauce pan and continue to stir.
“VOILA!” — Brianna
Extra
- For added flavor and texture, serve with some crushed corn chips and sour cream (but in our case, Greek Yogurt) on top.
Tonight’s Appetizer
Brianna has been raised in a family where all natural ingredients mean something, and that’s something we try to implement into our diets as well. Before I met her, I was munching on Fruity Pebbles twice a day and having all of the Oatmeal Cream Pies in the world. My family’s lifestyle made it difficult to always incorporate a home-cooked meal or healthy food. Most of the time we were on the road at a basketball tournament, so quick fixes became the most convenient option for us. I’m thankful that my family always made it a priority to have food on the table for us. It’s such a blessing they’ve given my siblings and me.
Being brought into a family like Brianna’s where clean, healthy eating is a focal point is just one of the many blessings that they bring to my life. It’s revealed a lot to me and what it can do for your health. We live in a world where processed food is plastered everywhere, so the temptation is everywhere. A well-balanced diet and clean food goes so much farther than the food itself.
“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” — 1 Corinthians 6:19–20
Am I saying we eat perfect? Heck no! We both have a sweet tooth. I mean about a week and a half ago we were the couple that wiped out almost the entire tray of brownies at Cici’s Pizza. A method that we like to do throughout our week is to eat clean Monday through Saturday, and when Sunday roles around we splurge a little bit.
Even though the ingredients and food that we buy tend to be on the more expensive end compared to most, it’s absolutely worth it. Budget plays a crucial role in this, which you can read more about in our post about Financial Peace University.
We appreciate you taking the time out of your day to follow along with us. Also, we’d like to give a special shout-out to Brianna’s mom/my awesome mother-in-law for the great recipe. We hope you enjoy it!
