“But like, where do you get your protein?”

*Deep breath*

• Whole grains
• Beans
• Lentils
• Legumes
• Tofu
• Soy products 
• Nuts 
• Seeds
• Meat substitutes

 See? They’re totes not green and red. The ‘green’ ones are whole, and the ‘red’ ones are split. They have the same nutritional value either way, the split ones just take a shorter time to cook! 

You can buy them in any health food store for LESS than €2, and Holland and Barrett sometimes have this ‘3 for 2’ deal on, so hop on that boat. The only downfall is they take a little longer to prepare and cook than a student might have the patience for. You have to sort them to make sure there are no stones, etc. in with them, then rinse them with water, add them to a pot of boiling water and let them simmer. They recommend 3 cups of water to every cup of lentils, but sure who REALLY goes by that. Here’s the bad news. They can take up to 45 minutes to cook, less time if they’re split (25 mins) & if you want them for a salad or dinner, more time if you want them mushy for soup. But sure look, in the space of time it takes them to cook, you could be productive & type the title of your next assignment. Healthy AND hard-working…give yourself a round of applause!

I like to throw them in with my saucy meals but they work quite well with a plain stir fry and salads too. Yay!

That’s just Dolmio sauce and pasta with green lentils, lazy man’s job, but try go for brown pasta rather than white - fibre fibre fibre!

Behold Uncle Ben’s hot Indian curry sauce, with Basmati rice and green lentils. VERY spicy but very yummy indeed.

Have fun exploring the lovely land of lentils!