Laaaaazy

I've felt like lazy bones this week.  I've not exercised even one time since last Friday.  Every morning (except this morning when I didn't even bother to set my alarm) I've hit snooze and have chosen sleep over exercise.   I'm fine during the normal day hours, from the time I get up (an hour and a half after my norm!) until about 4:30pm  but once 4:30 hits I'm beat and making dinner is the last thing I feel like doing.  Tonight Eleanor and I are going to a cooking class, Kev is in Chicago and my mom and Gordon are taking Lucy and Emma out to dinner so I'm off the hook for dinner prep and tomorrow we're going to some friends for dinner....off the hook again!  Here are two recipes I'm making next week, both are from a cookbook I've had since before Kevin and I were married.  They are yummy and so easy, even when you're lazy bones, which hopefully I won't be next week but just in case.....

Linguine with clam sauce

1 medium onion
5 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 6 oz. can chopped clams

Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat.  Add the onion, garlic, and parsley.  Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to soften.  Add the tomatoes and their liquid and the clam juice from the clams.  Save the clams to add later.
Cook, uncovered, over medium-low heat for 20  minutes, stirring occasionally.  The mixture should bubble but not boil energetically.  The sauce will gradually thicken as the liquid evaporates.  The tomato pieces should be surrounded by sauce, add a little water if too  much evaporates.

Serve over cooked pasta along with a green salad and fresh bread.

Lentil Soup

1 medium onion, diced very small
4 garlic cloves, diced very small
2 celery stalks, diced very small
2 carrots, peeled and diced very small
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 15 ounce cans diced tomatoes
2 cups dried lentils, rinsed
8 cups veggie broth
Add cinnamon to taste

Heat oil in pot, add onion, garlic, celery, and carrots.  Cook about 5 minutes until veggies begin to soften.  Add the tomatoes and their liquid, lentils, and broth.  Boil mixture then turn to low and cook for about 20 minutes.   Soup will be very thick when it is ready.  You can add water or broth if you'd like it soupier.  Add cinnamon if you like.  We love lentil soup from a restaurant in Columbia which puts cinnamon in.  I imagine I use about 1 teaspoon, maybe a bit less.  

Serve with a greek salad, use this dressing, hummus and pita.