Mexican Lentil Casserole (Or How I Converted a Skillet Recipe to Instant Pot)

I actually made a recipe conversion that worked, and since that rarely happens, I am writing to tell about it. (My husband tells me to make recipes the way they are written the first time, and then tweak them. I don't often take his advice, not because it's not good or accurate, but because I rarely want to put in the time, effort, or money to make recipes as written.) In this case, I had made the recipe before, mostly as written, but I wanted to make it again as part of a meal plan suggested in an e-mail. That recipe was the Mexican ground beef skillet from Fit Foodie Finds (Funke, 2026). What did I change about the recipe? Well, a lot. Here is the original ingredient list:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 medium yellow onion, minced
2 large bell peppers, diced
1 lb. 85% ground beef
3 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 tablespoons green chiles
15 oz. canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup quick-cooking brown rice, quick-cooking white rice works too!
1.5 cups beef broth, any kind
1/2 cup Mexican shredded cheddar cheese

First of all, I did not have ground beef, but I had lots of lentils. I read that I could substitute one cup of lentils for one cup of ground beef (Prakash, 2020), so I swapped that out. I didn't have green chiles, so I swapped the tomato sauce and green chiles out for an equivalent amount of mild salsa/picante sauce. I didn't have black beans and did not want to buy more of those, either (the name of this recipe game was to use things up), so I substituted another cup of lentils. That was probably more than I needed (as one cup of lentils yields about two-and-a-half cups of cooked lentils, more than the one-and-three-quarters to two cups of black beans in a can), but oh well. I did not have quick-cooking brown rice, but I had regular, so I substituted that. I lacked beef broth and nope, wasn't going to buy it, so used a combination of chicken broth and water. I had the cheese, but that was for later.

I would need to cook the lentils, as well as the rice. I usually cook rice in the Instant Pot, and after success with the Instant Pot black beans and rice from Cozy Peach Kitchen in our capsule meal plan, I felt fairly certain that I could convert this recipe to Instant Pot as well (Reeser ,2026). Part of the appeal of the Instant Pot is convenience, so I skipped the olive oil and the step of sautéing the vegetables and just threw everything into the pot. I read that lentils require two cups of water per cup (Vora, 2021), and I knew from my favorite brown rice recipe that it takes one cup of water per cup (Stone, 2025). That lead me to a grand total of five cups of water. Lentils only take 10 minutes maximum to cook in the Instant Pot (Vora), but I knew brown rice needs longer (Stone). The black beans and rice took 28 minutes to cook, so I settled on 22 minutes cook time, with a natural release, and let the pot do it's thing. After all was said and done, I stirred the mixture to distribute the ingredients, divided the servings up into meal prep containers and topped with cheese for later reheating. The result was surprisingly delicious: a one dish meal, hearty, with layers of flavor, and good for us to boot!

So if you want the recipe written out my way, here it is. Layer in the Instant pot in this order [I learned that order matters from the black beans and rice recipe (Reeser, 2026)]:

1 T minced garlic
1/2 onion, chopped
2 green peppers, chopped
2 c brown lentils, rinsed
1 c brown rice, rinsed
3/4 c salsa
3 T taco seasoning [I did use Fit Foodie Find's recipe (Richter, 2024).]
5 c water and or broth.

Cook 22 minutes. Natural release pressure. Stir to incorporate ingredients. Top with cheese and/or sour cream and other desired condiments to serve.

--

Readers, tell me: Am I crazy to basically remake a recipe like this? Or am I creative? As I said, all my conversions often result in a mess of dinner, but by God's blessing, this one didn't!

References:

Funke, L. (2026, January 29). Mexican ground beef skillet. Fit foodie finds. https://fitfoodiefinds.com/mexican-ground-beef-skillet-recipe/#wprm-recipe-container-81394

Prakash, S. (2020, October 20). This is how to substitute lentils for ground beef. The kitchn. https://www.thekitchn.com/this-is-how-to-substitute-lentils-for-ground-beef-250272

Reeser, C. (2026, March 11). Instant Pot black beans and rice. Cozy peach kitchen. https://cozypeachkitchen.com/instant-pot-brown-rice-and-black-beans/#recipe

Richter, E. (2024, February 14). Homemade taco seasoning. Fit foodie finds. https://fitfoodiefinds.com/homemade-taco-seasoning/

Stone, R. (2025, January 15). How to cook brown rice. Add a pinch. https://addapinch.com/instant-pot-brown-rice-recipe/

Vora, N. (2021, November 29). How to cook lentils in the Instant Pot. Rainbow plant life. https://rainbowplantlife.com/how-to-cook-lentils-in-the-instant-pot/#wprm-recipe-container-5596

Celebrating National Pumpkin Day (Year Five)

What time is it? Pumpkin time. Less new pumpkin products this year...

Favorite Day pumpkin spice trail mix

Trader Joe's pumpkin butter

Trader Joe's Pumpkin O's

And lots more pumpkin recipes...

Blended pumpkin overnight oats (Well Plated)

Cottage cheese pumpkin spice cake bars (Poulef Recipes)

Easy pumpkin Greek yogurt biscuits (The Athletic Avocado)

Flourless pumpkin protein pancakes (Kim's Cravings)

Moist pumpkin muffins (Jo and Sue)

Protein pumpkin overnight oats (Jenn's WW Journey)

Pumpkin baked oats (That Spicy Chick)

Pumpkin bagels (Healthy and Delicious)

Pumpkin bread (All Purpose Veggies)

Pumpkin chocolate chip overnight oats (Art From My Table)

Pumpkin cream cold brew overnight oats (Kneaded That)

Pumpkin healthy overnight oats (IFoodReal)

Pumpkin mug cake (The Kitchn)

Pumpkin mug cake (The Local Sprout)

Protein mug cake (Run Eat Repeat)

Pumpkin overnight oats (Fit Foodie Finds)

Protein overnight oats (Fit Mama Real Food)-Pumpkin pie version

Pumpkin overnight oats (Plant You)

Pumpkin pie blended overnight oats (So Fresh 'N So Green)

Pumpkin pie overnight oats (Nourished by Nic)

Pumpkin pie protein overnight oats (Matt's Fit Chef)

Pumpkin pie spice English muffin (Devotion Nutrition)

Pumpkin protein muffins (The Clean Eating Couple)

Pumpkin protein mug (Nutritionist Mom)

Pumpkin protein mug cake (Bake it Paleo)

Pumpkin protein pancakes (How Sweet Eats)

Pumpkin spiced oatmeal (Feasty Travels)

Pumpkin spice latte overnight oats (From My Bowl)

Pumpkin spice milk (Back to the Book Nutrition)

Pumpkin spice overnight oatmeal (Big Delicious Life)

S'mores pumpkin mug cake (Plant Based RD)

Sourdough discard pumpkin bagels (This Jess Cooks)

Sourdough pumpkin muffins (Mel's Kitchen Cafe)

The best sourdough protein pumpkin bread (Unexpected Gardener)

--

We're not done with pumpkin season yet, either (but these are all the recipes I have made this year up to this point).

Celebrating National Pumpkin Day (Year Four)

You know what time it is? Pumpkin time! (And today, October 26th, is National Pumpkin Day. My enjoyment of pumpkin everything reinvigorated this year. I simply could not seem to get enough! That meant buying lots of pumpkin products:

Autumn mix mellowcreme candy (Brach's)

Pumpkin bagels from Trader Joe's

Pumpkin cranberry crisps from Trader Joe's

Pumpkin butter from Trader Joe's

Pumpkin spice coffee (Red Brick coffee from Winco)

Pumpkin pie concrete from Freddy's

Pumpkin spice energy gel from GU Energy Labs

Pumpkin spice fig bar (Nature's Bakery)

Pumpkin spiced teeny tiny pretzels from Trader Joe's

Pumpkin overnight oats from Trader Joe's

And making a lot, too:

Bacon pumpkin pasta bake (Pinch of Yum)

Blender gluten free pumpkin muffins (Kroll's Korner)

Chipotle pumpkin pasta (Budget Bytes)

Creamy pumpkin ravioli (The Modern Crumb)
 
Fluffy buttermilk pumpkin pancakes (The Modern Crumb)

Oat flour pumpkin muffin bread (Hungry Hobby)

Pumpkin banana oatmeal muffins (Hungry Hobby)

Pumpkin hamburger buns (Travel Cook Tell)

Pumpkin mac and cheese (Chocolate Covered Katie)

Pumpkin muffins (Handle the Heat)

Pumpkin oatmeal cream pies (Sally's Baking Addiction)

Pumpkin spice oatmeal pancakes (Upbeet Kitchen)

Roasted pumpkin puree (The Minimalist Baker)

Roasted pumpkin seeds (The Minimalist Baker)

(The above list is exclusive of all the single serving oats I made.)

Suffice it to say, your girl likes pumpkin!

Cranberry Relish Mug Cake

Got cranberry relish left over from Thanksgiving? Or maybe you're planning to make some for Christmas? (I'm talking about the ground up fruit stuff, not that gelatinous stuff that comes from a can--though it might work if you blended it. I don't know. I haven't tried.) Then make this delicious mug cake! With minimal ingredients, its comes together in a flash, cooks in the microwave, and is all yours!

Ingredients:

2 T applesauce
2 T milk
2 T cranberry relish
1 t vanilla
1/4 c whole wheat flour
1/2 t baking powder

Directions:

1. In a microwave safe mug, whisk together the wet ingredients.

2. Whisk together the flour and baking powder and add into the mug.

3. Stir to combine.

4. Cook for 1-1.5 minutes in the microwave. (This mug took 1.5 minutes in my microwave.)

Loosely adapted from this cranberry mug cake from Jim's Kitsch Kitchen

Sour Milk Oatmeal Muffins

 

Have some milk that soured in your fridge? Whip up a batch of these beauties and store them the freezer for sustenance all week long!

Ingredients:

1 c rolled oats

1 c sour milk

1 c whole wheat flour

1 t baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

1 t cinnamon

1/2 t nutmeg

1/4 t salt

1/2 c applesauce

2 eggs

1 1/2 t vanilla

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, soak rolled oats in the sour milk for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

3. Whisk together dry ingredients and add to the rolled oats and sour milk.

4. Whisk together applesauce, eggs, and vanilla, and add to the large bowl.

5. Stir until all ingredients are moistened. (Be careful not to over stir!)

6. Portion batter into 12 muffin cups. (I prefer to use muffin liners to make clean up faster.)

7. Bake 12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean.

Adapted from this buttermilk oatmeal muffins recipe from Lady Behind the Curtain

Apple Banana Baked Oatmeal

Yep! Still in it! Here is another great baked oatmeal with a fall theme!

Ingredients:

1 banana, mashed

4 eggs

1 c oats, blended 

1 t cinnamon

2 t baking powder

1 apple, diced

Directions:

1. Mash the banana.

2. Add in the eggs, and beat together.

3. Fold in oats, cinnamon, and baking powder.

4. Add diced apple.

5. Bake in a greased pan 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Celebrating National Pumpkin Day (Year Three)

I have done a pumpkin recipe round-up every year since 2017, I think. Only two others times have I done it on National Pumpkin Day (October 26, 2023), so here I am back again. Maybe I'll be consistent with posting on this day in the future? We'll see.

Fall harvest pumpkin bread muffins (From my Easy Vegetarian Slow Cooker Cookbook)

One bowl pumpkin spice muffins (Bless This Mess)

Pumpkin cheesecake whip (Wholesome Recipe Box)

Pumpkin granola (Eating Bird Food)

My own pumpkin pie baked oatmeal

And a host of pumpkin bowl and mug cakes to finish off the leftover pumpkin!

Apple Recipe Round-Up (Year Three)

Yes! Yes! It's apple season again. While I have not cooked with apples quite as much this year as it past years, I have enjoyed quite a few of my new favorite apple variety, the pink lady! My favorite way to eat this apple is chopped up and sprinkled with a little pumpkin pie spice from Trader Joe's. Here are a few other recipes I have tried so far this year:

Apple banana baked oatmeal (Recipe to come!)

Cinnamon applesauce (From The Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook)

Mango apple chutney (From The Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook)

And a few I have pinned for future consumption:

Apple cinnamon oatmeal muffins (Marsha's Baking Addiction)

Green vitality smoothie (Rise and Run Cookbook)

--

Friends, what are your favorite apple varieties?

Do you have any favorite apple recipes?

Please share below.

Pumpkin Pie Baked Oatmeal

I'm back into my baked oatmeal phase. This one is a blended oatmeal, one that tastes just like pumpkin pie and has a similar custardy texture. With no added sugar and four whole eggs, this is a great, protein-filled breakfast!

Ingredients:

4 eggs

2 c pumpkin

1/2 c water

1 t vanilla

1 c oats, blended 

2 t pie spice

2 t baking powder

1/4 t salt

Directions:

1. Whisk together the eggs, pumpkin, water, and vanilla.

2. Stir in remaining ingredients.

3. Bake 60 minutes at 350 degrees.

4. Cool and refrigerate before cutting and eating

Inspired by Making Thyme for Health's healthy pumpkin baked oatmeal.

Having a Muffin Moment

It probably started with the Rise and Run cookbook (2021) and its 24 superhero muffin recipes. I made almost all of them. Then I got to ones for which I lacked ingredients, and I kind of quit. But then I found more muffins recipes, and they just tasted so good that I just kept looking for and making recipes. Here are some recent good ones:

Banana baked oatmeal (Fit Mitten Kitchen)

Banana bread muffins (Fit Foodie Finds)

Healthy bakery style banana muffins (Rachl Mansfield)

Healthy carrot cake muffins (Health Nut Nutrition)

Healthy muffins (Chocolate Covered Katie)

Healthy oatmeal muffins (Running on Real Food)

Oatmeal muffins (Chocolate Covered Katie)

Oatmeal muffins (Happy Herbivore)

One pan baked oatmeal (made into muffin cups) (Eating Bird Food)

References:

Kopecky, E., & Flanagan, S. (2021) Rise and Run: Recipes, rituals and runs to fuel your day: A cookbook. Rodale Books.

High Protein Zucchini Baked Oatmeal (No Protein Powder!)

Sweet zucchini bread flavor, baked oatmeal texture, protein, and a full cup of vegetables per serving? Yes! This a great way to use up late summer produce, and a great breakfast to boot.

P.S. Do you know what a food has to be to be called high protein? It has to contain at least or 20%, or 10 grams, protein (Bourianne, n.d.). This recipe clocks in about 22% and 10.5 grams of  protein!

Ingredients:

4 eggs
1/2 c applesauce

4 c grated zucchini

1 c rolled oats

2 t cinnamon

1.5 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

1/2 c water

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs and applesauce.
2. Stir in grated zucchini.
3. Fold in the oats, spices, baking powder and salt.
4. Add and stir in water.
5. Place in a greased six cup glass baking dish.
6. Bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees.
7. Cool, and refrigerate before cutting into squares to eat.

 (Inspired by Real Kitchen and Beyond's baked zucchini oatmeal)

Reference:

Bourianne, T. (n.d.). View: FDA - nutrient content claims (Derived). Label Insight. https://helpdesk.labelinsight.com/hc/en-us/articles/360018102633-View-FDA-Nutrient-Content-Claims-Derived

Healthy Red Velvet Overnight Oatmeal

It's been a long time since I posted an oatmeal recipe. I know! I still eat it almost every day. I just don't experiment as much, hence no new recipes to post. This time, though, I have something for you: a way to get in your fruits, veggies, carbs, and protein all in one. Feel free to portion this recipe to meet your needs.

Ingredients:

1 c water
1 fresh beet
1 c unsweetened applesauce
1 c rolled oats
4 T cocoa powder
2 t cinnamon
4 scoops protein powder* 

*I use the plant protein powder from Winco and each scoop is about 3 T.

Directions:

1. Pierce the beet. Place it in a bowl and cover it gently. Microwave 5-10 minutes, or until done. Let cool slightly.
2. Place the beet and 1 c water in a high powered blender and blend until smooth.
3. Mix together the remaining ingredients and divide portions based on your needs.
4. Refrigerate overnight.
5. Top with vanilla Greek yogurt, if desired for a true red velvet experience.

This recipe was inspired by Flora and Vino's red velvet overnight oats with raspberry puree and Rise and Run's red velvet superhero muffins.

Just For (Granola) Fun...

So I did a thing...I made 52 new granolas this year. My goal was to make one a week. Well, we eat more than one batch of granola a week, so here we are: September, and I've met my goal.

I tried all kinds of granolas-

Some sugary:

Cinnamon roll granola (A Messy Bun Kitchen)

Some with no sugar:

Extra chunky and naturally sweetened granola with walnut (Bless This Mess)

Some with oil:

Homemade granola with flaxseed and chia (Ai Made it For You)

Some with butter:

Super simple homemade granola with chunks (Joyfully Thriving)

Some nutty:

Nutty butterscotch granola (Girl Gone Gourmet)

Some with no nuts:

Nut free granola (Lynn's Kitchen Adventures) 

Pretty much all of them required the oven, which was not my preference given the hot temperatures of Arizona, but it worked. 

I made lots with cinnamon:

Cinnamon roll granola (Salted Plains)

And several with peanut butter:

Peanut butter and jelly granola (Averie Cooks)

Chocolate appeared a lot of times:

Chocolate pumpkin granola (Family Food on the Table) 

Even Reese's!

Reese's pieces granola (The Wanna Be Chef)

It's fun to switch things up for a time. With grocery prices and time constraints, it's probably back to my normal super simple granola, though. Gourmet is good, but sometimes you need simple to allow time to have fun and prioritize other things in life.

The Flag Cake Tradition

Making flag cake for Fourth of July is a tradition in our family. When did it start? I couldn't really remember, until I went back through photo albums looking for evidence and found this:

(Yes, we once took photos on film and printed them to put in books!)

Officially, based on this photo, we have been making the cake for 26 years!

I can't remember exactly where we found the flag cake recipe, but by my best recollection, I discovered it in the weekly magazine insert that came with the Sunday newspaper (you know, the one with all the celebrity gossip and glossy photos). I believe the original recipe was a collaboration between Cool-Whip and Sara Lee. Kraft has since taken over the recipe. Whether we made it according to recipe or not that first time, I am not sure, but obviously, we made it.

What exactly is flag cake? It's pretty simple: pound cake made in loaf tins and cut into slices, which are laid on the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan, covered with blueberries, strawberries, and Cool-Whip, and then topped with more berries to form a flag. It's kind of like a trifle, but a whole lot easier.

We've changed the ways we have made the cake over the years. Most of the time, Mom makes her own special pound cake recipe. We switched from Cool Whip to Dream Whip at some point. (Technically, we could probably make our own whipped cream using heavy cream.) My brothers make their own versions of the cake with their family and friends. (I have helped make the cake with Mom, but never actually made it alone.) The components of the cake matter less than the tradition of making it.

How, when, and why we eat flag cake changes. We ate it early this year since we would not be with my parents for the actual Fourth of July. It's a tradition, though, something special my family does to commemorate times and seasons. For me, flag cake has special significance, as it has become part of not only celebrating America's birthday, but my return to Arizona. For as long as we live here, I'll celebrate, and even if, or when, we move away, we can still carry on, because sometimes repeating the simple things is what makes them the most significant, regardless of what they mean at that particular time. So with that, here's to many more years of the flag cake tradition and what it means to my family.

Pepper Jelly Breakfast Pizza

Every once and a while, one of my "experiments" really turns out. In this case, my quest to use up some of the abundant Instant Pot pepper jelly I made Christmas time last year turned into a sweet, savory, and scrumptious breakfast. Move over Egg McMuffin, there's a new handheld breakfast in town!

Ingredients:

6 T warm water
1/4 t sugar
1 t yeast
1 c flour
4 T pepper jelly
2 c frozen pepper and onion blend (thawed)
1 c mozzarella cheese
4 eggs
Ground black pepper
Optional: Seasonings of your choice

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

2. Prepare the pizza dough.

a. Dissolve 1/4 t sugar and 1 t yeast. Let activate for 5-10 minutes.
b. Add sugar, yeast, and water to 1/2 c four. Stir with a wooden spoon.
c. Turn out onto a silicone baking mat and gradually kneed in an additional 1/2 c flour.
d. Form into a ball and let sit for five minutes.

3. Divide the pizza dough into four balls. Roll each ball into a 6 inch circle. Place on a silicone baking mat lined cookie sheet. Roll up the edges of the dough slightly.

4. Brush each dough circle with 1 T pepper jelly.

5. Bake for five minutes.

6. Meanwhile, squeeze out excess moisture from the vegetables using a tea towel.

7. Remove the dough circles from the oven. (Jelly may have boiled over, but this is not a problem.)

8. Mound 1/4 c cheese around the edges of each pizza dough. (Leave the center empty).

9. Divide the vegetables among the four pizzas and arrange on top of the cheese. (Again, leave the center empty.)

10. Crack one egg into the center of each pizza.

11. Top with ground black pepper, plus any other seasonings of your choice. (I used the smoky seasoning from My Vegan Minimalist.)

12. Bake for 10 minutes.

13. Remove from the oven. Serve with hot sauce, if desired.

*Dough inspired by Budget Bytes' thin and crispy pizza crust.

*Pizza inspired by Krazy Kitchen Mom's breakfast flatbread with pepper jelly; Safe Egg's sweet pepper, cheddar, and egg pizza recipe; and The Worktop's individual breakfast pizza by Maya from Treats and Eats