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

A Letter to Friends Who Don't Share My Faith

Dear Friend,

I have something to say that might come as a surprise to you: You don't have to believe for me to be okay. Yes, you heard me right. You don't have to share my faith for me to be okay. Do I want you to share my faith? Do I pray for your salvation? Yes. But your belief or lack thereof does not effect my salvation.

You see, my friend. Christ died for all. His substitutionary atonement is sufficient to cover all of my sin and reconcile me to him. My salvation depends not on my proselytizing you or winning you to salvation, but on His finished work.

Sure, your lack of faith may cause me distress. I want to share eternity with you! My connection with Christ does not depend on your salvation, though. It depends on the presence of the Holy Spirit, which God the Father gifted me at the moment of my conversion.

What do I see as my job, then? I want to share the truth with you in love (Ephesian 4:15). I want to, with God's help, live out a faithful life before you. I want to allow God to comfort me when my heart hurts because you don't believe.

What don't I want to do? Take out my distress on you. Make you think that you have to believe to somehow pacify me or up my accolades in the kingdom. My faith is my faith. If you choose to believe on Jesus for salvation, your faith will be your faith. 

Our friendship, I believe, is because Christ put us in each other's paths. Will it be for your salvation? I sure hope so. But if it isn't, I still value you. I believe that you are a unique creation of God, saved or unsaved, and I want you in my life.

Inspired by:

Chef Kibby. (Host). (2025, February 12). Escaping the distress cycle. (No. 5) [Audio podcast]. In Hungry for connection. https://chefkibby.com/podcast/episode-05-escaping-the-distress-cycle

What We Cooked and Ate (Week 15)

This Week's Eats:

Homemade granola (Fit Foodie Finds)

Sourdough banana muffin bread (The Pioneer Woman)

Noteworthy Repeats:

Big-batch Instant Pot white beans (Epicurious)

Chickpea "tuna" salad (Drugstore Divas)

Homemade ranch dressing (with Greek yogurt) (It Starts With Protein)

Freezer Pull-Outs:

Applesauce sourdough muffins (Venison for Dinner)

Five-minute chicken gravy (Fixed on Fresh)

Lentil bolognese (Gimme Some Oven)

Seeded PB oat energy balls (The Dietitian Runner)

Shredded chicken (365 Days of Crockpot)

Simple sourdough applesauce muffins with applesauce (Food Over Comfort)

I Cut My Hair Really Short.

This is the post some members of my family are going to hate, but since I've been thinking so much about it, might as well put it out there. I cut my hair...again...really short. It's not a man's cut, but it's almost bowl-cut boy short...and I kind of like it. I'm not sure that the cut is actually flattering for me, but it's easy and I am really appreciating that right now. No fuss is my kind of style.

I decided to cut my hair this short because I have always wanted to. (I have literally had this haircut on my Pinterest board since 2013?) My longer bob had grown out and my hair was driving me nuts (messy, hot on my neck, etc.). I had the hair cut appointment already, so why not "go big or go home?"

I decided on this short of a cut the week of my appointment, so I didn't have much time to think about it. I did have one last chance to keep my long hair when my hairstylist said, "I'm cutting right at your hairline. Is that okay?" 

I said, "Yes," that's what I want." And off the hair went.

In hindsight, getting this haircut now was probably not the best decision. I should have considered that I have my brother's wedding in a month, and a half and my family might not appreciate me having a strange new haircut. Oh well. I didn't consider that, and the hair is cut.

I wasn't immediately sure what I thought of the haircut. I mean, my hairstylist did a good job, but did I like it? How would it wash and wear? With only washing my hair every other day, I can get two good days of the stylist's blow out before I have to style my hair myself.

My hair was pretty wild and crazy when I got out of the first shower in which I washed it. But I did what I always do: combed it and round brushed the ends under. Wonder of wonders, the cut dried well. Praise the Lord!

I haven't gotten a clear read from my husband on what he thinks of my hair. Thankfully, he is not super picky. Adults at work have told me they think this cut makes me look elegant and sophisticated. (I mean, but what else do you say about someone's haircut? You either say that you like it, or don't say anything at all.) My very honest child clients have asked me why I would cut my hair. I take it they like it longer....

I had to wrestle a little with my self-esteem and my confidence getting this cut, and that's actually been good for me. Hair is hair and it will grow. Confidence is what matters. Sorry, family, if I look a little funny at the wedding. I'm still me, just a little different loking.

Will I keep this cut? I don't know. I was stuck between wanting long hair to pull back again, or really short hair. Both have their plusses and minuses. For now, the plusses of this cut are having my hair off my neck, an easy washing and styling routine (only a 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner needed, and even faster drying), and no need to pull my hair back to run. (I either contain my hair under a hat, push it back with a headband, or just let it flop.) Minuses are that I cannot pull back my hair and might not look as good. But hey, who am I trying to impress anyway?

Reference:

Nickels, K. [@Kilee Nickels]. (2013). What I wore- Hazel and chocolate. Hazel sweater paired with chocolate leather. But lets get real, all we are really. Pinterest. Retrieved April 11, 2026 from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/648166571359326536/.

Pat's Run 7.0

I really was not sure how this one was going to go. Running a marathon February 14 put me way far behind on speed goals. (Last year, I had two 10K training cycles under by belt before this race. This year, I did Hal Higdon's (n.d.). intermediate post-marathon recovery plan and then jumped into the end of theSub-45 minute 10K plan from Run (2024) that I used last year. I didn't have a run that felt good until about two weeks before the race. I could not hit paces. Honestly, I felt pretty dejected, but I kept telling myself that this race was not only about performance. It was about remembering the legacy of Pat Tillman. It was also a chance to appreciate what my body could do. A family member's recent hip replacement surgery has really put that last point in perspective. I can run. that is always a privilege, and one for while I always want to praise the Lord.

Goals

Last year, I ran a huge personal best of 31:18. When I registered on January 7th of this year, I put in my estimated time of 32:00 (faster than my previous Pat's Run times, but with a little buffer). This year, there was a clause about seeding in the registration: "Please be aware that all finishing times for your registrants will be averaged to determine the most appropriate corral placement. No groups will be placed prior to Corral 7 unless the race history for all members clearly shows qualifying finishing times for an earlier corral." I didn't really think twice about that, until I got my bib number: 2375, higher than both of my two previous last years. Oh well. Que sera, sera.

In the interest of my year of less, I didn't set any goals this year. Honestly, I didn't even think about the 32:00 goal until I found this post that I had started drafting after registration in January. Yes, I wanted to do my best, but I really didn't know what that would be given my short training cycle. So I had no A, B, C. I just wanted to run my best and get on with the rest.

Well, okay. I did not have time goals per se, but I did have an achievement goal. I wanted to run home after the race. That would put me at about the total miles (or a little longer) that I wanted for the day. I also thought it could be fun.

Packet pick-up

As usual, packet pickup always takes a little longer than expected. I went a little earlier in the day this time, but still had to wait for a parking spot. Twice, people took the ones for which I was aiming, but I was not about to be in a huff about it. No point in that. 

I continued to feel pretty down on Friday. I did my thing and tried to get in the mood, but wasn't really. I did paint my nails, because it's tradition, and I like it. I tried to go to bed early, and did get in bed by 9 PM, but slept fitfully. (That has been an ongoing issue for about the last month, but was prominent the night before the race. It might have been nerves. It was probably nerves on top of whatever else I had going on.

Race day

As in previous years, I got up at 4 AM. I did my hygiene and PT, and climbed the stairs. I did what people tell runners not to do, and did something new for race day. I put my RNWY (n.d.). in decaf coffee and drank in on the way to the light rail. We caught the 5:10 AM train and made it to the Veterans Way/College Station by about 5:45 AM. I ate my banana while we walked to the expo site. For a change this year, they did not open the gates until 6:00 AM. (That is the scheduled time, but usually not enforced.) This year, as I pursue decluttering, I tried not to get too much stuff that was not consumable. (The two things I did get that were "clutter" were for my husband: a mister bottle and sunscreen.) One booth had coffee, and another had energy drinks. I had neither, since I had already introduced new things on race day. They did help caffeinate my kind husband who also got up early on this day.

Warm-up

Since I was in corral 3 this year, I opted to delay my warm-up miles until 6:25 AM. That was a mistake. By the time I finished my miles and changed my shoes (from my Brooks Ghost 16 (n.d.) to my Asics Magic Speed (n.d.), I only had ten minutes to use the bathroom (again!) and get into the corrals. That was too short! The national anthem was already being sung by the time I made it into my corral!

The second new thing I did for this race was to use new fuel: Honey Stinger (n.d.) caffeinated chews in cherry cola flavor. I had read the night before the race that caffeine helps most when taken 45 minutes to 1 hour before the event (Rosner, 2026). Coffee at 5:00 at the light rail, therefore, was not going to cut it. So I grabbed the chews (gifted to me in a run exchange last year) and ate 3 at 6:40 AM while warming up, and another 3 at 7 AM in the corral. I sipped about 8 oz of water during this time. I feared both drinking too much, and drinking too little. I gave my husband the water bottle and then had to motion him to get it back right before we took off.

The Run

My corral (Corral 3) did depart at about 7:11 AM, which is about the time stated in the Pat's Run Program. (This really is a well-run event!) The corral starter this year was Ron Riggle. I don't know him, but apparently he is pretty famous.

Once again, the first half mile or so was pretty crowded. When I looked down at my watch at about 0.47 miles, I saw somewhere in the 7:30s. "Right where I want to be," I thought. I figured anything I could run under 8:00 minutes a mile would be great!

Things spread out a bit after that. I passed a Tillman scholar runner. I tried to run at what felt like a good pace, but not so hard I would want to give up. I practiced lots of self talk. I prayed for my family, to honor God, etc. That first mile came in at 7:34/mile.

There is a hill somewhere between 2 and 4 miles. The course also narrows around this point. I tried to run on the sidewalk for a bit, but thought better of it, and jumped back on the road. I told myself to just get up the hill, because I could coast down the other side. Mile two came in at 7:26/mile, and mile 3 at 7:29. 

After this, there was one more "hill"/incline up to the bridge, and then it was pretty smooth running until the hill into the arena. At mile three, I tried to start picking people off, while also remembering that I needed to save energy for that last incline. Mile four was 7:24/mile.

I pushed up that final hill. I passed a few people. I did not feel good, but I knew I wanted to give it my best effort. I did, and when I came over the line, my watch said close to what I ran last year. I immediately tried to check my results, but as with the marathon, they had not posted. So I walked on through and went to the medal and food line.

Results

The medal and food line were inside the expo this year. I picked up water, Body Armor (n.d.), my medal, and my banana. My husband met me, and we took photos at the photo spot. I found my results at this time: 31:25, 8 seconds off my finish last year. At first, I was just a smidge bummed that I had not pushed to run 8 seconds faster. I was thrilled that I had run close to last year's time, though, as I did not think that was even possible! When I texted my mom, she reminded me that being further back in the corrals does slow me down. That did make me feel better. Maybe I just lost those 8 seconds in the corral scramble (or I can let myself think that).

Final Thoughts

I walked with my husband to the light rail stop, and then started my run home. Thankfully, my husband directed me how to go: through ASU campus, and then left for a straight shot home. Good thing he instructed me. My brain said to go right, and I would not have run through campus to connect to our home road had he not told me to do so.

The weather was quite lovely for my run home. There had been a few raindrops during the morning. (I blame this on washing the car on Friday.) Running home, there was some cloud cover and a breeze. That felt refreshing.

Running home was not the easiest, though. My legs felt tired. The 6.2 miles I had clocked to get home felt long, and short. I kept telling myself I was almost there, and I was, but it also took a while. I forgot all the stoplights at which I would need to stop. I thought I had another 6 chews left, but only found 4? I did take another bottle of water, and man did I finish that thing off! The last miles felt easier, but maybe that was just a mental thing. Feats seem easier when closer.

All in all, I really cannot complain. God gave me a great race, and I am so thankful! My husband sacrificed for this race. My dad and mom texted me their well wishes before I ran. (They also sent me a picture of my mom wearing the Pat's Run jersey I gave her from my first ever Pat's Run, the one I did with her as my support, when I first moved back to Arizona.) We had good weather. I got another cool race jersey. God is good. Running is good. Pat Tillman left a good legacy, and this is a good way to remember him!

References:

Body Armor. (n.d.). Body Armor zero sugar fruit punch. https://www.drinkbodyarmor.com/zero-sugar/fruit-punch

Brooks. (n.d.). Brooks Ghost 16. Brooks restart. https://restart.brooksrunning.com/products/womens-ghost-16_120407_020_2e?color=blackblackebony&width=Extra+Wide+%282E%29

Higdon, H. (n.d.). Post-marathon recovery: Intermediate. Hal Higdon. https://www.halhigdon.com/training-programs/post-marathon-recovery/intermediate-post-marathon/

Honey Stinger. (n.d). Cherry cola caffeinated energy chews box of 12. Honey Stinger. https://honeystinger.com/products/caffeinated-cherry-cola-energy-chews?srsltid=AfmBOoozxNveGplzLI59OrobXzBcCL7ATDKY1GIzBJqsIkTwigvT1y8p

RNWY. (n.d.). RNWY foundation. https://rnwy.life/products/foundation?srsltid=AfmBOoqU6wWmXDD7Gyzy-F1kRCyx8OdoJoBe896SQxm77xyjbYPI6pKM

Rosner, J. [@rosnerperformance]. (2026, April 10). First marathon and not sure how to use caffeine?
Swipe through for your ultimate caffeine guide. #marathontraining #running #bostonmarathon [Photograph]. Instagram. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/references/examples/instagram-references

Run. (2024, December 28). Run your fastest 10K ever with these training plans. https://run.outsideonline.com/training/training-plans/5k-10k/training-plans-fastest-10k-ever/?scope=anon

What We Cooked and Ate (Week 14)

This Week's Eats:

Apple cider chicken sandwiches with apple coleslaw  (The Inspired Brunette)

Carrot cake muffins (Budget Bytes)

Pumpkin butter grilled cheese (Hyvee)

Shepherd's pie (Alton Brown/Food Network)

Noteworthy Repeats:

Big-batch Instant Pot white beans (Epicurious)

Chickpea "tuna" salad (Drugstore Divas)

Five-minute chicken gravy (Fixed on Fresh)

Homemade ranch dressing (with Greek yogurt) (It Starts With Protein)

Shredded chicken (365 Days of Crockpot)

Freezer Pull-Outs:

Applesauce sourdough muffins (Venison for Dinner)

Easy hamburger soup (365 Days of Slow + Pressure Cooking)

One hour sourdough discard burger buns (Amy Bakes Bread)

Simple sourdough applesauce muffins with applesauce (Food Over Comfort)

Sourdough breakfast cookies (Kneaded That)

Sourdough discard oatmeal bake (Acts of Sourdough)

Frozen for Future Me:

Healthy banana muffin bread (Fit Foodie Finds)

Real Life Marriage: The Remodel

It all started with a leaky shower, a problem my husband thought he could fix (and probably could have had our house not been so old and that faucet probably been original). The attempt at fixing made the problem worse, and before long, each time we turned the faucet on and off, we feared the pipes might explode. We cordoned off the bathroom, and after Thanksgiving, my husband started to tear apart the bathroom, piece, by piece, by piece: the mirror, the vanity, the towel rack, the toilet, the walls, the floor, and lately, that blasted shower.

My husband anticipated a finish date of Christmas, and then New Year's, and then Valentine's Day. And then I said my birthday (in May). He kept running into snags, and he was attempting to do all the work after his "real work" (as in, his paying job). It would save us a lot of money this way, but did take all the more longer.

The floor required weeks of work just to level it. We needed to borrow our brother-in-law's truck to haul out the old debris. My husband needed to wait for a friend's help to load sheetrock (because I was working and also not strong enough to help). His uncle had to come help with some other things.

Our living room went from a comfortable sitting space, to a storage space, to an absolute disaster. My husband left his nightly routine of relaxing after work and going for evening runs to using most of his leisure time (and even taking time off work whenever he could) to toil away at the project. To help, I tried to do a little extra around the house and hold together my sanity. Mess is not my preference, and when my home is dirty and cluttered, it is hard for me to cope.

Date days turned into Home Depot runs. Evening conversations turned into budget meetings and design reviews. (My husband has an eye for design and space, so I really did little more than give my approval for his choices.) We were together on this project, but also not together.

When the end of the project seemed indefinite, and I had the post-marathon crazies (ahem crappies), I started decluttering. I am not sure if it is was my season of life or the utter mess, but it seemed like something I could do to control the situation.

In the end, the project miraculously finished faster than I expected. (Isn't at the end of things that the finish line feels so impossibly far away?) The bathroom is beautiful. The living room, laundry space, and our overall home are getting cleaner, and we are working on the clutter.

We survived the remodel, and though our interactions with each other did look different in this season, praise the Lord that our foundation held fast: "The Lord is [our] rock and [our] fortress and [our] deliverer, [our] God, [our] rock, in whom [we] take refuge, [our] shield, and the horn of [our] salvation, [our] stronghold" (English Standard Version, Psalm 18:2).

(Before and after photos by my husband)

Reference:

English Standard Version. (2019). Bible Gateway. https://www.biblegateway.com/versions/English-Standard-Version-ESV-Bible/#copy