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Home » Recipes

Lentil Sloppy Joe Stuffed Sweet Potatoes (+ how to save money while eating well)

The following guest post is by Megan Gilmore, a certified nutritionist consultant (CNC) and the creator of Detoxinista.com. Though she wasn’t raised as a healthy eater, Megan credits her former junk food habits for helping her to create quick and delicious recipes using easy-to-find whole food ingredients. Get more in her two cookbooks, Everyday Detox and No Excuses Detox. 


Do you ever find yourself making excuses for why you can't eat healthy? Maybe you feel like you don't have enough time. Or that your family is too picky. Or that it's too expensive.

As a working mom with two kids, I've been there. I know how challenging it can be to consistently prepare meals that are fast, healthy, taste good, and fit into your budget. That's why my latest cookbook, No Excuses Detox, is here to help.

Lentil Sloppy Joe Stuffed Sweet Potatoes (+ how to save money while eating well) on 100 Days of Real Food

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My approach to detoxing is different than most. Like Lisa, I believe you can support your body's natural detoxification system by gradually replacing processed foods with nutritient-rich whole foods. No drastic measures required! My latest book also helps you "detox" from your excuses. I want to help you rid yourself of the mental roadblocks that might be holding you back from making healthy choices on a daily basis.

Do any of these sound familiar when it comes to eating healthy?

  • I don't have enough time.
  • It's too expensive.
  • My family is too picky.
  • I'm always on the go.
  • I can't control my cravings.

I cover all of these excuses in the book, providing tips and solutions to help you bust through your plateaus, plus 100 recipes that are fast, affordable, freezer-friendly, and family approved. (I have a picky 3 year old to feed myself.)

Lentil Sloppy Joe Stuffed Sweet Potatoes (+ how to save money while eating well) on 100 Days of Real Food

In the spirit of busting excuses, today I thought I'd share a few ways that I save money while eating REAL food. It’s true that fresh organic produce is more expensive than the conventionally grown variety and that pasture-raised animal products are more expensive than factory-farmed animal products. However, that doesn’t mean that healthy eating has to break the bank.

Here's how you can save money while eating well:

  • Stick to a meal plan.
    Meal planning can help you stay on track and on budget. When you shop for only the items you need each week, you’ll avoid making expensive impulse purchases, and you won’t need to dine out when you find yourself hungry and unprepared. Preparation is key, so take twenty minutes out of your weekend to plan your meals for the week along with a corresponding grocery list. In No Excuses Detox, you'll find a Budget-Friendly Meal Plan that feeds you for less than $6 a day, including 3 meals and snacks(!), and you should also take advantage of these free meal plans from Lisa.

  • Eat fewer animal products.
    Animal products, including meat, fish, dairy, and eggs, tend to be the priciest items in a shopping cart. So by reducing your weekly consumption, you can easily shave dollars off your grocery bill. If your family relies heavily on meat-centered dishes, try serving a little less meat at each meal and then make up the difference by adding extra veggies to your plates. Or, simply aim to eat meatless one day a week and try a new vegetarian meal instead. The Lentil Sloppy Joe recipe below is a great way to get started!

  • Keep it simple.
    In my experience, healthful eating is often the most expensive when you try exotic ingredients and packaged convenience foods that are reminiscent of your old favorites. In many cases, these packaged foods aren’t much healthier than their processed counterparts, and you certainly don’t need a bunch of special ingredients to make truly delicious, healthy food. Instead, shop for simple whole foods, such as fresh produce, raw nuts and seeds, and bulk grains, and then use them to make your own salad dressings, dips, snack bars, and puddings for healthier and cheaper alternatives to pricey packaged snacks.
  • Shop seasonally.
    You’ve probably heard that it’s better to eat seasonally and locally, and one of the best benefits of this practice is that it saves you money. When produce is in season, its supply is at its peak—making it easier and cheaper for farmers to distribute to your local store. Those savings get passed on to you, and, as added perks, your food tastes better and is more nutritious. When your favorite produce isn’t in season, you can save money by buying it frozen, which is almost always cheaper than fresh.

When you start to make healthy eating a priority, you'll most likely cut back on some other expensive habits, such as dining out often, buying fancy coffee drinks, eating greasy popcorn at the movie theater, or sipping overpriced cocktails. Improving your health now will likely mean fewer costly doctor visits for you in the future, too. Consider that as even more reason to banish this “too expensive” excuse for good.

Now, let's put some of these money-saving tips into action with an easy, family-friendly recipe.

Lentil Sloppy Joe Stuffed Sweet Potatoes (+ how to save money while eating well) on 100 Days of Real Food

This fresh vegetarian take on Sloppy Joes from my new cookbook is not only good for you, but it'll cost less to make too. Unlike other varieties of lentils that take much longer to cook, red lentils are tender in just 20 minutes, and they are the perfect vehicle for this sweet and spicy sauce. Served over a baked sweet potato, this dish is comforting, filling, and ultra-nourishing, but you can also serve it on your favorite high-quality bun to please any picky eaters. To make this recipe as excuse-proof as possible, I've included extra directions so you can cook it in a slow cooker or pressure cooker, if you'd prefer.

This recipe feeds 6 people for just $1.39 per serving.

Lentil Sloppy Joe Stuffed Sweet Potatoes (+ how to save money while eating well) 1

Lentil Sloppy Joe Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

This fresh, vegetarian Lentil Sloppy Joe recipe is not only good for you, but it'll cost less to make too. This dish is comforting, filling, and nourishing.
7 Reviews / 4.6 Average
Prep Time: 5 minutes mins
Cook Time: 35 minutes mins
Total Time: 40 minutes mins
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Method: Freezer Friendly
Diet: Dairy Free, Egg Free, Gluten Free, Peanut/Tree Nut-Free, Picky Eaters, Vegetarian
Print Recipe
Servings: 6 people
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Ingredients
  

  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1 yellow onion (chopped)
  • 1 green bell pepper (chopped)
  • 2 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 ½ cups tomato puree ((strained tomatoes))
  • 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt (plus more for sprinkling on potatoes)
  • 1 ½ tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 - 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 1 ½ cups water
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 cup red lentils (dried)
  • 4 - 6 sweet potatoes ((see notes below) or your favorite sandwich buns)
  • parsley (for garnish (optional))
  • green onions (for garnish (optional))

Instructions
 

  • In a large pot, melt the coconut oil over medium heat and sauté the onion, bell pepper, and garlic until tender, 8 - 10 minutes. Add the tomato puree, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, mustard, 1 tablespoon of the maple syrup, the water, chili powder, and lentils and bring the mixture to a rolling boil.
  • Lower the heat to a simmer and cover to cook until the lentils are very tender, about 20 minutes. Stir intermittently through the simmering process to make sure none of the lentils sticks to the bottom of the pot. When the lentils are tender, adjust any seasonings as needed, adding up to 1 tablespoon maple syrup to taste.
  • Slice the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise and gently mash with a fork, sprinkle with salt, and spoon the filling over the top and garnish, or simply serve the filling in your favorite sandwich bun.

Notes

  1. Slow/Pressure Cooker Method: To prepare this filling in a slow cooker or pressure cooker, complete the directions in step one and then instead of bringing the mixture to a boil, simply cover your pot and set it to cook. For a slow cooker, this dish should be ready in 3 hours on high or 6 hours on low. For a pressure cooker, it should cook on high pressure for 8 minutes.
  2. Freezer Friendly: Freeze this prepared filling for a fast meal in the future! Simply thaw it in the fridge overnight before you want to serve it again. To reheat, I like to warm the potatoes and filling separately in the oven for about 15 - 20 minutes at 350º F.
  3. To Bake the Sweet Potatoes: Poke the sweet potatoes with a fork to help them vent, then place them on a baking sheet to bake at 400º F until easily pierced with a fork, about 45 - 60 minutes, depending on the size of your potatoes. You can also prepare them in a pressure cooker by adding 1 cup water to the bottom of the pot, then placing a steamer basket or metal trivet in the pot so the potatoes aren't sitting in the water. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes, then let the pressure naturally release for at least 10 minutes before carefully venting and removing the lid.
  4. We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Facts
Lentil Sloppy Joe Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 380 Calories from Fat 27
% Daily Value*
Fat 3g5%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Sodium 774mg34%
Potassium 1395mg40%
Carbohydrates 78g26%
Fiber 18g75%
Sugar 20g22%
Protein 13g26%
Vitamin A 31255IU625%
Vitamin C 31.1mg38%
Calcium 117mg12%
Iron 5mg28%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Want weekly REAL FOOD meal plans made for you?→ Check It Out

I hope you will enjoy this filling and affordable meal from my book, No Excuses Detox. Feel free to leave any other money saving tips you might have in the comments below. I love hearing new ideas! You can find more of my recipes and tips on Detoxinista.com.

Thank you so much for having me, Lisa!

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1.1K shares

About Megan Gilmore

Megan Gilmore is a certified nutritionist consultant (CNC) and the creator of Detoxinista.com. As a self-proclaimed “lazy cook,” Megan shares quick recipes using easy-to-find real food ingredients to help naturally support your body. For fast weeknight meals, check out her latest book, The Fresh & Healthy Instant Pot Cookbook.

Comments

  1. Carly says

    January 26, 2023 at 7:43 pm

    3 stars
    Made the recipe as written and unfortunately found it lacking. It tasted like tomatoes and lentils which would not mimic “sloppy joes” to my meat-eating family. Per another sloppy Joe recipe, I added steak seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, and apple cider vinegar to taste and it made a world of difference- it even brought out the chili powder which before had not come through.

    Reply
    • 100 Days Admin says

      January 30, 2023 at 8:46 am

      Thank you for your feedback. Glad to hear that you tweaked the recipe to your liking. - Nicole

      Reply
  2. Dayna says

    May 22, 2019 at 7:34 pm

    5 stars
    I wasn’t crazy excited about making this but I finally did, and it is SO GOOD. If you’re on the fence, try it!!

    Reply
  3. Jessica Flory says

    February 13, 2018 at 3:15 pm

    5 stars
    These were delicious! My three year old had 2 GIANT helpings!!! Thank you for a wonderful recipe :D

    Reply
  4. Lindsay says

    November 27, 2017 at 6:40 pm

    Might want to add a note that the total time varies with how you cook the sweet potatoes. Otherwise one might be caught by surprise with the 40 minute total.

    Reply
  5. Lornel Curey says

    September 25, 2017 at 9:22 pm

    5 stars
    This is delicious! I have made thus twice. Thank you for this exellent recipe!
    Going to add it to our regular meals!
    First time badically followed recipe and used whole red lentils, second time followed using split lentils, left out the maple, added a 1/2 t paprika. Very tasty. Thank you for your excellent site. I benefit much from your recipes. Mom of 5.

    Reply
  6. Juli Davis says

    August 21, 2017 at 9:26 am

    Made this last night. It was so good!! I upped the amount of chili powder and used green lentils :)

    Reply
  7. Samantha says

    August 08, 2017 at 9:35 pm

    5 stars
    The whole family loved this recipe...even my husband who just rolls his eyes when I mention a meatless meal! Will definitely make again.

    Reply
  8. H Awe says

    August 06, 2017 at 12:35 pm

    Can't wait to try this new recipe! It is on our meal plan for this week! Thanks for a recipe that is meatless and helps me stretch our budget a bit!

    Reply
  9. Tracey Zvirblis says

    August 03, 2017 at 10:46 pm

    4 stars
    I made this for lunch today & I changed a few things, but kept the basic recipe & it is delicious! Thank you so much for the recipe. I didn't have the capsicum (yes I'm Australian lol) so subbed more onion as I'm a huge fan of onion in EVERYTHING, used our homemade tomato purée & a teaspoon of gourmet dried vegetable stock. I didn't have Dijon mustard so used what I had & that was whole grain mustard. I think I will add an extra teaspoon or two of chilli powder next time as it wasn't spicy enough but still had a great flavour. Thanks again for a tasty recipe that will go on my rotation regularly.

    Reply
  10. Marla says

    August 03, 2017 at 12:29 pm

    made this last night, delicious!

    Reply
  11. Isadora Guidoni says

    August 01, 2017 at 11:36 am

    5 stars
    Omg, this looks SO delicious!! Damn, I'm gonna have to try it. Thank you for sharing the recipe with us!!

    Reply
  12. Tiffany says

    July 31, 2017 at 4:11 pm

    Thanks for the recipe share! Always looking for new recipes to try, Love checking out your blog for weekly dinner ideas.

    Reply

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Meet Lisa! Lisa is a best-selling cookbook author, wife, mother, and passionate home cook. Lisa began blogging in 2010 and has created a community of millions of people who share her love of healthy living, real food ingredients, and family recipes.

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