Oven Brown Rice

My cousin who is a very good personal cook posted an Alton Brown recipe for brown rice and it was just too easy not to try, although I changed just a bit.  The result?  Fabulous.  It wasn't sticky, it was perfectly cooked, it wasn't on my stove top needing any of my attention and although the rice was good by itself, I added 1 T Sesame Oil, 1 1/2 T Soy Sauce, 1 t garlic powder, 1/2 t white pepper and two scrambled eggs and I had SUPER easy fried rice that my kids gobbled up.

I'll never make brown rice any other way!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups brown rice, medium or short grain
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 2 Chicken Bouillon cubes or vegetable if you want vegetarian

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Place the rice into an 8-inch square glass baking dish.

Bring the water and bouillon to a boil.  I did it in the microwave but you could do it on the stove in a saucepan. Once the water boils, pour it over the rice, stir to combine, and cover the dish tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil, I didn't have "heavy-duty" so I used two pieces of regular. Bake in the middle of the oven for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, remove cover and fluff the rice with a fork. Serve immediately.

OR add what I said above and have fried rice!

Here is the photo fresh from the oven. 

Tex Mex Pasta

I combined my two favorite things, Mexican food and pasta.  I have also heard to never heat up an avocado but I had three that needed to be eaten and I wasn't in the mood for guacamole.  The person who gave me that information should rethink their stance on it because the "heated" up avocado was really yummy. 

 

Let's get this party started, here's what you'll need:

 

1/2 Green, Yellow and Red Pepper chopped ~ or you can use all of one color to make it easier

1 sm Onion chopped

3 cloves Garlic minced

1/2 Jalapeno (I used one that was about the size of my pinky) seeds discarded and minced

1 package Boneless Chicken Breast ~ cut into small pieces

2 1/4 t Cumin and Chili Powder

Salt and pepper to taste

2 ears of corn ~ cut corn off cob ~ you could use frozen

2 handfuls of Spinah ~ chopped

3 Avocados ~ smashed

1 1/4 C Half and Half ~ I used fat free

1/2 C Heavy Cream ~ I used whipping cream

1/2-3/4 C shredded Montery Jack Cheese

Cooked Pasta ~ I used Penne

 

Start your salted water on the stove to cook your pasta when it comes to a boil.  Over medium heat, throw your chopped chicken in a non stick large saute pan with your garlic and onion.  Season with 2 t cumin, chili powder and salt and pepper to taste. When the chicken looks to be about half way done, throw in the peppers, jalapenos and corn and continue to cook.  Rinsed black beans at this point would be good too but I was out.   When the chicken is done and the vegetables still have a little crunch, add a few T of the boiling salted water to get anything stuck on the bottom of the pan to come up.  Turn heat down to low and add half and half, cream 1/4 t cumin and chili powder and avocados.  Stir to incorporate and let it simmer a few minutes.  Give it a taste, do you need anything?  Is it spicy enough?  Adjust as necessary.  More cumin will give that Mexican flavor but be careful, too much can also spoil the taste.  Add spinach and give a stir, add cheese and stir again.  Add your cooked pasta and give it a toss.  Dinner is served.

 

Here's your chopped peppers

Chopped chicken ready to go

Lay corn on it's side and cut from the cob.  You can use frozen but fresh off the cob is sweet and adds a nice flavor.

Slice an avocado in half, whack your knife into the middle of the pit, give a slight twist and out it will come.  Scoop out the inside with a spoon.

Smashed and ready to add

Sauce needing to simmer for a few minutes

Add your spinach

Throw in your pasta and dinner is served.

Kraft: Stop Using Dangerous Food Dyes in Our Mac & Cheese

I am not someone who jumps on bandwagons or supports causes randomly but when I came across an article about Kraft Mac & Cheese leaving dangerous dyes in the US version of their product I had to sign.  Why would a company take something out of their product for countries with stricter food safety laws but leave it for the US to consume?? 

Food dye has always been something that has bothered me and I don't understand why more companies aren't pulling artificial coloring OUT of their products when they know they aren't good for you.  Who cares if we eat things that "look" like they should.  Aren't we exposed to enough crap in our day to day life?  Do we really need to ingest dangerous dyes?  Ok, off of my soapbox.  But, if you're interested in supporting, please click the link below and sign your name to the petition to get Kraft to stop using dyes in the US too!

http://www.change.org/petitions/kraft-stop-using-dangerous-food-dyes-in-our-mac-cheese

Growing Up

Our final year of association hockey is coming to a close this weekend.  It's been a crazy ride with 5 tournaments and over 50 games just this season.  After 11 years it really is a bittersweet milestone.  On to high school where it's a whole new game, a faster game and although I have no doubt that Max is up for the challenge, he is also saying goodbye to friends he has skated with for a long time. Splitting off to different schools, they'll never skate together as teammates again. 

And, I will be saying good bye to parents that I care about. Parents that I have laughed with, screamed with, vented to...well, it's all a little overwhelming.

I am also having a hard time wrapping my brain around not being at a hockey rink from 8:30-10 p.m. almost every night.  Next year, Max will be able to drive himself to afterschool practice and they only play about 20 games.  What the heck am I going to do with my life?

The last thing I had to do for this team was hand over some photos of Max's hockey career for the team video.  I went through his scrapbook and gave them to his Dad who scanned and sent them back to me.  But he added one.  This one.

I opened it and immediately had tears blur my vision.  This wasn't a game or a practice. It was just a Saturday and I remember this skate vividly.  We surprised him with getting to skate on the Minnesota Wild ice and he was beYOND excited.  We went out to eat after and he told us that one day he would be an NHL player but he would save the Wild to be his last team so he could be close to home when he was done playing.  You see he had his career planned out; Chicago, New Jersey and the Wild would all have Max for a few seasons after he was a MN Gopher.  Why was he going to move around?  DUH...Because he liked their jerseys and he wanted one of each with his name.  I remember listening to his explanation and thinking that it was so far away, we had plenty of time but how cute it was that he had a thought out "plan".

 

So when I look at that smile, the same smile he has now but on a much older face and I canNOT believe I have only a little over 3 years left before he leaves for college?!  Excuse me please, I have to go lay down. I'm feeling a bit dizzy.

Berry White Chocolate Bars

I was rearranging my freezer and came across blueberries and raspberries.  I thought of those yummy cookies at Subway but didn't feel like searching for a recipe.  So, I kinda did my chocolate chip cookie recipe and threw it in a jelly roll pan, that's a cookie sheet with an edge for those that don't bake often.  At any rate, YUMMY! 

Here's what you'll need:

1 C Oil ~ I use Canola but vegetable would work too
1/2 C Sour Cream ~ I use light
2 Eggs
3/4 C Sugar
3/4 C Brown Sugar
2 t Vanilla Extract
3 C Flour
1 t Baking Soda
3/4 C Blueberries and Raspberries ~ I used frozen
1/2 C White Chocolate Chips

Mix oil, eggs, vanilla and sugars.  Add flour, chips, soda and sour cream.  Mix well.  Fold in berries.  Folding means to gently mix in.  But if you choose to stir them in, it will simply break them up a little bit, no harm done.  Press dough into pan that is 15 x 10.  Bake for about 15 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool, cut serve! 

Not the greatest photo, I realized you can't see the blueberries that I assure you were on the other side of the bar but you get the idea.

Competition Season Begins

I'm glad that my kids aren't on the same calendar for their activities so that I can give full attention to both of them.  And, although we have one last tournament this weekend, hockey is pretty much done.  But dance, DANCE, is just getting the party started.

We had our first competition on Saturday.  Claire was anxious during our drive so I was talking to keep her distracted.  What I wanted her to hear was that dance is subjective to the judges, it's not a sport that a ball or a puck scores the points.  You could be the best team out there in your opinion but if the judges didn't agree, you don't win.  So, I told her what I learned through my years.  You smile, you have a great time, you do your best and you cross your fingers.  Just like hockey, you don't leave anything in the locker room. 

Claire and her team came out with fantastic energy and they ROCKED the house. They WON 1st place!! It was Claire's first 1st place win and she was beyond excited.  Added bonus was that her cousin Serena is also on the team.  Congratulations girls.  You were AWESOME!!

 

Chili

I started counting my points again on Weight Watchers.  This time I WILL finish what I started.  Could have something to do with having to get into a formal dress the end of March?  Could be I'm just tired of living in this body?  Could be that I'm thinking about my health a little more?  I know that it works because I lost 30 lbs 7 years ago.  I just need to COUNT.  I have never thought of myself as an instant gratification person but when it comes to "dieting", I am.  I know that WW is a lifestyle.  It's a fairly easy one to maintain but you have to pay attention.  I stopped paying attention.

So, I bought the app for my phone, that is helping.  I also took measurements so if the pounds take longer to come off, hopefully I'll see inches changing.  Truthfully, I don't care what the scale says.  I just want to feel good in my body again.

At any rate, I am most hungry at lunch.  I have found that if I eat a Weight Watcher frozen meal I am hungry pretty quickly after.  If I eat them for dinner I'm fine.  Weird?  Maybe.  But, I needed something good to eat that wasn't a ton of points for lunch so I made my chili and froze in the freezer so I can grab and go.  AND, because I freeze it I don't have to eat the same thing for an entire week.

I also figured out the Weight Watcher points. I divided this into 7 bowls and it was 7 per serving.  Pretty nice!!

1 lb 93% lean hamburger~I usually use ground turkey but the points are the same for either.
1/2 green pepper minced
1/3 medium onion diced
1 t chopped garlic~I use the jar stuff most of the time
1 Can Tomato Soup
1 Can diced Tomatoes~I use Petite diced
1 sm Can Tomato Sauce
2 Cans Spicy Chili Beans
1 soup can water
3 T Chili Powder
Optional~Cayenne pepper to taste, I think I used about a teaspoon.

Brown Meat, green pepper, onion and garlic. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Throw in the crockpot and dump in soup, tomatoes, sauce, beans, water, chili powder and cayenne. Crock on low for 4-6 hours and serve.

Here's your ingredients.

Slice the green pepper really thin and then mince. You can also use a little food processor if you feel like extra dishes.

It's hard to see the onions because I used a white cutting board but this is how much of each after they are chopped.

Here is your meat that is browned with the green peppers, onion and garlic. Don't forget to season your meat. Throw in your crockpot, dump in the rest, stir and crock for at least 4 hours.

Lunch is served. You can top with sour cream, cheese, jalapenos. Whatever tickles your fancy, just remember to add your points if you're doing WW.