That hit the spot!

The rice pudding was yummy! Here's what I did (after looking at tons of recipes):

I made brown rice last night.

Then, this morning, I peeled and chopped some apples and cooked them in a couple tablespoons of butter with a dash of cinnamon and a dash of pumpkin pie spice.

Once they were tender, I added 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 2 cups of milk, a large box of raisins (as opposed to the mini boxes) and 2 cups of the cooked brown rice. I brought this to a boil, reduced it to a simmer and let it cook for 15 minutes. I loved it! Ryan was sick this morning so he didn't even try it. Sarah Beth ate some of hers, but not as much as I'd hoped.

The only thing I'd do differently is add a little vanilla when I add the milk. I wish I'd thought of that sooner.

Estimated nutritional value- For 1/6 of the recipe: 190 calories, 5g of fat, 2g of fiber, 4g of protein.

Picnic in a Jar

I'm trying something new today...I stole the idea from Melissa D'Arabian, but I didn't like the flavors she used. However, I loved the idea of a layered picnic in a jar, so I'm stealing the idea and making it my own. I'll be layering the following things in a jar...whether or not we actually picnic with it will be determined later:
1. veggie pasta spirals with Italian dressing
2. chickpeas, seasoned with garlic and onions
3. shrimp
4. veggies (zucchini, squash, carrots, mushrooms, tomatoes, and spinach)

I'm making this for us as well as Chad and Kayla. I think there's a concert in a park somewhere we could go to with this, but I don't know if we will. I'll give the verdict later on how this turns out.

***The Verdict: While I liked it, the rest of the family did not...so I won't try it again, at least not this way. I'm thinking maybe a chicken/tomato sauce/veggie combo might be better...or maybe a bbq pulled pork/coleslaw/beans one?

World's Worst Blogger

I must be the world's worst blogger...I have ideas I want to share...pictures to post...but I forget to take the pictures...and then forget to blog.

I made zucchini bread again using my healthier recipe. Why didn't I take pictures? I have no idea. Maybe it's because the kids woke up on the wrong side of the bed, and I was just thrilled they were playing nicely at the table with Play-Doh that I didn't want to risk it by stopping to take pictures.

I'm making kebabs later to take to my brother, his wife and their new baby...well, obvioulsy, the new baby won't be eating any (at least not directly)...but it's because of the little Princess that I'm taking the meal in the first place. She's absolutely beautiful, and I am so excited and happy for the new family! I've somehow become Meal Coordinator for them...and I love it! I'm so amazed that people are so generous and thoughtful and want to help them out during this time of adjustment!

It's an overcast summer day, and while I should be taking advantage of it by getting outside with the little munchkins, I'd really like to be in the kitchen trying something new...like PW's coffee bread recipe or baked French toast casserole. Of course, neither of those things are helping me get back on track with my healthy eating. I've got to get back to making healthy choices, both when it comes to food and exercise. I haven't run in a week, so I'm going to do that again starting tomorrow...just jumping right back into my training plan. And yes, I am training. For a 10K. Again. This one is Sept. 25, so I know I have to get started. And part of that is running...duh. But part of that is eating healthy foods. We have lots of fruit and veggies now, so it's just a matter of choices.

Isn't that really what everything is about...making choices? Making the choice to be happy. To not yell. To model good behavior instead of doing the whole "do as I say and not as I do" thing. To smile. To laugh. To find joy in the little things. To be generous. To help others. To love. Those are my choices today.

Yum!

I was in a cooking mood yesterday...actually, I'd been wanting to try one of the recipes for weeks. The other was inspired after watching Paula Deen. The first was a braised pork recipe I saw on the new Food Network star's show (Melissa D'Arabian). It took three hours to cook, so I knew I had to wait for a Saturday night when we didn't have something going on...hence the wait. I, of course, bought more meat than needed, so we had double the recipe...invited my parents over, which was nice. This pork turned out so good! However, the real star of the dinner was the sauce/gravy that it made...oh, wow! You need plenty of bread to mop the sauce up with!

The second recipe was inspired by watching Paula Deen make a chocolate bread pudding. I went in search of a bread pudding recipe that used egg substitute and was maybe a tad healthier and found a pumpkin bread pudding that used whole wheat bread and egg substitute along with the ever-so-healthy pumpkin...and can I just say double wow! This stuff was soooooo good! All we needed was a little Cool Whip or some sort of cream sauce, which will be my next recipe search.

It was really a great dinner for the cooler, damper weather we're having...and it was really nice to have dinner with my parents. We see them once a week on date night, but then it's just sort of in passing.

More than anything though, yesterday reminded me how much I love to cook and try new things in the kitchen. I really enjoyed the feeling of nurturing my family with good food made by me, especially on the fall day we were having and even more so after the kids have been sick all week. Nice to feel like I can take care of everyone, including myself.