Rice, squared...

Tuesday Recap:

9:00am:  Breakfast- Brown Rice Chia Pudding

So since I had leftover cooked brown rice from our Monday night dinner, I thought I was SUPER clever whipping it up along with my spiced chia pudding to create a TRUE rice pudding taste...WITH RICE this timeJ

Night before:

• 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• Cinnamon
• Dash of nutmeg & cloves

Morning Mix: 

Only "problem" was I had to heat up the 'pudding' since even the cooked rice was still too chewy to eat cold.  Still delicious, but didn't fit in my plan of "cold pudding made creamy from the chia seeds" thoughtsJ 

I will say, however, that the brown rice made this quite a bit more filling than the regular recipe.  I was able to fit in a 3 mile walk & a playground trip with Katie WITHOUT feeling like I was going to faint by the time I got home.

#winning

Not that I waited TOO long for lunch when I got homeJ

12:30pm:  Lunch- Goat cheese & grape salad 

Well, I knew it wouldn't be long before I whipped up this version of salad after mentioning it yesterday.  Here was a quick way to whip up one of my favorite salad recipes:

• Diced spinach
• 1 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
• 2 tablespoons Rosemary Pecan & Cranberry mix
• 5 halved grapes
• Drizzle of olive oil & sprinkle of salt

2:30pm:  Snack- 3 Ritz with Caramelized Garlic Cheese

Thankfully, I realized this cheese would make a perfect bagel topper....hence stopping my NEED to slowly keep nibbling from it and calling it an afternoon snack for the sake of it 'not going to waste'J  Bagels + caramelized garlic cheese coming this weekendJ

6:30pm:  Dinner- Rice & Beans with Guacamole

OK...so while my breakfast of brown rice was planned from the night before, this dinner WAS NOT.  This dinner was MUCH more "warm weather friendly" than the one I was planning (which I'm making tonight since the weather is dropping from mid-70's to high-50's today), so in a twist of 'this would never normally happen,' I ended up with not one, but TWO meals with RICE as the main starJ

And while my breakfast included healthy brown rice, our 'dinner rice' was a little more on the decadent side in the form of...

I try to keep VERY FEW "pre-packaged flavored kits" around our house, but yellow rice still has a great 'once in awhile' fan base around here.  Not to mention it was the only 'non-Minute rice' we had laying around when I came up with the idea of cooking this up in the slow cooker.

In an attempt to recreate our Costa Rican BREAKFAST of rice & beans, I mixed:

• 1 box yellow rice
• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 1 cup of veggie broth
• 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
• 1 can of drained & rinsed red beans

In a slow cooker & let it cook on low for about 2 hours.

Truth be told, the slow cooker ended up being not really essential.  And even FURTHER truth be told, I had started a batch of this around noon with the aforementioned 'Minute rice,' that I went to check around 2pm and realized it was MUSH.  Sooooooo...out went the minute rice & in went the yellowJ  Round 2 was much more successful, but after about 2 hours on low, I just kept it on warm until it was time to eat.

I was having a GENIUS day yesterday, obviouslyJ

ANYWAY...I also put the small one to work helping me mash up the avocados for guacamole... 

And by guacamole I mean 1 mashed avocado, 1 minced clove of garlic, salt & pepperJ

She was proud of herselfJ 

As random the dinner, it was equally delicious.  I thought JUST RICE & BEANS wasn't going to be filling enough...but really it's just like a cup of pasta + TONS of protein from the beans...

...plus the fun of doctoring it up with the cool guacamole, a dollop of tangy sour cream and a sprinkle of multigrain tortilla chip crumbles for CRUNCH... 

We LOVED this dinner and in reality, it can be thrown together in less than 30 minutes, skipping that entire slow cooker stepJ (we also realized it would be perfect on the menu for Cinco de Mayo coming soon!)

And YES...I know these are not really seasonal and DEF not local, but I just COULD NOT pass up my impulse purchase of fresh Florida corn when I was at the grocery store this weekend!

Katie obviously approvedJ

8:00pm:  Dessert- Chocolate Eggs 

So I really thought the $.52, flavored Russell Stover chocolate were going to be subpar at best, but MAN-was I wrong!  Scott & I split these up to sample and loved one flavor more than the next.

Although I think that SPICED CARROT CAKE reigned supreme...if not the most SURPRISINGLY good. 

YUM!

And yes, once Easter week is over I'll go back to NORMAL life where one piece of chocolate in a sitting is MORE than enoughJ  Blame it on my excitement of trying lots o' flavorsJ

Oh and along with my afternoon walk, I've also been trying to remember to pick up my weight and do a set or 2 of arms (12 each: bicep curls, lateral raises, tricep kickbacks, overhead presses & rows) & legs (12 side & back lifts + 12 squats & repeat on opposite leg + 24 plies) every night.  I had been slacking for awhile, but am trying to remember to fit them in while just sitting around at night.  I keep my weights RIGHT next to the couch, so I really have NO EXCUSE.  As with MOST exercises, the toughest part is JUST getting off the couchJ

Have a great Wednesday!J