Baked Rice and Peas

I have this problem with rice.  It NEVER comes out as it's supposed to, although sometimes Minute Rice works in the microwave for me.  I can time it exactly as the recipe states, and it's crunchy.  Then I'm all frustrated because I FINALLY timed a meal so that the sides were ready at the same time as the main dish and now I have to add ten or twenty or more time to the rice.


This?  Came out perfect.  It was soft with just a little bit of bite, it had flavor, and it was SO EASY.  Much like a crockpot meal, you dump all the stuff into the pot, put it in the oven, and don't touch it till the timer goes off.  WORD UP.

Baked Rice and Peas originally from Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes 
Servings: 5

• 1 cup uncooked long grain rice
• 14.5 oz can fat free chicken broth
• 1 tsp butter
• 2 tbsp parmesan cheese
• 5 oz (1/2 package) frozen peas

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine all ingredients in a oven-safe baking dish with a lid. Place a piece of tin foil between the lid and the dish to ensure no steam escapes. Bake 45 minutes (do not open, do not peek, do not stir to rice). When 45 minutes is up, remove from oven and let it sit for 10 more minutes to allow the steam to finish cooking the rice, (do not open, do not peek, do not stir to rice). After 10 minutes, remove lid and fluff with a fork.

Chicken and Mushrooms in a Garlic Wine Sauce

I've been feeling the effects on my body of two babies and not making the gym a priority.  In other words, the jelly belly has been bothering me.  So, I wandered over to "Skinny Taste" for some ideas and inspiration and found this meal.

Woohoo, success! My husband liked his meal, my sonS (!!) both cleared their plates, and I thought it tasty too.  It was a really easy meal to make and the results are almost worthy of company.  My husband thought something was missing, saying he thought it was something like a marsala but not quite.  The sauce is so completely different from marsala, I really didn't know what he was talking about, but I guess it's similar in the preparation and inclusion of mushrooms.  But I assure you, it's completely different.

As Gina suggested, I served this with Baked Rice and Peas.

Chicken and Mushrooms in a Garlic White Wine Sauce, very slightly adapted from Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 4

• 1 lb chicken breast, sliced into 1" strips
• 2 tsp butter
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/8 cup all purpose flour
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 12 oz sliced mushrooms
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1/3 cup fat free chicken broth
• salt and fresh pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Toss the chicken pieces in a bowl of the flour.

Heat a large skillet on medium heat; when hot add 1 tsp butter and 1 tsp olive oil. Add chicken to the skillet and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes on each side, or until chicken is no longer pink. Set aside.

Add additional oil and butter to the skillet, then garlic and cook a few seconds; add mushrooms, salt and pepper stirring occasionally until golden, about 5 minutes.

Add wine, chicken broth, parsley; stir the pan with a wooden spoon breaking up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook a few more minutes or until the liquid reduces by half. Top the chicken with the mushroom sauce and serve.

Southwest Turkey Meatballs with Creamy Cilantro Dipping Sauce

I don't follow Weight Watchers, but have been feeling the effects of two children on my belly, so I turned to Gina's Skinny Recipes, aka: Skinny Taste for some of my meal planning this week. I'm not sure what it was about this recipe that caught my eye, but it definitely did.

I definitely de-skinnified this quite a bit. See, I served it on a roll, and it's not even a whole wheat one. Making the sauce, I only had full fat mayo, and I only had whole milk yogurt (which I strained a little bit, but not enough that the sauce was the consistency I wanted). So, in the end, I took this Skinny Taste and made it a Fatty Taste (though certainly no "fat sandwich," a specialty at the university around the corner from us).

I especially liked that this involved baking the meatballs, because when I fry meatballs? I get so frustrated, they fall apart, etc etc. These are baked; hooray!! So much easier anyway.

I thought these meatballs were delicious--with the sauce, without the sauce, on the roll, and the sauce was delicious on my salad. Again, E-boy went nuts because he loves food. A-boy ate "enough" of his meatballs. M did not like it; when I asked what he didn't like, he said he didn't like any of it, but most especially the sauce. Sigh.

I definitely suggest you make these, cause MY tastebuds are the RIGHT ones.

Southwest Turkey Meatballs by: Gina's Skinny Recipes


1-1/4 lbs 99% lean ground turkey
1 jalapeño, seeds removed (leave some in for spicier meatballs)
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 scallions
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 egg
1 tsp cumin
pinch oregano
salt and fresh pepper
cooking spray
Creamy Cilantro Tomatillo Dipping Sauce; recipe follows


Lightly spray baking pan with oil. Preheat oven to 400°.Place jalapeño, garlic, cilantro, and scallions into a small food processor or chopper and pulse a few times until finely minced.In a large bowl combine turkey, chopped herbs, bread crumbs, egg, cumin, salt and pepper. Using your hands, mix well and measure 1/4 cup meat, then divide in two so you end up with each meatball 1/8 cup in size. Roll and place on a baking pan.
Bake meatballs at 400° 15 minutes.

Creamy Cilantro Tomatillo Dipping Sauce by Gina's Skinny Recipes


1/2 cup lowfat buttermilk
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
1/4 cup fat free Greek yogurt
1 small jalapeno, seeds removed, leave them in if you want it spicy
1/4 cup of fresh cilantro
1 tomatillo, husks removed, chopped
1 clove garlic
1 scallion
juice of 1/2 lime
1/2 tsp dried parsley flakes
1/8 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/4 tsp salt
Combine all ingredients in a blender.

Crockpot Chicken Taco Chili

When the hubby's away, the mommy will make the food she likes to eat.  With him away so much lately, we've had chili, beef stew, pot roast, and sweet potatoes.  Tonight was no exception.

This recipe has been going around, and I finally succumbed to the many rave reviews.  I know many people use their crockpots for busy worknights, but for me, it's becoming imperative on nights my husband isn't around to watch the boys while I cook.

It's super duper easy, which was great because my three year old did almost all of the pouring of ingredients.

Speaking of my three year old, I made a few modications for his sake.

First, I used a can of Rotel in place of the diced tomatoes with chiles, since it IS diced tomatoes with chiles.  Rotel is 10oz, though.  I also used a can of plain diced tomatoes, because that's what I had.  I figured this would decrease any spice for my boy.  I didn't measure out the spices, so when I tasted at the end of cooking, it was a bit spicy... and I knew he wouldn't eat it.  So, I stirred some sour cream into his chili, and also topped it with some shredded cheddar.  Not only did he not complain about the spice, he kept telling me how good it was, and that I should make it again tomorrow (and that he helped me cook it.)

I also used chicken thighs, because they are so much cheaper.  I actually prefer dark meat usually, but in this recipe you really can't even tell the difference if you DO prefer white meat.

I've seen lots of folks serve this over rice, over pasta, but we enjoyed it plenty on its own, in mugs.

So, this is yummy.  It's pretty easy to customize (you're vegetarian?  leave out the chicken!).  It's very easy to make, and it's pretty good for ya.  Do it, you know you want to.