Posts from — October 2010

Sounds pretty basic, right?  I mean, who can’t cook rice?  Well, for a long time, I couldn’t!  I would follow package instructions to the letter, but I would always get either mushy rice or undercooked rice.  I just never seemed to get the water-to-rice ratio right!

Then, one day I decided to boil it.  Yep, just like pasta.  And it worked like a charm!  Now, I get perfect rice every time.  I never have to worry about the water- to- rice ratio again!   And neither will you! 

Here’s  the how –to…

First, fill a saucepan with water (this was a 2.5 quart size pan  filled 3/4 full with water)…

Bring it to a boil…

Please ignore my messy stove, I cleaned it later…you’ll see why…

Get out your rice…

Measure out your desired amount…

For this tutorial, I used one cup which yielded a little more than 2 cups cooked rice. 

Add rice to boiling water…

Spill rice all over while trying to take a picture, then try to scoop them up while they burn and scorch on the cooktop…

Fill the house with stinky smoke…

Let’s try this again.

Pour new rice in a brand new boiling pot of water while carefully taking a picture…

Give it a stir (add salt if desired) and let rice boil for about 40-45 minutes.  I found brown rice to take exactly 45 minutes to reach doneness.  You want it to be firm, but tender;  slightly chewy but not hard.

Meanwhile, clean your burned up cooktop.

When rice is done, drain in a colander…

And there you have it!  Perfectly cooked brown rice…

No more gummy, mushy or undercooked rice!

You can make larger amounts (just use a bigger pot with more water), let the cooked rice cool, then store in freezer containers for future use.  Such a time-saver!

And no messy stove

Have a great day, everyone!

Have you ever had trouble making rice?

I have gotten emails and comments from many readers saying that my meals often look so pretty and appetizing (thank you again!).  But, I’m here to show you it isn’t always so!  There was some ugly food on the plates today!

Starting with breakfast…

What the heck is that, right?  Okay, I’ll explain…

• egg whites
• baby spinach
• 2 slices of canadian bacon
• neon orange processed 2% cheese <— so wrong but I love it
• dollop of Trader Joe’s Triple Layer Hummus <— also wrong but it worked in the omelet

Sloppy, messy and not so pretty…

But tasty, nonetheless.

After breakfast, I got my chaturanga on with a new yoga video on Exercise TV called Body by Bethenny.  You may know her from the Real Housewives of New York and the Skinny Girl Margarita!  This video is guided by a fitness instructor, not Bethenny, but she follows along and gives her input throughout the workout.  Overall, I loved it!  The yoga moves had a great flow to them and were challenging, but not overwhelming.  I didn’t have time to do the entire hour -long video, however what I did was definitely a workout!  It’s my new fave!

Later, I met up with my friend, Coleen for a lunch date at Panera Bread.  I briefly checked out the menu before I left and it looked like I would be safe in the gluten-free department with a salad and soup.  I ordered the Low-Fat Garden Vegetable Soup and Greek Salad…

I munched away on the salad and got halfway through the soup before I noticed it contained barley!  Barley is NOT a gluten-free grain.  I wasn’t entirely worried because I don’t think I have an allergy, however, a couple hours later the bloating was back.  And indigestion.  It was not pretty.  Boo   So, there may be something to this gluten-free way for me, but I wanted to give it a full month to get a better gauge before I share my thoughts and experience.  Stay tuned!

This girl cannot live on salad alone; needless to say I was hungry a couple hours later.  Even though I was feeling the bloat, I tried out one of these Mrs. Mays Trio Bars I picked up while Coleen and I worked on some retail therapy

I made sure this was not an offender…

These are very good!  Reminiscent of a KIND bar , but crunchy instead of the chewier texture of the KIND bar. 

Also, low in sugar – only 6 grams per bar!  Another winner.

Back to some ugly food!

Dinner ran late due to little daughter’s dance class,  so leftovers were my choice.  I heated up the last of  Chicken Thighs and Zucchini with Parmesan Pan Sauce along with Trader Joe’s Giant White Beans…

Looks yucky, but tastes great!  Can’t judge a book by it’s cover, they say

I’m off to get under the covers!

Have a great day, everyone!

Do you think pretty food tastes better?  Are you surprised when a food doesn’t look good, but tastes good?

I procrastinated like heck this morning to avoid going out for a run.  I did laundry (yes, there’s more), made beds, answered emails, read blogs, twiddled thumbs and even debated on giving the stinky dog a bath. 

But, that nagging sense of commitment drove me out the door.  After one last distraction…

I needed some fuel for that run, right?

Because I was too lazy to drive anywhere, I stuck to the hills of my neighborhood.  I gave myself “permission” to not push myself too hard and run slower than my normal slow if needed!  It worked!  Once I was out there, I felt fine.  I finished up 5 miles doing 8:1 intervals on the GYMBOSS .   Sometimes it’s so difficult to get out there and run or do any exercise for that matter, but when I push myself to do it, I never regret it! 

On my way back to the house, I spent time talking to my neighbor.  Her husband is ill and it’s a very scary time for them.  We talked for quite a while, so I never made a real breakfast.  When my hunger surfaced, I decided to go with lunch.

Applegate Farms roasted turkey, Trader Joe’s Three Layer Hummus, pickle and spinach in a brown rice tortilla…

Along with a pear and white cheddar crack puffs…

I was all about the fruit today!  Afternoon snack was a gala and PB2…

I didn’t have a plan for dinner, however I knew it would involve chicken that was waiting in the fridge.  I threw together a last-minute meal that ended up being a family hit!  Hmmm… is it a full moon???

Chicken Thighs and Zucchini with Parmesan Pan Sauce

First, season boneless, skinless chicken thighs with kosher salt and pepper, then brown them in a tablespoon or so of olive oil…

Meanwhile, chop garlic, 1/4 cup red onion and 2 medium zucchini…

Remove the chicken to a plate and keep warm.  Add veggies to the skillet along with 1/2 tsp. dried thyme and saute…

Return chicken to the pan.  Add about 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese…

and about 1/3 cup chicken broth (this broth was so yellow!  maybe because it’s organic???  I was scared.) …

The cheese melts into the broth and makes a velvety, smooth sauce for the chicken and zucchini.  Using REAL parmesan that’s freshly grated is the key!

Served with perfectly cooked brown rice (tutorial to come!)…

Everyone’s happy and no howling involved

One thing I’m not procrastinating on is bed!!  Here I go…

Have a great day, everyone!!!

Poll:  chicken thighs or chicken breast?