Recipe Time-Cilantro-Lime Rice (Can it be this easy?)

Cilantro-Lime Rice

If you are a fan of Chipotle, you've probably had this before.  This is the single biggest reason I love Chipotle.  Since I don't live or work close to one, I scoured the internet for copycat versions of their recipe.  As you can see, I like love things fast and easy, so I tweaked the recipes I found and this is the result.  

Cilantro-Lime Rice

1 1/2 cups instant rice

1 1/2 cups water

1/2 lime

3 tbsp. cilantro (more or less depending on individual taste), chopped

3 tsp. oil

1 tsp. salt

Cook rice according to package directions.  Squeeze the juice of 1/2 lime into small bowl.  Add remaining three ingredients.  Combine mixture with rice.    Yields:  4--3/4 cups servings.  

Recipe Time-Three Ingredient Recipe--Two Ways to Serve It!

Time to get reacquainted with my kitchen!

Sundays in fall are usually lazy days at the Pals household.  Football on the big screen and something burning cooking in the kitchen.  Since we had a great night out with friends (I mean 38 points of great night:  Dreamscicle drinks, Asian wraps, sweet potato fries and a chocolate-caramel lava cake served with a side of vanilla ice cream!), I thought today would be a great day to haul out some of my tried and true WW recipes.  One of my all-time favorites is this 3-ingredient sloppy joe recipe.  It is great as a sloppy joe but I like it even better as a hot dip served with pita chips.  This is a perfect treat to eat while enjoying the Packer (or insert your favorite team here) game!

Three Ingredient Sloppy Joes

1 lb. package of Jennie-O ground turkey or extra lean ground beef

1 can of condensed tomato soup

1 jar of pineapple salsa  

Brown ground turkey or beef in a large skillet.  Season to taste.  Add condensed tomato soup (as is) and salsa.  Heat through until warm.  Voila!  Yields:  7--1/2 cup servings--4 points

(Try with an Arnold Sandwich Thin and an apple for a filling 7-point meal.)

Time Flies-A Parent's Love

A Parent's Love

Just so I can embarrass my daughter a little more by saying things that kids her age say.. 

TRUTH IS...

Take Time to Laugh--Maxine at Work

It was one of those weeks at work that you really didn't see coming!  (John, wouldn't you agree?)

Take Time to Laugh-Fairy Godmother

Recipe Time--Twice Baked Spaghetti Squash

TWICE BAKED SPAGHETTI SQUASH

WEIGHT WATCHERS FRIENDLY

Thanks to my neighbor and friend, Debbie, I made spaghetti squash for the first time.  Having to clue how to fix it, I began my search.  I looked up several recipes and decided to modify the ones I found.  The result was great!  My husband and I will definitely have this again!  It even seemed to taste better the next day.  (It was Weight Watchers friendly so I posted it there first.)

http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/RecipePage.aspx?recipeid=337869220

Can't be Good all the Time!

PEANUT BUTTER CUP ICE CREAM DESSERT

This is a copy-cat version of the Chancery's Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream Dessert originally posted by Le Food Snob.  All I can say is thank-you, thank-you, thank-you!  This is one of my most favorite desserts!

Ingredients

• 3 generous scoops of vanilla bean ice-cream
• 1 T. chocolate syrup
• 2 T. chunky peanut butter
• Whip cream, for garnish
• Mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup (or cut a regular size in half), for garnish

Directions

1. In a stand mixer, whip the ice-cream, peanut butter and chocolate syrup.
2. Drizzle chocolate syrup around the inside of a pint glass, about half-way down.
3. Pour/scoop the ice-cream mixture into the prepared glass.
4. Garnish with whip cream and peanut butter cup.
5. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Time to Get Even?

If you're ever in a position where your hubby is contemplating a mid-life crisis, remember this--what we may have lost in looks, we've gained in brains!

Below is a cute post I stumbled upon tonight.  

Midlife Crisis?

I was married 25 years, I took a look at my wife one day and I
said, "25 years ago, we had a cheap apartment, a cheap car, we
slept on a sofa bed and watched a 10 inch black and white TV, but I
got to sleep every night with a hot 25 year old girl .

Now, we have a nice house, nice car, big bed and plasma screen TV,
but I'm sleeping with a 50 year old woman. It seems to me that you
are not holding up your side of things."

My wife is a very reasonable woman. She told me to go out and find a
hot 25 year old girl, and she would make sure that I would once
again be living in a cheap apartment, driving a cheap car, sleeping
on a sofa bed.

Older women are great. They really know how to solve your mid-life
crisis.

Take Time to Laugh!

Recipe Time-Weight Watchers Pancakes

As I mentioned in my first post, I am (shhhhh) overweight.  I am trying to correct that and have lost 42.2 pounds so far this year.  (A great friend of mine, Patti, came to my 50th birthday party and she looked great.  She was my inspiration to lose weight and has made her lifetime goal.)  On my journey, I have expanded my recipe collection and will be sharing some of these with you from time to time.  This week was a big week for me, I tried three new recipes:  Weight Watchers Pancakes, Twice-Baked Spaghetti Squash Casserole and Cilantro-Lime Rice.  All of them were delicious!

I'll start with the easiest one first.

WEIGHT WATCHERS PANCAKES

1 Weight Watchers smoothie packet, any flavor  (I used Creme Brulee--mmm!)
3 egg whites
1/2 tsp. baking powder

Mix all three ingredients together and cook on medium heat until large bubbles form in the batter.  Flip and brown remaining side.  Yields:  2 large pancakes or three medium sized pancakes  Points:  3 for entire batch

Note:  I sprinkled lightly with powdered sugar and used a light syrup on mine.  I have also added a few chocolate chips to the batter.  Be sure to add points for any extras that you may include.

Time to Set Sail

MAIDEN VOYAGE...

Time to set sail, this post will mark the maiden voyage of my blog!  Not quite sure where it's going yet but I'd love to have you along for the ride!  

After becoming a Pinterest junkie in the past few months, it seemed like a lot of pins were coming from blogs.  There was a very common theme among the bloggers; they were young mothers that had the opportunity to stay at home and raise their young families.  (My gorgeous niece is one of them!  Nicole at Here's the Diehl--http://heresthediehl.wordpress.com/)  Well, I'm not a young mother and I work full-time.  As a matter-of-fact, that was where I decided that I, too, could blog.  Certainly, I hope that I will be able to keep it interesting since I won't have puppies and babies to add to the "aww" factor.  I thought I could blog about everything they weren't; being middle-aged, being an empty-nester and working full time.  I hope I can provide something interesting for everyone with an emphasis on well, being a middle-aged, empty-nest, overweight, full-time employee, mom and wife.  So, please join me on my journey.  I can't promise daily blogs or even weekly blogs for that matter but I do hope to provide something to everyone that visits my blog.  It may be a new recipe, a motivational quote, a funny or inspirational story, a new (or vintage) craft idea or a kind, encouraging word.  WELCOME!