Smoothie Recipe #1

I love WW Smoothies. Occassionally, I get creative with them and I'm going to start sharing some of my creations with the blogosphere. That's the good news. The bad news is that unless you go to a WW meeting, you will not be able to buy WW Smoothies. You can however, just walk into a center and buy them without having to actually join WW. But if you need to lose weight, I highly recommend that you join as long as you are there.

Smoothie Recipe #1:

This is my almost every night smoothie.

1 packet WW Chocolate Smoothie Mix
1 cup skim milk
7 ice cubes
1 banana

Put all that in a blender and blend until smooth.

2 milks, 1 fruit and if it's not 1 water, it's pretty darn close. 4-5 points depending on size of banana.

Dental Work + PMS + Work Crap =

One cranky Katrina!

This morning, I had a crown prep done. This summer I have spent enough money on medical/dental issues that I could have gone on a nice vacation! But, it all had to be done, so I suppose it is good to have it all finished up by the time school starts in 19 days!

PMS - well, that should be self-explanatory to any female or male who has ever encountered a female. I just want to go home, lock myself away from all living things and eat mashed potatoes. It really would be for the benefit of all mankind.

I have a job I really like, but I have one aspect of this job that is such a headache every month. Our agency issues credit cards to many of our employees. I am in charge of wrangling in the paperwork that goes along with each month's purchases. You would think I was asking them to donate a kidney for all the trouble I have to go through to get this done. It's not difficult!

I think dinner will include mashed potatoes, just maybe not the trough of them I am envisioning...

Go Gadget Go!

I just love gadgets!!

This weekend I bought (from l to r) a microwave egg poacher, a new digital food scale, and a mandoline.

Haven't tried the egg poacher, but can't wait to!

The scale is awesome. Picked it up at Target for $29.99.

The slicer is fantabulous! It is also a Chefmate, but I can't find a link to one anywhere. Got it at Target for $9.99. I made some fried potatoes on Saturday night and they were so pretty. Can't wait to julienne something!

TryDay Results

Mexican- Style Brown Rice Casserole

Doesn't it look yummy???

Well, it is!!

Here is the recipe:

1 sprays cooking spray
4 cup cooked brown rice
1 1/4 cup salsa
1 tsp ground cumin
15 oz canned refried beans
10 oz frozen corn kernels, thawed
4 oz canned green chili peppers, mild, diced
1 Tbsp chili powder
10 oz chopped frozen spinach, or collard greens, thawed and set to drain in a strainer over a bowl
3/4 cup low-fat shredded cheddar cheese, divided
2 Tbsp cilantro, fresh, chopped (optional; for garnish)

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Coat a 2-quart rectangular, round or oval baking dish with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine rice, salsa and cumin. Spoon 2 cups of rice mixture into prepared baking dish and spread out to evenly cover bottom of dish.
In another large bowl, combine refried beans, corn, chili peppers and chili power. Using a rubber spatula, scrape bean mixture on top of rice layer and smooth out top.
Squeeze out any excess water from spinach or collard greens and then spread on top of bean layer; sprinkle with 6 tablespoons of cheese. Top with remaining rice mixture and smooth out top; sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Place casserole on a large rimmed baking sheet to catch any spillage. Bake until heated through and cheese is browned and bubbling, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro (if desired), cut into 6 pieces and serve. (my note: if you are not using hot rice, I would recommend baking it longer)

My review:

I liked this and I will make it again. It made six very large servings. I did not have anything else with this and was very full. I do have some ideas for tweaking the recipe that I would like to try. Use 3 cups of rice instead of 4, more spinach, maybe use black beans instead of refried. And for sure, use real cheese instead of reduced fat. On 3/4 of a cup it "only" adds 2.5 points to the entire casserole! And would be oh-so-worth-it!! I also think this would be really good put in a tortilla for a nice wrap!