Orange cranberry rice recipe

Hey everyone!  I am super excited to share a tasty recipe I MADE ALL BY MYSELF.  That's right.  I rule.

Downside.  It was a last minute weeknight meal discovery, and I have no photos.  But I am sure you will do just fine.

Orange-cranberry rice with toasted almonds
1c almonds
1/2 c dried cranberries
2 c white jasmine rice (brown jasmine would work great too, but the cooking times will be different)
3 1/2 c water
1 orange

1) in a medium saucepan, combine the water and rice.  Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.

2) Rinse the outside of the orange off and remove labels, etc.  Zest the entire orange over the pan.  Cut the orange in half, and use a citrus press or your hands to squeeze the juice of the orange into the pan.  Add cranberries and gently fold to combine everything, being careful not to bruise the grains of rice (over stirring will make the rice very sticky). Cover the pan and cook about 20 minutes, or until rice is tender and all the water has been absorbed.

3) Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350.  Coarsely chop the almonds with a knife.  I have not yet found an "easy" way to do this that keeps my fingers safe, so just chop each one, one at a time.  You don't need to cut them really finely, just into 3 or 4 pieces from each almond.  Bigger gives more crunch!  Spread the nuts out on a baking sheet and bake the almonds about 7 minutes, or until they are lightly golden brown and fragrant.

4) Fluff the cooked rice with a fork and scoop onto a plate.  Sprinkle the nuts on top of the rice and serve.

I made this VERY impromptu side with Caribean Jerk Chicken that my hubs grilled up along with some veggie kabobs.  The sweet rice went very well with the spicy chicken, and the smoky grilled flavor of the veggies.  I wouldn't pair it with anything bland as I think the flavor will be really off, but with something spicy, it is perfect.  Hope you like it!
Enjoy!!

30 second workout

Okay, okay, I admit.  I sensationalized the title in hopes of getting some extra interest.  But wait!  Don't leave!  You really can work out in 30 seconds!

Back story: I had a baby almost a year and a half ago.  I've since lost my baby weight and I fit in my clothes, but I feel like my body is not the same.  My abs look stretched out and I have really let myself get weak and have basically no tone.  Last spring and summer I was way too overwhelmed to do anything about it, so I got myself a one-piece swimsuit and called it a day.

I'm not pale, I'm porcelain...

Now I am not saying I ever want to show off my playboy bunny print bikini again since I am someone's MOM after all, but I'd like to avoid letting myself go just because I am "too busy" to care about my health and my figure.  I REALLY REALLY don't have time to work out.  I know lots of people use that as an excuse, but I see it more as a hurdle to be overcome than an excuse.  I have a lot of obstacles to doing traditional workouts: we only have one car, so during the day I can't get to a gym and at night I try to spend time with the family; we live in a climate that has seasons, so its often too hot or too cold to work out outside; we have a small condo, and I don't have room for exercise equipment or even much room to do regular floor workouts; I am very busy between caring for my family and running my small business, and I don't have large blocks of time in my day, so it has to be quick; I don't have money in the budget to pay for basically ANY equipment, even the cheap ones; and finally and probably the most "overcome-able" is the fact that I HATE HATE HATE working out in the traditional way.  I hate lifting weights, if you want to see me run, mention a treadmill and I will run AWAY from it, and just about every workout bores me to tears.  That was fine when hubby and I were ballroom dancing all the time and I could trick my body into working out, but now, well, no time, no sitters, etc etc etc.

So let's see. Has to be at home, preferably indoors, no large (or really even small) equipment, can be done in a small space, can be done quickly, and isn't mind numbing.

My answer is doing simple PE style workouts throughout the day.  It sounds silly, and to be honest it feels silly while I am doing it, but its the only way I could cram a real workout into my incredibly busy schedule.  I do things like lunges, squats, jumping jacks, planks, and something that is apparently called a burpee pushup (saw it on TV once and had to google it to figure out what it was called) randomly throughout the day.  I keep a list that I check off daily on Remember the Milk, a great little app that I use in general for to-do lists, and it automatically repeats for the number of sets I decide on every weekday - I take weekends off to rest and play.

The best part is, I don't do them all at the same time.  I don't do a solid 20 minute workout.  Its hard for me to carve 20 consecutive minutes out of my day, but it is remarkably easy to take 1 or 2 minutes here or there to do a set of lunges.  I do a 30 second plank while heating up my son's lunch in the microwave.  When the timer on the microwave goes off, I can get up.  Its super silly, but that is dead time in my day, anyway!  I do 50 jumping jacks during play time in the mornings and afternoons with little man, and he bounces up and down right along with me.  I feel like a good mom, setting the example of being active and not just being a couch potato.  We turn on some music and bounce to the beat!

By the end of the day I have anywhere from 5-20 minutes of workout under my belt, depending on how many sets I do.  Each set takes about one minute, and I am so out of shape, it usually is only about 10 reps, but over the course of the day I get in a decent amount of exercise.  Is it going to transform me into a bodybuilder? No.  Is it the ideal way to work out?  Probably not.  Is it better than nothing?  Man, I hope so!  Even though its not the fat burning, butt busting Insanity workout, its something realistic I can do and let me tell you, I really do feel the results.  I have sore abs the next day, I feel the strain in my legs, and the hubs swears I look better.  (I think he is just trying to get a little lovin, but I will take a compliment no matter what the motivation!)  It's several weeks in and I am actually sticking with it, although I do better some days than others.  I try not to feel guilty, and just keep making it a part of my routine.  As I go, I am increasing the reps per set and adding new exercises to the mix.  Wall sits are the next thing on the list!

Now I get to pick your brain.  What quickie exercises do you like that I can add to my routine?  I initially wanted to do something about my legs and abs, so I am pretty light on cardio and arms.  Any suggestions?  I'm looking for something that doesn't take any equipment so it fits in the budget and that can be done quickly so it fits in my day.  There are lots of great ideas out there, though, so keep them coming!

Homemade Sugar Free Applesauce

I started making applesauce for my son because I didn't trust commercial applesauces to actually be healthy and sugar free, and those little jars of baby food are way overpriced for just applesauce.  And then my husband tried it, you know, just licking off the spoon while feeding the baby.  Or something.  And now I am not ALLOWED to buy the store stuff haha.  Admittedly, I sometimes add a little brown sugar to get the apples to release their juices faster and add that caramel flavor, but its really not needed and I love the taste without.  This is a rough recipe because I usually make it "till it looks right" but I absolutely hate it when people say that in recipes, so I have done my best to measure things and time things at least generally.  Feel free to tweak where needed! :-)

Homemade Applesauce

4 Lbs of Apples - a mix of varieties is fine, and even recommended as long as they cook at roughly the same speed.  Choose a bagged bulk apple to save money.  Avoid using flavorless or overly tart apples like red delicious and granny smiths.  Try McIntosh, Pink Lady, Gala, Golden Delicious, or another tasty, firm fleshed variety.
2 t cinnamon
1/2 c raisins
Paring knife or peeler
chef's knife/santoku
Large stockpot or saucepan with a lid
food processor, blender, or potato masher
containers for storage

That's it!

1) Peel your apples using a paring knife or a vegetable peeler.  I prefer a knife because I think it actually goes faster while doing a better job and giving me more control, but I do tend to waste a little more apple.  If using a knife, make sure it is good and sharp to avoid slipping and cutting yourself!  Sharp knives are WAY less dangerous!

2) Once all your apples are peeled, use your chef knife to cut them into thin slices.  Rather than coring them the traditional way (cut into fourths and cut out the core with a paring knife, then slice into tiny wedges) which makes it hard to get even slices, try my way.  Put the apple on the board and place your knife about 1/4-1/2" away from the core.  Slice away that piece.

Put the apple cut side down on the cutting board and slice the same 1/4-1/2" away from the core on each side.

Turn to one side and cut out the last chunk.

I cut into the core which leaves hard pieces in the applesauce. Ick...

Hopefully you will have cleared the core!  If not try out a little farther on the next apple.  Slice each piece into thin slices (about 1/8" or so).  Try to keep your slices even.  If you have to, it is better to cut larger slices than to have uneven slices, because they will all cook at the same rate.  If you are very unsure of slices, cube them up.  Cubes work fine, but takes a little longer to cook.

Had to show off my good slicing!

3) Preheat your saucepan/stockpot on medium.  After all the apples are sliced, toss them in the pan.  They should sizzle just a tiny bit.  Cover the pot.  Stir them every 5 minutes or so, but try to keep them covered to keep in the moisture.  If the apples are sticking to the bottom, add a small amount of water (a Tablespoon or so) to loosen them up.  You may need to add more water if you have less juicy apples, but you would be surprised at how much water the apples release, and you are just diluting flavor when you add water, so hold off unless its absolutely necessary to keep them from burning!

If you don't see any steam, add a little water to the pot.

4) Cook about 15 minutes until the apples are starting to break down.  Add cinnamon and raisins to the pot. Cover and cook another 10-15 minutes until the apples are nicely broken down and the raisins are plump.

5) Dump the apples into a food processor or blender, or leave them in the pan and use a potato masher to smash them up (they may need to be a little more tender for the potato masher... use your judgement.  This is part of that "cook it till it looks right" thing haha).  Blend or process until the apples are in small pieces or completely blended if you want to use as a first food for babies.  I leave it chunky now because my 15 month old can handle it, but when he was first starting solids I added a little water or 100% juice and pureed the heck out of it!  It is delicious warm, or you can refrigerate 5 days or so, or freeze it in portions and thaw when you want it.  Makes roughly 5-6 cups. (10-12 jars of baby food)

Just add spoon.

If you like, you can add other dried fruit, add ginger or nutmeg with the cinnamon, or add some sugar.  Play with it and make it your own!  Hope you like it!

Live Well Network

I have been so stuck on TV lately.  Its the end of winter, but its still cold, I am getting stir crazy, its grey and dark and not energizing... TV soothes me.  I am a bad person, I know.  Moving on.

I discovered a new network.  Its probably only local, but its part of my channel 4 band - I don't know what to call those "dash" channels yet...  Anyway, for me it is 4-3, part of NBC I think.  Locals, correct me if I am wrong.  I don't really watch the regular channel enough to know lol.

Anyway, it is like PBS for grown ups.  Its a lot of silly, cheaply produced shows with a crap load of content. The hosts are unpolished, there are repeats and obvious filler episodes from time to time, the editing is so so at best and often times it shows, as the commercials cut off some of the transitions, but the CONTENT.  Damn!  It spans everything I love from AMAZING cooking shows (admittedly my favorite) to interior design shows (admittedly my least favorite).  There is even a show called Deals that has great (and some not so great) ideas for how to save money.  Its like they reached in my brain and decided to make a network for me.  I actually like the not so polished look and feel as it is less produced and more human.

My favorite shows are the cooking ones, which are fantastic.  I still love America's Test Kitchen on PBS, but I have to say, Best Recipes Ever, Mexico: One Plate At a Time, and the best one, Let's Dish, are creeping in as my favorites.  I have made several recipes from Best Recipes Ever so far, including an apple, cabbage, and bratwurst braise that was fabulous!  I am dying to try out the decadent mexican recipes.  The host of the Mexico show is a master chef down in Chicago and his recipes are awesome and totally from scratch, but I have to go hunt down some of the ingredients.  Let's Dish is the perfect fusion of fancy foods and less fussy stuff.  They have great tips on prep and how to do things like slice an onion like a chef, which I love watching, but they have everything from microwave meals (not my speed) and simple, modern french fancy foods.  I can't really explain - just watch!

The cooking shows aren't all of it though.  Many of the other shows have great DIY projects, like Mirror/Mirror which is a fashion and beauty show, the kind of annoying talk show, Steven and Chris, and of course, Deals.  I love DIY ideas, and while many of them are not earth shattering, I have gotten some good ideas.  And its not Divorce court during daytime hours, which in itself is worthwhile!

Okay, now that my newest secret is out, I will start crafting again soon.  I have been busy making stock for a  friend's business (I put things in her shop on consignment) so check that out at www.thebabiesnook.com, but I will post some new tutorials someday... I promise!