A much needed night off

The sun came back out today and boy, was I glad to have the sunshine! I decided to take the day off from the gym after 3 straight days of work outs and was able to take care of some errands and such in between work.

The day went smoothly and tonight has been one of those nights spent doing a lot of thinking. Maybe because it's the end of the year, or the fact that I have a decision to make soon (to be shared as soon as it's confirmed), but I found myself needing some time to do my best thinking. This meant I spent the night in the kitchen, the next best thing to grocery store thinking :-)

Amidst all of the thinking, I managed to whip up a pretty good dinner, featuring half of the leftover turkey I brought back with me from home, as well as a new dessert.

Dinner was Turkey with Tex-Mex Rice:
2.5 oz chopped turkey, white meat
1/3c chopped onion
1/4c black beans
1/4c kidney beans
a bit of corn (sprinkled amongst the beans which were all in the same container...lazy, I know)
1/2c broccoli florets
2/3c salsa
1/4c water
1/4c rice (cooked)
garlic powder, chili powder, cayenne pepper

1. Saute chopped onion and garlic in small frying pan until slightly browned.
2. Add broccoli to pan along with a splash of water. Simmer, stirring, for 2 minutes.
3. Add beans, corn, chili and cayenne powders. Stir and let cook for another 2 minutes.
4. Mix in rice and chopped turkey. Top with salsa, water, and allow to simmer until the liquid evaporates.
Voila!

I really enjoyed this dinner AND it was the perfect way to use some of the turkey in my fridge. The meal was warm, flavorful, and filling!

After I washed my first round of dishes, I decided to test out a new recipe I adapted from epicurious.com, healthy rice pudding! I've been craving it lately and wanted to try to make a dairy free version. I'd say it was a success but there's a few things I'd like to tweak to make it better. Recipe to come soon!

I'm feeling a bit better about everything and very much looking forward to my weekend.

What do you like to do when you have a lot on your mind?

Other eats of the day included:
Egg white and hot cereal
1/4c BRM hot cereal
1/3c blueberries
1 tsp cinnamon
drizzle of PB
1 tsp AB

Lunch was a veggie-filled salad. Romaine lettuce with beets, banana peppers, carrots, broccoli, a green olive, and some parm. I love beets so I saved them for last. I also tried a new Larabar - peanut butter and jelly. It was pretty good but kind of made me feel like I was eating a candy bar!

There were a few other snacks - 1/4c plain Greek yogurt, some cereal, 1/2 pear but I wasn't excited enough to take pictures of it all :-/