cheesy brown rice (and steak for good measure)

I've been using myfitnesspal to track my calories and exercise. I don't want to lose much weight, but I'd love to lose a few more and tone up. I feel crappy when I'm not exercising and y'all know as well as I do that after two kids, no matter what the scale says, the belly flab and love handles are there. 


SO... anyway. I love myfitnesspal and it's really helped me be aware of what I'm eating. But the last couple days I've fallen off the wagon and haven't eaten like I should. But you know what? Sometimes you just need some rice (and pasta and steak and oatmeal cream pies). Ahem.


I wanted to do rice last night, but thought I would be good and do brown rice. Unfortunately I've never liked the texture of brown rice. So I searched on the internet and found this recipe from Pinch My Salt.

Perfect Brown Rice (adapted from Saveur)

brown rice (whichever type you prefer)
water – use at least four cups of water for every one cup of rice
salt – to taste

Rinse rice in a strainer under cold running water for 30 seconds, swirling the rice around with your hand.  Meanwhile, bring water to a boil in a large pot over high heat.  When water boils, add the rice, stir it once.  Turn heat to medium and boil, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  After 30 minutes, pour the rice into a strainer over the sink.  Let the rice drain for 10 seconds, then return it to the pot, off the heat.  Immediately cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and set it aside to allow the rice to steam for 10 minutes (if your pot lid isn’t extremely tight, place a piece of aluminum foil over pot then place the lid on top of foil for a tighter seal). After ten minutes, uncover rice, fluff with a fork, and season with salt to taste.

That sounded more like it. I did do it that way and it was definitely fluffier and less gritty than I remembered, but I think I should have used more water. I think when I do it again, I will use at least six cups of water to every one cup of rice. I wanted the rice to have a little more flavor so I looked on All Recipes and did what any desperate southern girl would do. I added cheese. Can I get an Amen?

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

• brown rice (prepared)
• 1/2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
• 1/4 red onion, chopped
• 1 cup shredded low-fat Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Prepare brown rice however you see fit. (My edit)
2. Prepare a skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat. Cook the bell pepper and onion until lightly browned; stir into the cooked rice. Add the Cheddar cheese and continue stirring until the cheese has melted completely.

It was good. I did add seasoning though. I think I added salt, pepper, and garlic powder. I didn't have any red or yellow peppers, so I used just the onions and zucchini. I also added an extra 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese. (Don't look at me like that. It was 2%.)

YUMMY.

Hey do you guys remember that time yesterday morning when I had lost six pounds? Yeah. Those were the days.