Times Two

A huge time and money saver for me is stretching one meal into two. I'm running low on take-to-work lunches so I decided to make a dinner I could take with me tomorrow - Tex-Mex Rice Bowls!

This is something I invented a while ago by basically raiding my pantry and trying to figure out what to do with what I had. The basic make up is rice and beans, but I make all sorts of variations. I start with a microwave package of brown rice. These things are a lifesaver! Making real rice takes forever and the rice just re-steams in the microwave and is just as good. Then this particular night I had a can of black beans to be the next layer, mixed with some frozen corn. That also went into the microwave. In the meantime, I grilled two boneless skinless chicken breasts on my trusty grill pan with a little seasoning mix on it. One was for tonight and one was for tomorrow. The rice and beans are always too much for one sitting, so as I assembled my rice bowl, the leftovers and extra chicken went into a separate plastic container. Everything gets topped off with some shredded cheese (always the low-fat kind), salsa, and a dollop of sour cream (also low-fat).

By time dinner was ready, so was lunch tomorrow! It's sitting in my fridge all ready to go, including sour cream in a separate plastic container. I always wondered what I'd use those really tiny ones you get in the Tupperware multi-pack! My dinner was very good and filling, full of healthy grains and lots of protein from the beans and chicken. I can't wait to have it again tomorrow!