Slow cookin Monday

So this Monday was a holiday, which means I had a day off from work! I decided to relax and sleep in, but for me cooking is also part of a relaxing day. I know a few posts ago I boasted about how warm the weather has been in NYC. Well...the weather gods quickly changed their temperatures and I was quickly back to craving hot and hearty foods.

I got a late start to the day and decided that before I hit the gym I should have something to eat. I had been wanting to try this recipe that I saw on youtube awhile back and thought it perfect for a cold, late morning day. It was one of those things that I jotted down and never really threw out, even after cleaning out my recipe binder numerous times. I try to only print out recipes that I am making that day, because often I end up with a huge pile of unmade ideas...that end up being far to overwhelming to pick from. Needless to say this recipe also struck me because I seemed to have most of the ingredients lying around on any given morning (I think is important note because if you are hungry and don't want to run to the store in the morning its nice to have all you need!). Also if are someone who orders brown rice with their Chinese food, which I just happen to do, well then that's the main ingredient!

Here is a how to video (starring the cook) about how to make Brown Rice Breakfast. It tasted a little like warm rice pudding in a way. It was very good, and totally kept me fueled up for the gym!

When I returned back to the gym the house was warm, but the stomachs inside were hungry. Having the day off Erin and I decided to take in some movies and snack on popcorn (one of my most popular snacks). I wanted to throw together something that would be ready to eat later, but also hearty and filling. What else but chili fits that bill? This Hearty Turkey Chili is another Weight Watchers fave. I also made this over Christmas for my family. Its not the traditional chili as I substituted white beans and turkey meat, however it packs a punch like Teddy Bruschi! (the patriots just made it to the Superbowl what can I say?). A few notes about this one. I add extra chicken broth and tomato sauce especially when I am cooking it longer than directed. Its also quite spicy so if you aren't a fan of heat I would suggest cutting back on the red pepper flakes.

What better than to serve chili with than cornbread? I resorted to the Hungry-girl site to get a great recipe for Cheesy-Good Cornbread Muffins. These are not only low calorie but low fat too! They definitely aren't as sweet or corny as your typical cornbread, but they are a easy substitution.

Erin is always a fan of the chili (must be the New Englander in her). On her rating scale it got a whopping 7.5, not too shabby. I wasn't a huge fan of the muffins, however after researching and discovering that boxed corn muffins have twice the cals and fat...they seemed to grow on me. Although cutting corners with the chili could allow for the extra in regular cornbread!

It sure may be cold outside but this chili will certainly warm you up!