Spanish Rice and a Quesadilla

Last night for dinner, I tried out a spanish rice recipe with things I had in my pantry, and a quesadilla with things I had in my freezer and fridge! Trying this whole, make what you have and don't eat out thing... It seems to be working pretty well! Thank goodness my dad sent me home with some tortillas, or else I might be starving to death :-p Just kidding. That would never happen in my house.

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Betsy found this recipe and we both had very similar dinners last night! Here is my spin on it...

Spanish Rice

1/2 c. uncooked brown rice (cook it!)
1/2 large onion, diced
1 c. diced peppers of any kind (I used frozen mixed peppers)
2/3 tsp. chili powder
1/3 tsp. cumin
1 can petite diced tomatoes, partially drained
Salt and Pepper to taste

Saute the onion and peppers in a large pot until softened and onions have a golden color. Add cumin and chili powder. Add in can of diced tomatoes. Let simmer for a few minutes. Add in cooked rice. Stir all together and let simmer until all of the liquid is absorbed. Salt and pepper to taste.

This makes 3 servings of a very healthy 1+ cups each.

Nutrition Info:
179 calories, 39 g carbs, 1 g fat, 4 g protein, 6 g fiber, 337 g sodium

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Black Bean Burger Quesadilla

1 medium whole wheat and/or high fiber tortilla
1 spicy black bean burger (I used morningstar), diced
1 wedge chipotle laughing cow queso
1/4 c. frozen peppers, thawed
1/4 c. shredded lettuce

Spread queso on to tortilla, pile rest of the toppings on one half. Fold and grill! You may have to put a small plate or bowl on top of the quesadilla as it cooks to keep it folded. This makes one super-stuffed quesadilla!!

Serves 1. Nutrition info will change based on tortilla and burger, so I did not include it on this recipe.You could really add anything to this quesadilla and it would taste delicious - spinach, onions, more cheese??? The list goes on.

Served with Spanish Rice - excess toppings spilled out and piled on top!

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In other news, I started training for the Raleigh Rocks half-marathon yesterday. I may or may not run the race, but I figure why not try and train for it to have some structure to my routine. Here goes nothing...

Week 1:
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Eliptical
Wednesday: 2 mile run
Thursday: Eliptical
Friday: 3 mile run
Saturday: Rest.. maybe pilates/a stretching workout?
Sunday: 4 mile run

*Note: because Saturday is supposed to be gorgeous, and Sunday is supposed to be rainy/blah... these may get switched around.