Cheesy Chicken and Rice Bake / Blueberry Cookies

I have had this dinner recipe for weeks now. Every time I go to the market, there is always one ingredient that I forget to get. Finally, I made it a point to write the recipe on the back of my grocery list. Over the last few years, I've mostly been way too busy to try new recipes, especially those that took longer than 20 minutes. After getting home from a 12 hour day at 8pm who really wants to cook? It definitely wasn't me... and it wasn't that I didn't want to cook, I was just exhausted, and stopping at a local drive through was just easier. Now that I have plenty of free time to browse my favorite recipe sites, I'm finding that there are tons of recipes that I could have made ahead of time to save money, time, and I'll actually know what ingredients I'm putting into my body. (Taking a health class and watching Dr. Oz really makes you think about the things you consume.) I definitely check the labels of everything I purchase now. Granted, grocery prep and shopping takes more time now that I have detailed grocery lists, coupons, sales, and label checking to do. However, it is completely worth it, especially when I can get dijon mustard for 19 cents and save almost 50% on my grocery bills.

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Bake (Original Recipe)
Actual Prep Time: 1 hour+; Cook Time: 25 minutes
The reason the prep time is so long is because the brown rice takes about 1 hr 45 minutes in the rice cooker. If you purchase pre-cooked rice, and have pre-cooked chicken on hand, the prep will only be about 15 minutes.

8 Cooked and Diced Boneless Chicken Tenderloins (about 2 cups)
3 cups cooked brown rice
1 cup frozen corn
15 oz Pinto Beans drained and rinsed
1 cup sour cream (This was too much! 1/2 to 3/4 cup will be much better)
4 oz can fluid green chilies (I used Ortega Fire Roasted Diced Green Chilies)
3/4 cup salsa (I used Pace - Medium)
3/4 cup mexican blend shredded cheese plus a little more for on top.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Bake for 25 minutes.

What I learned: Next time, I'll use 4 cups rice and less sour cream. It tasted good and I ate it with a flour tortilla, but for someone that doesn't prefer the taste of sour cream (my hubby), use less. Increasing the salsa was a good choice I made. I'm debating on possibly adding some fresh or canned diced tomatoes too.
**** If you make this, I'd love to hear how it comes out with the adjustments.

Blueberry Cookies (Original Recipe)
I followed original recipe almost exactly this time.

3/4 cup butter, softened (original called for margarine)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp fresh grated lemon rind
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk (I used 2%)
1 cup fresh blueberries
Directions:
"In a mixing bowl, beat margarine and sugar until fluffy texture.Add eggs, lemon rind, and vanilla; beat until combined.
In another bowl, add the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir to combine. Beat flour mixture into creamed mixture alternately with milk. Fold in the berries. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool. Makes approximately 2 1/2 dozen." I got about 3 1/2 dozen cookies.

That's all for today folks.