Sledding & Snowmen

The beginning of the winter had been pretty mild with little snow fall. I say had because a lot has changed since the beginning of the month. The kids have had two snow days and a two hour delay in just two weeks time so mother nature is quickly making up for the lack of snow we originally had. After our first real snowstorm of the season we took a nice walk down to the river.

The mighty Mad river getting more and more frozen and snow covered as the winter days wear on.

Most of the snow we have gotten this season has been light and fluffy and not good for making a snowman. On this particular day it had warmed up enough that the snow was just right for making snowballs and snowman. So after a kids vs. adults snowball fight we set about making a snowman.
We named our snowman Julius because his hair kinda reminded us of the the crown of leaves that Julius Caesar wore. He gave a big smile for the camera.

The girls with Julius.

And of course it would be fun to play out in the snow without a few runs down the hill with the sled. The girls getting ready for a ride together.

Here goes Becca!

Slumber Parties,Snow Days and Delays

Well Becca's birthday slumber party was a success. The girls had a great time giggling, talking, playing video games and watching movies. The noise level was bearable most of the time and they had a nice long weekend to recover. And when I say long weekend, I mean long weekend. The kids already had Monday off for MLK day and then got a bonus day off on Tuesday do to a snow/rain/ ice storm which also caused a two hour delay on Wednesday morning. Sooo I am finally getting back into a normal routine.

I did want to share a few pictures from the past weekend.

Not a great pic except that Tuukka was sitting in the circle with the girls while Becca opened her gifts.

I made both a small 6 inch chocolate cake and then vanilla cupcakes because most of the girls prefer vanilla to chocolate-go figure!

An I did make one more decoration for the party. Paper dolls of each of the girls. I think they came out pretty cute!

And a little picture of the snow during one of my walks in the woods with the dogs.

Birthday Mode

I've been in birthday mode this past week getting ready for my daughters slumber party tomorrow night. I have a tendency to get all Martha Stewart and decide I want to make 101 diffrent little things for the party. Then again my children have a tendency to pick themes that aren't readily available as party decorations, like Willy Wonka or the Australian Outback so that just fuels my creative juices. I actually have it pretty easy with Becca this year. She just wants a slumber party with her closest girlfriends and she's chosen rainbowy, tie-dye peace and love type stuff which was easy enough too find. Too easy for me in fact, since I had gotten somenew Cricut cartridges and was just dying to use them. So I had to make just a few decorations. The first thing I made was a little banner with some cute tie-dye paper I found online. Then it was onto party favors.

Last year Becca had a similar theme and the girls made tye-die t-shirts and that was their party favor to bring home. The process was suprisingly easy and there was minimal mess plus the girls had a new t-shirt so I gave Becca the option to do it again this year and she chose not to which meant I needed another idea. Luckily I had an idea up my sleeve and Becca loved it.

It is not my original idea but it is super cute and easy to do!

Presenting Fuzzy Sock Cupcakes!

Just roll up a pair of fuzzy socks starting at the toe. Wrap a rubber band around it to keep them from unrolling. Stick in a cupcake wrapper and put a little pompom on top for a cherry! I used my cricut and the cupcake wrappers cartridge for the wrapper.(it says party time) If you don't have a cricut there are several templates online if you do a quick search.

I also made a few other decorations, also with my cricut. These have a general birthday theme and I will be pulling these out every year. I like to hang things from the light above our kitchen table so I made these two sided and strung them up with some embrodery floss. I strung on some colored pompoms and used some sticky backed foam stars. These images are from the Simply Charmed cartridge that is packed full of super cute images. I also stuck some googly eyes on the faces because googly eyes make everything cuter! As is always the case when I begin crafting I get more and more ideas but then run out of time to finish them all! With the party quickly approaching we'll see how many more things I can squeeze it...

Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

Could there be a better combination for a winter treat than hot chocolate and cupcakes?? How about putting the two together and making a hot chocolate cupcake?

Now that's what I'm talking about, right?

I found the recipe in a recent issue of Family Circle Magazine and Kenzie decided that she wanted to make them for her class holiday party, so of course we did!

I think they came out super cute looking like little cups of hot cocoa.

Here's the recipe featured in the December issue of Family Circle Magazine-

Cupcakes

1 cup of flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

6 Tbsps. unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup milk

Topping

2 cups confectioners sugar

1/4 cup solid vegetable shortening

2 Tbsps. plus 2 tsp. milk or water

1 1/4 cups mini marshmallows

3 candy canes

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Fill 1 cupcake tin with cupcake liners.

In a medium sized bowl combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.

In a large bowl, with mixer on medium high, beat butter and sugar until smooth and creamy, aobut 2 minutes. Beat in eggs and vanilla until fluffy. Beat in flour mixture alternately with

milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Fill each cupcake liner 2/3 full.

Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes our clean. Remove cupcakes

from pan to wire rack and let cool.

Topping

In a medium size bowl with mixer on low speed, beat confectioners sugar, shortening and milk or water until smooth. Spread over cupcakes then top each with 7 or 8 mini-marshmallows. With a serrated knife, cut wrapped candy canes into 2 inch pieces. Unwrap and place one in each cupcake.

Now this recipe only makes 12 cupcakes and I needed 17 for Kenzie's class. So I acually cheated and just used a boxed chocolate cake mix. I could have tried doubling the recipe but sometimes with baking that doesn't always work.(at least in my experience) So rather than take a chance I cheated. They were still yummy and a big hit with the kids. I have tried the recipe and it is good!

Decluttering 2011 post #1

I have decided that 2011 will be the year of decluttering in our household. Fighting clutter is a constant battle for me and I would really like to get rid of it all once and for all. My husband would like nothing more also. In fact he would just like to get a ginormous dumpster and throw it all away and there are days that I am in total agreement. But it isn't that simple as I have a bit of packrat in my blood. I blame this on my creativity because I constantly think ooo I can make something out of that or save magazines for article that have crafts or recipes that I want to try. The problem is I almost never actually do said idea and so the clutter builds...

But this is the year to get firm (or get real) with myself and get rid of things piling up and collecting dust in closets, under beds and even in the crawlspace and attic. I am ashamed to admit there are boxes in our crawlspace that have never been unpacked since we moved here.

We've lived here eight years.

Yea, it' glaringly obvious that they are things that we don't need. Much of it is toys, craft supplies, books and who knows what? Stuff that really isn't important anymore.

Books are a major source of clutter as I love them, but now that I got a Nook for Christmas I feel that it will be easier to get rid of them, not all of them, but almost all of them...

So today I gathered up 20 books and donated them and you know what?

It felt good!

Reaaallly good.

I also donated two bags of clothes.

Yay Me!

Nook

I am a huge fan of books.

I think I may have mentioned that once or twice.

Anyway, as a fan of books I didn't pay too much attention to the ereaders whose popularity seems to be growing. I wasn't interested because I like to hold and feel and yes, even the smell of books so why would I need one of those fancy ereaders?

Then my husband who is a total techno-geek started putting these crazy ideas in my head.

Telling me if I got one of those newfangled colorNooks I could surf the interweb and have access to thousands of books.

Instantly.

No waiting for the UPS man or driving 40 minutes(yes 40 minutes!) to the nearest Barnes and Noble or Walden books at the mall.

That got my attention.

And not just books he told me, but newspapers and magazines, too!

Cool.

Wicked Cool.

Then he told me HE wanted one for Christmas. Dude doesn't even read!

Okay he reads, but mostly magazines.

So I suggested I get him one for Christmas but we can share it.

"No Way!" he tells me. "I know how much you like to read and I'll never get to use it. Plus I want to hack it and do cool stuff with it."

Maybe... but I still really like real books.

But he got me thinking.

There is no rule that says once you have a Nook (or any ereader) that you can't ever buy or read a real book. Then I really started to think about the amount of actual books I have that are taking up space, lots and lots of space. Not just on bookshelves but in the closet and under the bed, creating clutter which I am constantly struggling with.

The same with magazines -more space and clutter and trees being cut down.

So I got him one for Christmas and by the time Christmas rolled around I decided I really wanted one too. I Even told my mother-in-law on Christmas day thats what I wanted for my birthday.

What I didn't know at that time was that my husband had already gotten me one for Christmas, only he waited until everyone had already left before he gave it to me.

For the extra drama.

And guess what?

I love it!

I wasn't sure I would, but I do.

Just the idea of carrying a bunch of books around with me is really cool.

I can surf the web.

I can still trade books with my mom because she got one too.

I can read books for free at a Barnes and Noble, not that I needed an excuse to hang out at Barnes and Noble...

I don't need a light to read by.

I can read any book I want instantly.

I find it comfortable to hold and I don't have to worry about holding a book open so it makes it easier to hold and sip my coffee when I curl up to read.

No more stacks of books and magazines to trip over and collect dust. Okay I am still working on this one. It will take some time to get rid of my books and there are some that I will always keep but the intent of less clutter is there.

I 'm saving trees.

So if you are really into books but think you won't like one, I would reconsider.

Back on Track

So the holidays have come and gone and it's time to get back on the weight loss track. Just before Christmas I was down 21 pounds but I gave myself freedom to eat whatever I wanted for Christmas and New Years. It was my reward for being so good after a week in Disney and during Thanksgiving where I tried to be good and didn't gain any weight. I didn't lose any either, but not gaining was key for me. But for Christmas I ate whatever I wanted and enjoyed every minute of it. Actually that isn't entirely true. To be totally honest as New Years day crept up (and I was starting to get heartburn) I was feeling ready to get back to the healthier eating and exercise. The last few days I did get back into walking the dogs out in the woods so that may have helped me to only gain two pounds. It has been a little hard getting back to eating healthy and my biggest downfall was probably the salty chips and dip. Suprisingly I craved those more than sweets! And I still have been craving them a little bit...

Something else that has helped me get back on track is that one of my favorite food blogs has recently posted some new healthy recipes complete with the new points totals! Check them out here.

When Weight Watchers changed their points totals that screwed me up a bit because it meant re-doing all the points totals for all the foods I ate on a regular basis and this was a bit upsetting.

Again just another little bump in the road as I continue on my weight loss journey!

Wordless Wednesday

Back to Reality....or Not

It's the Monday after New Years and all the decorations are put away. The kids get ready for school a little reluctantly. They want to reconnect with friends but aren't really ready to settle back into the routine of school yet. I grab my purse and shopping list as we head out to the car, I've enjoyed having everyone home and am reluctant to get back into the daily routine also.

As the kids buckle up I put the key in the ignition and turn the key

RRRrrr and then nothing.

I try again. RRrrclick nothing.

Car won't start.

I tell the kids to go back into the house, we're not going anywhere.

'Darn we really wanted to go to school' they both admit each with a little twinkle in their eye.

Not today girls we just got an extra day of vacation!

This doesn't really upset anyone too much.

We hung out and made chocolate chip cookies.

What does upset me is that my car won't start and I don't know why and even if I did know why

I wouldn't be able to fix it anyway. I'll have to wait for Dom to come home to diagnose and hopefully fix it.
For the record it was a dead battery.

Christmas Roundup 2010

One of the suprises of this Christmas season was little snow on the ground. The day after Christmas did bring some blizzard like conditons but when all was said and done we probably only had 8 inches or so on the ground. It was still a few days after that before the kids could actually go out and enjoy the new fallen snow because of the wind and freezing temps.

The snow also brought the realization that I had forgotten to see if the kids winter boots and snowpants fit. Becca was a no go on the boots and snowpants. Kenzie was a no go on the boots.

How dare they grow over the course of the year!!







One of the highlights of this Christmas season was seeing all the little little kids-Molly, Abby and meeting little Ari for the first time. He's so sweet!
Kenzie is hiding in there.

The girls making sugar cookies for Santa.

I managed to snap a quick picture before the kids tore into their presents!

And a document of Christmas wouldn't be complete without the Christmas morning mess!

Five on Friday

Today I am grateful for..

1....two smart daughters who brought home excellent report cards-Becca made honor roll again!

2...a hot cup of coffee with peppermint mocha creamer on these cold, cold mornings.

3...Kenzie's music teacher and all the kids who did a great job with the holiday concert.

4...being able to squeeze in some time to start reading again-it has been way too long!

5...being able to squeeze in some crafting too!

Wordless Wednesday

The Poopy Game

I don't like playing the poopy game.

And what is the poopy game you ask?

The poopy game is what we have named the often times frustrating process of housebreaking the new puppy.

Said puppy is getting the hang of housebreaking. He goes to the door and whines when he needs to go potty. Which is great, right? But once outside he gets really distracted.

"Look a leaf!"

"Look a stick!"

"Look a car!"

Now I know he is just a puppy and everything is new and exciting but after wandering around the yard for 15 minutes freezing my butt off in the 20 degree (or below) weather is not my idea of a good time. If there is such a thing as ADD for puppies Tuukka surely has it.
This is the third Puppy I've gone through the housebreaking ritual with and I have never had this experience before.

So we head back in.

And within 5 minutes Tuukka is back whining at the door and we head back outside.

"Oooo look at the pretty flag blowing in the wind!"

"Oooo a leaf!"

"Ooooo there's Boomer, I'm gonna go eat his face!"

And so it goes on, in and out until he can't hold it anymore and now he's doing the poopy dance.

And finally he does his business.

Hopefully outside.

And not inside.

Right in front of the door.

Because I got sick of going in and out playing the Poopy Game.

Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes

Found this super easy and yummy cupcake idea here . Basically you cook up some chocolate cupcakes according to the package and a few minutes before they are done you stick a York mini peppermint pattie on top. Then continue baking for the remaining few minutes. In the original directions she made mini cupcakes so that the mini patties cover the whole top. I actually made full size cupcakes and sunk the patties in bit. That's all there is too it. You don't need any frosting! This is a big hit for my oldest who loves peppermint patties and doesn't like buttercream frosting.

Five on Friday

Today I am grateful for....

1. ...the smell of fresh cut Christmas trees.

2.... A nice warm cup of Cocoa with Baileys Irish Cream.

3... family snuggle time while watching Holiday movies.

4. ...Receiving Christmas cards from family and friends near and far.

5. ...kids requesting home baked goodies instead of store bought ones.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

The holiday spirit is in full swing here in the Ciolino household. The tree is up, the decorations are up and cards are trickling in daily from friends and family. The only thing missing is the snow.

I like having snow for Christmas and other than a few flurries and a dusting a few days ago we've got nothing. It has been really, really cold though and housebreaking a new puppy when it is 20 degrees out and windy is not my idea of fun, but it has to be done.

Along with the Christmas decorations came the arrival of our elves Deenie and Jeannie. They have been up to their ususal antics- decorating the bathroom with toilet paper, trying to go fishing in the fishtank, playing yahtzee and causing mischief in the kitchen cabinets are just a few of things they have been up to since arriving December 1st. Yesterday we caught them watching movies (Elf-of course) complete with popcorn! They also brought the new Shrek movie for the girls.

I was finally able to convince everyone to sit for 5 mins. so that I could get a picture for our Christmas card. I was getting worried that I wouldn't get one done because a certain member of the family would complain every time I even mentioned taking pictures. But it is finally done and will be sent out soon!

As the days pass I have been working on a Christmas journal from Shimelle.com. I receive daily writing prompts and phototography prompts via email. It has been kinda fun to put together.

Wordless Wednesday

Advent Calendars

Every year since Becca was little we have done an advent calendar in one form or another. Our first advent calendar had pockets just big enough for a little piece of candy. When Kenzie came along I was able to squeeze two pieces of the Celebrations candies into the pockets. Then I was unable to find the Celebrations candies anymore. We have done some different variations including Lego and littlest pet shop calendars. Then one year I found a cute wooden calendar with little doors just perfect for little treats. When we got it home we realized that it had a 21 where 12 was supposed to be, but it gave it character and no one really cared.

Unfortunately we only had that calendar for a couple of years before Boomer chewed it up do to the fact that it smelled like candy. So that left us with no calendar. In the course of a year I forgot we didn't have a calendar and had to come up with something quick this year. Thanks to the wonder of the internet I came across a cute idea using paper rolled into cones, tied with twine to hang up and numbered. It was perfect because I had everything I needed on hand and it was quick to put together.

My only dilemma was how and where to hang the cones. The ones online had them hanging from sticks or tree branches from outside but that wasn't really going to work for me. The final solution was staring me in the face. The girls have their own small artificial tree in the play area that they decorate and that is where I hung all the cones!

The cones were made with a 12 x 12 piece of scrapbook paper cut in half. Then I rolled each half into a cone and used a hot glue gun to glue it in place. I punched out some circles with a circle punched and stamped numbers onto them. I hot glued the circles to the cone. I punched a hole at the top of each cone. I tied twine around the cone and then stucked it through the hole at the top of the cone. Next I tied the twine in a loop so it could be hung up. That's it!

Wordless Wednesday

Tree Trek 2010

The Saturday after Thanksgiving we made our annual trek to get our Christmas tree. Despite the bright sunshine it was quite cold and very breezy but that didn't stop us. We even brought Tuukka, giving him another chance to get used to riding in the car and to check out all kinds of new sights and sounds. He of course got lots of attention from all the other people out getting their trees.

After checking out several trees, we finally found that special one. Of course no tree gets to come home until it gets the official Kenzie hug of approval.

Once the tree gets the official hug Dom cuts it down..

This year we found a little suprise in the branches of our tree after we got it home. Tucked all cozy inside was a bird's nest! This has got to be a sign of good luck, right?

We ended up way back in the tree farm so it was a little bit of a trek back but no one seemed to mind. Especially Tuukka who thought it was fun to chase the tree as Dom pulled it on the sled!

And here is the finished product all lit up and ready to enjoy!

Blueberry Muffin Tops

This week I've got a recipe that is not from weight watchers and not very healthy, but it is very yummy and goes great with a cup of coffee!

Ingredients

1 roll(16.50z.) Pillsbury refrigerated sugar cookies

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup of sugar

2 Tbsp. butter

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 pkg cream cheese (3oz.) softened

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

2 to 3 Tbsp. grated lemon peel

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1 1/4 cup fresh or frozen(thawed) blueberries

Let cookie dough stand at room temp. 10 mins. to soften. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl mix 1/4 cup of the flour, sugar and butter with a fork until crumbly. Set aside to use for topping. In another small bowl, mix remaining 1 cup of flour, baking powder and baking soda; set aside.

In medium bowl, beat dough and cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed until blended. On low speed, beat in egg, milk, lemon peel and lemon juice until well blended. Stir in flour mixture until combined. Do not overmix, batter will be thick. Carefully fold in blueberries.

Drop batter by heaping tablespoonfuls 1 to 2 inches apart onto cookie sheets. Bake 3 mins. remove from oven. Sprinkle each muffin top with about 1 tsp. crumb topping then immediately return to oven.

Bake 16-20 mins. longer or until edges begin to brown. cool on cookie sheets 2 to 3 mins. before removing to cooling racks. Serve warm or cool.

Giving Thanks

On this Thanksgiving I have many things to be thankful for.

I am thankful that Dom and I have both of our parents, and our children have both sets of grandparents to help us celebrate.

I am thankful for the healthy birth of my great-nephew, Ari.

I am thankful for a husband who is a huge help in the kitchen.

I am thankful that we will spend lots of quality time with the kids over the next several days.

I am thankful for warm fuzzy puppies.

Wordless Wednesday

Sicilian Sausage Stuffed Pizza

Here is another favorite from the Weight Watchers cookbook. This one is 5 points a slice.

Ingredients

1/2 pound fully cooked smoked chicken sausage, coarsely chopped
1 pound fresh cremini mushrooms or white button mushrooms, sliced
1 medium onion chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup part skim ricotta
1/4 cup grated romano or parmesan cheese
1/2 recipe Basic Pizza Dough at room temp.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
Spray a large skillet with nonstick spray and set over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Add mushrooms and onions to skillet. Cook stirring occasionally until mushrooms give off liquid, it evaporates and the mushrooms are golden, about 10 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook 1 minute. Add mushroom mixture to sausage; let cool. Stir in mozzarella, ricotta, and romano cheese.
Sprinkle a work surface lightly with flour. Turn dough onto surface; knead lightly. Cut dough in half. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll half dough into a thin 12 inch circle. Transfer circle of dough to a nonstick pizza pan or large baking sheet, gently pulling the dough back to a 12-inch circle. Spread the filling onto the dough to 3/4 inch from the edge. Brush around the outer edge with water.
Roll remaining dough into a 12 inch circle and place on top of the filling. Press the edges together to seal, then crimp the edges/ Cut five slits in the top of the dough. Bake until the crust is golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool 5-10minutes and serve hot, or let the pie cool on a rack and serve at room temperature. Cut into 8 slices.

Basic Pizza Dough

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tsp sugar
1 package active dry yeast
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp salt

In a large bowl combine the water, sugar,and yeast; set aside until foamy. Stir in the oil, flour,and salt until the dough starts to gather around the spoon. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface; knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 mins.
Spray a large bowl with nonstick spray and put the dough in the bowl. Cover the dough lightly with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm spot until it doubles in size, about one hour.
Punch down the dough, then cut in half. Refrigerate or freeze in floured zip-close freezer bag at this point or use as directed in the recipe.

Tuukka Time!

Last Friday we brought our new Springer Spaniel puppy, Tuukka home. He has been keeping us on the go ever since. In true puppy fashion he has completely taken over the house and our hearts. He's got lots to learn besides the obvious housebreaking, like no chewing on shoes, furniture and people and how to go up and down stairs. He's actually mastered going upstairs. Down is a little tougher, but he can do it with a little coaxing.

He loves to be outdoors chewing up sticks and leaves. He will even whine at the door because he wants to go outside, not to do his business, but just to play. And because I want to encourage him to go to the door I spend a large chunk of my day going in and out. That is all part of having a puppy though!

You can expect to see a lot more of Tuukka and his antics in the future.

Wordless Wednesday

Eight is Great!

Mackenzie turned 8 on the 8th. She had a few friends over for an Austalian themed party complete with Koala cake!

Since her party was on the Saturday before her birthday I made cupcakes for her to take to school on her actual birthday.

Winning at Losing

Over the past several years I have been gaining weight and it was finally to the point that I was feeling tired and sluggish all the time. I knew I had to make some changes but I had fallen into the "I'll start tomorrow or next week" trap.
After hearing some first hand accounts from people I knew who were having success with Weight Watchers I decided to try it out. I gave myself 4 months to decide if it was going to work and would be something I would stick too.
I joined on September 10th and have lost 15 pounds so far. My clothes are getting loose and I have a ton more energy. I am feeling pretty proud of myself!

I have been trying a lot of recipes from the website and a Weight Watchers cookbook that I purchased. I have liked most all of the recipes so far but I definitely have some favorites. One of them is the Mexican Style Brown Rice Casserole. It is perfect for the cooler weather and there is enough for leftovers the next day!
So I thought I would share the recipe.

Ingredients

1 spray cooking spray
4 cups cooked brown rice
1 1/4 cups salsa
1 tsp ground cumin
15oz. can refried beans
10oz frozen corn kernels, thawed
4 oz canned green chili peppers, mild, sliced
1 Tbsp chili powder
10oz chopped frozen spinach or collard greens, thawed and set to drain in a strainer over a bowl
3/4 cups low fat shredded cheddar cheese divided
2Tbsp cilantro, fresh, chopped (optional for garnish)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 2 quart rectangular, round or oval baking dish with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine rice, salsa and cumin. Spoon 2 cups of rice mixture into prepared baking dish and spread out evenly on bottom of dish.
In another large bowl, combine refried beans, corn, chili peppers and chili powder. Using a rubber spatula, scrape bean mixture on top of rice layer and smooth out top.
Squeeze and excess water from spinach or collard greens and then spread on top of bean layer. Sprinkle with 6 Tbsps. of cheese. Top with remaining rice mixture and smooth out top. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Place casserole on a large rimmed baking sheet to catch any spillage. Bake until heated through and cheese is browned and bubbling. About 30 mins. Sprinkle with cilantro, if desired. Cut into 6 pieces and serve.
One serving is 6 points.

Wordless Wednesday