Lunch Made Easy With Minute Ready To Serve Rice #LoveEveryMinute

Let's face it, ladies: Sometimes we don't have time to prepare the healthiest, or even tastiest lunches. We have toddlers to chase, appointments to keep, and errands to run. While we always make sure our kiddos get a balanced lunch, we often neglect our own meal because we're juggling a zillion things at one time. For example, I am getting climbed on by a 2 year old, talking on the phone, and trying to keep a fight from breaking out, all as I write this post. You Moms totally understand the necessity of multi-tasking, I'm sure!

One of my goals for 2013 is to take better care of myself. You know, exercise more, drink more water, give up my Diet Dr. Pepper addiction once and for all, and to make better eating choices. My main problem has never been over-eating, it's been skipping meals altogether. ( I know...this is horrible to do!) So I have been making a conscious effort to stop whatever I am doing and take time for a balanced breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It's soooo easy to just grab some chips or other convenience foods, but I must resist and eat "real" food.

Thankfully, I recently stumbled upon the perfect speedy lunch solution. Minute Ready-to-Serve Rice! These convenient meal-starters come in a wide variety of flavors, and are all ready to eat in 60 seconds. Yes, this rice is cooked to perfection in just one minute....Not the 20-30 I am used to when cooking standard rice.

I just had some delicious, colorful, and most important, QUICK Mexican Rice Salad for lunch the other day. I used Minute Ready to Serve Rice in plain old white variety. I would have loved to try one of the more amped up flavors like Spanish Rice or Yellow Rice Mix. Sadly, my local grocery store was all out of everything but the white. Gives me something to look forward to next time, I suppose!


My Mexican Rice Salad is so easy to make. It can be vegetarian, or you can stir in some diced chicken or maybe even shrimp. Have fun! Switch things up! Get creative. Food is a wonderful way to express your own unique personality, so never be scared to change things up a bit.

Speedy Mexican Rice Salad Recipe :

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
  
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup tablespoons roasted tomato salsa
  
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 cups Minute Ready-to-Serve Rice
  
• 1 cup cooked corn.
  
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
  
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved 
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
  
• Guacamole (Check out my recipe HERE.)
  
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro, optional
• Feel free to add grilled chicken, tofu, or seafood for a hearty meal!
  

Directions:

1. 1. In a small bowl, stir together lime juice, oil, salsa, cumin and salt. In a large bowl, stir together rice and corn, breaking up any rice clumps.
2. 2. Pour lime-juice mixture over rice mixture and stir well to coat. Add beans, bell pepper, tomatoes and scallions, and toss gently to combine. Also, if you're adding a protein like chicken or seafood, mix that in now, too.
   
3. 3. Just before serving, top with homemade guacamole.  Sprinkle with cilantro, if desired, and serve.

About Minute Ready to Serve Rice :

Minute® Ready to Serve Rice is an ideal portable solution for lunch or breakfast because you can eat it on the go, straight from the cup. In just 60 seconds, you have fully cooked rice for any meal or snack. You’ll never get bored with your lunch since there are 10 flavorful and wholesome varieties. If you’re looking for a healthy option, Minute® Ready to Serve Rice provides easy portion control since it’s conveniently packaged in two individual single-serve cups. Visit http://www.minuterice.com/ for recipes, including Minute® Ready to Serve Stir it Up recipe ideas and more information about the Minute® Rice family of products.

***Disclosure: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Minute® Ready to Serve Rice.***