A Recipe and a Read

It's been awhile since I posted and I am not really sure why. Probably because things have been pretty status quo around here.

My precious little Rocko had surgery yesterday morning and had to stay overnight at the vet. I was traumatized by this. I'm sure HE was fine, but me? Not so much. HA He is now home recovering with the cone of shame and some baby socks to cover his wounds. Doesn't he look embarrassed? He probably wouldn't be if I wouldn't take pictures of him like this to show the world.
I have been reading a lot of books lately. This is one that I asked to receive for Christmas and it did NOT disappoint. My husband and I are St. Louis Cardinals baseball fans but awhile ago when I heard a little bit of Texas Ranger Josh Hamilton's story, I quickly became a fan of his. This book is a firsthand account of his life from childhood. Though obviously there is a lot of baseball talk in here, the meat of the story is a very honest account of where his addiction demons took him and how he overcame them. He goes into detail about how he lived his life then and how he lives his life now. The excerpt that I read awhile back making me want to read this book can be found by clicking this link: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2926447. This is just an excerpt of his story. And if that doesn't make you want to get this book then I don't know what will. I read it in two nights. It's a very easy read and it left me wanting more. This just emphasizes the fact that addiction is a powerful disease and does not discriminate. It can completely take over your life no matter how talented you are, no matter how much money you have, and no matter how much support you have at home. I kind of want to read this book again just talking about it. HA

And finally for a recipe. We are trying to eat healthier with the new year. And my husband has entered into a "biggest loser" type contest at his work, so it's ON. HA A lady that he works with has an amazing recipe for Red Beans & Rice which we love so I made that tonight. It makes a lot so it's great for leftovers and it's pretty easy to make. I made it a little healthier by using brown rice, turkey sausage and reduced sodium beans. I omit the green peppers but you can definitely add to and omit to this basic recipe as you please. So here you go:

Red Beans & Rice:

Ingredients
1 cup uncooked rice
1 (16 ounce) package turkey kielbasa, cut diagonally into 1/4 inch slices (I use 2 packages...just our preference)
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 clove chopped garlic
2 (15 ounce) cans canned kidney beans, drained
1 (16 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Cajun Seasoning (to taste)

Directions:

In a saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add rice and stir. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
In a large skillet over low heat, cook sausage for 5 minutes. Stir in onion, green pepper and garlic; saute until tender. Pour in beans and tomatoes with juice. Season with oregano, salt and pepper. Add Cajun Seasoning according to taste. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Serve over rice.