The transition of going from one kid to two kids has been relatively easier than I had anticipated. “Relatively easier” meaning it’s easier when I literally don’t do anything else other than care for the kids.
It took me five days to actually get the time to take a shower, I get approximately nothing done for the 15 minutes my baby likes to cat nap, and I’m pretty sure I still have dried rotten sweet potato juice (found that gem in my pantry during the witching hour the other night) on my leg. #JustBeingReal
And then, there’s dinner. “How is it already dinner time?” I find myself thinking this very often. Oh, and also, “Where is my husband and why isn’t he home yet!?”
If I’m not on top of my game when it comes to dinner, the witching hour hits full-force. I find myself hoping the baby doesn’t have an explosive diaper at the same time the 5 year old has a cataclysmic breakdown because he spilt water on himself while drinking it.
Thankfully, this easy Spanish Rice recipe is “witching hour” friendly. Basically this means when all hell breaks loose from 4pm-7pm and your children turn from sweet little angels to hangry gremlins, this recipe can be put on the stove and made in about 20 minutes flat. Throw a BPA-free can of beans on the stove next to it, garnish with sliced avocado and you’ve got yourself a meal.
Only 5 Simple Ingredients
This Spanish rice is made with 5 simple ingredients: rice, tomato sauce, water (or broth), onions, and taco seasoning. While I believe cooking from scratch is where it’s at, I also know how easy it can be to forget to restock a batch of homemade taco seasoning and need it desperately during the witching hour. Having an already made taco seasoning on hand is incredibly critical for these times- especially one with a good ingredient label. All of my spice blends that I sell in my online store have 100% real ingredients and are made in a certified commercial kitchen with lots of love (potentially the most important ingredient). You can find my Taco Seasoning and other delicious blends here.
While it’s not considered the text book picture perfect real food meal, it’s a meal that is made with simple ingredients, is filling, and most importantly, can be made quickly. Plus, it’s pretty inexpensive to make which is great for those of us with tight budgets. Read more about how I fed my family real food on $87.50/week where I share 3 tight budget tips.
Ideally you would have homemade tomato sauce on hand to add to this recipe, but when you have kids, sometimes you need to let go of expectations. If not, a can of organic tomato sauce will do just fine. Don’t be hard on yourself for having to resort to the canned version. Because kids, and witching hours.
A Couple Things Before the Recipe
You don’t need a rice cooker to make this but it’s essential to do two things to make sure half your rice does not stick to the bottom of the pot:
1. Don’t stir the rice more than you need to
I’m not sure the science behind it, but stirring and rice do not mix well (no pun intended). When making this recipe, you’ll want to first add the water and taco seasoning, and give it one good stir with a wooden spoon. Next, add the tomato sauce and onion, and don’t stir — no matter how tempted you are. Just put the lid on and let it be.
2. Follow the water ratio on the package for the type of rice you’ll be using, and halve the water ratio with tomato sauce.
If your rice calls for 1 cup rice to 1 1/4 cup water/broth, you’ll want to use a little over 2/3 cup water and 2/3 cup tomato sauce. I have also found to further decrease the tomato sauce by 1/4 cup and add the 1/4 back to the water ratio. Since tomato sauce is thicker than water, I have found with too much tomato sauce it will still make the rice stick to the bottom of the pot.
Just remember: rice sticks when there is not enough liquid or when it’s stirred too many times.
- 1 cup organic jasmine rice
- ¾ cup water or broth
- ½ cup tomato sauce, preferably homemade but if not, organic
- ¼ cup diced onion
- 2 tsp Taco Seasoning (visit my online store to purchase my organic, 100% real food Taco Seasoning)
- Pour rice, water, and taco seasoning into a medium pot. Stir ONCE.
- Add in the onion and tomato sauce. Do NOT stir.
- Turn the stove on high until water boils; Once boiling, reduce heat to low, cover with a lid, and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- When the time is up, remove the lid and stir a couple times with a fork to fluff the rice; let the rice sit for 5 minutes and serve
'Easy Spanish Rice Recipe (“Witching Hour” Friendly)' has no comments
Be the first to comment this post!