We were up late this morning, since I didn't have to go to water aerobics. After breakfast, I got on the treadmill, though, and then did strength exercises with a resistance band. Mother came over after I was ready for the day, and we planned a menu and a grocery list for next week.
Then on this sunny day, Hubbie and I ran errands...to the only grocery store that sells the brand of cottage cheese I like; to another grocery store/pharmacy to pick up prescriptions and packages of shredded Monterey Jack cheese that WDCS does not carry; to a gas station; to the WDCS for groceries; and to the other discount store for more $1 cans of peaches.
We got back home around noon and had deli turkey and baby Swiss cheese sandwiches, with lettuce, tomato, and Vidalia onions. For dessert, we finished a can of peaches we opened yesterday, topped with cottage cheese.
We wasted a lot of time this afternoon watching the nesting eagles. Finally, the baby was visible for Mother to see, and eventually, she saw the mother eagle feed the baby. The baby appears to have grown quite a bit overnight. It's about half the size of its mother, and it tries to stand and walk, but is very wobbly and often falls on its face. As with most babies, it spends a lot of time sleeping.
Somewhere near the tree that the nest is in, there is construction taking place, because we can hear hammering. The eagles seem unperturbed by this noise, however. The mother became more alert, though, when a plane flew over.
As she did yesterday, the mother eagle stayed close to her baby today, until later in the afternoon, when she flew away. While its mother was gone, the baby hunkered down near the tree trunk, where his gray, fuzzy body blended perfectly with the bark of the tree.
At one point, the baby ventured to the center of the nest, and presently a large shadow passed overhead, presumably the mother checking on the baby. Within minutes, the mother landed in the nest. If she had been on a hunting trip, it was unsuccessful, because she brought nothing back with her. The baby begged for food, so the mother resorted to her stash to feed it. After the baby was satisfied, it snuggled up to the mother for a nap.
By 5 p.m., we were hungry, too, and fixed freezer bag omelets, and biscuits and gravy (fat-free, salt-free gravy for me). Afterwards, as usual, we watched TV. From time-to-time, I checked on the eagles. The mother flew away again, and this time she came back with a kill...what looked like some sort of rodent, which she promptly fed to the baby.
After that, the baby tried to snuggle up to mama, but it is almost getting too big. The mother seemed to prefer to stand away and let it snooze on its own for a while, but later she did move closer to it.
This is probably an odd time to add a recipe to a blog, but as promised, here's the Mexican casserole dish that I talked about (from Weight Watchers, at http://www.weightwatchers.com/ ). I tweaked it somewhat for our tastes.
Mexican-Style Brown Rice Casserole
Cooking spray
4 cups cooked brown rice
1 1/4 cups salsa
1 tsp ground cumin
15 oz can refried beans (I used black beans, rinsed)
10 oz frozen corn kernels, thawed (I didn't thaw, I just baked the dish a few minutes longer)
4 oz canned green chili peppers, mild, diced
1 tbsp chili powder
10 oz chopped frozen spinach, or collard greens, thawed and set to drain in a strainer over a bowl (I didn't thaw)
3/4 cup low-fat shredded cheddar cheese, divided (I used packaged shredded Monterey Jack)
2 tbsp cilantro, fresh, chopped (optional, for garnish) (I didn't use this)
Preheat ovento 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 to evenly cover bottom of dish.
In another large bowl, combine refried (or black) beans, corn, chili peppers and chili powder. Using a rubber spatula, scrape bean mixture on top of rice layer and smooth out top.
Squeeze out any excess water from spinach or collard greens (no excess water, since I didn't thaw the spinach) and then spread on top of the bean layer; sprinkle with 6 tablespoons of cheese. Top with remaining rice mixture and smooth out top; sprinklewith 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 minutes (about 10 minutes longer if you don't thaw the vegetables). Sprinkle with cilantro (if desired). Makes six large servings.
To save time with this recipe, I cooked the brown rice a day or two ahead of time.
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