Mmmm Cheesy Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

So yesterday was a big 6 mile walk.  Well, half of that got done, that's good, right?  We walked the 1.5 miles to the dog park in the morning and let the girls run around a bit.  Our wild child, Lucy, took off immediately to go stalk other dogs.  She's not very good with playing.  The border collie in her and takes over and she tries to herd all the dogs.  She also has this awesome way of running at you full force when you call her then veering off as soon as she gets about 3/4 of the way.  She's a sneaky one.  Miss Maddie, on the other hand, still doesn't know what to make of the dog park.  She ventures out a little, then run backs to make sure no one left her.  She's also much more concerned with the people than the dogs.  She would rather have people pet her and tell her how cute she is than play with other dogs.
Well, walking 1.5 miles there meant walking that back as well.  Then, of course, it was bath time since SOMEONE decided it was a good idea to dig in the mud.
We had good intentions of walking that last 3 miles around the neighborhood, but life got in the way, as usual.  SOMEONE else just wasn't feeling well all day, so that put the stop to any kind of activity.  What's worse?  Being sick yourself or having a sick husband?  Answer: having a sick husband!  You can tolerate your own complaining, but his?  It just gets exhausting.  So while he grumbled around the house for the day, I cleaned and got started cooking (after a much needed run to the grocery store).
Sunday's menu?  Chickpea veggie burgers, raw cookie dough bites, and cheesy chicken and wild rice casserole.
I'm still on the fence about the burgers.

http://www.livelaugheat.com/2012/02/03/chickpea-veggie-burgers/
We went to Whole Foods and got some Quinoa flour which I'm really pumped about to make the burgers.  I'm all about more protein.  There weren't a whole lot of spices in this burger and I think that was my problem.  Perhaps if I would have followed the directions and eaten it with ketchup, I would think differently.
Cheesy chicken and wild rice casserole!  This was the winner of the day.  It took a lot of prep, but so good!

http://picky-palate.com/2010/09/13/cheesy-chicken-and-wild-rice-casserole/

For anyone who knows me knows that I became a vegetarian about 3 years ago just because.  I've never been much of a meat eater, ask my parents.  Hamburger?  I've always said "yuck" and red meat has never been spectacular for me.  Chicken? Eh, I could live without it.  However, I began thinking that I really wasn't getting all the nutrients I need, so I decided to slowly start introducing meat back in.  I'm sure Andrew's happy not to be all about the veggies anymore!  I still stick to a mostly vegetarian diet with the occasional chicken thrown in.
This dish is a winner, so I highly recommend it.  I subbed half of the flour with quinoa flour to add some more protein in there and decrease the gluten.
Last but not least, "raw cookie dough bites."

http://www.adashofcompassion.com/2011/01/raw-cookie-dough-bites/

Now I'm the girl who bakes cookie solely to eat the cookie dough.  I'm an addict, I know.  The first step is admitting and recognition, right?  However, this isn't your typical cookie dough.  These little bites are made with almonds, walnuts, oats, and honey.  Healthy, right?  And pretty tasty :)  Andrew doesn't think they will last very long.  I give it til Wednesday.
So we had good intentions of walking those 6 miles, but instead did 3 and got laundry done (which reminds me that I still have a load in the dryer to fold), vacuumed, and made some meals.  Not bad for a Sunday.  And someone is feeling a little better so we're not complaining as much anymore ;)  The real trick will be getting 8 miles done on Saturday when we have a wedding in Chicago that afternoon.  Should we start taking bets now?

***I had pictures of the food from the blogs that I used, but blogger was very angry and would not let me upload them.  Sad day