I recently had to host a dinner the day after returning from a vacation. Needless to say, I didn’t have much by the way of groceries around the house. And I had to feed 9 people… that’s a lot of people when you’re short on food! I have found one of the best ways to stretch a meal to feed as many as possible is- rice!!

Insert avocado-egg-rice image here

If rice isn’t your best friend, it should be. The dinner ideas are endless when rice is in the picture. It helps any meal stretch a little further, and can really be a fun ingredient to mix with things. If you have leftovers of anything you need to use, chances are you can probably mix it with rice in some way and create a meal from it. Rice also freezes well, so whenever you have to make some, just make a ton extra that you can freeze. Next time you’re short on time and ideas for dinner, think rice!! Here is a handy little list of things you can add to rice (and maybe a couple desserts;) ) for those days when you just don’t know what to do for dinner or simply are short on time!

*Ground beef, salsa, and corn chips for Mexican jambalaya

*Barbecue sauce and chicken (or any meat you need to use!)

*Spinach, mushrooms, and egg whites

*Bake it in a pan with cheese, beef, and broccoli

*Chicken and Teryaki sauce (or bottled orange sauce from Panda Express! My husband’s personal favorite;) )

*Fried rice is very easy- scramble some eggs, and throw in some peas, bacon, ham, carrots, brussel sprouts, whatever you have on hand:). Top with soy sauce.

*Coconut milk and mangos for a special treat!

*Or sugar, milk, and cinnamon if coconut isn’t your thing;)

*Mix with a can of chili

*Add black beans, cilantro, chili powder, and a tiny splash of lime juice

*Avacado, tomato, peppers, and your favorite dressing

*Butter, salt, and parmesan cheese (with some minced garlic!)

*Cream of chicken soup and chicken broth mixed together. Top with your favorite Hawaiian Haystacks toppings (peas, green onions, pineapple, chow mein noodles, cheese, olives, peppers, oranges, etc.)

*Poppyseed dressing with whatever fruit you need to use up

*Pesto, roasted red peppers, and mushrooms

*Leftover stew or soup. Or, just open a can of Chunky’s Campbell soup if you don’t have any!

Curry, lemon pepper, A1, sriracha sauce- whatever your favorite flavor, just add some butter and you’ll be in heaven! Basically, is there anything you CAN’T put on rice?? I would love to hear about some of your creations! What’s your favorite way to eat rice? Share in the comments below!