Babies and Bowls: Carnitas Bowl

I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend.  As usual it marks the descent into madness around these parts, starting early Saturday morning and continuing into November.  I'll update about the race portion of the weekend on Sunday, but the other highlight of the long weekend was getting to spend time with Baby B.

Thatbaby and I made several visits to our cutest little family member.  I had completely forgotten what it feels like to hold a baby that actually fits in your arm, as opposed to Thatbaby who wants to be held all the time, but takes two arms and a forklift to carry around.  At one point I was holding Baby B and balancing Thatbaby on a knee as we sat around the table talking to Thatbrother and UDubb.

And Thatbaby is adorably smitten with his new cousin.  He wanted to watch her, to touch her, to hug her, and he spent a great deal of time singing her his new favorite song.

We came home on Monday and swept right back into the swing of things, a birthday party Monday night and a very eventful weekend on the horizon - I think we have at least 6 events planned for those 2 days!  The fall rush means easy dinners abound around these parts.  Because there's just no time for anything else.  And repurposing leftovers is a big help.  This is especially helpful when you make a big crockpot full of carnitas - of which there is always leftover.  For nights like that, it doesn't get easier than throwing some carnitas over some rice and beans.  This also makes an excellent "next day lunch" which is one of my favorite things to do with leftovers.

Carnitas Bowl

3 cups cooked brown rice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon orange zest (lemon or lime works too, but as I've said before, having an orange tree in the backyard means using lots of oranges)
2 cups cooked black beans
2 cups pico de gallo
2 cups carnitas
1 cup shredded Cheddar
1/2 cup sour cream
2 green onions, chopped

1. Combine rice with cilantro and orange zest.  
2. Place rice in bowls and top with black beans and half of the pico de gallo.
3. Top the beans with carnitas and remaining pico de gallo.
4. Top with cheese, sour cream, and green onions.