That's exactly what the kids didn't like about the blend, Dragonfly Ranch! It has been a while since I made it so I had forgotten all the details, but your post reminded me. I think that the second time I made it, I added more liquid and then cooked it longer. It was better than the first time and the kids liked it then. Still, I prefer brown basmati rice or quinoa better, depending on what I'm making. I get both of those at TJ's as well. Another thing that I enjoy is to make a regular brown rice and add wild rice to it. I boil the wild rice for a while first, then rinse it. Then when I start the brown rice, I add the wild rice to it. Making it that way, the wild rice doesn't make all of the rice a yucky gray color.
Yes, we're doing corned beef tomorrow. I think I've made it pretty much every way - on the stove in my Dutch oven, in the oven in my Dutch oven, and in a crockpot. Of those three, I like the crockpot best, though I find that adding the cabbage can be a bit tricky. Last year I made it in my pressure cooker and I thought that was the best way of all. The veggie part is still a little tricky, but the meat was sooooo tender! Because of the low sodium thing that I'm doing right now, I'm going to have to make two separate sets of veggies, one in the pot and one on the side. And, I'll have a very small piece of the corned beef as well. Eating low sodium can really be a challenge!
Eating under 1100 calories a day is something I've done for years. I'm not a tall person and have the world's worst metabolism. The key is in portions and using fiber (beans, grains, and hi fiber breads) and veggies to fill your tummy plus low fat meats like chicken and fish that have been flavored with herbs and juices rather than oils and sauces. And, exercise is really important. Finding the time to do it is the challenge. Most days I exercise at least an hour and a half. I've recently added interval training to the mix and that's supposed to help a TON in burning calories. I feel pretty pooped doing it, but then feel great for days afterwards.