Stuffed Peppers-- Healthy Version :-)

Last night, I revised my stuffed pepper recipe and made a healthier version of it. I normally just eye every ingredient and make mental notes of what I put in it. However, I've had a few requests and the meal was such a hit, that I want to keep it in rotation. Here's a recipe that I put together from what I can remember from my metal notes. Give it a try and ENJOY!!!

 

Stuffed Peppers

• 1 lb of lean ground turkey

• 1/2 cup of chopped onions, red/yellow/green peppers (I buy them already chopped and frozen by PictSweet…. You can find them in the frozen vegetable section at wal mart, food lion and etc…)

• 1 can of organic crushed tomatoes (any brand…. I used Hunts I think)

• 1/2 jar of organic pasta sauce (I make my own but will buy Prego or Ragu onion/tomato/garlic brand in a time crunch and it taste GREAT)

• Multi-Grain Medley (this is the healthier version in place of white rice… It comes in a box made by Minute Rice with 4 pre-portioned bags… I used only 1 bag for this meal… it is a mixture of brown rice, red rice, wild rice and quinoa… it is 100% whole grain and gluten free)

• seasonings… 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, a dash of sugar, a few dashes of salt and black pepper

• fat free cheese OR any shredded cheese on top… you don’t really need to keep it fat free since you’ll only use a little on each pepper 

• Green Bell Peppers (4-6... for this recipe, I used 4 peppers cut in half for a total of 8 stuffed peppers)

Directions

• Boil the rice per the directions, set it aside in a large mixing bowl once it’s cooked.

• Cook your ground turkey in a pan with a little extra virgin olive oil (or whatever oil you prefer)

• Drain your turkey and return it to the stove

• Add in the chopped onions and peppers until they cook for about 3-5 minutes

• Add in your seasonings (garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper)

• Add your can of crushed tomatoes, sauce and a little sugar to bring out the flavors

• Let it cook for about 5-7 minutes

• Pour your meat mixture into the mixing bowl with the muti grain medley… Combine them all together until you get your desired consistency. You don’t want it to be too runny because it will run out of the peppers when it cooks.

• Wash your peppers, slice them in half and clean out the seeds…

• Stuff the peppers with the mixture and place them into a large baking pan

• Top them with shredded cheese, loosely cover them with foil and bake them for 30 minutes on 400-425 degrees

• Take the foil off and bake them for 5 more minutes until the cheese melts

• Let them cool for 10 minutes and INDULGE!!!

Yummy Smoothies!!!

Well, I'm back with a quick post to share 2 smoothie recipes with you all.  I apologize for being so sporadic with my posts/updates but life has me on the GO these days.  We just returned from a weekend trip to Florida and hit the ground running as soon as we returned!  While in FL the kids and I spent time at the pool, shopping and relaxing.  Here is some footage from our pool time; Check out my daughter with the "come from behind" victory! and take a look at some pool acrobats.  Ohhhhh what fun!  On our way back home we stopped and purchased some yummy Georgia Peaches!!!!  I couldn't wait to make a smoothie with them (as well as a few other treats) once we got home.

Upon arriving home (at 7pm), I noticed that my grass had grown quite a bit!  It really stood out because my neighbors (on both sides) had recently mowed their lawns which made mine look a hotttttt mess!!!  So, I quickly changed, gassed up my lawn mower and edger and went to work on my lawn with an hour of daylight remaining.  I managed to complete one side of my yard and the front before darkness hit. I woke up the next morning and completed the back lawn and the other side of my house.  It was quite labor intensive mowing the lawn in excrutiating temps (90 degrees), moving a huge trampoline, lifting heavy equipment and trimming the bushes.  The end result was well worth it!!! 

After completing this out door "cardio" session, I pulled out my Nutribullet and made a super delicious smoothie with those yummy Georgia Peaches!! Here it is:

INGREDIENTS/RECIPE: One LARGE peach, 1/2 cup of low fat milk (you can use almond milk or coconut milk if you'd like), 1/2 spoonful of vanilla protein powder, pumpkin seeds/flax seeds/granola (Nature's Path Organic Cereal), crushed ice and water. 

It was the peeeerfect drink I needed to replenish myself as I still had a long day ahead of me that included soccer practice!  Yes, SOCCER PRACTICE!!!!  It's back and in full swing!  I just knew I would be tired, sore and sluggish the next morning from my intense yard work session so I hit the grocery store before heading home.  I grabbed some veggies and fresh fruit along with the essentials and rushed home to relax for the night.  This morning, I awakened feeling alive and refreshed!  I rushed downstairs to make another delicious smoothie with the fresh veggies and fruit I had purchased last night.  Here's what I came up with:

INGREDIENTS/RECIPE: Kale, strawberries (4), banana (1), frozen blueberries (handful), pumpkin seeds/flax seeds/granola (Nature's Path Organic Cereal), crushed ice and water. 

This smoothie made 2-8oz glasses and I drank every last drop of it!!!  Give it a try!

Quick, Delicious, Nutritious Breakfast Smoothie!!

These days I don't have much time to spare.... with soccer going full speed ahead, the kids' social calendars, hubby's schedule, my exercising and studying for my PT exam time is always of essence.  It is vitally important to make time to get in a healthy, nutritious breakfast on a daily basis.  Sometimes i'll make a breakfast sandwich (whole grain english muffin, turkey sausage or turkey bacon, 1 egg and low fat cheese), grab a breakfast bar, a bowl of oatmeal or cream of wheat OR a nice bowl of cereal.  Here lately i've been on a smoothie kick!  They're quick, healthy and packed full of nutrition!!!  Here's one that I made today and I thought i'd share it with you:

Strawberry Banana Breakfast Smoothie

 

~ voskos plain greek yogurt,
~ a splash of 2% milk
~ 1 small banana
~ frozen strawberries
~ 1/2 cup of Kashi Go Lean Honey w/ Flaxseed Cereal
~ 1/2 cup of crushed ice...
Yummmm! Feel free to add a tsp of agave nectar if you want to sweeten it a bit. Only 165 cals per glass... this makes 2 glasses! I drank 1 glass pre workout and 1 glass post workout. This smoothie was full of protein and extra vitamins from the kashi cereal but you can add protein powder to it if you'd like.  Some other healthy additions would be pineapple, spinach, kale (a friend recommended I try this), chia seeds, blueberries, mango and any other fruit or nutritious veggie you'd like.  Have fun with it and ENJOY!!!! 

I'll be sure to take pix and share recipes for all of the other smoothies I try in the weeks to come.