Fit Stuffed Peppers

October 10, 20121 Comment

I’m back, folks! Sorry I went missing for a couple of weeks. My sweet grandma passed away and I wanted to spend as much time with her before she left and then I spent a lot of time with my family as they all came into town for the funeral. Thus, that left little time for creating new recipes and blogging. That being said, it’s been an emotional and cherished past couple of week. I love my grandma and I will miss her, but I know I’ll get to see her again some day. I also love my family and enjoyed spending extra time with them. It felt like a huge unplanned family reunion.

Now I’m back to cooking and such and this is a fabulous dinner option! We grow bell peppers in our garden every year, but I think this year we turned out the best harvest yet! The peppers grew fast, got big, and the flavor has been super intense. They are delicious! We finally got our first overnight freeze/frost of the year so Beau went and picked all the peppers before bed. I figured that making stuffed peppers would be an awesome way to use some of them up.

Awesome, indeed! These are super simple. The only thing you have to remember is that the recipe calls for cooked brown rice. So, if you haven’t made that in advance then your prep time will increase by 45-60 minutes. I baked my rice earlier in the day (since baking it only requires about 1 minute worth of effort, but the rice turns out fluffy and fabulous). Then you just simply cook your ground beef, mixed with onion and garlic, in a skillet until browned. Mix in the cooked rice, tomato sauce and Worcestershire (this stuff somehow elevates the flavor of ground beef like crazy), and stuff your peppers, bake the peppers, and then eat them! Easy peasy!

The flavors of bell pepper, ground beef, and tomato just marry so well together. We found these to be very filling. I made a green salad to go with them because I was leery of how filling these would be. The green salad was tasty, but it wasn’t necessary to “fill us up” like I thought it would be.

Give these a try. Bell peppers are easy to find year-round and I found the dish to be fresh, but also comforting. Who doesn’t want a comforting dish around this time of year??

Fit Stuffed Peppers
Adapted from allrecipes.com

1 ½ cups brown rice, cooked
12 ounces lean (93%) ground beef (lean ground turkey is also good)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
4 bell peppers (any color – I used green from my garden)
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons part skim mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add beef, onion, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir beef mixture until meat is evenly browned and onion is softened, about 5-7 minutes.

Remove and discard the tops, seeds, and membranes of the bell peppers. Arrange peppers in a baking dish (I used a round Corningware dish with tall sides and it worked perfectly) with the hollowed sides facing upward. (You may have to slice a little off the bottoms of the peppers to help them stand upright. Just don’t cut too far up the pepper that you end up with a hole in the bottom.)

Mix the browned beef, cooked rice, Worcertershire sauce, and 1 can tomato sauce (I did this right in the skillet). Add salt and pepper if needed. Spoon an equal amount of the mixture into each hollowed pepper. Mix the remaining can of tomato sauce with the Italian seasoning in a small bowl (or right in the can if you’re careful not to spill everywhere) and pour over the stuffed peppers.

Bake in the preheated oven, basting with the sauce every 15-20 minutes, until the peppers are tender, about 1 hour. Sprinkle the peppers with grated mozzarella cheese after baking.

Serves 4.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving = 1 Stuffed Pepper)
Calories: 298
Protein: 23.2g
Carbs: 33.3g
Fat: 7g
Fiber: 4.4g
Sugars: 7.4g

Basic Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oats

September 25, 20122 Comments

Breakfast in the slow cooker is a pretty novel idea. I mean, you throw a few things in there before bed and then wake up to a hot breakfast . . . along with a home that smells warm and cozy. If you ask me, this is so perfect for fall as most of us yearn for warmer recipes and cozy smells.

If you enjoy oatmeal, you’ll enjoy eating steel cut oats from the slow cooker. They taste very similar to rolled oats, but seem to taste slightly heartier and also have a heartier texture. This is a very basic recipe on how to cook steel cut oats in the slow cooker. I’m hoping to make “fancier” versions this fall to share with you all. However, because it technically is fall, I added about 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon to the oats when I put them in the slow cooker (this is totally optional). I think that cinnamon elevates the flavor of oats and makes them taste a little sweeter without adding sugar. The cinnamon also creates a wonderful aroma when mixed with the cooked oats. When I dish my portion out of the slow cooker I love to add a little drizzle of sugar-free maple syrup (it’s only about 10 calories, so why not!?) and a splash of milk.

This was definitely comforting and very filling (thanks to the heartiness). Stay tuned for “fancier” versions in the near future.

Basic Steel Cut Oats for the Slow Cooker

1 cup steel cut oats
4 cups water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, optional

Mix oats and the rest of the ingredients into the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. If desired, serve with a drizzle of sugar-free syrup and a splash of milk.

Serves 4-5.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving = 3/4 Cup, Cooked)
Calories: 124
Protein: 5.3g
Carbs: 24g
Fat: 2.2g (0.4g = Sat.)
Fiber: 3.6g
Sugars: 0g

*Note: Most sites claim that steel cut oats are gluten free. I know several people who are gluten intolerant that perform just fine after eating steel cut oats. However, if you have a strong gluten allergy, you may want to buy steel cut oats that are actually labeled gluten free.

Slow Cooker Chile Verde

September 20, 2012September 19, 20121 Comment

I’ve already confessed my love for tomatillos. We grow them in our garden because we love them so! Here’s another FABULOUS use for them. Of course, if you don’t grow your own, you can easily find them in your grocery store (which is what I do during the winter months).

I love chile verde! I always want to order it when I eat out at Mexican restaurants, but I hesitate to do so because I’m always worried about how they actually prepare it. Here is a great way to enjoy it at home without any of the worry. This is SUPER tasty and I’m so glad that my sister Becca shared the recipe with me. Becca is a wonderful cook and when she gave me this recipe I had no doubt the I would love it. It’s just what chile verde should taste like. The tomatillos combined with onion, garlic, green chiles, and cumin is unbeatable. The white beans add a nice dimension of flavor and texture as well. (You’ll just want to note that the beans count toward your carb count so don’t overdo it on your rice/tortilla portion.) Oh! It’ll make your house smell sooooo good too!

Here’s to a home-cooked chile verde that is as good (or better, I dare say) than what you would find at a restaurant!

Slow Cooker Chile Verde
Recipe Source: My Sister, Becca

1 lb. chicken (or turkey or pork)
4-6 cloves garlic
1 lb. tomatilloes, peeled and diced
14 oz. chicken broth, low sodium & 99% fat free (Swanson’s)
4 oz. green chiles
1 teaspoon cumin
1 large onion, diced
1 can great northern beans, drained & rinsed
cilantro, chopped (optional)

Mix all ingredients together and cook in slow cooker for 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low. 15-20 minutes before serving, shred meat and add ½ cup fresh cilantro, if desired. Serve in tortillas or over rice.

Serves 6.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving)
Calories: 149.7
Protein: 20.2
Carbs: 14.9
Fat: 1.6g (0.2g = Sat.)
Fiber: 4.6g
Sugars: 3.1g

Turkey Cheeseburger Quesadilla

September 14, 20121 Comment

Have any of you eaten or ordered the Quesadilla Burger at Applebee’s? Well, there are SO many people that love it so I thought I would attempt a little makeover on that entree. Here’s what I came up with and I have to say, I am pretty darn pleased with the results! Man, this thing is packed with Southwestern flavors that make it far from boring. You add chunky pico de gallo and cheddar cheese to it, along with the fact that the tortilla is nice and crispy, and it makes you wonder if this is really a legal and healthy thing to be eating because it is SOOOOO yummy!

I actually used Beach Salsa on my quesadilla because I had that on hand (the Beach Salsa adds a few extra calories than regular pico because of the corns/beans), but it was so deeeeeelish! However, regular ol’ pico will work super well and that’s what I actually used to count the nutritional information for the recipe.

So, now you have an excuse to have a restaurant-worthy meal right at home. This was sooooo easy and good that it will probably make my weekly dinner menu. That’s right, weekly! It’s one of my new go-to meals.

Turkey Cheeseburger Quesadilla
Mimi Original (Inspired by Applebee’s)

1 lb. ground turkey burger
2 teaspoons taco seasoning
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup pico de gallo
3/4 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
8 small whole wheat flour tortillas (Mission Life)
spray oil

Mix taco seasoning, salt, and pepper into ground turkey. Form 4 flat patties (I make them more oval/flat to fit close to the size of half a tortilla). Heat a skillet pan or indoor grill to medium-high heat; when hot, lightly spray the pan with oil and add the burgers. Cook burgers about 2 minutes on each side or to your liking (I cooked mine for 4 minutes on my Goerge Foreman Grill). Set aside.

Clean the pan and return to medium heat. Lightly coat your large skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat. (See tip below for optional cooking directions.) Place a tortilla in the skillet (if your skillet is big enough you can do more than one at the same time) and place 1 1/2 tablespoons cheese on each tortilla, then 2 tablespoons pico de gallo, top with turkey burger, then an additional 2 tablespoons of pico and 1 1/2 tablespoons cheese. Fold tortilla over the filling and cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Turn and brown the other side and cook until the cheese melts. Removed from skillet and set aside.

Repeat with remaining tortillas, turkey burgers, cheese, and pico.

Serves 4.

Optional Cooking Tip: I often cook these on my indoor grill (aka George Foreman). It makes it SUPER handy so that I don’t have to actually flip the tortilla over in a skillet (which sometimes can be disastrous with the filling falling out all over the place. . . not that I would know!). I can also cook at least two at a time (one for me and one for the hubby) in record time.

Nutritional Information (Per Quesadilla – with a 4-oz. Burger)
Calories: 331.4
Protein: 31.2g
Carbs: 22.4g
Fat: 14g (4.9g = Sat.)
Fiber: 3g
Sugars: 1g

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

September 11, 2012September 11, 2012Leave a comment

This is definitely one of my most favorite salsas. Now that the tomatillos in our garden are finally starting to come on, I’m making this like crazy! I’ve tried several variations of tomatillo salsa and this has become my favorite. I usually prefer a green salsa over a red salsa. Perhaps it’s the extra tang that comes from a tomatillo. And, a roasted tomatillo . . . don’t even get me started. I love how this recipe instructs us to roast all the veggies. It definitely gives it a nice, roasted flavor and the roasting helps to bring out the sweetness of the tomatillos, garlic, and onion! SO GOOD!

Another great thing about the salsa (as with most salsas), it’s pretty darn low in calories and it’s made primarily of veggies. So, in my book . . . this stuff is “free” and we can eat as much as we want. Unfortunately the baked 9-grain chips (Tostito Brand) are another story! So, let’s focus on putting this delicious salsa on our eggs, potatoes, over chicken, alongside these Taquitos, or eating it by the spoonfuls out of it’s container. It’s really that yummy!

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
Adapted from Our Best Bites

1 lb. tomatillos, husks removed (about 6 medium)
3-4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 small yellow or white onion, peeled and quartered
1 jalapeño pepper, cut in half lengthwise (remove seeds & membranes for less heat)
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
juice of 1-2 limes (depending on how “juicy” you want your salsa)
1/4-1/3 cup chopped green onions

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.

After husking the tomatillos, rinse them well in cool water (they can be sticky). Cut the stems and hard portions (if any) off the tomatillos and cut any very large ones in half.

Combine the tomatillos, unpeeled garlic, onion, and the jalapeno on the lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and toss the ingredients with your hands to make sure they are all well-coated.

Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes. If the vegetables have not charred, turn the broiler on to high and cook for 3-5 more minutes or until the skins of the peppers and tomatillos begin to turn black. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

When the vegetables have cooled, carefully squeeze the skin of the roasted garlic, releasing the soft, roasted garlic clove, into the jar of a blender or workbowl of a food processor. Add the remaining roasted vegetables and then add the salt, pepper, and lime juice. Process until the desired consistency is reached and then transfer to a serving dish. Stir in the chopped cilantro and green onions and serve with chips.

Makes Approximately 2 Cups.

Nutritional Information (Per Tablespoon)
Calories: 10
Protein: 0.2g
Carbs: 1.4g
Fat: 0.6g (0.1g – Sat.)
Fiber: 0.3g
Sugars: 0.7g

Grilled Steak with Roasted Pablano Sauce

September 6, 2012Leave a comment

Once in a while we love to change things up and have a little steak at our house. This variation of steak was a huge hit! I love the flavor of pablano peppers, but I love them even more when they’re roasted. These roasted peppers, when paired with other complimentary Mexican ingredients, were awesome on top of the steak. The sauce comes together nicely and, since it has a Mexican flare, we ate the Mexican Tomato & Corn Salad with it. Pretty darn awesome meal if you ask me!

Grilled Steak with Roasted Pablano Sauce
Adapted from The Chew

1 1/2 Lb sirloin steak
5-6 medium pablanos peppers
2 tablespoon red onion (finely diced)
1-2 lemons (juice and zest)
4 tablespoon cilantro (roughly chopped)
4 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper (to taste)

1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
salt and pepper (to taste)

Place pablanos directly on stove burner (or under your broiler) to char peppers until completely black (you may have to use tongs to turn peppers to char all sides), remove and cool.

Cut peppers lengthwise and remove charred skin with the back of a knife, and remove seeds. Dice small and place half of the pepper in a blender with olive oil and half of the lemon juice and puree for 20 seconds and place in a bowl. Add remaining diced pablanos, red onion, lemon zest and remaining juice (if desired), cilantro and salt and pepper. Mix to combine and taste for seasoning. Set aside for finished plate.

Lightly coat steak with olive oil. Season each side with smoked paprika, cayenne, chili powder, salt and pepper. Sear on hot grill until there is good color on the meat, about 3-4 minutes per side. Once cooked remove from heat and let rest for 10-15 minutes before cutting.

To serve, top steak with pablano sauce and serve. Serves 8.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving = 3 oz. Steak & 1/8 of Sauce)
Calories: 258
Protein: 26.8
Carbs: 5.8g
Fat: 14.6g (3.6g = Sat.)
Fiber: 0g
Sugars: 0.2g

Mexican Tomato & Corn Salad

September 4, 2012Leave a comment

This side dish is fresh, tangy, flavorful, and sweet! The sweet corn and cherry tomatoes are coated with a tangy dressing that leaves you wanting more! With fresh corn and cherry tomatoes in season, now is the PERFECT time to be making this salad. However, I think it’s so good that the salad will still be a home run in the winter too! You can cut corn kernels directly off the ear, or use frozen corn. Also, Queso Fresco cheese is a Mexican cheese that you can usually find in most grocery stores among the other cheeses. (If you can’t find it, feta cheese is most widely used as a substitute.) We loved the change-up that this salad gave us (as compared to usual carbohydrate side dishes like potatoes or rice . . . . although we love those too). I craved it for days after I made it (thank goodness I had leftovers)!

*Note: If you need/want to save some unnecessary calories, pull the cheese out of the recipe. That will save you 40 calories & 3 grams of fat per serving.

Mexican Tomato and Corn Salad
Adapted from melskitchencafe.com

For the salad:
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
2 cups halved grape or cherry tomatoes
2 oz. crumbled queso fresco cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

For the dressing:
1 tablespoon freshly grated lime zest (zest the lime(s) before juicing)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic (from about 3 garlic cloves)

In a large skillet, heat the 1 teaspoon olive oil over medium heat. Stir in the corn and cook until soft (but not mushy), 3-5 minutes, stirring/tossing occasionally. Cool corn slightly and set aside.

Whisk together the lime zest, lime juice, vinegar, 1 tablespoon olive oil and garlic in a small bowl.

In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, cheese, cilantro and corn. Toss the salad with the vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4 (Makes Approximately 4 Cups).

Nutritional Information (Per Serving = Approximately 1 Cup)
Calories: 160
Protein: 5.9g
Carbs: 19g
Fat: 8.2g (2.7g = Sat.)
Fiber: 2.7g
Sugars: 4.5g

Turkey, Cucumber & Goat Cheese Sandwich

August 28, 2012Leave a comment

Well, here’s another lunch option if you’re looking for lunch variety. It’s a twist on a turkey sandwich that I happened to really appreciate. This sandwich is basically layered with hummus, tomato, goat cheese, cucumbers, and turkey. I REALLY wanted to put baby spinach leaves on it too, but I just used my spinach up yesterday (dang!). The goat cheese offered a nice tang and it goes fabulously with the hummus. Additionally, the crunchy cucumbers gave this sammich a lovely texture (and I had extra slices to eat with my lunch).

Turkey, Cucumber, & Goat Cheese Sandwich
Adapted from the Greatest.com

2 slices whole wheat bread (such as Sara Lee Delightful)
2 ounces sliced turkey
2 tablespoons hummus
2 slices tomato
4 slices cucumber
1 tablespoon goat cheese

Spread hummus on one slice of bread (or you can divide it in half and spread it on both slices if you prefer). Atop your hummus layer tomato, cucumber, goat cheese, and turkey. Top with remaining slice of bread. Enjoy!

Serves 1.

Nutritional Information Per Sammich
Calories: 248
Protein: 23.4g
Carbs: 19.9g
Fat: 8.7g (3.5g = Sat.)
Fiber: 6.9g
Sugars: 3.7g

Ranch, Cheese, & Tomato Sandwich

August 23, 2012August 22, 2012Leave a comment

I’ve recently tried another lunch option that I’ve fallen in love with! With fresh tomatoes coming from the garden, it was easy to decide on trying this sandwich. The cheese portion of this sandwich actually comes from cottage cheese . . . an excellent and awesome low-fat source of protein! I mixed the cottage cheese up with some ranch seasoning (aka Fit Ranch Dip), loaded it on an English muffin and topped it with fresh tomatoes, green onions, and avocado slices. It was SO good. I’m not even lying.

If you judge the quality of your sandwich by the mess it produces, well this one will make your top 10. It’s messy, folks. The cottage cheese kind of spills out the sides. I actually ended up eating this open-faced, with a fork. Oh man, it was good and it was fresh and it was a fabulous lunch option to throw into my rotation. This is also a nice vegetarian option as well.

Ranch, Cheese And Tomato Sandwich
Adapted from the Greatist.com

1 whole-wheat English muffin (Thomas Brand = 120 calories)
1/3 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1/3 teaspoon ranch seasoning
2 slices tomato
1/4 avocado, sliced
1 tablespoon green onion, chopped

Place cottage cheese and ranch seasoning in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Toast English muffin in toaster until lightly toasted. Place seasoned cottage cheese on one slice of English muffin and top with green onions, tomato, and avocado slices. Place remaining slice of English muffin on top. (You may find that you prefer to eat this open-faced like I did.) Enjoy!

Serves 1.

Nutritional Information Per Sandwich
Calories: 249.7
Protein: 17g
Carbs: 29.4g
Fat: 7.9g (1.7g = Sat.)
Fiber: 5.5g
Sugars: 2.7g

Curried Chicken Pita With Cranberries & Pear

August 21, 20121 Comment

This was such a delicious addition to my lunch rotation! I loved having something different and something new. The chicken salad came together in a jiffy and I love how the curry goes so well with the sweetness of the cranberries and pear. This lunch got me a little excited for fall to make an appearance (although I am still not ready to let summer go) thanks to those delicious cranberries and pear! To assist in making this EVEN EASIER to make than it already is, I used the packaged grilled chicken that already comes cooked. I diced it up and had this yummy pita to eat in less than 5 minutes.

If you’re looking for a new lunch idea, throw this one in the mix. It’s pretty darn tasty!

Curried Chicken Pita with Cranberries & Pear
Adapted from Greatist.Com

2 whole-wheat pitas
4 oz. cooked chicken breast, diced
1/2 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 medium pear, diced
2 teaspoons honey mustard
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 squeeze lemon juice

Combine all ingredients, except the pita, in a small bowl. Gently stir to combine. Put half of the mixture in one pita and put the remaining mixture in the other pita.

Serves 2.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving = 1 Filled Pita)
Calories: 320.5
Protein: 25.8g
Carbs: 41.2g
Fat: 2.5g (0g = Sat.)
Fiber: 7g
Sugars: 19.9g

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