Spicy Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers

When you have to cook almost every dinner at home, you have to try out new recipes or else you will get tired of the same old ones quickly. We love to prepare meatless meals and only eat mean once or twice a week now. This is a wonderful main dish full of healthy fresh ingredients.

Ingredients:

4 Bell Peppers (any color is good)

1 cup un-cookied quinoa

1/2 can of black beans drained and rinsed

1/2 can of organic corn drained

1 small can of rotel with green chilies

1 1/2 cup of pepper jack cheese

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp chipotle powder

1/2 tsp cumin 

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 350. And cook your quinoa according to the package directions. (Some quinoa needs to be rinsed prior to cooking.) Once the quinoa is cooked. Mix all the other ingredients in a large mixing bowl, reserving 1/2 cup of cheese to top the stuffed peppers. Stuff the peppers with the quinoa mixture, packing in tight. Top with remaining cheese. Cook in the oven for 30-40 minutes. The longer you cook them, the softer the pepper will be.

Be sure and enjoy them along side a super cute baby in the sunshine for maximum enjoyment!

Green Smoothie For the Win

In my ever so valiant but often quite feeble attempt to clean up my diet and shed the last 10 lbs of baby weight, I made this Green Smoothie. I have made many and put just about any kind of fruit or vegi in it, so this is really just an example of what you can do with a Green Smoothie. I think this combination is pretty tasty though.

Ingredients:

Lots of spinach (1 1/2 - 2 cups)

1 Bananna

1 Apple cored

Ice

Liquid (ex: OJ, Almond milk, Coconut water)

My smoothie made 4 cups once it was blended, so I put half in the refrigerator and save it for tomorrow so I don't have to dirty the Ninja again. Just shake it up really well.

Enjoy!

Recipe: Easy Tomato Pesto Sandwich

At our baby shower, there were these amazing little sandwich rounds from which I got the inspiration to create this sandwich! 

It is fresh, and perfect for summer. 

I know that as my garden grows I am going to need a good recipe, like this one, to use up all those tomatoes.

What you will need:

4 slices of whole wheat bread

several leaves of fresh basil

shredded or fresh mozzarella cheese

1 large sandwich tomato or 2 small roma tomatoes

1 tbs of pesto (jared or homemade)

2 tbs of light mayonnaise 

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Mix the pesto and mayonnaise together, spread semi generously on one side of the sandwich.

2. Top with chopped fresh basil, and mozzarella cheese.

3. Slice your tomato, arrange on on sandwich, salt and pepper.

Your done!!

It is so easy, but so delicious. 

You don't really even need instructions.

Change it up, add some other fresh ingredients or make a wrap!

OH and as always... ENJOY

Tips for going Meatless

So a while back, Ryan and I decided to cut out meat from our diet.
We thought it might be hard, but it has actually turned out to be a great health adventure!

We stopped eating meat for health reasons.

While meat can have great protein in it, it also has high amounts of fat and cholesterol. By not eating meat a person can improve their overall heath and decrease the likely hood of high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease and possibly even cancer!

Is it possible for your body to feel clean? 

because I think that after about what 3 weeks now, mine does!

 {call me crazy}

So in light of our successful diet change, I thought I'd do a mini series called "... Meatless"

Today we will talk about how to go meatless and the next post will be a week of meals all planned out. We may continue it out with some other posts, who knows...

I am just excited about this new adventure for us, and I hope that I can share some ideas and as always recipes!!

So, are you thinking about cutting back on meat? or maybe going vegetarian?
If so there are some tools you may want to have in your apron, if you will...

an experimental attitude

creativity

a good meal planning guide/grocery list

and a grocery store with lots of fresh produce and/or a farmers market

{Grocery List}

Here is a sample of how I lay out my grocery list.

I write down the meals on the left and all the ingredients we will need, then on the right I write the ingredients we will need to buy.

This way my meal plan is also like my recipe when I create new ideas!

{Protein Bars}

You have got to try out some protein bars to find the ones you like the most.

These are good ways to 

A. get a filling snack in when you are crunched for time

and 

B. a great way to supplement your protein

I suggest LaraBars, Clif Bars, and the Luna Bars. 

{even the Z-bars which are made by Clif are good for us women because they have fewer calories and sometimes I can't finish a whole Clif Bar}

Try some out. I suggest that you go for more all natural organic options because lots of actual body building protein bars have lots of chemical and dont taste as good.

{Get Creative}

Get creative when you are meal planning. 

Think of flavors and certain foods you like and then think of what would go with them.

Try it! If you fail at a meal eat it and move on! I promise you wont be the first to do it!

You will only make good meals from some flops!

I often go off of combinations such as plain old rice and beans {complete protein!} and then jazz it up with avocado, salsa, etc! 

Think of things you would have eaten with meat, then think of ways to make it with out the meat!

Browse you grocery store. 

You will find lots of new flavor ideas and you never know what you might come up with from just one thing! 

~~

This is just the start, but these are somethings I have learned. 

Email me, ask me questions, but I must say I am not an expert. 

I am just like you: trying to figure this all out :)

{Keep you eyes out for the next ... Meatless post and if you have any recipe requests that would be awesome!!}