I Blame My Mother

I can't wait for lunch. I will be enjoying leftovers from last night's dinner and I am so excited. The last time I had stuffed peppers, I am pretty sure they were stuffed with ground beef, white rice, and lots of salt and cheese. Although, those are very delicious, I have been looking for a lighter, cleaned up version for a while. This recipe, is certainly going into the books. It is amazing... there is no meat in these peppers, instead, mushrooms (yes, I said mushrooms). There is also no white rice and very little salt. But, the flavor is amazing. I promise you won't be disappointed. :)

I blame my mother for my extreme aversion to mushrooms.  Growing up, my dad was always a big mushroom lover and wanted to put them in everything. My mom hated mushrooms and made it known to everyone in the family. She used to talk about their gross texture and how she couldn't stand the way they felt. What child would want to try them? I lived my life avoiding mushrooms like the plague and never found a way to truly appreciate them. I love my mom and she and I are very similar, which probably explains why I just never bothered to try mushrooms. If she didn't like them, I probably wouldn't either.

I made it quite a long way in my life avoiding all things mushroom related, until I met Mike. Mike loves mushrooms. When he doesn't want me to have a bite of his meal, he orders mushrooms on it (I know that is the real reason, babe). He is always wanting to buy mushrooms at the store and I continuously make comments about their texture and that they are gross. He is such a lucky guy to have found me. :)

Recently, when doing research for this healthier lifestyle, I realized how beneficial mushrooms are. I learned that they can really provide a lot of protein and they can be a meat substitution when you are trying to cut back. I started buying mushrooms and telling Mike they were for him. I let him order pizza with mushrooms on it and I would just pick off the large ones. Mike is very confused, yet excited. I still have a problem with their texture and I still blame my mother for that, but, I can tolerate them mixed into things and and when they are pretty small. The flavor that mushrooms provide is actually pretty awesome. The proof, is in these peppers.

Quinoa and Black Bean Stuffed Peppers
Adapted From: GoodLifeEats
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 ribs celery, finely chopped
1/2 8-oz. pkg. mushroom caps, chopped (about 1-1.5 cups)
1/2 of a jalapeno pepper, diced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 – 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved
1 – 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup quinoa
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1 1/2 cups grated Pepper Jack cheese, divided
4 large green bell peppers, halved lengthwise, ribs removed

Preheat oven to 350 F. On the stove top, heat olive oil in a large pan and add in the onion, jalapeno pepper, and celery. Saute until soft. Drain diced tomatoes and save the liquid in the bottom of your baking dish.  Add tomatoes and mushrooms to the onion and celery. Add in your cumin and garlic and allow to saute for about 5 minutes.

Add the quinoa to the mixture and about 1 and 3/4 cups of water. Cover, bring to boil and then reduce heat to simmer for about 15 minutes or until the quinoa is soft. Remove from heat, add in the drained black beans and roughly 1 cup of pepper jack cheese. Fill each green pepper with about 3/4 cup of the filling and place in the baking dish on top of the leftover tomato juice. If there is any filling left after you are done, grab some chips or pita triangles for a little snack. :)

Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 35-40 min. or until the green peppers are cooked and soft. Remove the foil and add a sprinkle of cheese to each pepper and continue baking for 5-10 minutes.

Enjoy!


Mike joined Franklin and I for the 2nd day in a row running. He said he was pretty sore from the day before, but I am glad he joined us. At one point, he tried to take a shortcut home because he was tired, but Franklin wouldn't let him. He kept looking back at him like "C'Mon, you can do it!!" He finished the run with Franklin's motivation and encouragement. That dog is so helpful (except in the mornings when we want to sleep just 20 minutes more... and he is ready to play).

Today's run was so much better than yesterday. My neighborhood is very hilly and the route I take slams you with 3 large hills back to back before you even hit 1 mile. It is pretty annoying, but I feel like it gets the tough part out of the way and makes the run down the hill much easier. Yesterday, I walked a lot and averaged 12:16 min/mile. Wowzer... Today, I averaged 10:56 min/mile with my walking intervals of only 20 seconds each... much better! The overall run just felt better today. I didn't bring Franklin with me yesterday, maybe he really does motivate and encourage!

I am working tonight and tomorrow night, so my dinners will consist of PB sandwiches and a banana. Not that exciting. Friday's dinner will be the Roasted Chicken with Garbanzo Beans, Tomatoes, and Paprika. Yum!

Yesterday's Stats
Breakfast - Overnight Oats with Strawberries, Banana, Flaxseed, skim milk, chocolate chips
Lunch - Salad with veggies, goat cheese, chicken and 4 pita triangles
Snack - Orange Slices
Dinner - Stellar Stuffed Peppers
Snack - skim milk


Calories (+) 412
Sodium (+) 367 
Protein (-) 40 :(