Tasties

Whether they like to admit or not, it's nearly every single person in America's new years resolution to lose weight or try to eat healthier, am I right? I think so.

I didn't start the year out with any plans to lose that much weight, however, I did notice how terribly un-nutritious my diet was. What can I say? I honestly can't resist chocolate and ice cream.
SO, I've decided to cut out some things that I can live without; soda, never-ending snacks, too much sugar (I say "too much" because there is no way I could get rid of it all...), and so on. Now don't get me wrong, Those things are still there. I will maybe drink soda on occasion- even though I'm not a huge fan of it anyway... except root beer- and I still have snacks throughout the day, but I think this is a good start to eliminating the bad stuff.

I've also started trying to eat more nutritious foods. Finding things full of good calories, not empty ones. Which brings me to something awesome that Jenny showed me yesterday! She introduced me to caloriecount.about.com. It's an online food plan and calorie counter that's a lot like Weight Watchers Online only it's FREE! Yes, that's right, free!! I've only been a member a day, but I'm already obsessed.

By applying, you answer a bunch of questions and it determines your BMI and helps you set goals. For example, if you wanted to lose 3 pounds by March, it'll determine how many calories you should eat a day and what you should be doing to help you attain your goal. Also, it gives you a daily analysis of the foods you've eaten (as long as you've entered exactly what you ate that day) and tells you what you need to have more/less of in your diet. It's so cool! I'm not on any sort of diet, but it has definitely motivated me to get the right nutrition into my daily foods. If you're interested, you should totally join! Like I said, it's free, and it's actually really cool with all the information it gives you. It's super easy too.

Another app that's included in Calorie Counter is the ability to enter recipes in your log and it'll tell you the nutritional facts about it. Which brings me to my NEXT point. I created a really really yummy recipe!! With all this nutrition stuff in mind, I tried to come up with something that was really tasty and healthy. When I was at Primary Children's they had a cafe that served a delicious quinoa stuffed bell pepper. It was SO good so I decided to recreate the recipe with a few modifications. Mmmmmm you really should try it out, here it is:

Quinoa and Vegetable Stuffed Peppers

mmmmmmm

 Ingredients: (makes 4 servings)

2 large bell peppers

1/2 cup quinoa

3/4 onion

2 celery stalks

1/2 cup cauliflower

1 peeled carrot

3/4-1 can chicken broth

1 clove of garlic- minced

1 1/2 tbs. olive oil

Colby Jack cheese

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Slice bell peppers in half and clear out all the seeds. Once the peppers have been washed, coat the insides of them with a small amount of salt and place them on a cookie sheet. Put the peppers in the oven while you prepare the quinoa and vegetables.

Once the peppers are in the oven, chop the vegetables into small cubes and saute them together in the olive oil and minced garlic until the onion is almost completely cooked.

It looks like a ton more than what the 4-serving size calls for because I was tripling the recipe when I took these pictures. Don't worry, it's really not that much I promise!

Now add the quinoa and chicken broth and cover the pan to let it simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the quinoa is completely cooked. (If there is still chicken broth at the bottom of the pan, but the quinoa is cooked, take the lid off and let the moisture cook out). Add salt and pepper for taste. 

After finishing the quinoa and vegetables, remove the peppers from the oven and stuff each slice with a heaping amount of filling. Top the peppers with cheese and place them back in to the oven for another 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted. 

Serve and enjoy!

 

I entered the recipe on Calorie Counter and it gave me the nutritional facts. Only about 180 calories per serving! And so tastey.

Even if you don't like peppers or quinoa, give this recipe a try! Everyone who has eaten them has loved them so far so cook it up and let me know what you think!