Stuffed Red Peppers

Well, look at me! I'm actually sitting down at the computer and blogging! I did promise my youngest daughter, Tori, that I would blog more in 2013....she's posted twice already so she's done better than me!

I posted a pic on my Instagram (@sewbettyjane) a week or so ago of  John's stuffed red peppers and several people asked for the recipe. I didn't have time to tag everyone and tell them where I got it, or what changes he made, so I decided to share it here on my blog. It also gave me an excuse to get on here.

You will need...

extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lb ground Chicken breast w/ some ground thigh meat (John grinds ours) 
1 cup chopped yellow onions
2 tbsp homemade taco seasoning (recipe below)
2 cups of cooked brown rice 
4 Red bell peppers, halved.. seeds removed (we only used 2 and the leftover mixture we froze & made enchilada's with it that weekend) 
1 can of black beans, drained and be sure to rinse them to get sodium off! 
½ cup frozen corn 
1 (15 oz) jar of peach salsa (try to find an organic one that is clean, or make your own)
sharp cheddar cheese, shredded   (just a little for the tops)
cilantro 
sour cream 
sliced avocado

Taco seasoning
1 tbsp chili powder
1/4 tsp each of garlic powder, onion powder, crushed red pepper & oregano
1/2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 ground cumin
1 tsp each of salt & black pepper
Mix well!  I store mine in an old spice jar (seasoning jar not the cologne...ha!)

preheat oven to 400*. Lightly coat the peppers with evoo and roast in the oven for 25 minutes. While these are roasting, saute your onions in a 1/2 tsp evoo for 3-5 minutes...remove them and brown your chicken until no longer pink, then add onions back to pan along with the rice, black beans, corn, salsa & seasoning... Then stuff your peppers generously!
Bake for 20 minutes...the last few minutes top with about a tablespoon of sharp cheddar and bake until melted and bubbly. Top with chopped fresh cilantro, sliced avocado & a dollop (or three) of sour cream. 
Yummy! These are seriously delicious!!!

Recipe adapted from this one found here:  http://simplylovefood.blog.com/2012/02/25/southwestern-stuffed-peppers/

Clean Chinese

Chinese food is one of our favorite cuisines. Unfortunately, it's hidden with rich calories & the horrible MSG. Every time I would eat at our local Chinese restaurant I'd have a horrible headache that lingered for hours from the MSG that's supposed to enhance the flavor of the foods. I was excited to find this recipe a few months back and we have been making this instead of going out to eat. Of course I miss the yummy variety of the buffet and not having to do the dishes, but this is healthier, no more headaches & John usually does the cleanup. So if you're looking for a clean, healthy dish that"s sweet & a little spicy this is it!

Recipe adapted from Oxygen magazine


This is our version and feeds both of us with enough leftover for John's lunch the next day. :)

2 chicken breast, cut into bite size cubes
3-4 red, orange, yellow sweet mini peppers
1/2 pineapple cut into chunks
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 red pepper flakes
3 tbsp low sugar ketchup
3 tbsp sugar free Apricot Jam
3 tbsp grey poupon (harvest course ground)

Season chicken with garlic powder & red pepper flakes. In a skillet add 1 tsp coconut oil and cook chicken through, about 6-8 minutes.
Add peppers & toss. Prepare sauce by combining last 3 ingredients together. Add to chicken & peppers and stir. Add pineapple and cook for another 5 minutes until all is heated through. Serve with brown rice.

It comes out to be around a 300 calorie meal! Enjoy!

Clean Delightful Brownies

Since I started cracking down harder on my clean eating I started craving sweets more often. A few weeks ago I was craving chocolate real bad and decided to create a clean brownie recipe. This is the perfect clean brownie for me! I feel like I'm cheating on my clean eating when I eat one.

picture shown without nuts

CLEAN DELIGHTFUL BROWNIES

2 tbsps chia seeds, soaked in 2 tbsps water for 10 minutes
2 tbsp coconut butter, melted
1 egg white & 1 whole egg
1/2 cup oat flour
1/2 cup xylitol
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup cacao powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup walnuts (optional)



Soak chia seeds in water and set aside. Melt coconut butter and add eggs, once chia seeds are soaked the 10 minutes add to coconut butter & egg mixture. Add xylitol & vanilla, mix well. In a separate bowl mix together oat flour, cacao powder, salt, & baking powder to combine. Slowly add to wet mixture & mix well...add walnuts if desired. Grease an 8x8 pan with coconut oil and pour in batter.
Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Cut into 16 small squares.

My friends husband did the math on the calories and he came up with 80 calories for each square.That's not bad at all for a yummy brownie!

They must be stored in refrigerator since there are no preservatives in them. They will keep for around 4 days...if they last that long.

Enjoy!



Some of you might ask what xylitol is....it's an all-natural sweetener found in many fruits and vegetables. It contains only 2.4 calories per gram and is slowly absorbed as a complex carbohydrate. Xylitol looks like sugar, tastes like sugar, and is the same sweetness as sugar – making it the ideal natural sugar replacement. If you can't find xylitol, I'm sure you could use stevia in these, but cut it down to 1/4 cup. I personally prefer the taste xylitol gives over stevia.

Granola Bars

Today is day 7 of the 30 day challenge...

We have both been struggling with the sweets. I decided to make granola bars to help us in that department. Not only does it help the craving for sweets, it's also good for you!


Here is my recipe if you're interested in making them.



Molasses Granola Bars


2 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick cook)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

6 pieces crystallized ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1/3 cup molasses
1/4 cup maple syrup
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup dates, pitted (you can use prunes)
2/3 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup unsalted pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup chopped dried pineapple
1/2 cup dried crasins

Directions:

In a food processor, combine the molasses, maple syrup, vanilla, and dates. Pulse three times. Add the cinnamon, ginger, salt, nutmeg, and cloves. Puree until mixture is smooth. Add the oats and pulse until the oats are coarsely chopped.

Remove the oat mixture from the food processor and transfer to a medium bowl, scrape the edges of the food processor to remove all of the mixture. Stir in the crasins, pecans, pineapple, and pumpkin seeds until well mixed.

Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper. Press the oat mixture into the baking pan until the mixture is evenly distributed throughout the pan and tightly packed.

Bake at 325 degrees F for 25 minutes. Remove from oven, cool in the freezer until the bars are firm. Lift the parchment paper out of the pan, remove, and cut into 8-14 bars.

Store bars in an airtight container for up to a week.

* You can really add any fruit...apricots are good....sunflower seeds instead of pumpkin would be good too. ENJOY!