Taco-stuffed Pepper Cups

Good morning to you! So I have officially moved on from level one to level two in Jillian Michaels' Thirty Day Shred. Let me tell you, there has never been as hard of a difference between two levels! The first day I did the workout, I had to stop twice because I thought I would be sick. That's good right?? My body is aching, but I am taking that as a good thing. If I didn't feel sore, then obviously I am not working hard enough. So there is my workout update.

Now to some yummy food. I got a new cookbook for Christmas, and I couldn't be happier with it. I love anything from the Taste of Home cookbooks, but this one is even better. It is a comfort food DIET cookbook! How awesome is that? So the first recipe that I made from it was some amazing stuffed peppers. Obviously, since I live in Germany, I had to made some slight changes because I don't have a good grocery store in my city. I made due with what I had, and they still turned out delicious!

Here is what you need:
2 medium green peppers
1/2 pound lean ground turkey (I used lean beef)
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 can (16 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
3 tablespoons taco seasoning
1/4 cup fat-free sour cream
1/4 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped tomato

Chop tops off peppers and remove the seeds. In a large kettle, cook the peppers in boiling water for 3-5 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water; set aside.

In a large skillet, cook the turkey (or beef) and onion over medium heat until meant is no longer pink; drain. Stir in means, tomato sauce, and taco seasoning; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat; simmer, uncovered for 5-6 minutes or until heated through.

Spoon into peppers. Place in an ungreased 8-in. square baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until peppers are tender. Top with the sour cream, cheese, and tomatoes.

Yield 4 servings.

Adapted from Taste of Home Comfort Food Diet Cookbook

So here is what I found about this recipe. It is pretty simple and quick! Additionally, if you needed to, you could prepare the peppers and meat, refrigerate until dinner and then pop them in the oven. This may cause you to have to cook the peppers a bit longer though. Each pepper has about 21 grams of protein, so they will definitely fill you up! I was amazed that my husband only ate one because they were so yummy, but they really were filling. I also think that if you wanted to add some things to the dish you could. Next time I may add corn or even put some rice in the mix. You may notice in the first picture, it looks like I had more onion than in the recipe, well I did. I love onion, and so I don't think you can have too much of it! Also, if you are trying to cut even more calories, leave out the cheese and sour cream. Although they are yummy and add something to the dish, you don't HAVE to have it!

So I hope that you can enjoy this dish as much as I did. Remember, taking away or adding isn't a bad thing. Sometimes it makes a dish even better!