Recipe Time! ... (& how to stock your fridge)

Time to share a recipe!
Part of the purpose of this blog is to share healthy, affordable recipes that don’t take much time to make. Feel free to modify all of my recipes so that they work best for you. Planning meals and thinking about what I’m going to eat next gets me through the day. I literally sit in night bomb planning what I’m going to make myself when I get back. You should love everything you eat. So use my recipes as guidelines and then substitute ingredients and make modifications so that the flavors come together in a way that tastes delicious to you! It’s YOUR body – you should LOVE everything that goes in it! That being said, notice that I will not always include measurements in my recipes – only guidelines. This is because the measurements are ultimately up to your taste buds! (If you want tips on what foods are good substitutes for each other, email me & ask: mariaeraspa@gmail.com)
Below I share a recipe I made last week for lunch. It’s great for any time of the day. If you want to make something new/different to impress your boyfriend or girlfriend on your next dinner date…or if you’re looking for a delicious & nutritious addition for your next roomie dinner, make these stuffed bell peppers. They only take about a half hour to cook, they’re not messy to prepare, they’re filling and they’re loaded with nutritional value.


First things first – your shopping list. Get used to buying fresh produce every time you go to the store. No need to write a list or plan - don't think about it too much! It's not necessary to have a recipe in mind when you buy fresh produce, just buy what you like! Baby carrots, cherry/grape tomatoes, & bell peppers are great veggies to have in the fridge because you can add them to anything AND they make the perfect snack any time of the day without having to do anything to them. I’m the kind of person that if something’s there in front of me - I’ll eat it. Yes, this is sometimes one of my worst traits, but it can be a good trait too! If you’re like me, use this to your advantage. Keep fresh veggies in your fridge, because around 3:00pm or late at night when you feel like snacking and you open your fridge just because you’re bored you’ll see your bag of little baby carrots and munch on them. You'll eat them, just because they're there. Perfect snack! Also, the more veggies you have in the fridge, the more veggies you can add to whatever you make - ex: a salad, scrambled eggs, pasta, a wrap, a tortilla, a side dish when you make chicken, fish, steak, a burger, etc. You can add veggies to EVERYTHING! Of couse, the biggest problem with fresh veggies is they don't stay fresh for long - you have to eat them relatively quickly before they go bad. No Problem! If you have veggies left in your fridge from the beginning of the week that you’re looking to use up all at once before they spoil, make this stuffed bell pepper recipe & include all your favorites in the stuffing mix!

Enjoy.




Stuffed Bell Pepper (s):
Ingredients
• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1 cup of water
• 1 bell pepper (whichever color you like best. Make it colorful if you’re making more than one and make a combination of lots of colors  )
• 1 small Granny Smith apple (diced up into small pieces)
• Slivers of avocado (optional)
• 1/2 lime
• Some garlic (up to you how much)
• Parsley (optional… I just love parsley)
• Cherry or grape tomatoes
• Onion (optional)
• Fresh black pepper
• Add little pieces of shrimp or grilled chicken (optional)

Make it vegetarian by not including shrimp or chicken =) These measurements are based on making one stuffed bell pepper…feel free to double it or better yet make enough for all your roommates! Once you have the ingredients, making a few extra doesn’t involve any additional work, time or money.


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 (or 375) depending on how well done you want your stuffed pepper to taste
2. Bring the quinoa and water to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is done (about 15 minutes) – If you’re choosing you make the recipe with grilled chicken pieces/shrimp you should cook it at this time.
3. Cut the stem and middle out of pepper. I like to run it under the sink to get all the seeds out. Then, take a spoon to scrape the rest of the seeds out. Only use a knife to cut the center because if you try to use a knife to clean out the seeds you will break the pepper and cut yourself (yes, I’ve done that)
4. Simmer garlic & onion in olive oil on top of stove until they're golden brown.
5. Lightly toss ingredients (garlic/onion, apple, fresh squeezed lime juice, tomatoes & parsley) together in a bowl. Don't toss in the avacado. When quinoa (and chicken/shrimp) is done add them to the mixture.
6. Using a table spoon, stuff your pepper!
7. Bake pepper for anywhere between 15-25 minutes, or until it looks done to you. The longer you cook it, the softer the pepper will get. You’re really only cooking it to gel everything together and heat it – nothing’s raw, so don’t feel like you need to leave it in the oven for too long if you want your pepper to stay crunchy.
8. Add avocado slivers to top of pepper for extra flavor and to make it look pretty 
You can even…
Place your stuffed pepper on top of a delicious & simple spinach, lettuce or arugula salad (whatever your favorite green is – add any other of your favorite veggies to your salad if you want/if you have them. If not – just plain greens will suffice). Fresh greens tossed with a little bit of olive oil & fresh squeezed lime (instead of dressing!)
Yum – makes a great…quick 30 minute, healthy and inexpensive meal.