Dinner: Stuffed Peppers

The other night I made some delicious stuffed peppers for dinner that were very satisfying! I've made stuffed peppers for a few years, but I've never considered them "healthy" food so I've been avoiding them as a regular dinner option. The new version I made, however, are quick, easy, and a healthy 7 points each on WW!

Overall a great healthy day of eating on Wednesday:

Breakfast
Quaker Weight Control Cinnamon Oatmeal (3 pts)
1 Green Apple (1 pt)
Coffee w/ Skim Milk (0 pts)

Lunch
12 oz (3/4 of a can) Hormel Turkey Chili, No Beans (6 pts)
1 Babybel Light Cheese (1 pt)
Green Tea (0pts)

Snack
2 oz Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese (2 pts)

Dinner
1 Stuffed Pepper (7 pts)
1 Artichoke stuffed with Provolone Cheese (4 pts)
1 Glass of Red Wine (2 pts)

26 pts Total out of 27 pts that I get for the day

Stuffed Peppers Recipe
Makes 4 small stuffed peppers
7pts per serving (serving size 1 pepper)
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 40 mins

Ingredients:
4 small green peppers
Pam non-stick spray
12 oz. 95% lean ground beef
2 cups brown rice (I use one Uncle Ben's Ready Rice microwave pouch)
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 medium onion diced
4 cloves garlic diced (Note: I like garlic a lot, if you're not too into it just do 1-2 cloves)
4- 1 oz slices of park skim mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 F. Cut the tops off of the peppers and pull out the ribs and seeds. Cut bottoms of peppers if necessary so they may stand during baking. Spray a baking dish with Pam, place peppers in the baking dish and spray them with Pam (both inside and outside). Place in the oven while you prepare the stuffing. For the stuffing, dice the onion and garlic. Spray a non-stick skillet with Pam and heat on medium. Place onions in the pan and cook to soften for 3-4 minutes. Then add the garlic and continue cooking. Move mixture to sides of pan and add ground beef in the center. Cook and break apart the meat until just brown (the meat will continue to cook in the oven). Add the tomato sauce, rice, and spices to the pan and stir to combine and heat through. Remove the peppers from the oven, they should look softer and wilt-y, with juices coming out. Lower the over to 350 F. Stuff the peppers with the beef mixture. Place 1 slice of cheese on each pepper and return to oven for 10-20 more minutes depending on desired done-ness of pepper.

These store well in the fridge for up to 3-4 days, making them perfect for leftovers as a lunch. I hope you enjoy them!