If your weekend indulgence is anything like mine,  you’ve eaten everything your little heart desired, so, it’s time to whip up something to give the stomach a break.  As I’ve mentioned before, I create dishes based on what I have in my refrigerator and freezer.  This is what I came up with for this #MeatlessMonday.

Total prep and cook time: about 40 minutes

Lets begin!

1. Preheat oven to 375  while you prepare the potatoes and onions.
2. Slice  Half of an onion and put it in a bowl.  Cut up three medium potatoes and add to the same bowl.  Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of ground garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of salt and pepper, 1 teaspoon of Tumerick, and drizzle of avocado oil or any high heat oil that you have on hand.
3. Spray  a cookie sheet with nonstick spray and dump the mixture on it.  Spread everything evenly, and goes into the oven.
4.  Set your timer for 20 minutes. During this time you can make the sautéed green beans and boiled corn.  Every so often, give the tray a shake so potatoes crisp evenly.
5. Boil 1 cup of frozen corn ( I have this in my freezer) with 2 cups of water, salt/pepper and dash of cumin . Once the water has reduced to the top of kernels, turn down the heat to medium-low and cover it. Remove from heat when it’s cooked through (about 20 min). While this is cooking we can move on to sautéing the green beans.
6. Heat up your pan. Add 1 tablespoon of #avocadooil or any high-heat-oil.  Add your fresh green beans whole or cut in half, salt/ pepper, dash of onion powder, and let it sauté for about two minutes.  How you prefer the texture of the beans will determine  cooking time. At that point, turn off the heat and remove the pan.
7. Potatoes should be ready at this point and if it’s reached The crisp that you like, then everything is ready to be plated.
8. Bon appétit!

Note:  I keep varietal frozen vegetables in my freezer that I purchase from #Costco. Having them ready at hand, has really been a timesaver  and cost-efficient.

I absolutely love #stuffedbellpepper for its versatility, hardiness, and healthiness.  Anyway you choose to make it, it’s a winner.  So here’s my version, for this time.  It’ll probably be different next time!!

1. Cook the #bulgur (so hardy) first by bringing  to boil 1 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 a cup of bulgur in a small pot. Once water is reduced, turn to medium-low and keep the lid on as it continues cooking.  About 10 minutes or until you see a brown rice-consistency. You can substitute rice or quinoa if you wish. 
2. Brown half cup of lean turkey meat in a pan.  Break up the meat with a wooden spoon as you stir.
3. Add two medium-sized chopped tomatoes, followed by adding my (or your) seasonings to the ground meat. Cook For Two minutes.
4. Combine half the amount of the cooked bulgur to the mixture and stir. Turn off the heat and set the pan aside.  At this point you can chop a handful of cilantro and add to the mixture.
5. 
6. Begin assembling the #stuffedbellpeppers.  Cut each bell pepper’s top to create a lid and using a spoon, clean the inside to make room for stuffing.  Gently spoon in the mixture inside the Bellpeppers, but leave room to fit the pepper-lid on top. Sit them inside a deep pot.
7. Add a splash of water for steam cooking the peppers. Keeping the lid on, turn heat to medium-low. Set timer for 30 minutes or longer depending on how you prefer the texture of peppers to be. We like ours a bit on the crunchy side, so 30 minutes is sufficient.
   

   

Note: This amount had some leftover meat mixture which I added back to the pot. You can also use it to stuff one more bell pepper or do as I did.

Hope you give it try and love it as much as I do.  Please share if you have other versions so I can make it.

1. Sauté one cup of lean #groundturkey in a pan. Add salt, pepper,and garlic powder.  Break up the meat with a wooden spoon as you stir.
2. Once the turkey meat is browned, it is time to add my version of marinara sauce by using the ingredients shown below. Give it a good stir and turn down the heat to medium-low. Keep an eye on it until the sauce reaches  the consistency you like.At this point, you can bring a pot of water to boiling point and cook the #pennepasta.  Once the pasta is cooked, drain it, and combine with the sauce. Turn off the heat and keep the lid on.  It’s time to make the Red Cabbage Slaw as side dish.
3.  For the slaw: chop or shred half of a small red cabbage, toss it with some dressing, and top it with sprinkles of #sunflowerseeds.  Let’s make the #vinaigrettedressing:  please note that I do not measure my dressing.  I add and taste as I go. Combine the ingredients shown in the picture, whisking the oil last. Taste and adjust if needed.
4. 

Time to serve. Dinner is ready!

Total prep and cook time: about an hour

Note: This recipe will have leftovers, even though it says “dinner for two”.  We always have some left for later.  Bon Appetit!

Did you overindulge this weekend (I did!) and now looking for a healthy option that doesn’t taste like cardboard?  Are you looking for a quick dinner recipe that doesn’t require meat of any sort?  Do you crave something simple, yet delish?  Let’s do this #meatlessmonday.

Recipe makes two servings.

Total prep and cooking time (after cooking rice): about 30 minutes                                                             

1.  Begin cooking your #brownrice sometime in the afternoon or an hour prior to making the cabbage dish.  Rice cooker is vital for time-concern.  I recommend investing in one.  One cup of brown rice per cup and a half of water, pinch of salt and press start.
2. 
3.  Once the rice is completely cooked and ready, you may begin preparing the sautéed cabbage which will take about 15 minutes to cook.
4. Chop or shred half of medium cabbage to your liking and add to an evenly sprayed (or oiled) pan. Sauté for one or two minutes on medium heat.  You can add my suggested seasoning ( garlic powder, Tumeric, onion powder, salt and pepper) or your own, but onion powder is a must.
5. 
6. Put a lid on it (doesn’t it feel good to say that sometimes?) and turn it to low heat.  This helps the cabbage to steam-cook while retaining all of its flavors and nutrients.
7. About 10 minutes, or once you see the cabbage seems softened,take the pan off heat, remove the lid and let it sit while you prepare your dish.
8.  Spoon some rice onto a plate and add the cabbage on top. You can eat it as is, or step it up a notch by sprinkling #sesameseed and a drizzle of #sesameoil on top.
9.     Dinner is ready! Bon A petit!!

If you’re anything like me in the sense that breakfast is your most favorite meal of the day, and also, your sweet-tooth awakes as you awake, then give this breakfast on the run, quick snack, or even dessert option a go.  Not only this keeps me full for hours, but also satisfies my need for sugar.  I have learned that intaking natural sugar from fruits and raw honey earlier in the day, keeps me satisfied while maintaining  a steady energy flow.

I am recommending a slice or two of #ezekielbread toasted, smear real peanut butter #krogernaturalfoods, slice one very ripe banana, and drizzle with #rawunfilteredhoney #stroopfarms. Sprinkle some #chiaseed on top as I did, last minute.  You can of course use whatever you have on hand as these are just my preferred ingredients and brands.

Get your sugar on!