Pick a peck of peppers.

This weekend I decided to make my hubby happy and cook his favorite meal. I really like it, too. It takes a little time, but it's well worth it.

Skillet Stuffed Peppers

3 Green bell peppers
Cooking spray
1 lb ground beef or ground turkey
1/2 C. water
1/2 - 1 package taco seasoning (depending on how spicy you like it)
1 batch of mashed potatoes
1/2 shredded cheddar cheese
black pepper

If making mashed potatoes at time of recipe, start before all steps.

1. Place pepper halves cut sides down in a microwaveable dish; cover with plastic wrap. Microwave for 3 1/2 minutes. Let stand until done with rest of steps.

2. While peppers cook, heat a large non-stick skillet over med-high heat. Coat skillet with cooking spray. Add meat to pan; cook 3 minutes or until brown and crumbled. Add water & seasoning, stir to combine. Cover, reduce heat & cook 5 minutes or until done.

3. While beef cooks, heat up refrigerated mashed potatoes (if frozen, defrost first). If you are using packaged mashed potatoes, just follow directions on package. If you are heating up homemade, just heat in one minute increments, stirring in between until hot. I have also made instant mashed potatoes for this recipe-they work fine, too.

4. Spoon 1/2 C meat mixture into each pepper half; top each with 2/3 C potatoes. Sprinkle each pepper with a little cheese. Top with black pepper if desired.

Big man took the kids on a walk to the park while I prepared the meal this time, so it was a great time for me-I love uninterrupted cooking. I put on my Ipod and sang off key the whole time I cooked. As I mentioned before, this is my hubby's favorite recipe. What surprised me when I made it this time is that our daughter actually gobbled her portion all up, also. I'm slowly winning them over, I think. If I can just get the two year old to appreciate my culinary skills we'll be set.

Speaking of green peppers, my little pepper plants are sprouting up in their yogurt cups nicely. Just a couple of more weeks, and we'll be able to introduce them to their new homes. The countdown to my garden begins!

Tastfully tempting tilapia.

Tonight I made a fish recipe for my family. Up until a few years ago we never at much fish (other than tuna salad), then we went on a vacation to Michigan. We found a place in Mackinaw City that serves the best whitefish I have ever had. After that I was hooked. While we still don't eat fish all of the time, I try to get a fish recipe in once a week to every other week. Below is the recipe I used tonight- Three fourths of my family liked it, and the fourth person is only a toddler, so no surprise...

Tilapia with Lemon Pepper Sauce

3/4 C Chicken broth
1/4 C lemon juice
1 tsp. capers (optional)
1 tsp. black pepper (freshly ground if you have a grinder)
1 tsp. butter
1 tsp. olive oil
12 oz pkg of frozen tilapia fillets (thawed)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper (once again fresh if you have it)
1/4 C flour (I use whole wheat, but all purpose is fine)
2 tsp. butter

1. Combine first 4 ingredients.
2. Sprinkle fillets with salt and pepper. Place flour in a shallow dish. Dredge fillets in flour (don't need to be completely covered, just lightly).
3. Melt 1 tsp. butter and oil in a large nonstick skillet over low heat. Increase heat to medium for another minute.
4. Add fillets to pan; saute for 3-4 minutes on each side or until they flake easily with a fork. Remove fillets from pan. Add lemon/broth mixture to pan, scrape pan to loosen bits. Bring to a boil; cook until reduced to 3/4 C (3-4 minutes). Remove from heat, stir in remaining 2 tsp. butter until melted. Serve sauce over fillets.

I usually serve with a side of rice-tonight I made Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild Rice (most fish recipes I've seen call for white rice, but I need more flair than that!)
Since it's fish, it's a pretty light recipe-only about 280 calories (give or take), and as I mentioned before, 3 out of 4 of my family loves it!

Yummy smoothies in our tummies

Tonight the hubby golfed before coming home, so I tried to think of something easy yet popular to make the kids and I for dinner. I decided on blueberry toaster waffles topped with a smidgen of butter and strawberry jam. When I asked the kids if they would like this supper option, of course they were all for it. As a Mom, I felt like they needed a little something more to fill them up. They had both eaten veggies pretty well at lunch time, so I wasn't going to force any on them tonight. The kids and I had all been battling a cold today, so I decided to go with another family favorite-Yummy yogurt and fruit smoothies. They really soothe a sore throat and have good vitamins, too. Here's the recipe I use:

Yogurt and Fruit Smoothies

1 banana
1/2 to 1 cup of milk
1 yogurt cup of choice
1/4 cup pomegranate juice
fresh or frozen fruit of choice
1-3 cups of ice

Blend all ingredients in a blender. Serve with straws if you have them (kids love it and it gives Mommy a few quiet moments while they're trying to sip their smoothie.)

You may need to play with the recipe a little to get it just the consistency that you like. The pomegranate juice isn't necessary, but I picked up a small container to use for smoothies, since it is supposed to have good antioxidants I never do exact measurements, and I always try different fruits and yogurts, so we never no exactly what we'll end up with-but we ALWAYS love it! And what did the "critics" say tonight? Well, my daughter told me "This is the awesomest supper ever Mom!" And my two year old... He didn't say much, but he sipped all of his smoothie and proceeded to use the straw to suck the strawberry jam out of the squares of his waffle-I think that means he liked it!