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One Skillet Not-So-Stuffed Peppers

Yum

September 27, 2018 By Laura Ligos, MBA, RD, CSSD 1 Comment

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Last week I really wanted stuffed peppers, until I remembered that stuffed peppers (while delicious) take the extra step(s) of cooking the concoction in the oven AND then having to cut said pepper to eat. Some weeks I’m totally fine with that extra effort (it’s not like it’s a lot). Last week was not one of those weeks. I feel like I have been traveling for the past 2 months on and off. Nothing like a lot of time in the car to make your hips hurt (hello, 30) and your motivation to cook to go WAY down.  I’m only human after all.

So, since I’ve had a lot of time in cars and away from home, I’ve been compiling some ideas of what to make. I suddenly thought “what if I could make stuffed peppers but not actually stuff the peppers?” I’m a genius, I know. So last week when I was finally home all week I decided to give it a go with items I had around the house and with the latest grocery haul.

Cleaning is the WORST

Don’t get me, wrong, I love to cook and could spend hours doing so. The thing is, I hate to clean my kitchen, especially after cooking. However, sometimes you have to do things you don’t like to do to get to do what you want to do. I mean I don’t like back squatting but I like CrossFit, so I suck it up and back squat. Same goes for cooking and cleaning, love cooking, hate cleaning, so I suck it up and deal….or I tell JJ he has to clean because  #teamworkmakesthedreamwork.

Anywho, I know many people do not love to cook or at least do not love the time it takes to cook a delicious and healthy meal. My guess is those who don’t like to cook also do not like to clean up said cooking fiasco. (And yes I get it you can clean as you go or CAYGO but even then it’s a pain in the tush!)

My dentist just asked me at my last appointment if I had seen a certain show on TV and I said: “Honestly, I hate to sound like a snob but I don’t watch that much TV!?” (yes, my mouth had water and crap in it, why do they ask SO MANY questions, ha!)

He was shocked and said, “well then what do you do instead?!” I told him how some nights I don’t get home till late from the gym and then other nights I cook and then subsequently clean up. Any other night I’m sad to say I do work or just go to bed, boring, I know.

That being said, cooking should NOT take all the time in the world but it’s amazing how so many of us say we don’t have time but make time for things like our favorite TV Shows, events, social media scrolling, etc. but we refuse to make time to cook…

One Skillet Meals

I have a semi-solution. It’s making something delicious that is also #sassyapproved and yet doesn’t take infinity years to make and/or clean up. This one-skillet not-so-stuffed peppers dish is easy to make AND requires minimum clean up. YOU ARE WELCOME.

I highly recommend getting yourself a large skillet of sorts and a really good spatula that you enjoy using. If you are going to be cooking for yourself (and/or others) you might as well find ways to enjoy it. And heck, put a TV in your kitchen so you can kill two birds with one stone, ya know?!

Not-So-Stuffed Peppers

Alright, enough blabbing about skillets and spatulas. Enjoy this dish with some cheese, jalapenos, and/or cilantro sprinkled on top. I also sliced up some avocado and put some on top of my dinner because I’m extra just like avocado/guac. The good news is if you REALLY wanted stuffed peppers to show off on the gram (that’s Instagram in case you are like me and have no idea what technology is anymore) you could put this mixture in half a pepper and bake for a few minutes just for the added effort of making food look pretty.

Pro Tip: Use the meat of your choice (ground turkey, chicken, bison etc.) in this dish. It’s more of an “oh crap I forgot to make dinner” meal, so feel free to add your own “this ingredient was found in the back of the fridge and needs to be used ASAP”

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not so stuffed peppers

One Skillet Not-So-Stuffed Peppers

  • Yield: 6 1x
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Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp oil (I used Avocado Oil)
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 3–4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 medium bell peppers, chopped
  • 1 to 1-1/2 lb ground beef
  • 1–14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
  • 1–15.5 oz. can pinto beans
  • 1 cup uncooked rice
  • 1–1/2 cup broth (I used chicken broth)
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
  • Optional: jalapeno slices, avocado, cheese, tomatoes

Instructions

  1. In a large skillet (you need a big one!!) heat oil over medium heat
  2. Add onion & garlic, cook for 3 minutes until onion starts to cook down and turns translucent
  3. Add peppers, saute for another 2-3 minutes
  4. Add beef and saute until brown ~4-5 minutes
  5. Add rice and stir to combine, toast for ~ 1 minute
  6. Add tomatoes, beans, broth & spices, stir to combine
  7. Turn up heat, bring mixture to a boil, cover, and then reduce heat to low (making sure it’s still simmering) and cook for 30 minutes.
  8. Once done, stir to fluff the rice. If you notice some rice still not entirely cooked, cover and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
  9. Top with jalapeno slices, fresh tomato, cheese & avocado

Notes

per serving: 24g protein, 45g carbohydrate, 12g fat

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @@thesassydietitian on Instagram

xoxo,

Sassy

…

Pin Now, Don’t Stuff Later

not so stuffed peppers

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  1. Spicy Pumpkin Ramen (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, One-Pot) - The Sassy Dietitian says:
    October 4, 2018 at 7:21 am

    […] gave you a one-skillet meal last week so this week, why not a one-pot meal?! I use my amazing Le Creuset Dutch Oven that was […]

    Reply

@thesassydietitian

We’ve made it over a week together and it feels We’ve made it over a week together and it feels like it’s always been this way.

Motherhood is a wild ride & it’s only getting started. I have never been so tired & simultaneously so fulfilled in my life. That’s not to say it’s not filled with tears, worries and doubts but what fun would it be if it were all sunshine and roses anyway?

Going into this all I have felt so supported by friends going through this with me BUT I felt so unsupported by the general public. It seems like we want to fear and shame moms because misery loves company, right?!

The focus quickly shifts from mom to baby (still shocked that I only have an appointment at 6 weeks even though my body went through the biggest event of its life) and there also seems to be this shift from joy to shame & guilt.

Here’s some of what I heard from people:

😕Sleep when baby sleeps. You’ll never sleep again.
😕Don’t let baby sleep in a car seat, or a bouncer, or anywhere but their crib EVER. 
😕You’ll never have time to shower again, enjoy it now. 
😕Cry it out is cruel and harmful to the baby. 
😕Get baby on a schedule/never put baby on a schedule.

These are all things I heard and that truly led me to believe I was going to lose all sense of who I was and my life as I knew it.

What I wish people had said instead were:

🥰Your heart will grow bigger than you could imagine.
🥰You’ll cry the happiest tears you’ve ever cried.
🥰You’ll feel like a giant hole was filled that you didn’t even know was there.
🥰You won’t feel guilty about cleaning your house, it just won’t matter anymore.
🥰Babies pooping will make you laugh so hard you will feel like a kid again.
🥰You will have time to eat and shower and you don’t have to neglect yourself.

We need to do a better job of building each other up, supporting one another and our decisions while refraining from offering unsolicited advice and opinions. 

So for all you future mamas and new mamas out there, I see you, I’m proud of you and I cannot wait to share our stories with one another and the world.

Let’s stop fear mongering (just like the diet world) and start building one another up.

Xoxo,
Sassy & lil sassy man
🌈Some things truly are worth the wait. It’s b 🌈Some things truly are worth the wait. It’s been a long year of loss, unknowns and worry but it’s all been worth it to get to meet my lil man🥰
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Now time to introduce this sassy human who is already so well loved to the world...
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Introducing 

💙 Connor James Ligos 💙
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After an almost 24 hour labor, Connor joined us over a week past his due date on 2/12/21 at a whopping 9lb2oz & 22.5 inches long with a full head of hair and lungs to scream hello to us with.
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We are so in love already and cannot wait to share him with the world. Thank you for all the love and support from friends and family and to all those that helped us in the hospital. Holy cow labor & delivery teams are truly magical and I cannot imagine doing it without all of their support.
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Now back to snuggling this human of mine and trying not to cry at every last thing he does 🥰 
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Mom, Dad & Bode are all doing well!
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#babyboy #pregnancyafterloss #rainbowbaby #birthdayboy #birthannouncement
I get it, we all eat so we all then want to talk t I get it, we all eat so we all then want to talk to others about what worked for us. That's great!
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What's not great is when we push our nutrition and eating behaviors onto others ESPECIALLY when we are not qualified to do so.
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So often when people meet me for the first time they are worried to eat around me and/or buy groceries around me. My friends can attest I am not judgemental around food and will gladly eat that cake, queso dip or sip on that glass of wine right alongside of you. I am not the food police and do not offer unsolicited nutrition advice unless it's a client who is paying for my help OR on Instagram and other social media platforms where my goal is to educate.
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Why do I share this? 
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Because I see far too many people diving down diet rabbit holes, finding success & then claiming to be nutrition experts purely because something worked for them. 
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I've also seen this alot being pregnant, everyone wants to tell you what worked for them. IF you use that stipulation of "this worked for me" then fine, share away but if you start doleing out advice please pause, take a breath and think about NOT doing it.
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People are OVERWHELMED by diet culture and some so badly want to change but YOUR way is not the only way and it most likely is not what will work for your friend/coworker/cousin/neighbor so please, stop trying to be an expert in something you aren't.
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Got it!?! 
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Ok, carry on.
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xoxo,
Sassy
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#nutrition #nutritiontips #nutritionist #dietitianapproved #rdapproved #rdchat #dietitiansofinstagram #dietitian #dietitiansofig #albanyny #albanynutrition #albanynutrition
Your nutrition does NOT need to be all or nothing. Your nutrition does NOT need to be all or nothing. I'm not saying you have to find perfect balance (does that even exist?) but I am saying that we shouldn't feel like either we have to eat perfectly or that we might as well give up.
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Instead we should look to the grey area in between for our nutrition guidance. 
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What do I mean?
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I mean that we need to realize that we can still eat cookies but we probably should throw some veggies in there. 
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We can have a glass or 2 of wine but we should probably also drink some water. 
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We can take rest days but we should also find ways to move our bodies regularly.
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And the list goes on.
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It's not about all or nothing it's about doing something daily to help your health and nutrition without it feeling like a set of rules or a free for all.
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How do we find that grey area in between?
👉🏻 stop hopping on and off fad diets
👉🏻listen and trust your self, not your coworkers and cousins 
👉🏻focus on the simple things (ie drinking water instead of worrying about supplements)
👉🏻work to remove guilt and shame around food & body
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Where do you currently fall Right now?!
🤪 all
👍🏻in between 
🙅🏻‍♀️ nothing 
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Xoxo,
Sassy
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#dietitian #dietitiansofig #dietitiansofinstagram #nutrition #nutritionist #nutritiontips #thesassydietitian #rdchat #realtalk

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