21 day fix - Stuffed bell peppers

21 Day Fix Recipe Stuffed Peppers |


What you’ll need:
4 Sweet bell peppers of your color choice.
1 Yellow container of brown rice, or quinoa, cooked just shy of done
1/2 Yellow container of black beans, (canned) rinsed and drained
1/2 Yellow container of frozen corn
(If you do not like black beans you can use all corn and if you are not a corn lover, use all black beans)
2 Red containers of browned low fat ground turkey or beef, seasoned with 21 Day Fix Southwestern Seasoning  (Or left over taco meat)
1 Green container of petite diced tomatoes (no sugar added, read the ingredients.  Should only contain tomatoes and ascorbic acid) I sometimes use fresh salsa too.
1 Green container of tomato sauce (same as diced tomatoes.  Read the label.)
1 Blue container of your favorite cheese


What you’ll do:
1. Cook brown rice, or quinoa according to directions in your eating plan.
2.  While rice/quinoa is simmering, brown ground meat and season with Southwest seasoning.  Set aside to cool.
3. Drain and rinse black beans.
4. Portion out diced tomatoes, corn, and tomato sauce, and cheese.
5.  Combine in large bowl meat, tomatoes, corn, rice/quinoa, beans, and sauce.
6.  Cut caps off of peppers and pull out ribs and core.  Rinse excess seeds out.
7. Stuff peppers with filling.
8. Sprinkle with cheese.
9.  Bake at 375 Fahrenheit for 40-45 minutes, depending on the strength of your oven.  Cheese should be melted and filling should be heated all the way through.
Dive in!
This recipe serves 4 with the following counts per stuffed pepper:  1 Red, 1/2 Yellow, 1 Green, 1/4 Blue.

I alter as I am not a fan of black beans this allows me to save my yellow container for a different meal.
i got it here

Zucchini Bread

 

 

 

Total Time: 1 hr 10 min.
Prep Time: 15 min.
Cooking Time: 55 min.
Yield: 20 servings, 1 slice each

Ingredients:
Nonstick cooking spray
6 large egg whites
¼ cup melted coconut oil
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
¾ cups all-purpose flour
1¾ cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. sea salt
3 tsp. ground cinnamon
2½ cups grated zucchini
½ cup chopped raw walnuts
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Lightly coat two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans with spray.
3. Combine egg whites, oil, applesauce, sugar, and extract in a large bowl. Set aside.
4. Combine all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl; mix well.
5. Add flour mixture to egg mixture; mix until just blended.
6. Fold in zucchini and walnuts; mix until just blended.
7. Divide batter evenly between the two pans.
8. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until golden brown and tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
9. Cool bread in pans for 5 to 10 minutes, remove from pans and transfer to rack; cool completely.
Tip: Leftover slices can be wrapped individually and stored in the freezer for future meals.

 

GREEN BEANS ---

A friend of mine gave me a ton of green beans now i have to figure out how to prepare them -- think this one might be a hit

Roasted Green Beans with Mushrooms, Balsamic, and Parmesan - 21 Day Fix Approved

*This recipe is compliments of Kalyn's Kitchen!
I'm excited to make this recipe for our Christmas Dinner this year. I'm sure it will be a hit!
**If you are following the 21 Day Fix, this would use 1 green container (beans & mushrooms), 1 blue container (cheese), and 1 orange container (oil).

Roasted Green Beans with Mushrooms, Balsamic, and Parmesan
(Makes 4-6 servings, recipe created by Kalyn)

Ingredients:
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced in 1/2 inch slices (I used brown crimini mushrooms, but any mushrooms will work)
1 lb. fresh green beans, preferably thin French style beans
1 1/2 T olive oil
1 T balsamic vinegar
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
2 T finely grated parmesan cheese

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 450F/230C. Wash mushrooms and let drain (or spin dry in salad spinner, which is what I did.) While mushrooms are drying, trim ends of beans and cut beans in half so you have bite-sized pieces. (An easy way to trim them is to gather a small handful of beans, stand them up on cutting board, holding loosely so they will fall down and have ends ends aligned, then trim. Repeat with other end.) Cut mushrooms into slices 1/2 inch thick.

Put cut beans and mushrooms into a Ziploc bag or plastic bowl. Whisk together olive oil and balsamic vinegar and pour over, then squeeze bag or stir so all the beans and mushrooms are lightly coated with the mixture. Arrange on large cookie sheet, spreading them out well so beans and mushrooms are not crowded. Roast 20-30 minutes, starting to check for doneness after 20 minutes. Cook until beans are tender-crisp, mushrooms are cooked, and all liquid on the pan from mushrooms has evaporated. Season beans to taste with salt and fresh ground pepper, then sprinkle with finely grated Parmesan. Serve hot.

Parmesan Ranch Baked Zucchini Coins

Zucchini is so versatile. It’s like the tofu of veggies.

Save this recipe for when you have baskets and baskets of this stuff from your summer garden.

You Need:
¼ cup parmesan cheese grated
2 cups zucchini washed unpeeled
Light ranch dressing
And then you:

Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.
Cut zucchini horizontally into 1-inch slices and spread both sides with the ranch dressing.
Lay on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with parm.
Bake 10 minutes or until tops are lightly browned.

 

Free FOODS!!!

Free Foods for People with Diabetes

When you have the munchies but no calories or carbohydrate grams to spare, get your fix with a free-food snack. A free food, as defined by the American Diabetes Association (ADA), is any food, drink, condiment, or seasoning that contains less than 20 calories and 5 grams or less of carb per serving.
ADA guidelines suggest you can eat up to three free-food servings per day without counting them in your diabetes meal plan. Do spread them out through the day. The small amount of carb they contain should have little impact on your blood glucose.

Basil Tomatoes

If you're a tomato fan, the cherry-size orbs are perfect for guilt-free nibbling. You can enjoy a snack of 1/2 cup of cherry tomatoes for just 13 calories and 2 grams of carb.
Taste treat: For added flavor, sprinkle fresh minced basil or dried basil (a free seasoning) over cherry tomato halves.
Tip: Avoid storing unripe tomatoes in the refrigerator, as the cold temperature can prevent them from ripening.
Did you know: Tomatoes pack a bevy of antioxidants, including vitamins A, C, and E, plus heart-healthy lycopene.

Cream Cheese Radishes

Radishes are about as guilt-free as food can get. Each medium-size radish has just 1 calorie and well under half a gram of carb. Nibble on a few when the aroma of dinner cooking is getting the best of you.
Taste treat: Creamy meets crunchy when you spread 3 red radishes with 1 tablespoon fat-free cream cheese, then lightly sprinkle them with chives (also a free food). This simple snack has just 20 calories and 2 grams of carb, and it makes a pretty appetizer.
Tip: Opt for small or medium-size radishes, because larger radishes tend to be more fibrous and have a sharper flavor.
Did you know: A medium-size radish supplies 1 percent of your daily vitamin C. And 1 cup of sliced radishes provides 29 percent of your daily vitamin C -- but only 19 calories and 4 grams of carb.

Crunchy Salad

Salad greens are satisfying because you get a lot of crunch for very few calories. A 1-cup serving of lettuce has just 8 calories and 2 grams of carb. Pair the lettuce with up to 1 tablespoon fat-free salad dressing and your snack will still count as a free food.
Taste treat: Toss lettuce with your choice of fresh herb leaves, such as basil, cilantro, dill, or parsley. They all count as free foods and won't affect your calorie or carb counts in the small quantities used to flavor foods.
Tip: Butterhead and leaf lettuces will keep in your refrigerator for about four days. Romaine lettuce can be refrigerated about 10 days. Iceberg lettuce will keep up to 2 weeks, but it's the least nutritious.
Did you know: Just 1 cup of butterhead lettuce (which includes Boston and Bibb lettuces) supplies 10 percent of your daily folate needs, a B vitamin important for heart health.

Turkey-Carrot Roll-Up

For a bit of protein between meals, try spreading mustard on a 1/2-ounce slice of turkey breast lunch meat, then roll it up to eat. You'll get 14 calories, 0 grams of carb, and 3 grams of protein in the turkey meat. A teaspoon of yellow mustard has just 3 calories and 1 grams of carb.
Taste treat: For a bit of crunch, roll up a single carrot stick in the turkey lunchmeat. A typical 3-inch carrot stick has only 3 calories and less than 1 gram of carb.
Tip: Next time you roast a turkey or chicken, slice some of the breast meat extra thin (you may want to use an electric knife) and freeze the meat to use in place of high-sodium (and expensive) lunch meats.
Did you know: Although common yellow mustard is classified as a free condiment, honey mustard has 7 grams of carb per tablespoon.

Berry Blues

Pop blueberries in your mouth one by one for a fruity treat. They count as a free food when you limit your serving to 1/4 cup, which has 20 calories and 5 grams of carb.
Taste treat: You'll get more blueberries per serving (for the same calories and carbs) when you choose wild blueberries. That's because they're a bit smaller than regular cultivated blueberries. If you don't live in an area that harvests wild blueberries, check for unsweetened wild blueberries in the freezer section of your grocery store.
Tip: Choose blueberries with a silvery-white sheen on the surface, which is a sign of freshness.
Did you know: Blueberries are rich in heart-healthy antioxidants called anthocyanins, which is what makes the blueberry skin blue. You get more blueberry skin -- and more anthocyanins -- per serving when you eat wild blueberries versus cultivated blueberries, but both are great sources.

Lemon-Pepper Cucumbers

When you need a refreshing low-calorie snack, nibble on 1/2 cup of sliced cucumbers for just 8 calories and 2 grams of carb.
Taste treat: Drizzle a bit of freshly squeezed lemon juice and freshly ground black pepper over the cucumber slices. Both count as free in the moderate amounts typically used for flavoring foods.
Tip: Cucumbers are often waxed to prevent moisture loss. If you plan to eat the peel, opt for cucumbers sealed in plastic in lieu of waxing (although the wax is edible, it's not tasty). During the summer months, shop for locally grown, unwaxed cucumbers.
Did you know: Cucumbers made into dill pickles lose some of their water-soluble vitamins, including vitamin C, in the pickling process -- and gain sodium from added salt.

"Counter" Intelliegence

If you are like most people me included you store all your vegetables in the crisper. This however is not the case with all vegetables.
Tomatoes - why not fridge? Chilly air dulls the flavor and makes them more acidic. Keep fresh tip place in a spot away from windows so they dont' get direct sunlight Use within 1 week

Potatoes why not fridge? The starch in them will quickly turn into sugar, resulting in too-sweet spuds when cooked. Keep it fresh tip son't wash until ready to eat. Use within 2 to 4 weeks

Cucumbers why not fridge? they become yellow and watery. Keep fresh tip stash in a plastic grocery bag. Use within 1 week

Bananas why not fridge? Low temperatures speed up spoiling. Keep fresh tip store separately on a plate in a cool dry place. Use within 3 to 4 days