When I think of grade school, I vividly remember the abundance of treats during holidays and birthdays. Between the over-frosted cupcakes and sugary cookies, it was by far my favorite part of the classroom environment. Sadly, the endless sweets started to diminish in middle school and almost completely vanished by my high school graduation. After graduating college, I thought my days of over indulging in sugar, just because I can, were a thing of the past. I was wrong.
Working in the cubicle atmosphere during the holidays is a whole new ballpark. If you haven’t witnessed this yourself, just picture a 2nd grade class where every child’s parents are determined to out bake the next! My office was no exception. Using sweets and potlucks as a crutch during the pre-holiday work days is prevalent in every industry. To say I overindulged would be a slight understatement. With a sailing trip through the Bahamas in the near future, I have been trying to make healthier choices. For those of you that are in the same boat as me, check out the below recipe for a healthy dinner option I just tried out.
Tomato Couscous Stuffed Bell Pepper
Heat your oven to 350 degrees.
Depending in how many you are cooking for, prepare your couscous as instructed on the box. Instead of using water, use tomato juice or canned tomato soup. Once your couscous is cooked and fluffed, transfer to a bowl.
Next, steam broccoli (or asparagus) until they are slightly tender and sauté onions until almost transparent.
Once the broccoli is slightly tender cut in small pieces and add to the bowl of couscous. Throw in the onions and mix in sun dried tomatos. Add fresh parmesan cheese and set aside.
Cut open your bell pepper (I like to use red) and remove all seeds. Stuff the peppers with your couscous mixture.
Place on baking sheet and cook for 25-30 minutes.
Quinoa, instead of couscous, can also be used as a healthy alternative.
You have probably noticed that I don’t use specific measurements for my recipes. I like to keep cooking fun and don’t like being restricted to measuring cups and directions! I never measure ingredients unless I am baking. Don’t be afraid to look at recipes and revise them based on your own taste buds.
I wish I could say that eating healthy is always on my personal menu but I’ll be honest and admit that I am a sucker for sweets and truffle french fries. For now, I will pack my left over stuffed bell peppers to work and try to avoid the vending machines.
