If you know me personally, you may have witnessed the old me being a complete savage at social functions. (Unintentionally, of course) I just wanted to try everything! ๐ณ
The old JoJo- would normally hang around the snack station, put in several orders with the grill master, have a few brews & go home a happy chunky camper. The new & improved JoJo comes well prepared- she brings fruits to the party, eats all the protein, stays hydrated & we gooooood!
It’s taken me a very long time to get to this point. Uh, all my life to be exact. But, I’ve finally reached a point where enough is enough & I refuse to feed my body with trash. I want to look & feel my best, always. And I do! I feel happy. I feel fully nourished. I feel strong. I feel in control. I feel cute, lol. And I wish that for everyone, I want you to feel as good as I do. #FeelGoodwithJoJo
Research shows bright colors can affect ones mood. This applies for everything- fashion, beauty & especially food choices. Experts recommend including colorful fruits & veggies to our everyday diets. And while veggies really aren’t my vibe, I understand keeping a good diversity of colors on my plate can almost guarantee to filter anything unnatural in my body. With that being said, today’s superfood & my all time favorite BBQ bite- are bright & colorful stuffed bell peppers.
Yummm!
Bell peppers are loaded with antioxidants & vitamins that we all can benefit from. They’re packed with 2x more Vitamin C than Oranges- which is ideal if you ever have to fight off a virus during a global pandemic. Heeeeeelllllllo! Vitamin C is also associated with lowering anxiety & enhancing one’s mood, which I think we can all agree- we’re in weird times & our nerves are being tested every single day. I know mine are at least. A BIG PLUS with peppers are, they’re also packed with Vitamin A- which can improve your skin & help you achieve healthy hair goals. So you’ll come out of quarantine, looking & feeling fabulous. Get ittttt!
I discovered stuffed peppers sometime last year- I was tired of eating the same meals every week & wanted to switch up my options. So what do you do when you’re bored? You go down a rabbit hole of YouTube videos… Instagram posts… & endless Pinterest boards. By now I’m a pro, lol.
Time to get to business!
If you’ve never made stuffed peppers before, you’re in for a realllll treat! You can stuff them with anything- eggs, cheese, rice, meat- the possibilities are endless. I’m just trying to hit my macros- so normally I fill them up with cheese, but if Iโm feeling a little extra, like today, Iโll throw some ground beef in there. O M G, SO GOOD! And bonus points for being a quick clean up.
Cheesy Beefy Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- Olive Oil spray
- 2 Sweet Bell Peppers
- 6 oz Ground Beef
- 1 tspn Salt
- 1 tspn Black Pepper
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 36 g Mozzarella cheese Low moisture/Part-skim
Instructions
- Wash & cut off stem from top of bell peppers. Remove all seeds, because we don't want to eat those!
- Place small pot on stove & set flame to medium heat.
- Chop up garlic cloves into small pieces & mix around in pot until brown.
- Season ground beef in bowl with salt & pepper (this is optional & for taste). BTW- I don't add any type of oil when cooking ground beef, I let the fat it releases keep it juicy for me.
- Add ground beef to pot for about 15-20 minutes. Make sure to mix everything around so it cooks thoroughly.
- Generously spray bell peppers with olive oil & pop on grill for 4-5 minutes on each side. If you don't have a grill handy, you can either microwave on high for 4-6 minutes or pop them in the oven for 375ยฐ for about an hour.
- Once your meat is cooked & your peppers are ready- it's time to fill 'em up.
- Ground beef first, then cheese & enjoy!
While there’s many ways to prepare stuffed peppers, these low-cal bites are perfect for any time of day or occasion. They’re easy appetizers for big groups, the kids will love tearing them apart & they’re BOMB on the grill! TRUST! They’re a great light meal choice for me & for 325 cals per pepper- there’s no harm in eating more than one or two. Just kidding. Sorta. If bell peppers aren’t your thing, I hope the one thing you take away from this post is to always add some sort of color to your plate. Your future self will thank you for it. โค๏ธ๐
