Quinoa, spinach and kale stuffed peppers

We tend to eat the same five dinners over and over. Once we found the sweet spot of "we both like this" and "it's easy to make" we got into a little dinner routine. Our rotating menu when we eat at home during the fall and winter looks similar to this: big chopped salads; rotisserie chicken tortilla soup with all the toppings; whole wheat pasta with veggie sauce and a salad; steak with a green side; and chicken sausage with couscous.

In 2014, I'd like to introduce two newish recipes at home each month -- something that requires a little more thought than normal. This week I ventured into stuffed peppers; not a completely new recipe to me but not something I cook often, either. Here's how I make my stuffed peppers:

Quinoa, spinach and kale stuffed peppers for two:

You will need:
2 peppers
1 cup quinoa
2 cups pasta sauce
1/2 pound cooked ground beef or turkey (optional)
2 big handfuls of spinach and/or kale - gotta sneak in those greens
Sprinkle of cheese

Pre-heat the oven to 350. Cut each pepper in half, laying the four halves in a baking pan with a little bit of water.

In one pot, boil water and get the quinoa cooking. In a separate pan, start browning the meat, if you're going to use it.

Drain the fat/oil from the meat, then add the pasta sauce, kale/spinach and garlic. Simmer. Drain the water from the quinoa, mix with the meat/veggies/sauce.

Use a spoon to stuff the mixture into each pepper. Sprinkle with grated cheese on top, cover with foil, and bake for 30 minutes.

That's it! Enjoy. We each had one red and one green pepper, no sides, and felt pretty satisfied. There might have been a homemade chocolate chip cookie for dessert...

Next time I'll probably do a double batch because I think these would make great leftover lunches. What are your go-to meals during the week? I'd love some new ideas.