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.

Green juice to the rescue

Cheese plates, chocolates and champagne, oh my! We are in desperate need of a reset after this very festive season. This is a favorite around here, especially after a week month of indulgent eating. 

Green juice recipe - Makes about 10 oz

1/2 bunch of kale

2 oranges 

1/2 lemon 

1-inch piece of ginger 

 Take the kale leaves off the stems, and cut the peels off the oranges, lemon and ginger.

Run everything through the juicer.

Serve over ice, with a straw; I promise, it tastes better this way!

You can't help but feel a little better about your nutrient intake after a glass of this! I especially appreciate that it does not taste too green. No grass clippings here, folks.

It's also much, much cheaper to make it yourself than buying from the store or a juice bar. According to my calculations:

Homemade: $0.17/oz

Juice bar: $0.42/oz

Store-bought: $0.49/oz

Ok, if you don't own a juicer, you'd have to account for that expense. We have the Breville Compact Juice Extractor form Crate & Barrel, which was around $100. I'll confess that I don't use it that often, at least compared to my coffee maker. But, one of my 2014 goals is to drink more green juice, so here's hoping!

Recipe: Braided veggie calzone

We're trying to use up everything in our fridge/freezer at the moment, so tonight's dinner consisted of a makeshift calzone. Here's the "recipe" I threw together:

Braided Veggie Calzone

Ingredients:
- Whole wheat pizza dough
- 1/3 cup spaghetti sauce (because who has pizza sauce around ever?)
- 1 cup shredded cheese (any kind)
- 1-2 cups random veggies (we used mushrooms, green pepper and onion)
- Olive oil or egg

Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375
- Spread dough in a long, stretched out oval on a pizza stone.
- Layer the pizza sauce, 1/2 the cheese and all of the veggies down the center of the dough.
- Make little slices with a sharp knife up and down the sides. Then, start braiding at the bottom and work your way up.
- Brush the dough with the olive oil or egg
- Bake in oven for 35 minutes

It looks great out of the oven but is a little messy on the plate. Either way, it was tasty -- and a little bit healthy for such an easy dinner!