Stuffed Philly Turkey Peppers

I’m hungry. Very hungry. I just did an Extreme I.I.T (Intense Interval Training) class. Now, I know I should’ve prepped my meals.  But, I didn’t.  So, here I am walking into the kitchen looking for food and all I have are ingredients. Doh!! I hate it when this happens.

This is not a good situation to be in.  The fat girl in me wants to hop in my car and grab some some fast food. My neighbors are McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Taco Bell, and Popeye’s… oh, and just to spite me they put a Krispy Kreme also within walking distance. A Krispy Kreme!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  It’s a conspiracy I tell you, a conspiracy!!!!

*remembers that …*

WAIT, is the hot light on? Because that melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness is pretty darn close.

But, not close enough. Because the girl who is still sweating from working out, wants to eat healthy… so, I take out some ingredients…

4 Bell Peppers
Ground Turkey
Italian Dressing
Balsamic Dressing
Ground Black Pepper
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Cayenne Pepper
Onions and Bell Peppers Mix – Frozen
Mozzarella Cheese

I have no idea how this is going to turn out, but I start fixing dinner.

I guess I’m having Stuffed  Peppers. But, I want this to be quick… so, here’s my “I’m hungry right now” version. If you want to try it too, here’s what to do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Boil a pot of water. (Add a pinch of salt, optional)

While your water is beginning to boil, wash your green peppers, cut the tops (or, the core like I did) and de-seed them. Try to make sure all the seeds are out. I did this pretty quick, so my peppers look like I just stabbed them and ripped out their hearts. Awwww.

Place empty peppers in the boiling water. Hopefully your pot will fit them with ease. I struggled.

But, since I can do all things through Christ, I persisted and the fourth pepper slid on in.

By slid, I mean forced. lol

Now, boil for 5 minutes or until desired tenderness. Raw peppers tend to make some people gassy and bloated, so take heed or take GasX, your choice.

Place 1 tablespoon (I’m guessing here.. I don’t measure a thing. So if I ever say 1/4 cup of this and 1/8 teaspoon of that, I’m lying… or a change has really come! lol)… wait, where was I? Oh, place what looks like 1 tablespoons of Italian dressing in the pan with 1 pound of ground turkey. Now, a pound I know.

That looks like more than a tablespoon? Ok. *shrugs* Stay focused.

In a large skillet, saute ground turkey and onion/bell pepper mix… and, add in all spices… three shakes of each is about what I do. I told you, I don’t measure anything. Everything is to taste. 1 dash of balsamic.

Drain and set aside peppers.

At this point, my stomach is growling and I’m wondering… do I even want stuffed peppers?  I didn’t think this through. I still have to stuff them and put them in the oven.  Geesh!

*Having a serious Fat Girl moment!* Talks to myself: Ok, we can get through this. We’ll have dinner for tonight and enough peppers for tomorrow. And, it’s ok that we aren’t adding rice and tomatoes. We are losing weight and this will taste like a Philly Turkey and Cheese once I’m done.  Minus the Philly. Oh how I love the Philly. But, they Philly doesn’t love me, so…

*moment over* Let’s continue.

Stuff each pepper with the seasoned turkey mix, and place peppers open side up in a baking dish. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.

30 minutes? My God, why hast thou forsaken me? LOL

What to do for 30 minutes:
– Wash the dishes.

Dang! That only took 3 minutes!

Maybe I should just tell you what NOT to do for the remaining 27:

-Don’t keep looking through the oven window. It won’t speed things up. Trust me, it won’t.

-Don’t open your fridge looking for a snack to eat in the meantime. Don’t.

-Don’t open the cabinets either.

–Don’t think about the hot light sign at Krispy Kreme.

You’ve got this. Do some squats, go call a friend to say hello, or go write in your journal.
You do have a journal don’t you? If not, take this time to make a note to yourself to go buy one. You should be keeping track of your journey. It helps to stay on track by doing so. We’ll talk more about that another time.

Or, if you’re like me… you’ll go write a blog post…like this one! lol

Once 30 minutes are up, do a dance. A little shimmy will do because it’s time to eat!

Unless of course, you want to add some mozzarella cheese to the top. Of course you do! Just a little bit. We deserve the Philly!!! Melt and wallah!

Feel free to make adjustments to your taste. You really can’t mess stuffed peppers up. They taste even better the next day, so these are really great as a meal prep idea. Let me know if you try it or if you have your own healthy stuffed pepper recipe, please share it with me!