Stuffed Peppers: Trial 2

Confession: This dish isn't even out of the oven yet and I'm already writing a blog about it. It smells SO good! And we might have already tasted the filling :)

You can find the link to the recipe that I used here. I found it via pinterest, of course! We've tried stuffed peppers in the past, and although we thoroughly enjoyed the peppers, the filling was pretty dry and not very tasty. Not so with this recipe! It took less than an hour to put this together and that included cleaning my pan to cook the rice in. Haha. (Confession #2: We're not exactly the most prompt about our kitchen cleaning). So with no further ado... Here's my version. I changed very little except that we don't shop "organic" so I took all that out.

You will need:
olive oil (we use extra virgin)
1/2 lb. ground turkey, cooked
chopped onions (I only used half of a small onion. Honestly, I just hate chopping them and Adam doesn't fuss :))
1 tbsp taco seasoning
2 cups cooked rice (we like Rice-a-Roni beef flavor)
4 bell peppers, halved and seeds removed
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 jar of salsa (the original recipe called for a whole jar, but I'm not a huge salsa fan so I chickened out).
Shredded cheddar cheese

---Lightly coat the peppers with olive oil and then roast on 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

---In a large bowl, combine cooked turkey, cooked rice, taco seasoning, beans, onion, and corn. Add salsa to your liking and mix well. Spoon this mixture into the peppers and stuff carefully. I also added leftover mixture around the peppers. Place back into the oven for about 20 minutes. Remove peppers and liberally spread shredded cheese over the top. Cook until cheese is melted (seriously about a minute; 400 degrees is HOT).

We didn't top ours with anything, but sour cream would have been delicious! Also, the turkey and the rice can be made a couple of days in advance. I had cooked our turkey on Sunday night and just left it in the fridge. Let me know if you try this or if you have any suggestions for improvement! Happy stuffing!

Thanksgivings: The Weekend Edition

• Time with my husband ... Can't beating the opportunity to spend my whole day in the same room with him! Even if we're not doing same thing, I just love being with him.
• SLEEP!!! I have become a firm believer in the concept of "sleep deficit." I can work efficiently and confidently on 7-7.5 hours of sleep during the week, but Friday and Saturday nights I usually sleep 9-10 hours! Plus a Sunday afternoon nap every once in awhile :)
• K-group ... These are our church's small groups that meet on Sunday evenings. I cherish this time with other believers to encourage and pray for each other as we dig deeper into God's word.
• Cooking! I've had a hard time cooking during the week since school started, so I try to cook well on the weekends to make up for it.
• Adult conversation. I love my kiddos at school, but I take advantage of any time that I can spend with people my own age!
• Cleaning ... Although I tend to put it off as long as possible, I do enjoy a clean home!
• Did I mention time with my husband? Of course we spend time together during the week, but between his classes for Senior year and my first year of teaching, we're a little distracted Monday - Friday. The weekends are our chance to really focus on and enjoy each other.