Monday Nutrition Tip of the Week

Today I want to share two recipes with you that are on opposite ends of the sophistication spectrum. The first is a snack I've been enjoying lately that is on par with something a three-year-old might like to eat -- well, not my almost three-year-old, but maybe one with a normal outlook on food. The second recipe is a fancy dish I whipped up for dinner last night.

Ever heard of "Ants on a Log?"

That's a sneaky mom code name for "celery with peanut butter and raisins." And it's, as my kids would say, "deewishus." I can't get enough of it lately! It's the perfect amount of crunchy, salty, and sweet.

Now for some food that three-year-olds would look at disdain. (And five-year-olds, too, I can confirm.)

It's Peppers Stuffed with Cinnamon Bulgur (actually, I used cous cous) from the faithful red-and-white-checked Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. 

I had never eaten or made stuffed peppers before, but while I was perusing my cookbooks during my menu making last week, I saw this picture and recipe and was intrigued. 

I think that normally peppers are stuffed with some combination of cream cheese and sausage, but this is much healthier. Here's the recipe:

Peppers stuffed with cinnamon bulgur

• 1-3/4  cups  water
• 1/2  cup  shredded carrot
• 1/4  cup  chopped onion
• 1  teaspoon  instant vegetable or chicken bouillon granules
• 1/8  teaspoon  salt
• 3  inches  stick cinnamon or dash ground cinnamon
• 3/4  cup  bulgur or plain cous cous
• 1/3  cup  dried cranberries or raisins
• 2    large or 4 small sweet peppers, any color*
• 3/4  cup  shredded Muenster, brick, or mozzarella cheese
• 1/2  cup  water
• 2  tablespoons  sliced almonds or chopped pecans, toasted

directions

In a large skillet stir together the 1-3/4 cups water, carrot, onion, bouillon granules, salt, and cinnamon. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Stir in bulgur and cranberries. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. If using stick cinnamon, remove from the bulgur mixture. Drain off excess liquid.

Meanwhile, halve the sweet peppers lengthwise, removing the seeds and membranes.

Stir shredded cheese into bulgur mixture; spoon into sweet pepper halves. Place sweet pepper halves in skillet. Add the 1/2 cup water. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 5 to 10 minutes or until sweet peppers are crisp-tender and bulgur mixture is heated through. Sprinkle with nuts. Makes 4 main-dish servings.

I felt so fancy eating these! While I didn't take photos of my peppers, I will say that they looked just like the picture in the cookbook, which is always gratifying. Another bonus was that it only took about 30 minutes from start to finish. 

So my tip of the week is: be adventurous! Don't be afraid to try new things, and also don't be afraid to embrace your inner child when it comes to cool snacks.

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