Meatloaf Stuffed Bell Peppers

Hey Loves!

One of the meals I used to hate as a kid was meatloaf, but as I have grown older I have learned to love it! I am always trying to come up with new ways to re-create it and make it better! I also like to, when I can, make things into "mini" forms haha! These mini individual meatloaf's are TO DIE FOR! 

Serves 6 - 230 Calories & 6 WW PointsPlus


Ingredients:

• 6 Medium bell peppers
• 1.5 Pounds lean ground turkey
• 3 Tbsp flat leaf parsley chopped
• 1 Medium white onion diced
• 3 Cloves garlic diced
• 1 Tsp salt
• 1 Tsp pepper 
• 1 Tbsp dried oregano
• 2 oz Tomato paste
• 1 Egg
• 1 tsp Paprika

 Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F
2. Mix all ingredients together except bell peppers
3. Remove tops and core bell peppers
4. Stuff with meatloaf mixture with at least 1/2 inch of room at the top left.
5. Cook at 400°F for 20 minutes then turn down to 375°F 20-30 more minutes
6. Remove from oven and let sit for 3 minutes and then enjoy!

Hope you think these are as yummy as I do! If you remake any of my recipes please tag them with #foodcourtt and make sure to follow me on instagram @foodcourtt!

Happy Creating!

XO, Courtney
 

Kale, Herb & Avocado Couscous Salad!

Hey Everyone!

Looks like St. Patrick's Day food but REALLLLLY good! haha

Happy Meatless Monday! I hope you all stuck with the plan today and are planning on trying something new tomorrow for TRY NEW TUESDAY!!! Joe keeps complaining that I am not filling him up every night so I have been trying to make more fibrous foods to keep him full! I also am working on making kale more tasty and this recipe is delicious and boyfriend approved! I hope you all enjoy it and continue on your week 1 plan! xxxCourt

6 Servings (About 1 Cup) - 218 Calories & 6 WW PointsPlus

Ingredients:
Sauce -

• 1/2 Cup Chopped Kale
• 1/4 Bunch of Chopped Cilantro
• 1/4 Bunch of Chopped Parsley
• 1/4 Medium Chopped Onion
• 1/2 Large Diced Avocado
• 2 Cloves Pressed/Grated Garlic
• 1/4 Chopped Green Bell Pepper
• 1 tsp Mustard
• 1 Lime Juiced & Zested
• 1 Lemon Juiced
• 2 tsp EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
• 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
• 1/2 tsp Seasoning Salt
• 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
• Optional - 1/2 - 1 Jalapeno 

Salad -

• 1 Cup Couscous (Whole Wheat if Possible)
• 1 Cup Low-Sodium Chicken/Veggie Stock
• 8 Cherry Tomatoes 
• 1/4 Cup of Corn
• 1/8 Cup Toasted Plain Slivered Almonds

Steps:

1. Place all of the "Sauce" ingredients in food processor or blender and blend until smooth and VERY green! (it is a little frightening haha)
2. Bring 1 cup of broth to boil and once it starts to boil add couscous to it and stir then cover and take off the heat. Let sit for 10 minutes and fluff with a fork when its done.
3. Cut cherry tomatoes into thirds (or halves but I prefer thirds) and along with the corn mix into the couscous.
4. To toast almonds place in saute pan on med/high heat until golden brown and fragrant and fold into or sprinkle on with some parm. cheese on top of the couscous (optional of course (: ).
5. Mix in the sauce and chill for a minimum of 30 minutes and then serve and enjoy!!

**This sauce would also taste good on other types of pasta!

Happy Creating!

Roasted Asparagus!

YUM!!!!!

Happy Saturday Peeps!!

Today I want to talk about one of my favorite veggies of all time, ASPARAGUS! It is absolutely delicious and extremely healthy for you. It is filled with tons of vitamins and minerals most importantly it contains something called "glutathione that helps break down carcinogens and other harmful compounds like free radicals which can help prevent certain cancers(1)"! Growing up my parents were steamers. That is their preferred way to cook veggies. I however do not like mine as mushy and prefer a more al dente texture! So I pretty much grill or roast ALL of my veggies! It adds so much more flavor and is way healthier because you don't have to dip your broccoli, asparagus  ect. in mayo or butter! I promise this recipe will NOT disappoint and not to mention its so simple and easy to do. I even got Joe eating some veggies and LIKING them that he never would even try before! xxxCourt

P.S. Most people do not store their asparagus correctly, look out below for tips on how to make it last as long as possible in your fridge!

Serves 3 (10 Spears of asparagus per serving) - 68 Calories & 2 WW PointsPlus

Ingredients:

• 30 Spears of asparagus

  

  Step 2 & also how you should store your asparagus!

• 1/2 tbsp EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
• 1/4 tsp Seasoning salt
• 1/8 tsp Black pepper
• OPTIONAL: 1 Clove of pressed garlic (or finely chopped)

Steps:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees (or grill if you are cooking outdoors!)
2. Prep all of your asparagus by snapping them in half (see picture demonstration by the lovely Joseph David)                             *They will snap where they are meant to be snapped and if you are in a rush and have a bunch of asparagus then snap one from each bunch and chop the rest where the one snapped. **To store your asparagus chop off about 1/2 inch of bottom when you get home from the store and place in a cup of water (like flowers) they will even grow a little. Make sure you check the water if they are going to be in there long and refill if necessary! 
3. Place all asparagus on a cookie sheet tray lined with tin foil for an easy clean up! 
4. Drizzle EVOO on top and toss using your fingers to evenly coat all of the asparagus.

   

   Step 6: I should of used foil, oops!

5. Sprinkle salt, pepper and garlic clove on top of the asparagus and toss again with hands to even coat all of the veggies.
6. Make sure all of asparagus are laying flat on the sheet tray (not too over crowded) and place in the oven or on the grill.
7. Cook 15-20 minutes or until desired char color has been achieved (15 minutes makes for more firm asparagus and 20 is a little more cooked).
8. Plate up right away and serve alone or with a wedge or two of fresh lemon!
9. ENJOY!

You can pretty much swap out asparagus with lots of different veggies for this recipe. I have done corn, broccoli, cauliflower, ect. GET CREATIVE! Make veggies more fun and tasty because they should be in almost every meal that you eat!  

Happy Creating!

***Site Sources: (1) - http://www.eatingwell.com/blogs/health_blog/5_powerful_health_benefits_of_asparagus_you_probably_didn_t_know

Grocery List - Get Organized !

Hey There Everyone!!

So since our 31 Day Challenge starts in THREE days I wanted to give you another tool that I use to get organized and prepared for the week. Here is my grocery shopping outline! 

To save this adorable template, right click the picture and save to computer then open it and click print!

It is easy to just print out and post on your fridge and add to it whenever you run out of something or when you sit down and start to plan you meals for the week! Because I go to several stores for my shopping, I usually fill this out then flip it over and write each of the stores names I am going to and organize where I am going to be getting all of those things from! 

Back of my list!

My top tips for saving money and preparing for a shopping trip:

1. ALWAYS make a list. Commit to buying everything plus an extra five things that aren't on the list but NO MORE than FIVE extra.
2. DO NOT GO HUNGRY! I worked at a grocery store and I know from experience that this is the number one way to over spend. 
3. Check out the sales before you make your list and plan your meals. Sometimes this can be time consuming so you can also go and print out a list from online of fruits and veggies and when they are in season and keep it somewhere handy. When you buy whats in season you SAVE.
4. COUPONS COUPONS COUPONS! Get the Sunday paper, they have the best coupons!
5. Buy LOCAL! Farmers markets or stores like Sprouts (my personal favorite) sell local produce at CHEAP prices and you are supporting your local economy which is great too!
6. Learn how to store and prep your food to make it last as long as you can! Pinterest and many other websites have tips like putting onions in pantyhose to last for months!

31 Day Challenge Meal Planner - WEEK 1

Hey Everyone!

Just as I promised here is a print out for you to plan for Week 1 of the 31 Day Challenge! It starts Monday May 20th so make sure to print it out and use it! I also included a print out of the whole challenge again and what it is about! 

To print right click on image and save. Then open the saved document and print! 

Remember "If you fail to plan, then plan to FAIL" xxxCourt

Mini Turkey Meatloafs

Good Evening Everyone!!

Simply Delicious!

Growing up as a kid my dad did a lot of the cooking and one of the recipes he made that I never looked forward to was meatloaf. But as I grew up and my pallet became more refined I grew to love it! Unfortunately most meatloaf today is made with ground beef and that is something I don't allow in my house. So I sat down and created a FULL flavored turkey version that I'm certain won't disappoint! Not to mention they are mini and who doesn't like mini anything?!?

Hope you enjoy these as much as Joe and I!! xxxCourt

Recipe makes 12 - Serving Size 2 Muffins (1/2 Cup Each) - 170 Calories & 4 WW PointsPlus

Ingredients:

• 1 pound Lean ground turkey
• 1/2 Onion (yellow or white)
• 3 Cloves garlic (finely chopped or use garlic press)
• 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1 tsp Hot sauce
• 1/2 tsp Balsamic vinegar
• 1 Egg
• 1 tsp Dried oregano
• 1 tsp Dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp Black pepper
• 1 (8 oz) can Tomato sauce (no salt added preferred)
• 1 tsp Mustard
• 3 tsp Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) for muffin pan to prevent sticking

Steps:

Step 4

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place all ingredients except EVOO into bowl and mix together until evenly mixed (hands are the best kitchen too ever (: )
3. Oil each of the 12 muffin slots using a paper towel dipped in your EVOO, a misto sprayer like mine (see last post for more info) or a kitchen basting brush.
4. Scoop approximately 1/2 cup of meat picture into each slot and light pack it in. 
5. Cook in oven for 25 minutes and then for 3 minutes on broil after that to brown the tops. (internal temp. should be about 160 degrees)
6. Pull out of the oven after broiling and let sit for 5 minutes before pulling out of tins and serving (unless you want to make a mess haha, I learned this the hard way).
7. Enjoy!

Joe gave this meal 5 stars!

** I topped my two with 1 tsp of mustard and 1 tsp low sodium BBQ sauce mixed together and fresh parsley! 

Second Dinner Tip: Once completely cooled place in tupperware or plastic baggies separating the layers with parchment paper and freeze for future dinners. To cook just pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and place frozen muffins on cooking sheet and cook about 15 minutes to warm up!!

Make sure to use the hash tag #foodCOURTT when you make one of my recipes I love to see them!!

Happy Cooking (: