These cheesy spicy Mexican stuffed bell peppers come together in only 20 minutes for a low-carb, gluten-free and totally delicious weeknight meal.

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Did I tell you that I am going to Mexico next month? The whole fam dam is jetting off for a week and I am trying to not get too excited too soon. I may or may not have been spending many minutes hours on Zappos mooning over breezy white cover ups and braided teal leather flip-flops. I may or may not have received these items on my doorstep yesterday afternoon and stripped down in the kitchen to try them on as soon as they came.

And I totally didn’t buy a brand new new suitcase either.

Help me. My name is Katie and I am addicted to Zappos. One day shipping! Free returns! How can you not love free returns?

When the boxes arrived, the girls were almost as excited as me. They helped me unload the new suitcase which came in a comically huge box. The girls quickly forgot all about the stuff I was un-packing (and barely noticed that I was in the kitchen in a state of undress) and proceeded to turn the box into a giggle fest filled game of hilarity. I am not sure what the premise was. I think it involved them being store owners. Didn’t they know brick and mortar is dead and Zappos is where it’s at? Sorry. Not Sorry.

I do know that poor Judy T got to star in the game. At one point both my 7 year old and the lab were in the box at the same time. Thankfully nobody got hurt. The box however has seen better days.

Also in preparation for our trip and wearing not much more than a bikini, said breezy white cover-up and teal flip flops, I am amping up my workouts. Jase is too. (Back to back classes this morning for me and way more cardio for him) and we’ve been avoiding the evening snack fest. I’m not dieting or anything like that, since as a chronic dieter turned intuitive eater, I know that doesn’t work for me. But I am reigning it in to drop a couple holiday lbs before we go. Hopefully this strategy won’t backfire.

Basically, I’ve been steering away from excessive amounts of carby stuff at dinner (sorry risotto you have to wait a little longer.) I’ve been bulking up on mega veggies and lean protein. I’ve been having a slice of whole-grain toast with my egg in the morning. Eating off a small plate. All that good stuff. Nothings off limits, I’m just giving everything the “do I really want to eat this?” test before I go for it.

Do I really want to eat these Mexican Stuffed Peppers? Yes, yes I do. And they fit perfectly with this plan. They are awesome since they are low-carb, veggie forward and totally yum. And there is melted cheese so the world can continue to spin.  I certainly don’t feel deprived in any way shape or form. And they have a decidedly Mexican flair that puts me in the mood for flip flops!

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LINK LOVE

Super yummy Homemade Taco Sauce by Veggie Balance.

This is a funny post about Daniel Craig by Karen

This would be a great lower carb recipe to try this month from my friend Liz at Floating Kitchen

Love this clean eating Bulgar Bowl from my buddy Gerry at Foodness Gracious

This looks quaftastic from Heather Cristo

QUESTIONS

Are you a Zappos fan?

What is it about big boxes? Why do kids always want to play with them? I remember doing that too.

Do you think I am on a slippery slope trying to reign it in, or does my plan sound reasonable?

low carb mexican stuffed peppers

★★★★★ 5 from 4 reviews

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings
• Category: entree
• Cuisine: Mexican

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Description

These cheesy spicy Mexican stuffed bell peppers come together in only 20 minutes for a low-carb, gluten-free and totally delicious weeknight meal.

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Ingredients

• 3 large bell peppers, cut in half lengthwise and cored
• 2 teaspoons coconut oil or avocado oil
• 1 pound grass fed beef
• 1 cup chopped red onion
• 1 cup chopped white or crimini mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon ground chipotle chili
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ cup canned tomato puree
• 4 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• chopped fresh cilantro leaves for garnish, optional

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Instructions

1. Place the peppers, cut side down in a microwave safe baking dish. Add 1 cup water to the baking dish. Cover with a layer of parchment or wax paper. Cover with plastic wrap. Microwave on high until the peppers are just starting to soften, 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully remove cover, drain off water and turn the peppers cut-side up in the baking dish.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef and cook, crumbling with a wooden spoon until the meat is browned, about 5 minutes. Add onion and mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until the mixture is browning along the edge of the pan and the vegetables are softened, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in cumin, chili powder, chipotle, salt and cinnamon and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and stir in tomato puree.
3. Fill the peppers with the meat mixture (about ½ cup per pepper half). Top with cheese, dividing evenly. Microwave the peppers in the baking dish, uncovered until the cheese is melted and the peppers are tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve warm with cilantro on top if desired.

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 stuffed pepper half
• Calories: 247
• Sodium: 402
• Fat: 15
• Saturated Fat: 8
• Carbohydrates: 9
• Fiber: 4
• Protein: 22

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