For being a rainy, cold, and totally depressing weekend…it was a pretty good weekend. We are all starting to feel better – finally. FINALLY. Ridiculous. I worked out today for the first time since last Monday and it hurt so good! I so rarely go a stretch of 2+ days without a workout, so lately has been throwing my routine completely off.
Saturday morning I texted my father-in-law (per his request!) that the baby was up and handed him Shea’s baby monitor, and retreated back to bed. I laid there until 8:30am and I was starting to get achy and stiff from laying there so long. Sometimes, a girl just needs a morning like that.
It was POURING outside, but we decided to take a little day trip to Kalamazoo, about 45 minutes away. We had originally planned a little one night getaway to Grand Rapids, but ended up canceling our hotel reservation on account of being sick. Kalamazoo was a good second choice – we enjoyed the car rides to talk and catch up on things other than the kids.
We started the afternoon at World Market and I officially kicked off my Christmas shopping. Yep, I said it. I can’t hardly believe I’m getting a jump start – it’s so unlike me. Now, I just can’t lose momentum. I’ll certainly appreciate it when December is here (in no time). Next we went to the brand new Trader Joe’s – it was busy, but great. They had all my favorite wines and I got a few new things to try. Mr. Prevention was on the ball and had packed a cooler with ice packs.
From there we went to Bells Brewery. I can’t believe I’ve lived in Michigan 5+ years and have never been…but, now I have. Their beer is pretty meh, but the atmosphere was great. We had a few samplers and moved on to the Kalamazoo Beer Exchange for lunch. I had a burger – it sounded good and we didn’t eat until 3:30pm. I was starving!
We came home to relax on the air mattress in the basement with both the bulldogs while watching college football. Talk about relaxing! It was JUST what we both needed. I had planned to make chili for the game, but decided to take the weekend off from the kitchen. Besides, we had tons of leftovers, including these DELICIOUS Bolognese-Stuffed Peppers. Everyone loved them – hubby, kids, father-in-law. There’s nothing not to like about these all-in-one entrée that are full of comforting Italian flavor. I guarantee you will love them!
- 5 bell peppers, cut in half lengthwise and seeds removed
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 3 carrots, diced
- 2 stalks celery, finely diced
- fresh ground pepper, to taste
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 5 sweet Italian turkey sausage links, casings removed
- 4 oz pancetta, diced*
- 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
- 1½ cups marinara sauce
- ¼ cup dry red wine
- ⅓ cup whole milk
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup freshly shaved Parmesan cheese
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add onions, carrots, and celery; season with pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes, or until tender. Stir in garlic and continue to cook for about 30 seconds, or until fragrant.
- Add turkey and pancetta; stir in Italian seasoning and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until meat is cooked through.
- Stir in marinara sauce and wine, lower heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Stir in milk and grated parmesan; continue to simmer for 5 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed.
- Place peppers in a baking dish and fill each pepper half with prepared meat sauce.
- Top each pepper with shaved Parmesan. Bake for 30-32 minutes.
Weekly Menu: November 5th – 9th
- Sunday: carry-out Indian food for date night in
- Monday: Roasted Butternut Squash and Pumpkin Soup
- Tuesday: Chicken Cabbage Stir Fry
- Wednesday: leftovers with roasted brussels sprouts and sweet potato fries
- Thursday: BBQ Chicken Spaghetti Squash
Be well,
Great quality pictures. Love the blistered skin of the bell peppers – yum!
Oh girl, I see you over here. Just stepping up the stuffed pepper game. I mean really though, these look AMA