I take the girls on a walk every night – Shea, Piper, Harlie and I. Lily likes to lay in the yard and people watch (PS she’s doing great!). We go across the road to a neighborhood with a lot of retirees. Naturally, they EAT UP my crew and the girls love it – all of them.
The other night, we were on our walk when Shea decided to try and interrupt a conversation two neighbors were having in-between their homes in the front lawn. SOMEONE likes attention.
“My dad went on an airplane to go far away to work! He’s in BRAZIL!” she said.
No response from the talkers as she wheeled past in the wagon.
“MY DAD WENT ON AN AIRPLANE TO GO FAR AWAY TO WORK! HE’S IN BRAZIL!” she said louder.
No response as we passed on by…
“I SAID…MY DAD WENT ON AN AIRPLANE TO GO FAR AWAY TO WORK! HE’S IN BRAZIL! DID YOU HEAR ME?” she screamed.
How could I possibly not burst into laughter? This child…she has me in stitches lately!
And she’s right. Her daddy did go to Brazil and so we’ve played it super easy this week – French toast, chicken sausage with roasted sweet potatoes and broccoli, English muffin pizzas…it has been nice! Sometimes a little break from cooking is perfect.
These stuffed peppers were a request from hubby. It’s completely unlike him to request something 1) so healthy and 2) something like stuffed peppers that scream winter and comfort food. But, I aim to please and so I made these. What I loved most about them is the fact that you can swap in or out any veggies you have on hand – get creative!
- 4 large green peppers
- 2 Tbsp butter
- ⅓ cup onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 cups white meat rotisserie chicken, shredded or chopped
- 2 cups low-sodium broth
- 1 package (6 oz) long-grain brown and wild rice blend
- ⅓ cup celery, sliced
- ¼ cup carrots, finely chopped
- ¼ tsp dried basil
- ¼ tsp dried thyme
- 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 cup mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
- ½ cup zucchini, chopped
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Cut tops off peppers; remove seeds. Boil water for 3 minutes. Drain and place upside down on paper towels; set aside.
- In a large saucepan, heat butter over medium-high heat. Once hot, add onion and garlic and saute until tender. Add the chicken, broth, rice, celery, carrots, basil and thyme; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25 minutes or until the rice is almost tender.
- Remove from the heat; stir in the tomatoes, mushrooms and zucchini.
- Spoon rice mixture into the peppers; place in a baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
- Cover with foil and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the peppers are tender and filling is heated through. Uncover and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese; bake 5 minutes more. Serve hot.
