Stuffed Peppers with Turkey and Cauliflower Rice (17 Day Diet Friendly)

Stuffed Peppers with Turkey and Cauliflower Rice

Today was my first official day on the 17 Day Diet. I thought it went really well considering I didn't have any coffee today. I don't remember the last time not having a cup of coffee in the morning. Coffee is allowed on the diet but flavored creamers are not. That's a major problem for me considering I will only drink coffee with flavored creamers. So I will be giving up coffee for the next 17 days…that will be very interesting especially for those who are around me in the morning! So my apologies in advance.

Even though I didn't drink coffee today dinner made up for that loss, like big time! I made Stuffed Peppers with Turkey and Cauliflower Rice (see recipe below). What is cauliflower rice you ask? It's raw cauliflower that is blended in a food processor to create a mock rice. You can microwave it, boil it, steam it, sauté it or keep it raw. Season it like you would any rice. For this recipe I sautéed it for a few minutes with the ground turkey. You don't want to cook it long otherwise it will be mushy; it should be al dente like rice. I make Mashed Cauliflower (Click for recipe) sometimes instead of mashed potatoes and they are delicious too, especially if you are looking to cut out carbs or loose a little weight like me. Cauliflower rice is super easy to make and seriously tastes like rice. While I was preparing the turkey/cauliflower rice stuffing the boys kept eating it right out of the pan…they thought it was amazing. So don't assume your kids won't like these stuffed peppers. This recipe is prepared and cooked in about 30 minutes so it makes a great weekday meal. Saute the turkey, "rice" the cauliflower, add tomato sauce, spoon stuffing mix in peppers and microwave for 15 minutes. So easy to make and so easy on the waist line! Dr. Mike Moreno should add this recipe to his cookbook!

Salute to having a great first day on the 17 Day Diet and a double salute to Stuffed Peppers with Turkey and Cauliflower Rice!

So here is a menu of what I ate today: (Day 1)

Morning beverages: The diet recommends starting the morning off with drinking a cup of hot water with fresh lemon. The hot water with lemon is meant to rev up the bodies metabolism and assist in releasing toxins. Believe it or not I thought it was quite satisfying. After drinking my hot water I made green tea and added a few lemon slices, in lieu of coffee. Plus, green tea is supposed to be drunk with every meal. It's in the single digits today so sipping on green tea today was wonderful.

Breakfast: I had a nonfat greek yogurt to fulfill the daily probiotic quota (I also took a probiotic supplement), strawberries and green tea.

Lunch: I made a spinach salad with onion, tomatoes, and two hard boiled eggs. For the dressing, I added a teaspoon of extra virgin greek olive oil and a squeeze of fresh lemon. I also had a cup of green tea. The salad was nothing fancy but it was tasty. I did not feel the need to snack between meals but I kept some fruit on hand just in case. Fruit by the way, must be eaten before 2:00 p.m.

Dinner: I made Stuffed Peppers with Turkey and Riced Cauliflower. And green tea. Oh my gosh was it so delicious!

Easy to make and easy on the waistline! 

This head of cauliflower makes amazing rice!

Cauliflower being processed into rice

Nate making the Cauliflower Rice!

Saute the ground turkey and shallots

Tyler can't get enough of the stuffing

Ground Turkey, Cauliflower Rice and tomato sauce

I used sweet red peppers but any color pepper works

All stuffed and ready to be cooked in the microwave 

Done being cooked, so tender and sweet

Top it with tomato sauce and a dollop of cottage cheese

Simply delicious! Tyler requested mozzarella cheese on top

Stuffed Peppers with Cauliflower Rice and Turkey (Click to print recipe)

Preparation and cook time: 30 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 4 bell peppers, any color, tops cut and insides cored
• 1 pound ground lean turkey
• 1/2 head of cauliflower
• 1 jar of sugar free tomato sauce
• 1 t dried basil
• 1 t dried oregano
• 1 shallot minced
• salt n pepper
• 4 tb fat free cottage cheese for topping

Saute turkey  and shallot in a large pan over medium heat. Meanwhile, cut the half head of cauliflower into chunk size pieces and blend into tiny rice shaped pieces in a food processor or blender. Add riced cauliflower, basil, oregano and salt n pepper to pan with the turkey and mix. Continue to cook until the turkey is browned. Add half jar of tomato sauce and stir. Place peppers upside in a microwave proof casserole dish. With a spoon equally divide stuffing mixture into peppers. Over stuffing is okay. Place a little water in the dish and microwave uncovered for 15 minutes or until peppers are tender when pierced with a fork. Warm the remaining sauce in a pan and pour over tops of peppers. Add a dollop of cottage cheese to top.

Day 1 Menu

I started the day off with a cup of hot water with lemon slices

Breakfast: non-fat greek yogurt, strawberries, and green tea with lemon

Lunch: spinach salad with tomatoes, onion and hard boiled eggs. For the dressing I added a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze of fresh lemon.

Dinner: Stuffed Peppers with Turkey and Cauliflower Rice