My husband and I are in our first week of the Faster Way to Fat Loss program and it has been an eye opener for sure! We are using My Fitness Pal to track our macros and we quickly realized that we have NOT been eating ENOUGH food. Not enough of the right foods. So we had some favorite meal nights that we needed to get creative with and that is where this recipe comes in.
Our family keeps Taco Tuesday on the weekly calendar. It might actually be one of our favorite night’s of the week. Pizza night comes in a close second. With the Faster Way to Fat Loss program, the goal is to get the majority of our nutrients (if not all of them) from whole foods. And since Taco Tuesday falls on one of our low carb days, my goal was to ditch the high carb shells and find something more compatible but just as delicious.
BELL PEPPERS are a fabulous substitute!
I chose the colors that are sweeter in taste and easier on the digestive system. 😉 I cut the tops off, cut them half, and scooped out the seeds. I then placed them in a casserole dish, drizzled olive oil over them, a little salt and pepper and baked the empty peppers @350 for 5-10 minutes.
While the bells were baking, I went to work on the filling. You can do ANYTHING you want with the filling: add the protein of your choice (I used grass fed beef), a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies, and a can of pinto beans (you can use black beans too), add your seasonings and let heat through. *You can make this recipe on a regular macro day and add rice to the filling. DELICIOUS!
So here’s the thing, if my husband and I are going to change how we eat and fuel our bodies, we are going to set this example for our children too. Which means, whatever I make for dinner, I make for the whole family. Besides, who really has time to cook two different meals??
Now that you have your bells filled, cover them with foil, and return them to the oven @350 for 20 minutes. This is enough time for me to clean up my cooking mess (makes after dinner clean a breeze), or help quiz a kiddo for an upcoming test, or better yet, enjoy an afternoon cup of coffee with the hubs on our patio.
After 20 minutes of baking, covered, remove the foil and sprinkle cheese over your bells. Return to the oven for an extra 5-10 minutes, uncovered, till your cheese is melted. Garnish with a small dollop of sour cream, hot sauce for an extra kick, or guacamole.
Leave a comment if you and your family give this recipe a try. Would love to hear what you think!
Low Carb Taco-Stuffed Bell Peppers
- 6 Bell Peppers (any color)
- 2.5 lbs of protein (ground chicken, turkey, or beef)
- 1 can of diced tomatoes with green chilies
- 1 can of beans (pinto or black) drained
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tbls cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- salt
- pepper
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Directions
- Wash and cut tops off bell peppers. Then cut in half.
- Scoop out seeds.
- Place in a casserole dish. Drizzle olive oil over bells then sprinkle salt and pepper to taste.
- Put in preheated oven @350 and bake for 5-10 minutes.
- While bells are cooking in oven, brown your meat. Drain grease. Add the remaining ingredients, mix till combined, then heat till bubbly.
- Fill bells with taco filling. Cover and return to oven to bake for 15-20 minutes.
- Uncover and sprinkle shredded cheese over bells. Place back in the oven (uncovered) for an extra 10 minutes till cheese is melted and peppers are tender.
- Garnish with your favorite toppings.
Twisted Oak Farm 