Menu Plan Monday ~ Stuffed Peppers and a Sneaky Mom

First of all, I just had to be a nerd and post about the Stuffed Peppers I made last night. They are an old favorite, but it just never ceases to amaze me how good they are!

The problem ... the kids take one look at that huge green thing, aka a vegetable and say, "no way!"

So, I did what any good and loving mother would do .. I tricked them!!!

Here's how!

First I made 2 cups of brown rice and browned a pound of extra lean ground beef. When the beef was done I added a small can of tomato sauce, italian stewed tomatoes and one extremely finely chopped green pepper.

When the rice was done I scooped a heaping spoonful onto plates for Eli and Brynne. I then put a heaping spoonful of the beef mixture over the rice and covered it for later.

Then it was time to make the real stuffed peppers for Rick and I.

I added the remainder of the cooked brown rice to the beef mixture, added a can of rotel, a few handfuls of shredded cheddar cheese and about 6 splashes of Worcestershire sauce and let that simmer.

I cut the tops off my green peppers and scooped out the insides. I boiled the green peppers for about 5-10 minutes, until they started to turn a lighter shade of green. Then I stuffed them, sprinkled the tops with cheese, put the pepper tops back on and baked at 350* for 30 minutes.

When it was time to eat I added some shredded cheddar to Eli's dish (Brynne is on a milk elimination diet checking for lactose intolerance, so hers was made without cheese). Then I heated theirs each up in the microwave for 30 seconds and mixed it all together.

So, Eli and Brynne had a brown rice dish with green peppers, tomatoes and lean ground beef, while Rick and I had the spicier version in a full green pepper.

Everyone ate every bite and loved it!

** This is a big tip I have for moms of picky eaters. My little ones will eat just about anything if it is mixed in with pasta or rice, including every vegetable imaginable. We're not big meat eaters. But, if it happens to be a meat, potato and vegetable night, I just make some brown rice and cut up the meat, potatoes and veggies and mix it into the rice. They eat it without any complaints.

Now onto this week's menu. I actually intended on fixing all of this last week, but Rick ended up having to be out of town on business for the week.

Monday ~ Whole wheat bean tostados, with homemade guacamole, watermelon

** Recipe for tostados: Fry whole wheat tortillas in a small amount of oil, only a minute or so on each side. Add fat free refried beans, some black beans, shredded cheddar, veggies of choice (tomatoes, lettuce, onions), guacamole, sour cream and taco sauce, if desired. Super easy. Super pleasing to everybody in the family.

Tuesday ~ Gargonzola penne pasta, Homemade applesauce

** Go here for the pasta recipe. This is one of my new favorite websites for helping me plan meals. She makes very family friendly, budget friendly meals, and does most of her shopping at Walmart and uses mostly store brands. She's my kind of chef!

Wednesday ~ FFY

Thursday ~ Talapia and rice, Fish sticks for the kids, Apple slices with homemade fruit dip

Friday ~ Chicken tortilla soup, No bake cookies

Saturday ~ Sub sandwiches and chips, Cottage cheese, Mandarin oranges

Sunday ~ Mexican burger wraps with black beans, Grapes

** This recipe came from 30-minute meals by Rachael Ray. I don't really remember the exact recipe, but this is basically what I do. Make as many hamburger patties as you need, mixing in some fresh garlic and mexican spices. When the burgers are done, take a large tortilla shell (burrito size) and smear on some taco sauce or salsa. Place your burger on top. Sprinkle on the desire amount of shredded cheddar cheese. Then fold in all four corners around the burger so it looks like a square envelope. Turn it over, squish it down, cut it corner to corner so you have two "pita" pockets. Then dip in sour cream, or guacamole or a mix of sour cream and taco sauce.

For more menu ideas, visit The OrgJunkie.