dinner ideas – Mummy To Twins Plus One

Do you need a healthy idea for dinner or a side dish? This recipe can either be a main or a little something extra.

As you know I am undertaking the 12 week program from Body Beyond Birth, and wanted to try some of their tasty looking recipes.

I decided to make the following, Rice & Bean Stuffed Capsicums

Stuffed Capsicums ready to go into the oven.

NOTE: Just so you know I realised after purchasing all the ingredients that the online recipe can be altered for the number of people who you would be cooking for. I only used 2 capsicums cut in half to not make too much for an individual meal. However I did end up with a lot left over and that went in the fridge for the next night’s dinner.

The following ingredients are for 4 people. If you need to change this. Click on the number and change it with the up or down arrow on the link above for the recipe.

Ingredients

1 1/3 cup cooked brown rice
1 1/2 small zucchini diced
3/4 small red onion diced
4 red capsicums
1 cup kidney beans drained & rinsed
3 1/2 tablespoons of heaped fresh coriander finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoon lemon rind
3 1/2 tablespoons pine nuts
Salt & pepper
2 tablespoon olive oil + splash for cooking

I substituted the following: Instead of coriander I used parsley, due to hubby hating it. Instead of purchasing pine nuts I used almonds due to having them already. I added some parmesan cheese to the top of the capsicum so that it would add to the flavour and give a nice consistency.

I used almonds instead of pine nuts. I already had almonds at home and thought it would be cheaper to use what I already had.

Jackie from Body Beyond Birth told me that you need to pick food choices that work for you. If you don’t make things from scratch all the time it will be hard to keep up. Eat well and incorporate it into your every day life. Make it easy for you.

Instructions

I put my oven on to 180 degrees as my oven is gas is old and funny. The instructions on the recipe say 150 for an electric oven. Make sure to your line your baking tray.
I halved and cleaned out my capsicum pieces. I like to make sure that they are ready.
Cook brown rice, drain, pour back into pot & cover off heat for 10 minutes.
Cook zucchini & onion in a fry pan with a splash of olive oil on medium-high heat for a few minutes
Once softened & starting to brown, take off heat & set aside.
Combine all ingredients together except capsicums.
Spoon mixture into capsicums.
I added parmesan cheese and left off the olive oil drizzle in the recipe.
Bake for 30-40 minutes until soft & cooked through
Serve immediately

I know I added some things to this dish and it was not exactly as listed. It tasted amazing and the addition of the lemon rind made it have an extra burst of flavour. Having the almonds made it have a nice texture and it was a great addition to a fabulous and easy dish.

Making it a main meal option

If you would like to make this as a main meal you can.

You can add mince or meat if you are not vegetarian. One good tip is to make sure that the capsicum pieces are a little bigger if it is a main meal, or have a few more if smaller.

You can play with what you add to the stuffing for the capsicums, and have different fillings for different menus. You could have a totally vegetarian dish and then switch it up by maybe adding some cheese in the stuffing mixture, or say shredded chicken and other root vegetables. The choices are endless and you can be as creative as you like.

Rice & Bean Stuffed Capsicums ready to eat. Yum. Just right for a side dish or for a main meal.

I hope this helps with some dinner ideas or maybe for lunch? You can have it for both. This is super easy dish and helps to make sure that you are getting more vetables in your diet. Well I suppose it depends on what you put in the stuffing.

Happy cooking!

Since the girls started school, they have been off their food. I have offered all sorts of things for dinner and nothing or the bare minimum gets touched. Sandwiches and lunches are coming back not eaten. This brings me to question: “What are they eating? And who’s lunch are they eating?”, because they are definitely not eating what I am giving them. I do know that I need to have new choices for them, however this is limited by a vegemite and honey sandwich diet and extras are left and never touched. Both girls eat a good breakfast, weetbix. Maybe I need to reduce that so that they eat lunch and dinner.

I feel that the girls are just too busy to eat? So many things to do and see, don’t have time to eat. Is this it? It makes me wonder, when they come home they say they are hungry. So I give them something before I give them dinner, say a yoghurt and then they don’t eat anything after this. Very annoying. I have had screaming temper tantrums telling me that they are hungry and they are not tired and please mummy I don’t need to go to bed!!!!

Before you think I am a big meany poo. I gave them several things to eat and nothing got touched. I thought that they might not be that hungry so left it for ages on the table so the girls could go back and pick at it. I feed them some milk in the hour before bed and they still carry on that they are hungry. I have taken this as a delaying technique and if mummy thinks we are hungry we can stay up. Told them that if they did not eat the sausages, cheese, and beetroot then they are not hungry and it is bed time. Lillian was falling asleep in my arms tonight and also yesterday. There is no way that they are not tired. I suppose Julia and Lillian are trying to convince me otherwise, cheeky monkeys.

Does your child not eat if they are too busy or involved? I suppose that this will sort itself out, when the girls are hungry they will eat. I need inspiration for more lunch box ideas and dinners for the girls. If you have any thoughts, send them my way. We can all share and benefit out of others ideas.