This blog was created by guest blogger, Sunny Arnold, a dietetic undergraduate student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Do you love to host parties but don’t know what to serve? Are you looking for a new way to incorporate protein, vegetables and grains into your meals? This delicious stuffed bell pepper recipe gives a fresh look at healthy eating with new, exciting flavors. (The secret ingredient is a bit of cinnamon.) Sound interesting? Try it out!

This recipe can contribute to the USDA’s daily recommendations of three cups of vegetables, six ounces of protein and 6-8 ounces of grains (according to a 2,000 calorie diet). Make it optimally healthy by choosing whole grain brown rice, low sodium diced tomatoes and 90% lean ground beef. This recipe requires only about 20 minutes prep time and 40 minutes cook time!

Yield: 5 servings
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Total time:  1 hour

Ingredients:

• 5 bell peppers (green, red, orange or yellow)
• 1 lb lean ground beef (90% lean)
• 3/4 cup brown rice
• 1/2 can diced tomatoes (low sodium)
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

Instructions:

1.   After washing the bell peppers, cut off the tops and remove the membrane and seeds from the inside.

2.    In a large bowl, combine ground beef, rice, diced tomatoes, lemon juice and spices! Mix!

3.   Scoop the meat mixture from Step 2 into the open bell peppers with a spoon!

4.    Put the stuffed bell peppers in a large stock pot on the stove. Add water to the stockpot to a depth of about 1 inch. Cover the stock put and cook on low for 30-40 minutes until rice is soft!

Enjoy!