all this sleeplessness has made me productive

I have lost a lot of sleep lately. I don't know for sure why, but probably because I don't handle stress as well as I used to and all the scheduling of classes and missing out on various fun activities, has stressed me out and made me depressed. (Side note: I have two classes now, they were the only two that I needed that were left. BUT, I have classes and I'm happy about something to show for all my hard work!) This lack of sleep has a few perks though. I've made a menu for our family for the next five weeks. All of my coupons are clipped and filed and ready to go. I finally finished going through all the toys we need to get rid of. And I also finished putting my tags into the system for the resale at the end of the month. And of course, I've been reading a lot again. This is our menu for the coming week:

Monday: Stuffed Bell Peppers
Tuesday: Different Chicken Divan
Wednesday: White Bean Chicken Chili (Crockpot)
Thursday: Spaghetti Pie  
Friday: dinner out
Saturday: Italian Gumbo
Sunday: Grill (guys cook - it's my birthday!)


I've never made Stuffed Bell Peppers before, but they are one of the hubby's favorites, so it is high time that I give it a try. I'll go ahead and post the recipe today and let you know if it's a yummy one tomorrow. :)

Stuffed Bell Peppers

6 large green bell peppers

1 lb ground beef or turkey (I plan to add just a bit of Italian seasoning)

2 Tbsp chopped onion

dash of salt

2 cups cooked rice

1- 15oz can tomato sauce

1 cup shredded Mozzarella

-Remove seeds and membranes from each pepper and rinse. 

-Cook peppers in enough water to cover on medium-high for 5 minutes and drain.

-Brown meat and onion in skillet and drain. 

-Stir in salt (and Italian seasoning, if desired), rice and 1 cup of tomato sauce. Heat thoroughly.

-Stuff each pepper with mixture. Stand upright in greased baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over peppers.

-Cover and bake @ 350 for 45 minutes. 

-Uncover and sprinkle cheese over top and place back in oven to melt.

I plan to post some of the other recipes from our menu this week. I am especially excited about the Different Chicken Divan. A friend from work gave it to me a couple years ago and I had forgotten about it. It is very tasty and I can't wait to make it again. I hope you all enjoyed your weekend. And no, you aren't reading things incorrectly, I really am up and posting a blog at 5:00am. I went to bed early and woke up at 4am, wired for sound. Maybe it will make me even more productive today to get my blog-fix this early. :)