June 17th is National Eat Your Vegetables Day, a day devoted increasing the awareness of the health benefits of vegetables as well as encouraging people to include more in their diet.
While we all know vegetables are good for health, do we really know why? Is it all of the health-promoting vitamins and minerals that make vegetables such a nutrient superstar? What about the dietary fiber that helps keep bowel movements regular, regulates blood sugar, and keeps us feeling fuller longer? Or perhaps it’s due to the fact that many vegetables have a high percentage of water, such as cucumbers (95.2% water), butterhead lettuce (95.6% water), and tomatoes (94.5% water), which helps keep us hydrated. The most likely culprit: the combination of these factors and their ability to work synergistically together to promote good health and wellbeing.
Whether you’re looking to manage your weight, lower your risk of chronic disease (e.g. heart disease, certain types of cancer, and type 2 diabetes), help decrease bone loss, or simply improve your overall health and wellbeing, vegetables are the answer.
One of my favorite ways to eat vegetables is to stuff them. Stuffed mushrooms, peppers, eggplant, squash (e.g. zucchini, spaghetti, acorn, butternut, yellow squash, etc.), turnips—the options abound! Here’s a quick and easy recipe for Avocado Chicken Salad Stuffed Peppers. It’s a cinch to throw together, looks beautiful, tastes great, and is quite filling! Try it for lunch or dinner.
Avocado Chicken Salad Stuffed Mini Peppers
Serves 2
Per Serving: 1 Leaner | 3 Green | 1 Healthy Fat | 1 Condiment
Ingredients
10 oz cooked, shredded chicken breast
4 oz low-fat plain Greek yogurt
3 oz mashed avocado
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp chopped red onion (optional)
½ tsp lemon juice
10 oz mini bell peppers, cut in half with seeds and membrane removed
Directions
- Mix together the chicken, yogurt, avocado, salt, pepper, onion (optional), and lemon juice in a bowl.
- Stuff each pepper half with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the chicken mixture. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Nutrition Information: 360 calories | 50g protein | 15g carbohydrate | 12g fat
