Chicken and White Bean Stuffed Peppers

This is a great light & healthy meal for when you need to ween yourself off of 4 days of all-you-can-eat buffets.

All-you-can-eat buffets, unlimited mojitos and pina coladas, and a weekend devoid of anything even closely resembling physical activity (actually, maybe dancing counts?).

Despite feeling slightly gluttonous all weekend, we had a great Bahamas mini-vacation!

We stayed at a Riu resort on Paradise Island, so I felt kind of like a rock star. Except, they didn’t give me anything for free, so, not really. When we were checking in at the front desk, the woman asked me my name and I went through the usual spelling spiel, “Riu. R-I-U… oh. Yeah, obviously.” She was a little overly excited at the coincidence, yet still didn’t bother to throw in a free massage or anything. Boo.

The food was pretty good, though slightly inappropriate at times (I mean, really?)…

…but the company was better! (And also slightly inappropriate at times.)

The beachside wedding was beautiful, and the weather could not have been better… which was kind of amazing since it rained for about 40% of our trip.

I rarely have a date for weddings (thank you, Navy), so it was an extra special treat to have Nick there!

And it was probably a good thing, because we learned something pretty important… which is that we should probably learn how to dance before our own wedding.

I think Nick was more excited to have his boyfriend there than he was to be my date. They’re kind of weird.

I guess Mike can have him. I had plenty of lovely ladies to hang out with.

The best part of the weekend came after the reception. Everyone, and I mean everyone– aunts, uncles, bride– jumped into the ocean in dresses, ties and wedding attire! Nothing like a nice midnight swim after a few hours of sweaty dancing. After everyone tired of the ocean, we moved to the pool where some people stayed til the wee hours. I was actually quite impressed with the Riu. Instead of yelling at us for storming the beach at midnight and then dragging our sandy clothes into the pool, they actually sent an employee down to watch and make sure no one drowned, and just let us have our fun.

Congrats Deb & Chris… it was definitely a memorable day!

Ok, now… who’s hungry?

Chicken and White Bean Stuffed Peppers

(adapted from Skinnytaste)

2 tsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, minced
4 green bell peppers
2 medium chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
Salt & pepper, to taste
1 tbsp cumin
2 tbsp hot sauce (any kind… Frank’s, Cholula…)
1 (15.5 oz) can white beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and jalapeno and cook another minute. Add chicken and season with salt, pepper and cumin. Stir in hot sauce. Add beans, cilantro and chicken broth, and simmer about 10 minutes, until thickened. Adjust spices to taste.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut peppers in half removing seeds and stem. Fill each pepper half with chicken mixture and place in a baking pan or casserole dish. Pour about 1/3 cup water or chicken broth on the bottom of the dish. Cover the pan tightly with foil, and bake 30-40 minutes, until peppers are soft. Remove foil, top with cheese and bake uncovered another 5 minutes.