I have never been out to dinner on Valentines day. We don't exchange romantic gifts or get "lovey-dovey" on February 14th.
But we do still celebrate!
We make food in the shape of hearts (toast, pancakes, pizza).
We make heart shaped crafts.
We talk about what we love about eachother.
and
We eat a lot of red, pink and purple foods throughout the month: Bell Peppers, Grapefruit, Beets, Tomatoes, Strawberries, Grapes, Cabbage and Radishes!
On the blog this month, I'm going to highlight my favorite red and pink foods.
Starting with BELL PEPPERS.
I couldn't live without bell peppers. They are one of my top 10 favorite foods. Not only are they sweet and crunchy, but they are also super nutritious.
One bell pepper has about 150mg vitamin C, which is 160% of your daily need for vitamin C.
Vitamin C is important for you immune system, getting enough vitamin C can keep you healthy!
Bell peppers are also loaded with antioxidants that help prevent chronic disease like cancer. Eating a diet full of vegetables like bell peppers can keep your body healthy!
I'll often slice up a bell pepper and eat it raw. Bell peppers are sweet and crunchy, like apples, and make a perfect snack. Hummus, ranch or cream cheese dips go well with bell peppers.
This video shows the fastest way to cut a bell pepper (and a fun way to cut them into hearts for valentines day).
We usually eat bell peppers chopped up into salads. Bell peppers make a good substitution for raw tomatoes if you have tomato-haters at your house (my husband hates raw tomatoes). So when a recipe calls for tomatoes, I'll use bell peppers instead to make my family happy. Here are my favorite salad recipes that feature bell peppers:
RICE AND BEAN SALAD
BURRITO BOWLS
GREEK SALAD
PASTA SALAD
Bell peppers also add a sweet flavor to a few of my favorite soups:
If you happen to have a bell pepper that needs to be used, it's easy to add them into tacos, on top of pizza or in scrambled eggs.
Those are a few of my favorite bell pepper recipes.
Do you have a favorite way to eat bell peppers? Send me an email and let me know!