Amateur Chef. Professional Dieter.: Skinny Mushroom Caps

Weight: Don't wanna know

So, the thing about the Iwaskow/Olson house is that my birthday is March 2nd and Bevan's (the boyfriend) birthday is March 4th. Which also means that March 3rd is family dinner time for both of us and the actaul birthday's are just for us to celebrate together with friends. In the end it works out to be a whole week of crazy "It's a celebrate so it doesn't matter" eat extravaganza! I think my weight is somewhere around 154.. I have been checking on and off but I just don't want to be discouraged, so I don't wanna know just yet.... (wow I make a lot of excuses eh?!)

I am officially on Spring break (early this year but yay for the Arctic Winter Games coming to GP!) So I am going to bust my rear during the break. It's just been a very... off.. time. I haven't been working out, been very active or really even cooking lately. I just looked and the last time I calorie counted a full day was February 28th! Yikes. That was the wake-up call I needed. I am back in, full swing!

One thing I did cook during my hiatus was some yummy stuffed mushroom caps. Who doesn't love appies? I love appies! I could (and sometimes do) just eat appies for dinner. And cheesey stuffed mushroom caps are one of my favs! They are the best late night indulgence but because I am so sneaky, veggies take the place of all that cheese (although there is still enough!) so it's not really an indulgence at all!

Crazy Creamy Mushroom Caps

2 tbsp light ricotta
4 tbsp cream cheese, softened
1 tbsp light parmesan cheese

1/2 tbsp roasted garlic & peppers seasoning (or any yummy blend - Italian, Greek, any mix of spices you love)

1 tsp basil

Pepper

2 tbsp onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp bell pepper, minced
4 mushroom stems, minced
2 tbsp vegetable broth

8 large white mushrooms, wiped and de-stemmed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
With a damp cloth, wipe off mushrooms and de-stem. (see tip)
In a small bowl, mix together ricotta, cream cheese, parmesan cheese, seasoning, basil and pepper. Set aside.
Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Cook onion, garlic, bell pepper, mushroom stems and vegetable broth until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add to cheese mixture; stir well to mix.
With a butter knife, fill each mushroom with cheese-vegetable mixture.
Place mushrooms cheese side up on a cooking dish. Bake for about 20 minutes or until mushrooms are soft.
Serve immediately.

Tips
Instead of rinsing mushrooms under a running tap, wipe them off with a damn rag. Mushrooms are like sponges and will absorb any water that you run over them. You will get rid of any dirt on the mushrooms with a simple wipe.