Pesto Stuffed Mini-Sweet Peppers

The time has come for our household to recommit to healthier eating, and my husband is back on the wagon of his lower carb diet. I am trying to reign in my propensity for way too much ice cream/brownies/cookies and the daily adult beverage or two...and perhaps most difficult of all: lots more exercise. Yes, it's going to be hangry-time around here for the next few days as we detox from all our birthday party and 4th of July fun, and all the excess we have been enjoying with waves of company in town. So, I put on my thinking cap, busted out my laptop, and did some searching for some new recipes that might fit the bill and get me a little less depressed feeling about the removal of potato chips, monster bars, and ice cream from my house. If you haven't used Tasty Kitchen before, you really should give it a try. It's a great quick resource to find loads of recipe in any category you need. I found this recipe and immediately knew we'd love it. It calls for chicken, but I think you could substitute a number of things for it...Italian sausage, roasted veggies (I'm thinking mushrooms, zucchini, and eggplant), and next time I am going to add some diced sundried tomatoes for a bit of extra flavor/color punch. This would make an easy and impressive-looking appetizer, but it was a great dinner alongside a huge kale salad (perhaps 6 kale plants was a bit excessive for our garden this year) and some fresh blackberries (seriously, have you tasted them these days? NOW is the time to stock up on fresh blackberries and freeze away). If you use store bought pesto and rotisserie chicken, this really would be a 20-minute meal.

Pesto Stuffed Mini-Sweet Peppers
-from maebells.com

-2 lbs mini sweet peppers (2 bags--you probably won't use them all)
-2-3 cups shredded cooked chicken (or whatever you decide to try)
-about 1/2 cup pesto (store bought or homemade--I had basil I needed to use so I used homemade this time)
-1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Stir pesto into the chicken (use however much you want until the desired level of pesto-ness is achieved), and season with salt/pepper if needed. Cut peppers in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Lay out onto a large baking sheet or two. Spoon chicken mixture on top of pepper halves and sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Serve your family a cute little meal.