Homemade Veggie Packed Sloppy Joes

So growing up Sloppy Joes were pretty much a staple in our house and I was telling my boyfriend last night after making dinner that I didn't even know there was canned sloppy joe mix until I was 18 or older. My mom always made the sauce herself, not from scratch but just mixting BBQ sauce and ketchup. I think doing it yourself, especially with your favorite BBQ sauce makes it way better! 

So here is my super easy Sloppy Joe recipe and I like to fill it with lots of veggies

Ingredients 

• 1 lb ground beef (I used 90/10)
• 1/2 orange bell pepper
• 1/2 green bell pepper (use whichever you like best)
• 1/2 onion (red or white)
• Ketchup (about 1/2 cup)
• BBQ Sauce (about 1/2 cup)
• Seasoning: salt, pepper, garlic powder, cayenne 

Directions

• Chop veggies to the size of your liking. If you have little ones and are trying to disguise the veggies use a food processor 
• Put meat and chopped veggies in pan on medium. You don't need to add oil because of the fat in the meat. 
• Break apart ground beef, add a few pinches of each seasoning, and and stir often until meat is browned. About 15 minutes 
• If you are using a lean meat you may not need to drain it and can keep the little bit of fat for flavor, if it is a higher fat percentage drain it and return to stove
• Add ketchup and BBQ sauce, cover, and simmer on low for 10 minutes 
• Add to bun or bread of choice and enjoy (with lots of napkins)

Super easy since it cooks all together

So tasty and so sloppy 

 

So ketchup is ketchup as I see it but I LOVE Kinder's BBQ Sauce. This one isn't very hot but has such a good flavor, if you see if in stores near you give it a try.

2 Low Calorie Meals with Sandwich Thins

Here are two things I like to make using the Arnold or Orowheat (depending on what part of the country you live in) 100 Calorie Thins. They are healthy, really easy, and tasty.

Toast with Avocado and Egg

This is about 170 calories and very well balanced. You get protein, healthy fats, and whole wheat. I think it is the perfect breakfast or addition to lunch. All you need is a hard boil egg (see my post about doing hard boiled eggs in the oven-so easy!), a sandwich thin, and 1/4 of an avocado. You can toast the sandwich thin or not. So good! It's like a healthier fried egg sandwich.

Veggie Pizza Thins

So each thin with toppings is about 130 Calories depending on what kind/how much cheese you use. I use 2% mozzarella and little bit of 2% sharp cheddar. If you want the bread crispier you can toast it first since you don't need it in the oven long to melt the cheese. To the 100 Calorie Thin I added some marinara, onions, spinach (and mushrooms if i would have had them), and cheese. Place in oven for about 5 min. at 450 or until cheese is melted to your liking. I usually will do both halves of the thin to have two mini pizzas for a meal.