zucchini boats, stuffed peppers, stuffed squash - good?

[Janet]

I'm hooked on stuffing veggies this year. I made all these great mixes to stuff veggies with and then top with cheese before baking them. Is this healthy and weight loss friendly? I'm afraid I'm not getting it right. Any tips/advice/recipes I should be trying?

[ChefMel]

I always just try to focus on quality ingredients and something filling. That way, I'll eat a reasonable amount instead of overeating. It's all good to stuff a zucchini with something light like tomatoes and mushrooms, but if that's what I eat, I know I'll be hungry shortly after dinner. I like adding a bit of ground turkey, then a layer of tomatoes on top, then mushrooms, then a thin layer of mashed potatoes - as thin as possible without being able to see any of the ingredients underneath. When you bake it, the tomatoes cook down and flavor the pork. The entire thing comes together like a kind of shepherd's pie boat!

[BabyButtons]

Have you tried filling it like it's a burrito bowl? After baking, top with some chopped-up tomatoes and shredded lettuce if you want...so good. It's somewhat like having chili in a bread bowl, but fewer carbs!

[TammyBear]

What about riced cauliflower instead of mashed potatoes, combined with great spices and melt a bit of cheese on top?

[2strikes]

Put your favorite stuffing recipe into a hollowed pie pumpkin, replacing half the bread with apple and take out the bacon in favor of ham. Put it in the instant pot for a half hour. take it out gently because it'll be soft. The outside peel will slide right off and you can scoop it into bowls. You can use it as a side dish but I just use it as a main.