Blast from the Past - Burger Season

Sick of all my workout posts yet?  Yeah, I know, it's a bit much.  I promise though that I've been cooking up a storm.  Just haven't had time to post the recipes yet.  But will do so soon.  We've had some seriously killer dishes from Bon Appetit and Martha Stewart lately.  Mmmm, so good!  So don't leave me just yet, they're a comin'.

For now, let's delve back into my first month of blogging and get our grill on.  Here's some yummy burgers from way back when.  Almost a year ago.  :)

One night - two burgers, a salsa burger with guac & radicchio and a surprise cheese slider with spinach & honey mustard.  Both of these burgers are Fab-u-lous!!

Recipes obtained from Clean Eating magazine and modified by me.

Amount of ingredients will vary depending on number and size of burgers you prefer:

lean ground beef (I used 97/3)
fresh tomato salsa
low-fat cheddar (cubed)
guacamole (store made or from recipe in separate post)
radicchio leaves
1 tbsp raw honey
3 tbsp whole grain mustard
fat-free greek yogurt
baby spinach leaves
ground pepper

Sliders:
Season ground beef with pepper and combine.  Roll into palm sized meatballs.  Make an indent with finger and insert one cheese cube.  Seal hole and form into patty.  Grill to desired doneness (I suggest medium as the lean beef will dry out beyond that - although you can just add more sauce if this occurs).  While burger is grilling, combine the honey and mustard in small bowl.  Spread on top (or bottom) of a whole wheat bun and add spinach leaves.  Top with hot, grilled burger.

Salsa burgers:
Season ground beef with pepper.  Add salsa to meat mixture and combine.  Shape into patties.  Grill to desired doneness.  While burger is grilling, spread bottom of whole wheat bun with yogurt and top with radicchio leaves.  Spread a generous amount of guacamole on top bun.  Add hot, grilled burger and enjoy.

Bun prep:

The finished product (I could not find whole wheat slider buns so please excuse the hiding burger):

Lean beef does NOT mean dry burgers.  Hello oozy cheesy goodness:

Full nutritional info unavailable as I modified the recipes somewhat.  BUT, 2 sliders will more than fill you and comes in at under 400 calories!  Both burgers are an excellent source of much needed protein and iron.  The salsa burger brings in just over 350 calories.  Using lean beef and avoiding processed condiments knocks the cholesterol content of each serving (1 salsa burger or 2 sliders) to about 60mgs.

Review: My husband and the kids LOVED these burgers.  I had a half of each burger and they were both equally delicious.  I really enjoyed the honey mustard sauce on the slider and will use this for other dishes and sandwiches (think chicken and spinach on crusty whole grain, yum).  I was unsure about the greek yogurt on the salsa burger as I don't typically like it, but oh my, what a good idea!  This one was pretty messy to eat but very much worth it.  Prep time was minimal.  We will be doing this again and again.  Who's coming over?

Would love some other ideas for healthy burger toppings.

Chicken Calza-dillas

Tired of all my Clean Eating recipes yet?  Well, this one is just a loose interpretation of their chicken spinach ricotta quesadilla.  To me, it was more of a calzone in a tortilla.  Slightly messy but very yummy.  The kids loved the cheesy-ness of it.

8 oz boneless skinless chicken breast
2 1/2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1 medium white onion, finely diced
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
1 cup spinach, stems removed
3/4 cup fat free ricotta cheese (original recipe calls for low fat)
1/2 cup navy beans, drained and rinsed under cold water
3/4 cup low-fat mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup fresh herbs (flat-leaf parsley and rosemary), chopped
Juice 1/2 lemon
Pinch nutmeg, freshly grated
8 small whole-grain tortillas

Preheat oven to 350° F. Heat grill or indoor grill pan.  Lightly coat chicken with 1/2 tsp oil and season with salt and black pepper. Cook to done on grill pan or outdoor grill.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tsp oil in a large nonstick sauté pan over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add onion and red pepper, stirring frequently until softened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add spinach to pan and stir to combine, until spinach is slightly wilted, about 1 minute. Remove mixture from pan and pour into a paper-towel-lined bowl. Set aside and allow to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese and beans, mashing beans slightly (or all the way so the kids don't see them). Add mozzarella cheese, herbs, lemon juice and nutmeg. Season with salt and black pepper, and stir well to combine. Set aside. When chicken is cool enough to handle, dice into 1/2-inch pieces and add to cheese mixture.

Working in small batches, squeeze excess moisture from spinach mixture with your hands. Discard any liquid, and then add spinach mixture to chicken-cheese mixture. Mix until thoroughly combined. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

On a flat surface, lay out tortillas and scoop about 1/3 cup mixture into center of each tortilla. Fold each tortilla in half, pressing gently to flatten filling evenly, until filling is about 1/4-inch from edge (you want to prevent the filling from leaking out during cooking).

Place quesadillas on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake in oven for 20 minutes, or until filling is hot throughout and tortillas are golden brown and crisp. Allow filling to set for 3 minutes before cutting. Cut in half and serve immediately.  We used a little side of prepared salsa for dipping.

From Clean Eating (assuming the use of low fat ricotta): per 1/2 quesadilla: Calories: 290, Total Fat: 7 g, Sat. Fat: 2.5 g, Monounsaturated: 1.5 g, Polyunsaturated: 0 g, Omega-3s: 40 mg, Omega 6s: 260 mg, Carbs: 36 g, Fiber: 6 g, Sugars: 4 g, Protein: 20 g, Sodium: 590 mg, Cholesterol: 25 mg

Healthier Chicken Parm

**DISCLAIMER - Currently having computer display issues which are prohibiting me from accurately determining the coloring and exposure of my uploaded pics. Apologies for the over and under exposed, dark or just plain crappy photos**

Last week we had another of my daughter's picks for dinner.  Again, from the Clean Eating cookbook.

This is a healthified chicken parmagiana using whole wheat breading and adhering said breading with mustard instead of eggs and milk.  It was delicious.  The kids could detect the mustard flavor and decided they didn't want to have it again, but this night at least, they ate it.

1 cup whole wheat panko
1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
6 skinless chicken breasts
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 cup prepared pasta sauce
1/2 cup part skim mozz, shredded

Heat oven to 400.  Combine first 5 ingredients in a shallow bowl.  Brush both sides of the chicken breasts with mustard.  Coat with panko mixture and arrange on a cooking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.  Bake for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and top with three tablespoons of sauce and some mozzarella.  Return to oven and bake for another 10 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbling.

I really loved the bite of the mustard on this.  We only had whole grain on hand so the breading didn't fully coat the chicken but that was ok with me.  If you'd like a more even coating, a finer ground version would probably work best.

Turkey Sloppy Joes

In my attempt to get back on track with healthy eating AND get the kids involved and excited about it, this past weekend I dug out a few of my "healthier" cookbooks and magazines and let them tab dishes they wanted to have throughout the next two weeks.  Then we compiled our shopping list and hit the store.  It is such a nice feeling to be organized and have what I need for the week.  On my fridge is a list of the chosen dishes and in the morning I decide which one we will have, defrost or set up whatever meat we need, and go about my day.

Today's dish rocked my socks!  It was chosen by my daughter from Clean Eating's new cookbook.  It was nice to finely chop all those veggies and watch the kids devour them.  So, I highly recommend the Turkey Sloppy Joes for the fam.

1 cup Yellow Corn

1 lb Ground Breast Of Turkey
1/2 cup Raw Red Bell Pepper
1/2 cup Yellow Bell Pepper
1/2 cup Red Onion
4 tsp Chili Powder
2 cloves Garlic
1/4 tsp Sea Salt
6 tomatoes, finely chopped
1 cup Chicken Broth, Reduced Sodium
1 tbsp Tomato Paste
3/4 tbsp Low Sodium Soy Sauce
1 tbsp Arrowroot
6 whole wheat rolls
Monterrey jack cheese, shredded

 Dice red and yellow peppers and onion in 1/2 dice. Finely chop garlic cloves. Set aside.


In a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat, cook turkey until it begins to brown, 3-4 minutes. Add red and yellow peppers and cook, stirring occasionally for 2 minutes. Add onion and garlic, cook for 4 minutes. Add chili powder and salt and cook for 1 minute.

Stir in tomatoes, corn, broth, tomato paste and soy sauce. Increase heat to high and bring to boil. Reduce to simmer,cover and cook for 20 minutes.

Dissolve arrowroot in 2 tbsp cold water. Add sloppy joe mixture at end of cooking time. Stir until sauce thickens - 30-60 seconds.

Toast your rolls in the toaster oven or under broiler.  Slap the meat on there and top with some cheese.  Yummy!

They are just a tad bit messy.  But I really love to see this:

The leftovers were awesome too.  Served it one day over whole wheat pasta for the kids and my husband and I took some to work with pita bread for lunch.

Anyone else pick up this book yet?

Powerful Banana Walnut Bread

In keeping true to my usual self, I've had this lovely Power Foodsbook for well over two months now and just finally got to making one of the recipes.  Sigh.  We love bananas in this house, so this flax infused Banana Bread was the perfect start to this lovely book.  If you haven't picked this up yet, it's worth at least a quick leaf through at the bookstore.  The pictures are so gorgeous and appetizing that you'll be craving veggies in no time.  Now, on to the bread.

Despite being a "healthy" snack, it was pretty darn good - and easy to whip up.  Yay!

2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 whole egg
1 egg white
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup mashed banana (about 2)
1/2 cup walnuts (optional)

Heat oven to 350.  Spray loaf pan with baking spray.  In a bowl, whisk together both flours, flaxseed, salt, baking soda and baking powder.

In another bowl, with an electric mixer, beat your eggs. Add melted butter, sugar, vanilla and bananas.  Mix until combined.  Add flour mixture and mix on low until just combined.  Stir in walnuts with spatula.

Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake until golden, about 30 minutes (recipe calls for 35 but this would've left me with a very dry bread).  Let cool and serve.  Or, if you are like me, wait 2 minutes and grab a quick slice for "taste testing" purposes.  Can be stored at room temp, wrapped in plastic, for 4 days.

A "Smooth" Morning with Martha - Recipe Challenge Week 1

So clever I am, no?  :)

This is the very first post in my month-long recipe challenge (more about that HERE).  As you can see, we are starting out easy.  Today you get a smoothie and tomorrow you may get a super easy dessert but you'll have to wait and see.  After that, it's on to the main dishes!  Best thing - this whole week will consist of "light" recipes for those of us still trying to shed those holiday pounds and eat cleaner.

Anyway, the first recipes I tried from Food Everyday (Martha Stewart's little recipe mag) were smoothies.  Perfect for a Sunday morning!  The two we made were the Almond Date and Pom-Berry Banana.  Both recipes are meant to yield two smoothies.

Almond Date Smoothie
3 tbsp almond butter
4 pitted dates, chopped
1 cup low fat yogurt
1 cup apple cider or juice
1 cup ice

Blend all ingredients in blender.

Pom-Berry Banana Smoothie
1 peeled orange, quartered
1 cup frozen berries
1 ripe banana
1 cup pomegranate juice

Blend all ingredients in blender.

Cheers!  So good, we even broke out the Simon Pearce for breakfast.

My son downed the Pom-Berry immediately.  My husband and I shared the Almond Date (he also polished off what was left of the berry).  It was a bit gritty from the almond butter. The Almond was not as refreshing as the other, but still very good.  These were filling as a breakfast too - and I usually can't do a "drink" as a meal.

Nutritional info as per magazine:
Pom-Berry
Calories - 197
Fat - 0g
Protein - 2g
Carbs - 50g
Fiber - 4g

Almond Date
Calories - 373 (clearly, a meal)
Sat Fat - 2g
Protein - 11g
Carbs - 53g
Fiber - 3g

What Are The Kids Eating?!?

Just a quick PS announcement and a request.

A little background: I have two children.  My son has "issues" at school.  Sometimes at home, but mostly at school.  Strictly for school purposes, we have an ADD diagnosis which gets us a little leniency when it comes to his behavior.  It does not excuse it but, without going into too much personal detail, in order for it to be dealt with effectively, there has to be a medical "reason" on file.  I think it's total crap, but whatever.

Anyway, as most parents of children with these problems, I am always, always looking for a reason.  There HAS to be a reason why some days are hell and some days are not.  Well, I think we have finally had a break through and it's one of my greatest passions.  Food!!  Children prone to ADD, ADHD, ODD, OCD, etc. can have hyper sensitivities to certain ingredients in their favorite foods and treats.  Mostly the artificial additives and chemically altered foods.  Huge shocker, right.  LOL

After conducting my own little experiments, we have eliminated any and all high fructose corn syrup and red dye 40 from his diet and monitor his salt intake.  Now this is not easy as both of these ingredients are showing up in so many of the kid's favorite things and all those super attractive convenience foods are loaded with sodium.  I have had to go through every single thing in our home, right down to the nestle syrup I use to make hot chocolate every now and again, and yes, that had to go - full bottle right in the trash.  The last thing to go were the Triaminic dissolving cough medicine strips.  Never thought to look at those ingredients and the three evenings that I gave them to my son were followed by three of the worst ever days he had at school.  What is the second ingredient in those strips you ask?  That'd be red dye 40.  This has what to do with suppressing a cough?

Is all this a coincidence?  I'm not so sure.  I won't post links to all the various websites I have viewed to support my theory, but a quick google search will bring up TONS of info if you are interested.  To go into detail on everything I've gone through at home to support this claim, well that would make this one seriously long blog post and I won't bore you with more words than I usually spew.  You're welcome.  :-)

So my request is, please look into the ingredients in the foods you feed your family.  With the introduction of all these chemically altered ingredients, food additives and convenience foods, we have a growing epidemic of childhood obesity, psychological problems and recurrent illness in children, reliance on medications for school age children, etc.  Conduct your own experiments, introduce your kids to new, healthier foods and treats - they do exist.  They will stop complaining and just eat it eventually, I promise.

I cannot tell you the difference eliminating these items from my son's diet have had on his behavior and entire emotional state.  It is immeasurable!  We are not looking forward to sorting out all the "bad" stuff on Halloween, but I am planning to have plenty of approved treats on hand to trade with him.  It does take a bit of extra work and planning, but look at the end result.  So well worth it if you ask me.

Goin' Loco for Local. Apples!

I do not enjoy the passing of summer.  The thought of the impending snow, ice and cold weather is just no fun.  But there are some things I really love about fall.  Casseroles, baking, holiday time and apple picking!! 

This year we chose a most perfect day for apple picking.  The weather was just perfect with a teeny touch of fall mixed in.  I loaded the kids in the car all decked out in their jeans and "Timbs" and headed 40 minutes north to Masker's Orchard in Warwick, NY.  Thankfully we went a littler earlier in the season this year as last year we went in mid-October and had a hard time finding apples.  This year though, the trees were bursting!  We ended up with a very full 1/2 bushel, a dozen cider donuts and a gallon of ice cold cider (which was free for AAA members).  Planned thus far is homemade applesauce (my husband's specialty), caramel apple cake and some yummy apple strudel muffins.

The view from the top o' the orchard:

My son LOVES to climb the trees.  He insists that the best apples are at the top where the sun can get them.

The princess and I wait at the bottom to bag those prime finds.

 

You cannot be a true princess without pink Timbs.

 Strike a pose.

 Got anything good up there?

 Free snacks!

After Masker's, we met up with my mother at Bellvale Farms.  They have a cool (and somewhat dusty) tractor ride to the pumpkin patch which is an actual pumpkin patch, not just a bunch of pumpkins sprawled on the ground.  We actually get to cut our pumpkins off the plant and preserve some of that neat curly stem.  And we know all great jack-o-lanterns need a curly stem!

 I loved the variety of pumpkins and squash available.

True to form, my son was very methodical.  He chose several large pumpkins and rolled them all to the edge of the patch.  After reaching the end, he strolled back up the path and compared the pumpkins so he could be sure he got the largest one available.  Here he is rolling his 30 lb. find back to the tractor pick up area along with Grandma.

The kids' finds. 

We are now dusty, hungry and tired!  Bellvale's homemade ice cream and apple cider donuts for all!

Re-Examining...Again

Once again, I take a pause to re-evaluate my "healthy" lifestyle choices as I have done before here.  This time it was triggered by an apparently controversial article appearing in Marie Claire outlining the effect various healthy living bloggers could have on their readers.

Now, I will say that I know for a fact that the bloggers outlined in the article were interviewed for this article under false pretenses.  The author indicated to them that they would be featured in an article on successful blogging tips but as you can see, there are no tips included in the article.

I will not go on to take sides with either party here, although I do read several of the "Big 6" blogs indicated and enjoy the recipes and personal stories contained therein, and have purchased Marie Claire magazine in the past.  But I will say that the reason I read those blogs is to get ideas on making tasty healthy meals.  I love the fact that these bloggers photograph their dishes in such beautiful settings as to make me WANT to go out and roast some squash, or put pumpkin and dried fruit in my oatmeal.  I don't typically try to mimic their exercise habits.  Are we, as readers, responsible for our actions or the feelings we get when we read someone's blog or look at magazines featuring teeny tiny skinny models (which Marie Claire does do)?

The article though did get me to step back and re-examine how I go about being "healthier" and how I keep my body "fit" (both of these terms mean VERY different things to different people).  I think it's a valid concern, but are bloggers to blame for telling the stories of their lives, workouts and eating habits included?  I mean, women are blasted all day long with images of the ideal woman (in all her airbrushed, surgerized and highly styled glory) on TV, on magazine covers, etc.  We openly blame the media for their images of women, are "health" bloggers part of the problem too?

When I look back at my eating and exercise habits when I first started my fitness journey and when I first started blogging, it was a bit fanatic.  Too much working out, denying myself the snacks I enjoy even in moderation.  But I wanted it all and I wanted it yesterday and there is so much conflicting information out there, and so many gorgeous and thin ladies blogging about their progress!  So I'm asking anybody reading today to take a step back and really look at what you do to stay healthy, to maintain a certain weight, or on your quest for a certain physique.  Make sure that what you do is making you happy and satisfied and not becoming a burden that makes your feel riddled with guilt if you "screw up".

For me, I recently added back into my diet some of the buttery, tasty treats I so enjoy and am being less strict with myself when it comes to eating.  I'm feeling much more satisfied after meals when I allow myself just a bit of something I truly enjoy eating and on those days when I can't seem to squeeze in enough veggies I'm allowing myself to just get over it.

So I guess there's not much point to this post other than that it's been on my mind for a few days and it seems to have sparked quite a debate over on MC's message boards.  What do you guys think?  Do you think bloggers should be responsible for the actions of their readers after reading their posts as they relate to food and exercise?

And if any one ever takes offense to something I write, or feels it could have a harmful effect on a reader, feel free to comment or email me.  Not saying I'd change it, but I'd love to hear your opinion.

Enjoy your weekend - especially if you have Monday off too!!

Menu - August 29th (Insanity start date)

A few of the lovely ladies over at Beachbody have asked me to diary my meals for a week or so.  I am happy to give it a try but will mention that I do not follow the Beachbody workout diet plans.  Although there are many great food choices in the plans and I have used several of the recipes included, I just find following a written diet plan a recipe for failure (pardon the pun).  I try to keep my eating clean, healthy and somewhat balanced.  I am not, however, a dietitian (yet) so I cannot say that I meet all RDAs, etc., but I do try to keep my protein and carb intake on the higher side while participating in these crazy workouts.

As I may have mentioned, my husband and I are starting Insanity today.  Insanity is a 60 day workout plan.  It is pretty intense from what I have heard and seen.  Today will be a fit test day.  We will have a number of exercises to do and a minute to perform as many repetitions as possible.  The fit test will occur weekly (or bi-weekly, can't remember offhand) and is used to track progress and increases in strength and stamina.  We are off to a rocky start already as I allowed my husband to talk me into doing this tonight instead of this morning.  Hopefully, we will be doing the program in the mornings from now on, or we will be doing them separately.

OK, here's today's meals.  I am including everything I ate - even the bad stuff although that was gone so fast, I didn't even have time to take a photo!  :)

Breakfast:
One slice of spelt bread toasted with a teeny touch of butter, two hard boiled eggs of which I consumed one of the yolks and both whites.  The dog got the other yolk - he likes hard boiled egg day.  Also had one skinless chicken breakfast sausage and a sweet fig.  Washed it down with a calcium fortified glass of OJ (no pulp).

Lunch:
I went to my farmer's market this morning and they were having a special on whole wheat pizzas.  Two for $5 - I can't make two pizzas that cheap, so we had a little treat.

A powdered sugar coated apple cider donut was consumed post-farmer's market visit.  I fought the urge to have a second though (baby steps)!

Dinner:
Fig/balsamic coated chicken sausage and tomato kabobs with grilled corn on the cob that was marinated in a coconut lime chili sauce.  I made a side salad of baby spinach, baby herbs, pears, walnuts and dried cranberries.  Topped the salad with Annie's light raspberry vinaigrette.

Our post-fit test dessert will be a honey almond custard with fig chutney.  I used 2% milk for the custard and halved the sugar in the chutney, but this is still kind of a splurge.

Recipes for the dinner will be posted throughout this week.

So I'm sure by now you can tell that I'm not good with the veggies!  I really don't like most of them I will admit.  I will try to do better tomorrow most likely by having my salad for lunch and at dinner and by doing some broccoli tomorrow night.  I also put some pumpkin puree into my pancake mix for the morning.

Other than the morning OJ, I drink water for the remainder of the day.  LOTS of water.

Now, if you are like me and get a thrill out of watching other people's pain, here are some Youtubers experiencing the Insanity fit test for the first time.  I will NOT be posting a video of me!  :)

Insanity Fit Test 1 - average, every day kinda guy
Insanity Fit Test 2 - already fit female

Hot Product Shout Out - Nutrition Bar Edition

Let me begin by saying I don't typically do nutrition bars, protein shakes, supplements and the like.  I just feel that it is healthier to get those nutrients through normal diet.  Plus those things usually have very high calorie and carb counts and contain added sugar.  I do take a daily multi-vitamin with CoQ10 though (two kids, two jobs and a husband - a girl needs her energy boost!).

As with all things though, there is a new exception to my rule.  The Larabar fruit and nut bars!  Not all of them though - I find the ones involving any kind of "chocolate" to be very artificial tasting.  BUT, the pecan pie bar is da bomb!!  It is rather high in calories at 220 so I don't use it as a snack, but more of a meal replacement (I eat 5-6 times a day so it's easy to get bored).  I like that it is all natural and it is a great energy boost for that mid-day slump.  Just tried the coconut cream pie flavor today and it rocks too.  Larabar has this to say about the pecan pie bar:

"Indulgent, oh, yes, but good for you, too. Natural fuel from pecans, dates and almonds will keep you going for hours. What's more, pecans contain more antioxidants than any other nut, with 90% unsaturated, polyunsaturated fat. So sit down and enjoy a healthy Pecan Pie."

And about the coconut:

"What could be more enticing than a slice of Coconut Cream Pie...in a bar? Often maligned as unhealthy, coconut oil is free of transfats and cholesterol. What it does have is 50% lauric acid, known for its health-protecting, anti-viral properties. Almonds contribute one of the best plant sources of fiber and protein. Cashews, full of iron and zinc, can enhance your immune functions. Finally, a Coconut Cream Pie that's good for you!"

Photo credit: Larabar
 
So if for some reason you are behind in your fruit and nut intake, I recommend giving these a try. It's also nice to have some healthier options on hand for when you just feel like grabbing something easy.

As is always the case, I am not compensated for any referrals unless specifically stated.  I just enjoy sharing the products I like and that make my life a little easier (and tastier).

Burgers! Again...

I don't know about everybody else, but modifying my diet has been quite an adjustment.  No more of this, no more of that, deny, deny, deny.  Well, that never worked really well for me.  I'm trying to teach myself moderation (not easy).  And I am very happy to have found resources providing recipes, ideas and inspiration on how I can incorporate my old favorites into my new healthy lifestyle (see prior post about the pancakes - thank goodness!).

So we had another weekend of experimental healthier burgers.  Recipes modified from Clean Eating magazine.

Pork Burgers with Roasted Tomatoes

roma tomatoes, sliced
thyme
sea salt
black pepper
1 lb lean ground pork
1 tsp smoked paprika

To roast tomatoes, spray a cooking sheet with olive oil spray, remove seeds and lay slices on sheet.  Sprinkle with thyme, salt & pepper to your tastes.  Roast to desired doneness (let 'em get a little caramelized for the best flavor).

For burgers, add paprika and pepper to ground pork, combine, prepare patties.  Grill to desired doneness.

Add to whole wheat bun and top with lettuce, tomato slices & mustard, if desired.  Enjoy!  The kids and my husband REALLY liked these burgers.  I was surprised by the pork flavor at first, but it really tasted like some sort of gourmet burger.  I will do these again.

Turkey Burgers with Mango Salsa

ground turkey breast
1 1/2 tsp chile powder
homemade or store bought citrus salsa (yay vitamin C)
low fat or organic all natural pepper jack cheese

Add chile powder to turkey, combine and form into patties.  Grill to desired doneness - adding cheese towards the end of cooking.

Place in a whole wheat bun and top with lettuce & a generous amount of salsa.  This was another hit with everybody, kids and adults.  I really like the idea of buying ground turkey breast versus ground turkey.  Makes a big difference in taste (and fat content, which is always a good thing)!  This was not as moist as the pork burger, but the citrus salsa (I got mine premade from Whole Foods - no way am I messing with anymore mangoes - total PIAs) added just the right amount of juiciness.

As you can see, we served this with grilled chili corn (coat with olive oil, garlic and chile powder, perhaps just a touch of sea salt).  Mmmmmm!  No need for butter with that little touch of heat and I am a girl who used to love her cobs floatin' in a butter bath.

Nutritional info (approximate): for pork burgers, 311 calories; 6g total fat; 25g carbs; 40g protein; 90mg cholesterol.  for turkey burgers, 352 calories; 4g total fat; 43g carbs; 40g protein; 58mg cholesterol.

Amazing Disappearing Muffins

OK, so I made 2 batches of these muffins in one week (one batch being about 4 hours ago), and there are only 8 left as of right now.  Not sure if I should call in an exterminator, ghostbusters or question my housemates about this.

Here is the recipe for the disappearing Banana Coco-Walnut Muffins (adapted from a recipe found online, prepared with healthier ingredients):

1 1/4 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1/4 cup vanilla fat free yogurt (plain will work too)
3 medium bananas, very ripe
1/2 cup agave nectar
1/3 cup virgin coconut oil
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 375.  Combine first five ingredients until no lumps remain.  In another bowl combine remaining ingredients.  Fold into the dry ingredients.  Divide batter into paper lined or cooking spray prepped muffin tins.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until done.  Cool on a rack and watch in surprise as they start to disappear one by one (or two by two - as in my house).  Makes about 13-14 muffins.

If you cannot find virgin coconut oil (I got mine at Whole Foods), you can substitute grapeseed or another oil of your choosing, OR try applesauce.  But then you will have plain ole Banana Walnut muffins which I'm sure are just as good and will disappear just as fast.  ;-)

I only had one full size muffin tin, so I made a dozen plus 5 minis.  Cute AND yummy!

These don't really rise and fluff up as "normal" muffins, and they will be pretty dark brown from the banana but don't fret, no matter what they look like, they rock!!  And you probably can't find a more low-fat muffin that tastes this good anywhere (but if you do, please let me know ASAP).

Enjoy!  I'm off to hide my last 8 muffins.

A Yummy Way to Eat Cottage Cheese!! Finally

Cottage cheese - yeah, I'm generally not a fan, but it's hard to pass up the low fat, high protein and extra calcium.  This morning I finally tried the "protein pancakes" I've been reading about on the P90X forums.  Well, lemme tell ya, they ROCK!  They look just like pancakes too so the kiddos dove right in without question - who doesn't LOVE when that happens.  Anyway, here is how I made them today.

1 cup regular oats
1 cup egg whites (from the carton)
1 cup low fat cottage cheese
1/2 tsp baking powder

Drop the ingredients in the blender and blend until it looks like pancake batter.  And guess what?!  It is pancake batter!  Use just like regular pancake batter (although I found they take just a bit longer to cook).  Makes about a dozen decent sized cakes.  When done add a bit of maple syrup - or not.

Some other great variations:
cinnamon & vanilla
macadamia nuts & coconut
vanilla & mashed banana
diced apple
spinach & tomatoes
grated carrot
blueberries
any diced fruit
top with unsweetened applesauce
use to make a pb&j
the list could go on and on...

I'm so happy to find I enjoy these (and the kids ate them too!).  Pancakes with butter & syrup were a morning staple around here until I started this healthy lifestyle makeover.  I was missing my flapjacks!

Would love to hear if anybody else has tried these yet.  I'm seeing us eating these a few times a week.

6/21 - adding nutritional info:
(Calculated for three ¼ cup pancakes with ¼ cup strawberries)


Calories: 254.5
Total Fat: 3.3 g
Saturated Fat: 0.8 g
Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.0 g
Monounsaturated Fat: 1.0 g
Cholesterol: 2.3 mg
Sodium: 280.0 mg
Potassium: 297.8 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 33.8 g
Dietary Fiber: 5.3 g
Sugars: 2.5 g
Protein: 21.3 g

Packet Cooking

I have made a kind of shrimp/fish boil in a foil pouch before and loved it (and you can NOT beat the easy clean up).  I was happy to see some recipes for "packet cooking" in Clean Eating Magazine this month.

Early in the week I made Jambalaya.  We had it once for dinner and several times for lunch throughout the week.  It has a great little spicy heat to it.

1 lb large shrimp, peeled & deveined
cubed chicken breast
sliced turkey sausage
1 white onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
2 tomatoes, diced
4 cloves garlic
salt-free creole seasoning (to taste)
2 cups instant brown rice
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
pepper (to taste)
cooking spray for foil

I like to make this on the grill, but if using the oven, preheat to 400.  Prepare foil sheets for three large packets, spray foil with cooking spray.  Combine all ingredients and mix to combine.  Evenly divide among foil sheets and seal packets.

If using oven, place packets on a baking sheet.  Cook for 25 minutes or to desired doneness.  Serve hot and enjoy!

My take - This was really yummy.  I loved the spicyness of the creole seasoning (which I had never used before).  One thing I will do differently next time is I will brown the sauages before putting in the packets.  The way the sausage boils or whatever it does in the packet causes it to come out very, well, boiled looking.  Not appetizing (although it was still delicious)!  I don't have a kid review as they were not home the night I made it for dinner.

Anybody have any other "packet" recipes they use?

Burger Night!!

One night - two burgers, a salsa burger with guac & radicchio and a surprise cheese slider with spinach & honey mustard.  Both of these burgers are Fab-u-lous!!

Recipes obtained from Clean Eating magazine and modified by me.

Amount of ingredients will vary depending on number and size of burgers you prefer:

lean ground beef (I used 97/3)
fresh tomato salsa
low-fat cheddar (cubed)
guacamole (store made or from recipe in separate post)
radicchio leaves
1 tbsp raw honey
3 tbsp whole grain mustard
fat-free greek yogurt
baby spinach leaves
ground pepper

Sliders:
Season ground beef with pepper and combine.  Roll into palm sized meatballs.  Make an indent with finger and insert one cheese cube.  Seal hole and form into patty.  Grill to desired doneness (I suggest medium as the lean beef will dry out beyond that - although you can just add more sauce if this occurs).  While burger is grilling, combine the honey and mustard in small bowl.  Spread on top (or bottom) of a whole wheat bun and add spinach leaves.  Top with hot, grilled burger.

Salsa burgers:
Season ground beef with pepper.  Add salsa to meat mixture and combine.  Shape into patties.  Grill to desired doneness.  While burger is grilling, spread bottom of whole wheat bun with yogurt and top with radicchio leaves.  Spread a generous amount of guacamole on top bun.  Add hot, grilled burger and enjoy.

Bun prep:

The finished product (I could not find whole wheat slider buns so please excuse the hiding burger):

Lean beef does NOT mean dry burgers.  Hello oozy cheesy goodness:

Full nutritional info unavailable as I modified the recipes somewhat.  BUT, 2 sliders will more than fill you and comes in at under 400 calories!  Both burgers are an excellent source of much needed protein and iron.  The salsa burger brings in just over 350 calories.  Using lean beef and avoiding processed condiments knocks the cholesterol content of each serving (1 salsa burger or 2 sliders) to about 60mgs.

Review: My husband and the kids LOVED these burgers.  I had a half of each burger and they were both equally delicious.  I really enjoyed the honey mustard sauce on the slider and will use this for other dishes and sandwiches (think chicken and spinach on crusty whole grain, yum).  I was unsure about the greek yogurt on the salsa burger as I don't typically like it, but oh my, what a good idea!  This one was pretty messy to eat but very much worth it.  Prep time was minimal.  We will be doing this again and again.  Who's coming over?

Would love some other ideas for healthy burger toppings.