Easy Turkey Burgers

I won't lie, I am the queen of bargain hunting. Zach, my dear husband, can definitely attest to this. And one area that my bargain hunting goes into overdrive is during meal planning and grocery shopping. I love a good deal, and I love seeing our money be able to stretch while still providing good, nutritious meals for us.

One fantastic recipe that I experimented with and loved that meets the standard of being nutritious and budget saavy are turkey burgers! I have absolutely nothing against beef, and I will admit I love a good hamburger. But sometimes, beef, especially the beef you want to eat (farm raised and extra lean) is pricier. So most of the time, we stick to options like chicken, turkey and fish. At our local Sam's, we can get a great deal on ground turkey, which is where this recipe starts!

Feel free to use this recipe as a base and build on with what you and your family love, and of course experiment with all those yummy toppings, too!

Easy Turkey Burgers

Ingredients
- 1lb ground turkey
- 1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 egg
- 1 Tbsp onion powder
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
-2 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp salt

Directions
1. Heat a griddle to 350 degrees, or use a heavy bottomed skillet heated over medium high heat
2. Place all ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Mix gently with hands (don't overwork it), make sure everything is incorporated.
4. Form into 4 to 6 patties, depending on your size preference.
5. Flatten out with your hand into a patty shape, place on griddle or skillet.
6. Cook through, about 6 minutes per side, until juices are clear and it is no longer oink in the middle.
7. Place on a toasted whole wheat bun and top with things like sliced tomato, onion, avocado, crispy bacon, etc!
8. Enjoy!

What is your favorite thing to top a burger with? Do you love something on the inside of your burger too? 

Meal Plan For YOU

Meal planning can seem overwhelming and daunting when you start on a journey towards health or if you aren't used to it. So many options, so many opinions, so little time. My biggest piece of advice? Find something that works for you in your life! 

You want to make sure that your meal plan follows these rules:

1. Allows you to get good, dense nutrition into your body. 

2. Do something that you can make a lifestyle! Avoid crash diets like the plauge.

3. Consider your schedule. Allow for something that will give you options while also keeping you healthy. 

4. Evaluate and reevaluate! Try different ways and see if it works for you or not.

5. Save time, money and food by PLANNING! Even if it doesn't go 100% according to plan, creating any type of plan will help you save in these area. 

There are many ways to meal plan! You can plan out all your big meals, snacks, etc. You can write down all your dinner options but leave the day you have them open. You can rotate through a few choices for the whole week. You can have the same lunch or breakfast all week. The options are limitless. And I have tried a fair few different ways to meal plan! I have found that different types of meal plans work better for different seasons.

A season that I'm trying to be more totally focused in nutrition, I will plan out all meals and snacks. Sometimes I make a list of different options to rotate through if we have a busy week! Find what works for you, reevaluate and if its working, keep it. If not, try another approach!

This model is more loose and leaves you room to choose what you want for the specific day, but gives you structure so you save money and stay on track with your health!

BREAKFAST OPTIONS

-Shakeology (with PB and a serving of fruit)

-Sauteed kale and scrambled eggs

-Egg "muffins"

LUNCH OPTIONS

-Dinner leftovers

-Turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread with sliced tomato, avocado and mustard with fresh veggies

-Spinach salad with grilled chicken, feta cheese, cranberries, nuts and vinaigrette

DINNER

-One unplanned or cheat meal (because sometimes you need to work that in!)

-Chicken sausage with sweet peppers and onions over hot brown rice, with steamed broccoli

-Turkey burgers on whole wheat bread with avocado, tomato, and sweet potato fries with steamed broccoli

-Zucchini noodle pasta with ground turkey spaghetti sauce, whole wheat garlic bread

-BBQ chicken stuffed sweet potatoes with spinach salad

-Stuffed bell peppers with veggies, ground turkey, and pepper jack cheese, with hot brown rice

-Leftovers night

SNACK OPTIONS

-Shakeology

-Cheese and apples

-Fresh fruit serving

-Fresh veggies with ricotta cheese

-Greek yogurt with fruit

DESSERT

-DIY Strawberry Ice cream

-Revamped "cookie dough"

-Shakeology chocolate bars

Turkey and Veggie Soup

Summer is quickly approaching and that means soon warmer weather will be the normal. But, as we have experienced this past week in Atlanta, we can still have a few cold days left before the heat fully arrives.

What does that weather mean? One last chance for a hearty soup before the cool soups make their appearance on the dinner table.

This last week I experimented with the ingredients I had around the house to make our hearty turkey and veggie soup. The great thing about this recipe is that it can definitely be made to what YOU have in your kitchen and what YOU like.

But for a base recipe, here is what we used!

Ingredients

1lb ground turkey

2 tsp cooking oil or butter

1 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 sweet potato, cubed

4 cups raw kale, chopped

1 cup baby carrots

4 cups chicken broth

1 can diced tomatoes

1 tsp basil

1 basil leaf

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp paprika

Directions

1. In a large heavy bottomed pot (such as a dutch oven) over medium high heat, heat up your cooking oil or butter 

2. Add you chopped onions, sautee until soft and translucent. Add your garlic in and cook for one minute. 

3. Add in the chopped green peppers, and potatoes.

4. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. 

5. Add kale, bay leaf and diced tomatoes and reduce heat to medium low. Let cook for about 10 minutes, covered. 

6. As that cooks, brown your turkey with all of the seasonings mentioned above added in with it.

7. After turkey is browned, add to soup, mix and cover. 

8. Let cook over medium low, stirring occasionally for about 25 minutes. 

9. Garnish with cheese and plain Greek yogurt if desired! 

Enjoy these last few days of warm soup weather before the fall. This is an easy and yummy way to get veggies in! Experiment with what you have and make it fun. 

What's your favorite soup? 

5 Healthy Lunch Ideas

Let's talk about lunch time. That sometimes skipped over meal, or the meal that we forget to pack so we end up  eating a less than nutrious meal and paying extra for it. But it doesn't have to be that way! There are so many great lunch options that you can prepare at home either the night before, or prep them all at the beginning of the week!

This saves you time, money, and helps ensure that you are getting good nutrition for the whole day, which helps you be more productive and healthy.

If you are in a lunch rut, or just need some new ideas for your lunch time to spice things up, here are some fantastic recipes and ideas that I found on Pinterest (one of my favorite resources). Be sure to follow me on Pinterest and save these on your own page as well!

1. Grilled Chicken Veggie Bowls
Grilled chicken and veggie bowls are a fantastic option for a whole week of lunches. It is cheaper and easier to prepare in bulk, and you can vary things just a little so that you don't get bored of your food! Memberships to places like Sam's Club or Costco are great for the food supplies for these and save you money too.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/283586107762465326/

2. Mason Jar Salad

These beautiful salads have been super popular lately, especially in their fun container option using a mason jar. Its hard to prep a salad for lunch sometimes because things get soggy. But this idea actually helps keep everything crisp because of the way the salad. Give these a try to pep up your lunch time salads! 

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/283586107762465350/

3. Avocado and Turkey Wrap

Or any kind of wrap, really! Wraps are a fun way to pack your lunch and vary things up. You can batch cook your ingredients, and have them ready to go for the week. Wraps offer a lot of variety and personalization options too! 

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/283586107762465358/

(Image from Pinterest and blog linked on Pinterest)

4. Traveling Lunch Noodles

For an Asian twist on your lunch, try this beefed up noodle lunch option! Turn boring noodles into a fun lunch packed with veggies and other things you love. I also love how they packed these! 

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/283586107762465373/

5. The classic (or not so classic) healthy lunch sandwich!

Here is an array of healthy sandwich ideas for you to bring to work with you. The sandwhich is such a classic lunch option, bit it can absolutely be jazzed up and kept healthy as well! These are some fantastic recipes to check out and try if you like a good sammy. 

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/283586107762465382/

There are five great lunch options that you can try for your work week this week. Do your prep work, it will save you time and money! I love to prepare as much for the week as much as possible so that lunch can be a grab and go and stay healthy! 

What is your favorite healthy lunch option? 

Stuffed Acorn Squash

Fall is in full motion here in Georgia. The trees are starting to turn slight hues of yellow and branches of red are shooting out. The air is staying cooler, and drizzly, rainy days just make you want to curl up in front of the fire with a cup of tea. And, the grocery stores and markets are filling up with some delicious food…squash!

Honestly I have never had much experience with squash until the beginning of this year. I wasn’t sure how to prepare it, what you do with it once it was cooked, or what it really tasted like. Well I have since broken that streak and absolutely love squash, and am trying all kinds of varieties now!

My most recent squash experiment…stuffed acorn squash! And boy, was it good! It’s a super simple recipe, so give it a whirl and see what you think for yourself!

Ingredients (makes 4 servings)

2 medium acorn squashes

½ cup of water

1 lb ground turkey

2 tsp cooking oil

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp basil

1 tsp sage

1 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp paprika

2 tsp black pepper

2 Tbsp whole wheat flour

¾ cup of milk

1 cup of shredded cheese (we used cheddar)

Garlic powder, black pepper to taste

Directions

1.     Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

2.     Cut your acorn squashes in half, scoop out all of the seeds and place face down in a baking dish. Pour water into the dish, and cook for 40-50 minutes until the squash is tender.

3.     While the squash is cooking, heat your cooking oil over medium high heat. Add your chopped onions and sautee until they become translucent.

4.     Add your minced garlic and sautee for one minute or until fragrant.

5.     Cook your ground turkey until browned and cooking all the way through, adding your pepper, garlic powder, sage, paprika and basil.

6.     When your turkey has finished cooking, lower heat to medium low, and add your flour. Stir until incorporated on the turkey, then add your milk.

7.     Stir mixture until it is all combined and thickened.

8.     Remove your squash and turn upright. Fill each cavity with the turkey mixture, then top with ¼ cup of cheese each.

9.     Bake for 20 minutes, until cheese is beginning to brown.

10. Remove and enjoy this yummy fall entrée!

This is a recipe that you can absolutely make your own. You could use ground buffalo instead of turkey, or stuff it with vegetables and quinoa. Try your own favorites in there and give it a go!

What’s your favorite thing to stuff squash with?

Greek Chicken Pasta Salad

As summer comes to a close, I’m getting as much of this “summery” salad as I can, because it’s a great, simple dish, and has all the cool, yummy flavors of summer still bursting on your palate.

This is also a great dish to mix up, you can do all sorts of different varieties by adding in your own favorite veggies, maybe dice up some cucumber or throwing in some corn or black beans. Play around with it and have fun!

Ingredients

-Whole wheat bow tie pasta

-2 to 3 small to medium chicken breasts

-1/2 cup of sliced, pitted kalamata olives (you can add more or less to your own tastes, I love olives so I add a little more)

-1/2 cup of crumbled feta cheese

-2 fresh tomatoes, chopped

-Organic or home made Italian dressing (start with ½ cup and go up from there to your own taste)

-Garlic powder and pepper to taste

Directions

1.     Cook your chicken breasts (either in an oven at 375 for about 25 minutes, or on a grill, however you prefer). Roughly chop, set aside to cool.

2.     Bring a medium pot of water to a rolling boil, cook your pasta all the way through. Drain, set aside to cool.

3.     Chop your tomatoes, place in a large bowl

4.     Add the pasta and chicken, stir to mix.

5.     Add in your olives, feta cheese and dressing, mix until all incorporated.

6.     Season with garlic powder and pepper to taste

7.     Chill for about 30 minutes or until cool (if you want to, this is optional)

8.     ENJOY!

This recipe is so simple and great. Like I said, you can totally add in chopped cucumbers, corn, black beans, broccoli, really whatever you like. Toss it up, and enjoy!

Revamped "Creamed" Spinach

Who loves a good serving of creamed spinach? I know that I do! But I also know that all of that cream and butter pretty much negates the nutrition I'm getting from said spinach. The other day while I was cooking, I needed to cook up a whole bunch of spinach that was on the verge of going bad, so I had the idea of creating a healthier version of creamed spinach.

My secret ingredient...cauliflower!

If you have been reading my blog lately, you'll know I've been loving cauliflower lately. I've used it for pizza crust, mac and cheese, pasta sauce, and all kinds of things. I seriously love it. I thought that if I had created a "cream" sauce for pasta, why not use it to make "creamed" spinach, and get even more veggie servings in!

So that is what I did, and I must say, I really liked the outcome!

Revamped "Creamed" Spinach

Ingredients (for about 4 servings)
-6 cups of raw spinach (you can add more if you want)
-1 cauliflower head, cut into chunks
-2 garlic cloves
-2 tsp cooking oil
-1/2 an onion
-1/2 cup of plain greek yogurt
-salt, lemon pepper, and garlic powder to taste
(Optional, if you have some parmesan cheese you can also sprinkle it in towards the end!)

Directions
1. Bring a medium pot to a rolling boil, and add your cauliflower. Cook until tender, drain and set aside.
2. In a medium to large skillet, heat up your cooking oil over medium high heat.
3. Mince your cloves of garlic and sautee for one minute, then reduce heat to medium.
4. Add in your spinach. It will pile high at start, but it will really cook down. Stir around so all the leaves get some heat and they start to wilt.
5. In a food processor, add your cauliflower, greek yogurt, and season with a small amount of salt, lemon pepper, and garlic powder. Process for a minute or two, until it starts to turn smooth.
6. Once the cauliflower mix has smoothed out, add your desired amount to the spinach, and mix together. If you're adding parmesan, add it in now!
7. Let the mixture heat through for a minute or so.
8. Dish out and enjoy! We had this with some chicken and it was delightful!


What's your favorite cauliflower recipe? I'm always on the lookout for a good one!

Zucchini Burgers

There’s just something about summer that makes you want to eat a good burger, isn’t there? Something about the grill and outdoor eating environment just screams summertime fun. Well, Zach and I don’t have a grill, or really anywhere to eat outdoors at our apartment, so we revamped our burger experience last week!

Since beginning my journey to eating healthier, I have found that I am craving vegetables more than I was before, so I have been trying to find creative ways to eat more veggies. Let me tell you, these zucchini burgers hit the nail on the head!

They are super simple and really versatile to what you want to include in them. Take stock of your fridge and into consideration of what your family enjoys, and make it your own! Think of this as a base recipe to play around with and experiment yourself.

Here we go!

Zucchini Burgers

Ingredients (makes about 8 patties)

2 medium sized zucchini        

3 to 4 eggs (just depends on the consistency)

½ cup fresh whole wheat bread crumbs

½ an onion, finely minced

½ cup of mushrooms, finely chopped

½ cup red bell peppers, finely chopped

½ cup feta cheese

2 tsp garlic powder (more if you like garlic like I do)

1 tsp pepper

½ tsp cumin

Salt to taste

Directions

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

-Use the largest holes on a grater and grate all of the zucchini. Place in a bowl, cover with a paper towel and let it sit for about 5 minutes.

-Use this time to chop/mince all of your other veggies. This is where you can get creative. If you like green peppers, or cucumbers, or whatever…experiment!

-Take off the paper towel and add your veggies and mix throughout.

-Add in your eggs. You want it to be sticky so they will bind together, but not too much. Start with 3, then add the bread crumbs. If it’s falling apart, add the fourth egg. If it’s too runny, add more bread crumbs.

-Add in your cheese (you can also use shredded pepper jack or any other cheese. We had feta and I love that, so that’s what we used!) and your seasonings to your taste.

-Mix so it is all incorporated, then begin forming them into patties. I made ours a little smaller than the palm of my hand. Place on a greased baking sheet, making sure they have space in between.

-Cook for about 30 minutes until they are golden brown on both sides, turning half way through.

-Enjoy on whole wheat slider buns, regular sized buns, Ezekiel bread, or just by themselves!

If you want a great sauce to put on top that’s not going to kill your clean eating, mix up some plain greek yogurt with mustard, garlic powder and paprika, and spread on the bun. Yum!