Carbless & Gluten Free Turkey Burger

I definitely enjoy my carbs, but sometimes when eating healthy limiting carbs are a great way to lose weight. I can’t in any way shape or form eliminate foods I love to eat entirely. As I have said before everything in moderation. This burger not only tastes good, but is low in fat, calories and no carbs. Very figure friendly and you can enjoy your meal without the guilt 😀

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 pound ground turkey meat
• 1/4 cup baby spinach, washed and diced
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 2 tbs green onion, washed and diced
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp powdered ranch mix
• 1 egg white
• 1 oz pepper jack cheese
• salt/pepper to taste
• Coconut oil for cooking

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix all ingredients together except cheese.
2. Divide mixture into 4 equal parts and create a ball.
3. Add a piece of pepper jack inside and form meat mixture around it creating a burger patty. Continue with the rest of the mixture.
4. Pan fry with 1 tsp coconut oil until cooked through. I served mine with 1/2 slice of pepper jack cheese on top and 2 slices of avocado. 

Calories for 1 burger + avocado = 105 calories and 5.5 grams of fat!

I store the other burgers in the freezer in an airtight container until ready to cook!

Week 3 Healthy Eating

Week 3 brought out the BEAST in me 😀

I think this was one of the best feeling weeks yet. I can tell a difference in how some clothes fit, heck I even found a pair of capri jeans that fit and I don’t think I ever wore them to begin with! My shin splints are near gone and I can pick up the pace when I walk and I can alternate some running in. I feel great!

One of my staple foods this week was this Carb-less Turkey Burger! I am all for carbs, but when counting calories, you have to be careful where you use them. So for this burger I chose to eat it without, and it was just as good 😀 Hidden inside is a small piece of pepper jack cheese waiting to be let out!

Carb-less Turkey Burger

• 1/2 pound ground turkey meat
• 1/4 cup baby spinach, washed and diced
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 2 tbs green onion, washed and diced
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp powdered ranch mix
• 1 egg white
• 1 oz pepper jack cheese
• salt/pepper to taste
• Coconut oil for cooking

Mix all ingredients together except cheese. Divide mixture into 4 equal parts and create a ball. Add a piece of pepper jack inside and form meat mixture around it creating a burger patty. Continue with the rest of the mixture. Pan fry with 1 tsp coconut oil until cooked through. I served mine with 1/2 slice of pepper jack cheese on top and 2 slices of avocado. Calories for 1 burger + avocado = 105 calories and 5.5 grams of fat! I store the other burgers in the freezer in an airtight container until ready to cook!

For lunches I found a quick and easy soup. I don’t like store canned soup, but I broke down and tried a few and liked them. My favorite was the Creamy Tomato Basil by Progresso. High in fiber and only 100 calories per 8 oz. I just heat it up and add 1/4 cup of Trader Joe’s Brown Rice Medley and I have a full meal that fills up my belly! This soup has been a staple lunch all week!

Motivating music for the week:

Kelly Clarkson: Stronger

My workout regimen has changed from walking & running 1.8 miles to 2.5 miles twice a day. Some days I struggle to get it done, I have a 2 year old that I have to bring a long and pushing his weight (30 pounds) plus the car stroller (10 pounds) is hard. I think of it as resistance training! hahaha When my other kids get home I have them watch him so I can do my second run alone and it is so much better. But we can’t always have things nice and tidy like that so I do what I have to, to get my time in.

This week I was nervous to get on the scale, yes I knew I had lost weight because those pants I tried on fit, but I just lost 4 pounds last week and was unsure if I could loose more again. To my surprise…I lost 4 more pounds!!!! OMG! I stared at the scale, got off, and re-weighed myself! Yep, sure enough, 4 pounds! WOO-HOO! That brings my total to MINUS 10 pounds from this bod! I am super stoked. 

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Missed a week? 

• Week 1 Healthy Eating
• Week 2 Healthy Eating

You might also like these healthy recipes from Sweet Heat Chefs:

Mocha Cappuccino Banana Bread Bites

Coconut Strawberry Cake Cocktail

Zucchini Lasagna

Chicken Bacon Ranch Mac-N-Cheese – It’s not too late for dinner plans!

Nothing says comfort quite like home-made mac-n-cheese. I never could resist cheese nor the crunchy browned goodness on top of a casserole. Putting the two together is sheer bliss in my book. Besides the boxed mac-n-cheese is nowhere near what mac-n-cheese should be. I have never purchased powdered cheese so why would I use it in a meal for my kids? Last time I looked cheese was something that was fresh!

This is a great go to meal, it comes together quickly and the aroma of cheese and bacon fill your home with deliciousness. Once you bite into the crunchy bacon topped, oozy gooey cheesy pasta you will be digging in for more!

My kids ask for this at least once a week. I have to restrict them, so I make a second smaller batch that I freeze. Let me tell you the frozen one is almost better than the fresh. 

INGREDIENTS

• 16  ounces  uncooked elbow macaroni
• 1/2 lb sliced smoked bacon of your choice
• 3 chicken breasts, skinned boned and diced into bite sized pieces
• 3  tablespoon  butter
• 3  tablespoon  all-purpose flour
• 3 cups milk
• 1/3  cup  condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
• 2.5 cups shredded cheese, 1 cup jack, 1 cup pepper jack, 1/2 cup sharp cheddar (or whatever your favs are!)
• 2 tbs powdered ranch
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• Cooking spray

DIRECTIONS

Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente.

Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. I cut it up before cooking using my handy kitchen shears into bite sized pieces, then drain on paper towel and set aside. Reserving drippings in pan.

Add chicken to drippings in pan, sprinkle with pepper and a little salt (remember the bacon is salty) sauté for 10 minutes or until done.

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat; sprinkle flour evenly into pan. Cook 2 minutes to get the flour taste out, stirring constantly with a whisk. Combine milk and soup in a bowl with a whisk; gradually add milk mixture to saucepan, stirring with a whisk, then add ranch powder.

Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes or until thick. Remove from heat and add cheese. Once cheese is all melted into sauce, stir in pasta and most of the chicken and most of the bacon. (Reserve a little of each to sprinkle on top)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Spoon mixture into a greased 9 x 11″ glass baking dish, and an 8 x 8″ glass baking dish. (Or if you have a super large one use that. I freeze the small one for later.) Sprinkle evenly with reserved bacon and chicken.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until heated through. DO NOT BROIL IN GLASS DISH, IT WILL BREAK ON YOU.

Serve with a side salad or vegetable to round out the meal.

My concoction of cheeses

Ready for the oven

Just out of the oven

Finished!

Cornbread Casserole – Easy Weeknight Dinner!

This recipe is being shown over at Thursday’s Treasures!

Just in time for Fall! I have been down with a cold that won’t quit! My kids enjoyed every moment as I lost my voice for the entire week! This is a quick throw together type of meal that is perfect when your fam is on the go, just like Halloween, no one wants to sit around eating “good” food, they want that dang candy! You can feel good about having this ready in the oven and the little gobblins can have something yummy in their tummy before trick-or-treating.

Dressing

• 1/2 c ranch dressing ( I use the packet kind)
• 1/2 cup verde salsa
• 1 cup cilantro leaves

Topping

• 2 tbs olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1.5 lb ground turkey meat
• 1/4 cup taco seasoning
• 3/4 cup hot water
• 3 tbs cilantro, chopped
• 1 can corn
• 1 can diced roasted tomatoes and green chilies
• 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 1/2 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded

Crust

• 7  to 16 oz size – 1 package cornbread mix, i used a 16 oz package, we love cornbread (make as directed on package)
• 3/4 cup crushed corn tortilla chips (i used these colorful orange and black for Halloween)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Make ranch dressing and combine, ranch, verde salsa and cilantro in food processor until well combined. Cover and chill in refrigerator.
3. Heat olive oil and garlic. Heat until garlic is just fragrant, then add ground turkey. Cook until browned.
4. Combine taco seasoning and hot water, add to pan. Heat through on medium high for about 5-7 minutes.
5. Add canned tomatoes & cilantro and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
6. Drain all juices out of pan and set mixture aside.
7. Combine cornbread mix as directed on package.
8. Get a baking dish, should be around 9″ x 9″ size or use a pie dish will work. I used a circular baking dish. Spray with non stick cooking spray, crush up your chips and line the bottom of the dish with your chips. You can add more or less depending on the size of your dish.
9. Then add 1/4 cup of your corn and sprinkle on top of chip layer.
10. Pour your cornbread mixture over the top of that, and top the cornbread with your meat mixture.
11. On the very top add your cheese.
12. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly golden brown on top. Everything is cooked you are just heating through and browning the cheeses!
13. Allow to sit for 5-7 minutes after removing from the oven. This gives the casserole a chance to pull back and tighten up so when you cut it, it is not falling apart all over the plate.
14. Drizzle over the top, or if you are like me, drench the top with your ranch verde salsa dressing, top with more cilantro and avocado.

Cornbread Gone Wild…

I am convinced I was either Hispanic in my previous life or a poblano pepper. I just can’t get enough Mexican  food and the spiciness that goes with it! This recipe is an adaptation from another recipe I have. If you want to make it vegetarian omit the turkey meat, it is just as tasty! I love cornbread but also like nontraditional such as with butter and honey. So baking it this way makes it seem like you are having it an entirely new way, which essentially you are. You could add black beans in this recipe instead of corn or along with the corn to make it more tex mex. This is a spicy dish, if you want it less spicy omit the jalepeno and make sure all seeds are removed. I left some seeds in and used the jalepeno, 1 of my kids was in tears it was so spicy for them 😦 I also served this over my Chipotle Lime Refried Beans. Be prepared for >hotness<

INGREDIENTS

1 lb ground turkey meat
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt/pepper to taste (for ground turkey)
2 tablespoons butter
6 large, fresh green chilies; such as Anaheim or poblano, roasted, peeled and seeded
1 jalepeno pepper; roasted, peeled and seeded
1/2 cup grated Pepper Jack cheese
1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated Monterrey jack cheese
4 eggs, yolks and whites separated
1 can corn, drained
3 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 teaspoon salt (for cornbread batter)

 DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to Broil
2. Char peppers until bubbly, brown and aromatic; about 10-15 minutes.
3. Place in bowl and cover with saran wrap to “sweat” the peppers to be able to easily remove the skins.
4. Once skins removed, carefully slice open and remove seeds.
5. Butter an 8-inch-square baking pan with 1 tablespoon of the butter.
6. Cook turkey meat with garlic and salt/pepper until cooked thoroughly. 
7. Place the chiles in a layer on the bottom of the pan, sprinkle 1/2 the turkey meat, top with 1/2 half the cheese, add remaining turkey meat.  
8. Beat the egg whites until fluffy, almost stiff.
9. In another bowl, mix together the egg yolks, corn, cornmeal, flour, milk, sour cream and salt.
10. Fold egg whites gently into the cornbread mixture and spoon over the cheese and peppers.
11. Top with butter pats and add all remaining cheese on top
12. Bake for 25 minutes. 
13. Let set for about 5 minutes and cut into sections to serve.
14. Serve on top of my Chipotle Lime Refried Beans.
    

Prepping the peppers for charring

Peppers after sweating

Make sure your 2 year old has something to play with while you get hot pepper seeds on your hands!

Shredded cheeses

De-skinned & de-seeded peppers in baking dish

on top of peppers goes the turkey meat

on top of turkey meat goes cheese, then the rest of the turkey

fluffy egg whites

egg whites and cornbread mixture added to pan, topped with butter pats

top with remaining cheese and bake, bake, bake. Enjoy the wonderful aromas that arise from your oven.