Delicious & Healthy 'Burgers

So, I'm a big burger girl. I don't really like red meat a lot UNLESS it's in a burger. But I can't eat red meat all the time.

As an alternative, we've all had the turkey or chicken burgers. BUT...I took it to the next level this evening. I made a sweet & spicy turkey burger.

Serves 4

1 package 98% fat free ground turkey
1 small can roasted diced green chilis
1/2 cup pineapple chunks
1/4 cup cilantro
4 whole wheat buns

Put chilis, pineapple & cilantro into processor. Pulse to break up pineapple & then blend for 5 seconds.

Put turkey into large mixing bowl & add chili mixture to ground turkey. Knead into meat, but be careful NOT to over-knead. Mixture will be wet, but you need this as turkey dries out.

Form patties. Salt & pepper top side. This S&P'd side should go down first. Then add S&P on the other side once on the gril. Cook on each side for 4-5 mins on grill.

I used Heinz57 as my condiment but you could use a chipotle-lite mayo, mustard or BBQ sauce.

I also made my spiced sweet potato fries as a side. Which is just 1 sweet potato cut into fries. Put into a bowl and then dust with your favorite spices. (I use chili powder, cumin, onion POWDER, garlic POWDER, paprika & ground mustard.) Bake 30-45 mins @ 400 & then turn the broiler on to fully crisp-up the fries.

ENJOY YA'LL!

Battle of the Bloat

Since the holiday weekend's food stuffing competition, I have been feeling bloated beyond belief. I'm pretty sure it's from the fatty & highly preserved (salty) foods as well as lack of water.

Some experts say if you are not hydrated enough, the body retains weight. I recently read an article that if you properly take in 10-12 cups of water a day, you could lose up to 5 lbs that first week of full hydration. Not sure about that....but I'm going to try watering myself like a thirsty little flower.

I need to start taking in more veggies this week to make up for the 2 days this weekend/Monday when my meals were more so based on my favorites vs. meals based on fueling my body. I need to get off my ascot and work out tonight when I'm back from all my work stuff.

The hardest part for me has been the exercise!!!

A 3 day weekend filled with food...

Even though this was a weekend filled with family and food, I did do a pretty good job of staying on track overall. I did have a few breakdowns and gave into some of the good food that surrounded me, but I also managed to get in 3 workouts...1 at the gym and 2 5-6 miles walks.

Tomorrow is our first official weigh in day so we'll see where we all stand and and how much more I need to step it up!!

Shout out to all my hot service men out there...and I guess the women too!!! Thank you for all you do!

Jenn

Easy, Healthy Lunch

During summer, people don't want to be loaded down during the day. Thus, they won't eat heavy lunches. I like salads and wraps, like most people, but today, I wanted something fruity and different.

So, I switched up the game. I made an organic yogurt & fruit parfait.

In a cereal bowl, I combined a pre-packaged Whole Foods' 365 peach (fruit on the bottom) yogurt cup, 1/4 cup fresh blueberries & 2 large strawberries. I then added about a 1/3 cup of Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal & mixed.

Considering I had veggie, protein, dairy & grain for breakfast, this fit in a serving of fruit, grain, protein & dairy. All around a good decision, because I am satisfied but not full.

*FUN FACT: I can sing in 7 languages!*

My Thai Food Catastrophe

Everyone knows I have a problem. I admit it, too.

I'M ADDICTED TO THAI FOOD!

Well, with this whole diet thing, you'd think I would know I can't have Thai takeout. And I do know this; however, after being stuck in the car from 5pm to 7pm to just go 30 miles, I did NOT feel like cooking or eating another salad (which I had for lunch).

So, Thai was the name and regretting it is my game. While I was ordering it, I kept thinking to myself, "This is bad, very bad, very bad. Don't you do it! DON'T YOU DO IT!" And then I ate the whole thing in the course of my watching Dear John.

Geez, this is a broken record. After a long day & lots of traffic, the best thing to relax is Thai food & a girly movie. It's official, I have completely fallen off the wagon. HELP!

Tuesday, Monday's slightly younger sibling

You know, when it's sunny and hot out, I don't really crave a lot of warm, starchy foods. What I want are chilled and refreshing foods. So, for my morning breakfast, I made a smoothie.

Yesterday's grocery shopping weilded an abundance of berries. So, here's the recipe (1 serving)

1 cup low fat content Greek Yogurt
1/3 cup blueberries
1/3 cup strawberries
1/2 cup ice cubes

Throw it all into a blender and enjoy.

My findings/tips:

• Greek yogurt (plain, like I used) is NOT sweet but is high in tangy flavor & protein. Use vanilla greek yogurt or other flavors for more flavor.
• The shake isn't sickenly sweet, even for me, so I would recommend adding more berries or juice.