Grilled Turkey Ranch Burgers!

If anyone has any ideas on how to keep turkey burger from falling apart while grilling, please leave your comments on this post.  While the burgers were delicious and ended up turning out okay, the initial grilling was a mess.  I may or may not have yelled at the grill, spatula and burgers as they were sticking to my greased grill grates.

Summer is so close I can almost taste it...I am a summer girl.  I was born in the summer - I think that has something to do with my love of summer.  With summer comes the opening of the pool, backyard BBQ's, swim meets, grillin' & chillin', homemade ice cream, bare feet, sunshine on your face and the list is endless. 

So to help at your backyard BBQ's and those who are trying to be a little healthier - here is a great recipe for Turkey Ranch Burgers.

Grilled Turkey Ranch Burgers
1 lb. Lean Ground Turkey Burger
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
2 Green Onions, chopped
1 pkg of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix
1 Tbsp. Fresh Parsley, chopped
DIRECTIONS:  Combine all ingredients in a
mixing bowl.  Form into 4 patties and grill.

HAPPY EATING!

Egg White Tacos!

Well, who would have thought of having tacos for breakfast....that person is a GENIUS!  I did a little prep work the night before and literally threw this together in about 5 minutes this morning...so if you don't mind prepping a little this would be a quick, nutritious breakfast!  (This recipe is adapted from

http://www.skinnykitchen.com/recipes/skinny-breakfast-taco/).

 Egg White Breakfast Tacos
2 Egg Whites, whisked
1 Tbsp. 2% Shredded Colby Jack Cheese (Kraft Brand)
5 Grape Tomatoes, quartered
1 Green Onion, sliced
1 Tsp. Cilantro, chopped
1 Small Taco Shell (I used the brand that comes in the yellow box)
DIRECTIONS:  Whisk your egg whites and cook/scramble in a small fry pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray.  Once your egg whites are cooked, top with cheese and continue to cook until cheese is melted.  Place scrambled egg whites into taco shell.  Top with diced tomatoes, green onion and cilantro.

*  Possibilities are endless with the toppings.  I used ingredients that I had on hand but you could also top with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, black beans...the list could go on.

HAPPY EATING!

Hot Corn Dip!

YUM is the only word I have for this dip!  Took it to a party and I didn't have to bring any leftovers home with me - nothing better than bringing an empty dish back home!  :)  I got the original recipe off of Pinterest (http://bakedbree.com/hot-corn-dip)!

Hot Corn Dip

1 pkg. 1/3 Less Fat Cream Cheese, softened
1 Tbsp. Diced Jalapeno (In order to reduce the spicy-ness of the dip, I removed the seeds and membranes from the pepper)
1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp. Chili Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Fresh Ground Pepper
2 C. Corn (I used frozen, sweet shoepeg corn that I thawed)
3 C. Mexican Blend Cheese
Chopped Tomatoes
Chopped Green Onions (I used 2 green onions)
Chopped Cilantro (I used about 1 tablespoon - please adjust according to your taste)
DIRECTIONS:  Combined the cream cheese, jalapeno, garlic powder, chili powder, salt and pepper.  Mix until well combined.  Stir in corn.  Mix in 2 cups of cheese.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and top with remaining 1 cup of cheese.  Return to oven and bake an additional 5-10 minutes - until cheese is melty.  Remove from oven and top with diced tomatoes, green onions and cilantro.  Serve with tortilla chips (I had a black bean tortilla chip - Bachman's brand - that were great with the dip!).  Enjoy!

HAPPY EATING!!

No Bake Peanut Butter Energy Protein Balls!

I found these little morsels on Pinterest this winter and they are just as tasty as can be (and dare I say a wee bit healthy - but ssshhh, don't tell my kids that!)

No Bake Peanut Butter Balls

1 C. Oatmeal (I used old-fashioned)

2/3 C. Coconut

1/2 C. Ground Flaxseed

1/2 C. Peanut Butter

1/3 C. Honey (I am partial to Orange Blossom, but have used clover honey too)

1/2 C. Dark Chocolate Chips (I used Hershey Special Dark)

DIRECTIONS:  Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix until combined.  Chill for approx. 1 hour.  Roll into bite sized balls and keep in a container in the refrig. (flaxseed apparently goes bad if not refrig.).  Try not to eat the whole container in one sitting!  :)

HAPPY EATING!

Tex Mex Chicken Salad!

As the world comes alive again, I always feel encouraged to eat better!  Here is a recipe for that I found on the Weight Watchers (www.weightwatchers.com) site and it is so good, I did adapt it a little to what I had on hand so I did not include nutritional info!  (Sorry about the picture quality...hubby bought a new camera - it even has a food setting for pictures, except, I don't know how to use it - it frustrates me so I go back to my old, easy, comfortable camera!).

 Tex Mex Chicken Salad
1 1/4 lb. uncooked, boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 C. Low Fat Mayo (I prefer Hellmans Light)
1/4 C. Low Fat Sour Cream
1/2 tsp. Ground Cumin
1/4 tsp. Chili Powder
1 Small Red Pepper - diced
1 Small Green Pepper - diced
2 Medium Scallions (I didn't have scallions, so I used 2 Tbsp. diced, red onion)
15 1/4 oz. Can of Corn (I used about 1 C. frozen, shoepeg corn kernels)
1 C. Black Beans, drained and rinsed
DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350.  Place chicken in a glass baking dish and bake until juices run clear - approx. 25 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.  Chop into bite size pieces.  (You can save time by purchasing chicken that has already been cooked and diced, if you would like).
In a medium bowl, combine mayo, sour cream, cumin and chili powder.  Stir in chicken, peppers, onion and corn.  Mix well.  Gently fold in beans.  Cover and chill for atleast 2 hours.  This makes approx. 6, 1 Cup servings.

Serve over mixed greens or arugula and add some grape tomatoes!!

HAPPY EATING!

Chicken Enchilada Soup!

It's the Super Bowl!  I'll be honest, I watch the game for the commercials.  It is the best part.  While I love the excitement of sports, I don't always get the rules and penalties and what not. 

Prime example - JD had a basketball game the other night.  It was an exciting, nail-biting kind of game. (As nail biting as they can be for 3rd/4th graders).  I was cheering.  I yelled, "Go defense"!  Ummmm, let's just say we had the ball - we weren't defending it!  A teeny bit embarassing but good story on how I get caught up in the excitement of a game and don't really pay attention to the rules or positions.

Anyhow....here is what I made for the Super Bowl!

Chicken Enchilada Soup (Crockpot)
3 Tbsp. Butter
3 Tbsp. Flour
1/2 C. Chicken Broth
1/2 C. Milk
2 C. Milk
1 Can (10 oz) Enchilada Sauce (I used mild)
1 Can (15 oz) Black Beans, rinsed and drained)
1 Can (14.5 oz) Rotel Diced Tomatoes w/ Green Chiles
1 Package (10 oz) Frozen Shoepeg Corn
1 Medium Onion, Diced
1 Green Pepper, Diced
2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
DIRECTIONS:  In a large skillet or saucepan, melt the butter.  Stir in the flour.  Remove from heat and whisk in the chicken broth and 1/2 C. milk.  Whisk to make sure no lumps.  Return to heat and bring to a slow boil, whisking until it thickens.  Add enchilada sauce.  Continue to whisk while you add the milk.  In a crockpot - combine beans, tomatoes, corn, onions and peppers.  Place chicken over the veggies.  Pour the sauce over the chicken and veggies.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Right before serving - shred the chicken.  Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, salsa, onions, tortilla chips.....whatever toppings you desire.

HAPPY EATING!

Cookie Dough Yogurt.....

Hmmm, is what I thought when I saw this recipe!  I really try and like yogurt.  I think I have tried every kind of yogurt there is and well, unless it is frozen and you can put candy toppings on it - I just don't like it!  THEN, I saw this recipe and decided that I had to try it!  Yes, you do put peanut butter in it.  Yes, you do stir chocolate chips into it.  Yes, you do stir sugar into it.  I am sure that it defeats the purpose of eating yogurt - but, I like it!  Here is what you need:

The only thing I suggest is that you use PLAIN yogurt if you are going to add sugar to it.  I used a vanilla yogurt and whoa - it was sweet.

PB Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Yogurt

1 Plain Greek Yogurt

1 Tbsp. Peanut Butter

1 Tbsp. Sweetner

1 Tbsp. Mini Chocolate Chips

1/4 tsp. Vanilla

DIRECTIONS:  Mix all ingredients.  Eat! 

*Note:  You may substitute vanilla yogurt - however, omit the sugar and vanilla.

Here is where I found the original recipe http://myfridgefood.com/viewrecipe.php?recipe=20787

HAPPY EATING!