Memorial Day burger with a twist!

Happy Memorial Day! I don't about you, but after all the junk food I ate this weekend I was ready for a healthy meal today. Spent sometime on the water this weekend which was very relaxing but a lot of snacking. I wanted to grill but wanted it to be a healthy choice or at least on the healthier side. I got this recipe a couple years ago from a friend. 

At first I was really unsure since I am used to the normal American cheese burger with lettuce, tomato, ketchup and mustard etc.  This was definitely a twist to what I was used to but by far might be my favorite way to enjoy a burger. It is a salsa burger! I use Laura's Lean Beef, 92% lean/ 8% fat. Any kind of beef will do but this kind is on the leaner side. I seasoned the burgers very lightly with taco seasoning. Grill as usual.  

Once the burgers are almost done I add the cheese, I personally prefer provolone but any cheese of choice will do. I sometimes will use half of a bun, but today I was trying to cut back on as many carbs and calories as possible. Pretzel buns are very delicious paired with this recipe but unfortunately not for me today. You then layer the burger with tomatillo salsa verde. Don't let the green salsa scare you, it is very yummy and the best kind to use with this recipe. I before have added sour cream as an additional topping, which adds extra flavor but definitely not necessary. 

On the side I have shown blue corn tortilla chips, which go well with this kind of salsa or any kind of your favorite salsa. Also a healthier alternative to regular tortilla chips. This recipe makes for a perfect healthy twist for a burger, especially today when I feel like it is mandatory to grill on Memorial Day. Perfect start to kick off the summer! Enjoy!

Homemade healthy "Chipotle" burrito bowl!

Everyone loves the "Chipotle" burrito bowl but if you knew how many calories it contained you may not love it so much anymore. Right now in an actual "Chipotle" burrito bowl built exactly how I made my homemade healthier version, it has 500 calories if you were to order one at Chipotle. My homemade healthy version of a burrito bowl is non-greasy and only 297 calories. You don't feel heavy after eating and not nearly as guilty for indulging in this Mexican favorite. It is a little time consuming but well worth it. You want to grill the chicken for the best flavor. You lightly season each side of the chicken with the low sodium taco seasoning. While that is grilling you want to start the brown rice. I personally used a rice cooker which takes 22 minutes but any kind of brown rice will do. You then can start chopping the cilantro and lime while the chicken and rice are cooking. When the rice is done you want to squeeze the lime on the rice and add the chopped cilantro to the rice, mix together well. Chicken should be grilled 4 minutes on each side, 8 minutes total. I usually start the rice first since it takes the longest. Once the chicken is done cut up chicken into strips or cubes. Once everything is done you can start a little mini assembly line and start building your bowl. You want to add the rice first, then the chicken. Garnish with cheese and your favorite salsa. For extra flavoring you can add light sour cream or guacamole. The burrito bowl also pairs well with some Mexican beer or a margarita.

2-3 pieces of thin sliced/butterflied chicken. Season the chicken on both sides with taco seasoning and grill

Ingredients you will need: cilantro, 1-2 cups of brown rice, taco seasoning (40% less sodium), 1 lime and cheese

Pull the leaves off the cilantro and chop finely

Grilled chicken and cilantro/lime brown rice. Garnishments: cheese and your favorite salsa to keep it simple and healthy.

Healthy "Chipotle" burrito bowl, enjoy!

Steak and healthy alternative sweet potatoes!!!

So last night I made a very yummy and healthy recipe grilled NY strip steaks on the grill and instead of regular mashed potatoes, I substituted for sweet potatoes. My mentality the more I use our grill, maybe it will bring sunshine and nice weather? :) Now back to the recipe, the steaks I just lightly seasoned with Montreal steak seasoning, low sodium. I used to refuse to eat sweet potatoes but not anymore after trying this recipe. This recipe makes them perfectly sweet and creamy. I used 2 medium size sweet potatoes, peeled and cut them up into chunks. Cutting them up helps speed up the cooking process. Boiled them for about 15 minutes. You then add (2) TBSP of brown sugar, (1) TBSP of cinnamon, and 1/2 cup of milk. You can either mash altogether by hand or use a mixer. I personally prefer my mixer, which is a lot easier. I then garnish with a little bit of cinnamon on top. An additional suggestion for a side dish is a salad. Last night I made a Greek salad, which paired well the steak and potatoes. Also another good pairing is a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon. A nice red blend that pairs extremely well with steak, but remember wine is optional. My rule of thumb if I worked out that day wine is ok but if not then I'll settle for a glass of water or a diet pop. A couple nutritional facts about sweet potatoes why they are a healthier alternative: 1.) Sweet potatoes are higher in vitamins A & C and 2.) They also have a lower glycemic index vs. white potatoes, which means it has a lesser affect on your blood sugar level. So remember the lower the G.I. = the better it is for you. Stay tuned; my next recipe will be healthy alternative for the “Chipotle” burrito bowl. You’ll never want to eat at Chipotle again after making your own healthy and simple version of a burrito bowl…

Mix cooked sweet potatoes with brown sugar, cinnamon and milk all together.

NY strip steak seasoned, sweet potatoes and Greek salad. Enjoy!

My Very First Blog Post

This is my very first blog and my very first post, we were asked to pick something were passionate about. There are a lot of things I am passionate about, but I wanted to share something I recently found a love for. I little over a year ago moved out on my own, never had to cook in my life. Moving out was scary enough but then to have be responsible and cook every night frightened me even more. I was determined that I was not going to have microwave dinners or go out to eat every night. I have always loved baking but cooking... I never had to when I lived at home nor did I really have any interest. So to start my cooking adventure I would find easy recipes on Pinterest, in my eyes the easier the better. Once I conquered those and became confident I would move onto more challenging recipes. Now there is no recipe I would not try. It has been a fun learning experience. It was definitely baby steps and now I can say I have a passion for cooking. I have had so much fun finding new recipes and experimenting. A year ago I would have never imagined myself saying I LOVE TO COOK!!! One of my worst fears is to have something bad or for me to mess up a recipe. I love the show friends and this small clip sums up my one worst nightmares... Don't ever want to be this person