Buffalo Turkey Burgers

I have a deep love for buffalo sauce. Surprisingly this love affair didn't start until a few years back, but now I can't get ewnough. Buffalo chicken on sandwiches, salads - buffalo wings - buffalo chicken dip -and now buffalo turkey burgers.

I always buy the 93% lean turkey meat, so it gets dried out pretty easily. I usually stuff them to make them moist and gooey, but last night I took this recipe to my burgers and the result was awesome! Thank you again, Skinny Taste! Our skinny burgers were full of flavor and not at all dry. I left out the slaw and topped ours with provolone and a little light blue cheese dressing. I prepared them on our grill pan and when it came time for cheese i just covered the tops with a saucepan lid to keep the heat in and melt it perfectly.

This is going into our nightly rotation, especially since it's one meal that I always have the ingredients for. Rolls and meat are always in the freezer :)

Buffalo Turkey Burgers (slightly adapted from SkinnyTaste)
1.25 lbs 93% lean ground turkey
2/3 cup grated carrots  
1/4 cup seasoned  breadcrumbs 
1 clove garlic, grated (I used garlic powder)
1 tbsp red onion, grated
1/4 cup Franks Hot Sauce
salt and fresh pepper
oil spray
5 slices provolone
5  burger buns 
*I only made 2 burgers. I basically just eyeballed all of the amounts since theres really no science to it*


In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, carrots, breadcrumbs, garlic, onion, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Makes (5) equal patties.

Heat grill pan, or grill, and place burgers on grates. Cook for 4-5 minutes, until cooked about half way through. Flip and cook until done. Place cheese on top and let it melt.

Top your bun with light blue cheese dressing and tomato, or any other toppings you'd like.

Thanksgiving Weekend!

Welcome Back! I hope that everyone had a lovely long holiday weekend. Ours was pretty busy with Adams family in town for a week, but I am happy that I successfully pulled off the big meal! I was able to keep up my family tradition of Thanksgiving breakfast: polish sausage (we used to home make this with my grandmother but now we get it from a polish deli and my sister so kindly brought it up to me on dry ice on her last visit), eggs, rye bread and bagels. And I made a full dinner with twice baked potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole, green beans wrapped in bacon, mushrooms and of course the bird. Heres a photo recap of the rest of the weekend:

 The Thanksgiving Turkey, The Bird, the Big Cheese! We brined this guy (although not long enough because we accidently forgot to defrost it up until the day before) in vegetable stock, herbs, salt - I topped the skin off with salt and pepper and then Stuffed it and baked for 6 hours at 325, removing the foil tent only at the last hour or so.

 Twice Baked Potatoes - I have always loved potatoes and this year I made it easy by prepping them the day before. I peeled them, keeping a little skin on, and chopped them into small chunks, all the same size. Soak them in a large bowl of ice water until the next day so that they dont brown. Then I boiled for 30 minutes, drained, put back into the pot with 1 or 2 tbsp butter and cover on low for 15 minutes. Add some milk and sour cream and blend with your hand mixer, or potato smasher if you like it chunkier. Pour into a casserole dish and top with cheddar slices -  bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

 Bacon Wrapped Green Beans - I liked the idea of this recipe - boil green beans and cook bacon until it just starts to cook but does not get stiff. Cut bacon in half and wrap 7 green beans into each strip and secure with a toothpick. The part that I didnt like was the glaze - butter, brown sugar, soy and garlic. I would have just done a butter overtop, or butter and brown sugar but no garlic and soy. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes.

 Pumpkin Pie! So easy I dont know why I don't make it every year. Store bought crust, pumpkin puree, sweetened condensed milk and some spices. Bake it the day before and take out of the fridge when yo userve dinner so that it comes to room temperature.

 Anyone go black friday shopping?! I went out at 12am and couldn't believe the lines. I have never seens anyhting like it - the approximate time to get into target or best buy was at l east an hour. No thanks! I went to Old Navy and then hit up target later in the day. I love this Santa shirt that I got!

 Baby was ready to start getting the house all ready for the Holidays

 We added lights to our staircase garland and put everything up outside - Ill need to get a picture to post because Adam really did a nice job on it!

And we got our tree!!! It's a tall and bushy one, I love it! There is just nothing like a lit tree to look at, and ours already has lots of present underneath :)

So excited that its the Christmas Season, officially!, and that my family will be here next week!!! Ill be back tomorrow with a weekly bump post - lets just say the sickness is not subsiding and I can hardly find anything to eat!!

Swiss Stuffed Turkey Burgers

While I still love beef burgers, I get the craving for Turkey Burgers whenever we decide to grill out, which we did this weekend. We grabbed some ground turkey and I made 2 patties to cook and froze 2, after seasoning. I also got 80 calorie burger buns, because If I'm going to use 97% fat free meat I may as well stick with it into the carbs!

Swiss Stuffed Turkey Burgers
1.25lb Ground Turkey
3 tbsp BBQ Sauce
1 tsp Garlic Salt
1 tsp Onion Powder
S&P
4 thick slices Swiss

Combine ingredients 1-5. Form into 4 patties. Split each patty in half and place a piece of cheese on top of one half. Place the other on top and seal the edges to keep the cheese inside.

Grill on medium heat for 10 minutes, or until done throughout. Top with whatever topping you prefer, I use red onion, lettuce, mayo and tomato.

Pumpkin Meatloaf Muffins

I have been struggling with dinners lately, since I get home fairly late to cook up something spectacular, and I only cook for myself. Last week I settled for some lean cuisines, but when I was introduced to this recipe I knew that it would be a perfect freezer meal to me. With the pumpkin thrown in, it is something that is totally up my alley and that I'm so happy I discovered. Over at Cara's Cravings, she made these perfect little pumpkin turkey meatloaf muffins. I made up a batch today and came out with 20 mini meatloafs that I can freeze and pull out for dinner or lunch. They are healthy, moist and full of flavor. I have my adjusted recipe below. I ate these 2 at a time, on a bed of about 1 tbsp Pumpkin Puree and 1 tsp Cranberry sauce with some roasted carrots. I like that this will now be a no fuss, low maintenance dinner for the busy weeknighs.


Pumpkin Meatloaf Muffins (adapted from Cara's Cravings)

1 cup finely chopped onion
1 8oz package mushrooms, chopped finely
3 cloves of minced garlic
1 lb 99% lean ground turkey breast
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg white
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1 heaping tsp minced fresh thyme
Freshly ground salt and pepper
1 tbsp Soy Sauce
6 oz Cranberry Sauce

Preheat oven to 400F. Spray a standard 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.

In a nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook the onions until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes more, until vegetables are tender. Add to a bowl with the turkey, pumpkin, egg white, soy, bread crumbs, thyme, cranberry, salt &p. Toss gently to combine. Divide the mixture evenly among the muffin tin. Place in the oven, bake for 20 minutes.

Cheesy Basil Stuffing Mix

This is the perfect stuffing for either turkey burgers or chicken, or even some sort of steak. Simply stuff and bake or throw on the grill pan!

Cheesy Basil Stuffing Mix
1 package 1/3 fat Cream Cheese, softened
6 Basil leaves, Chopped
1/2 cup Mozzarella, shreddded
2 tsp garlic powder
S&P

Simply mix and stuff

Turkey Meatball Roadhouse Sandwich

A couple months back I went with Adam to Jacksonville for a long weekend trip. We went to Buffalo Wild Wings one night for dinner and got a flatbread sandwich with pulled pork, onion rings and coleslaw in it. It was amazing and the other week I had the biggest craving for it! Instead of going out to get it, I stopped by Publix for some slaw and turkey meatballs, and concoted this myself. It was delicious and just like the flatbread!

Turkey Meatball Roadhouse Sandwich (idea taken from BWW)
3 Turkey Meatballs
1 Roll
1 Slice White Onion, chopped
3 tbsp Coleslaw
BBQ Sauce
Sprinkle Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/2 tsp Garlic Salt
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
Spray Butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Split the roll in half and spray butter on the bottom side. Sprinkle garlic salt and onion powder in this half and then the chopped onion slice. Place on baking sheet, along with top half of roll, and place in oven until slightly toasted.

Meanwhile, heat meatballs in the microwave. Cut in half and mix with bbq sauce, until covered. Once roll is slightly toasted, take out and place meatballs on top, followed by some cheddar cheese. Place back in oven until cheese is melted.

Top with coleslaw and enjoy! No sides required.

BBQ Turkey Salad - Using Leftovers

The other week, I found a really good recipe for BBQ Turkey Burgers that I made, and I had some leftover meat from it that I froze. Tonight I was driving home in a bad mood thinking of how I was having a veggie burger patty and a salad for dinner and how I wanted SO many other things! All of the sudden I remembered that I had this bbq turkey meat in the freezer and my night turned around! I put it on the stove for 15 minutes to cook, and added it to a bed of romaine, green bell pepper and tomato, topped with ff ranch and some bbq sauce. It is delicious and Im so happy I remembered it. This meat mixture is definitely one of my favorites, and Im thinking that it would be good in a BBQ quesadilla also..... mmmmmmm

BBQ Turkey Burgers

LAtely I have really been trying to eat better, so I have gotten back on the cooking wagon! I wanted to do something with ground turkey and I came upon this BBQ Turkey Burger recipe from Cooking Light. The reviews said it was moist and delicious, so I gave it a shot and wow! It WAS moist! I have had problems in the past with the turkey meat really drying out, but this one did not do that at all. I was very pleased with the taste and will make these again. I actually had some leftover mix and I froze it and will probably cook it up on a skillet and have it over a salad. I really didnt measure out the portions, I just eyeballed it all so Im posting the original recipe here.

BBQ Turkey Burgers (from Cooking Light)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup barbecue sauce, divided
2 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons prepared mustard
3/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pound ground turkey (I used 99% fat free and it still came out tasting great)
Cooking spray
4 large leaf lettuce leaves
4 (1/4-inch-thick) slices tomato
4 (1 1/2-ounce) hamburger buns (I used arnold's 100 calorie whole wheat flat buns)

Combine the onion, 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce, breadcrumbs, and the next 5 ingredients (breadcrumbs through turkey) in a medium bowl. Divide turkey mixture into 4 equal portions, shaping each into a 1 1/2 inch-thick patty. (I added a piece of ff cheddar in the centers of each patty to give it something extra)

Heat a grill pan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Place patties in pan; cook 7 minutes on each side or until done.
Place 1 lettuce leaf, 1 tomato slice, and 1 patty on the bottom half of each bun. Spread each patty with 1 1/2 teaspoons barbecue sauce. Cover with top halves of buns.

Chicken Parm Burgers, without the chicken

I really have been wanting to try chicken parm burgers, but there was only 1 small package of ground chicken left at my grocery store. Of course, there were several large packages of ground turkey meat. Honestly, I think that they both kind of taste the same, so I figured what the heck and I made my burgers with turkey meat. They came out plump and with lots of flavor from the seasonings. They tasted just as good as chicken meat and paired with a caesar salad and homemade croutons, it was a lighter take on an italian dinner that hit the spot just right.

Turkey Parm Burgers

makes apprx 4 burgers

For Patties

1.5 lbs Ground Turkey Meat

1/4 C breadcrumbs, plain

2 tbsp Italian Seasoning, unsalted

1.5 tbsp Garlic Powder

1/2 Bundle of Parsley, chopped

2 tsp Percorino

For Topping/Assembly

Pasta Sauce (I used roasted garlic and tomato)

4 Slices Provolone Cheese

4 Whole Wheat Buns (I used 100 calorie sliders)

Mix all and form into patties. Set aside in the refridgerator to let seasonings mix, however long you'd like. I left in for about 40 minutes.

Heat skillet to medium/high and place burgers inside. Cook for about 5 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Add pasta sauce to the top of each, followed by a slice of provolone and put lid on. The cheese should hold in the sauce and melt to the edges of the patties. When you see the cheese melted take out of skillet and onto buns. Plate and serve!

Kruger Chili

While it's 91 degrees here, it's snowing in Idaho and cold all over the north. Adam and I were feeling the fall through the heat and decided to make chili yeserday. Since we haven't ever really made it, we thought up a recipe and got out the crock pot. I have to give Adam the credit as he whipped it up and named it Kruger Chili. It was just what we needed to feel like it was actually not summer anymore.

Kruger Chili

1.5 lbs ground turkey meat

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 can kidney beans

2 cups beef stock

1 28 oz can diced tomato

3/4 cup cornstarch

3 tbsp minced garlic

2 tbsp oregano

7 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

S&P

2-3 tbsp red pepper flakes

dash of hot sauce, to taste

6tbsp flax seed (obviously optional but we are trying to incorporate it into our diet)

Cheddar and sourcream, for garnish

Brown turkey meat in saucepan on medium/high heat.

Add to crockpot, then add additional ingredients. Mix and set temperature to low. Cook for 6.5/7 hours. Garnish with cheddar and sourcream

Stuffed Turkey Burgers

Since I am making healthy dinners every night instead of winging it, and inevitably eating out or eating something full of fat, I have been trying to think of a lot of great ideas. It is kind of hard when youre working with a few different kinds of protein and you need to constantly twist it into something new; however, last night I nailed a new ground turkey recipe. I decided to do stuffed turkey burgers/sliders. nothing fancy or all that creative, but it was excellent nonetheless.

Stuffed Turkey Burgers
4 Whole Wheat Buns (I bought Martins Whole Wheat Sliders at 100 calories per bun)
1 pound 99% fat free ground turkey
1 tbsp Garlic Powder
4 tsp reduced fat mozzerella
4 tbsp low fat cream cheese
1/4 cup chopped spinach
1 tsp Pepper

Mix turkey meat with garlic powder and pepper, mold it into patties and then split them open in the middle.
Put 1 tsp rf mozzerella, 1 tbs low fat creamcheese and chopped spinach into each center. Close the patty re-form to hold everything in. Spray a pan pan with cooking spray and place over medium/high heat. Put patties in for about 4 minutes on each side, or until done. It didn't take very long for mine.
I also roasted some sweet potatoes and veggies for the side. I got a thumbs up on it and cant wait to eat my second one for lunch today!