What's For Dinner? Stuffed Sirloin Burgers with Arugula Apple Almond Salad

Welcome to my new life.  Healthy. 

Yes, as you browse my blog you will find delightful recipes, but most are not in the healthy category.  But, recently, I went.....

PALEO!!!

So, it is likely that from now on you will seeing my unbelievably delicious, flavorful, colorful, mouth watering Paleo-friendly recipes.  For you gluten-free peeps, that will include you, too.

I had taken 2 lbs of ground sirloin of of the freezer earlier today, but I didn't really have plans for it.  Seriously, I whipped this meal together in 1/2 an hour from start to finish.  Now, THAT has got to peak your interest at least!

Let's get started making the Stuffed Sirloin Burgers.  Gather your ingredients!

ground sirloin - 1 lb per 3 burgers
fresh spinach, chopped - 1/2 cup per lb of meat
sweet peppers - any color - minced - 2 small ones per lb of meat
green onions, minced (green and all) - 3 per lb of meat
fresh pressed garlic - 2 per lb of meat
ground pepper - to taste
sea salt - to taste
chili powder - to taste
parsley - to taste
egg, beaten- 1 per lb of meat

provolone cheese - this is not Paleo, so skip it if you are a "strictoid" - 3 slice per lb of meat

Here is what you will need for the Arugula Apple Almond Salad.

arugula - 1 1/2 cups per person
apple, sliced thin - 1/2 per person
almond slices - 2 Tbsp per person
parmesan shavings - this is not Paleo, so skip this too if you are a "strictoid" - 1 Tbsp per person
lemon juice from 1/2 a lemon is enough for 2 people
olive oil - 2 Tbsp is enough for 2 people

OK, so normally I post a picture of all the ingredients laid out.  But, this all happened so fast that I didn't.  Yeah,  I was wingin' it, baby!

1.  Mix together the spinach, peppers, and onion.  Add the egg and mix.  Add the meat on top and pour on all the seasonings....garlic, salt, pepper, chili powder, and parsley.  Mix it all together until well blended.

2.  Make patties by hand or use a handy dandy burger press like mine!  Start with half of what you will need to make one burger, then lay a slice of the cheese on top.  Like this...

3.  Add the remaining 1/2 of the portion of your burger on top of the cheese and press well to seal.  Looking good!

4.  Fire up the grill!  Cook as you would any burger to the temperature you prefer.

5.  While the burgers are cooking, let's make the salad!  Mix arugula, sliced apples, and almonds in a bowl.  To make the dressing, mix the juice of 1/2 a lemon and 2 Tbsp of EVOO.  That dressing mix will be enough for two salads.  Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to blend.  Top with the parm shavings, if you like.

6.  It's time to serve it up!!

I know, right?!  I am so glad I made 3 extra burgers because that is what we are having tomorrow for lunch or dinner.  We all ate every morsel.  Of course, my carb eating husband and son had theirs on a bun.  But, I did not miss the bread one bit.  This burger and salad was so full of flavor and texture that I was 100% satisfied! 

The pairing of the savory flavors of the burger with the sweet and tart of the salad was a perfect marriage.  Yup, this is going in my favorite recipes file!

What's For Dinner? ~ Spinach & Cheese Stuffed Burgers

Here I go again. 

I'm hiding the vegetables.

This is my M.O.

Yumalicious Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Burgers.  Yup!  I'm going all gourmet on you.  Let's gather our ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
1 packet Lipton Onion Soup Mix
1 package of frozen chopped spinach (10 oz), thawed, drained well, and dried
1 Cup shredded cheese - I used a combination of mozzarella and sharp cheddar
Variety of garnishes - onion, tomato, lettuce, etc

Now, here is where it gets complicated.  Mix everything in a bowl, except for the garnishes.  Press into 4 patties.

Take a break.  That was hard work!

Fire up the grill or broil these in the oven.  The cheese and spinach add amazing moisture and texture!  Serve them on fancy buns...LOL....we used french hamburger buns from the bakery department.  Top with all your yummy veggie garnishes.  Some yummy pairing ideas are....sweet potato fries, garden salad, or mac n cheese.

These also freeze well!  I made a double batch and froze 4 patties.  We will enjoy them next week for a quick and easy meal.

What's For Dinner? ~ Chicken Piccata

It's that time of day again.  What's for dinner?  Hmmmm.  Yes, it's Monday and I don't have to "work" today.  Yeah, right.  All that means is that I don't have any tutoring today and I'm not on the schedule for my website job.  But, trust me.  There is still plenty of work to be done.  What this does mean is that I do have time to actually cook a nice meal and have it ready for when my hubby gets home from work.  It still means that I don't want to be chained to the oven for 2 hours.  So, here we go with a new recipe I'm trying.... Chicken Piccata.  I got the recipe from the website for Progresso Soup Starters.  Of course, I had to tweak it.  Well, because, it's just what I do.  If you follow this recipe and use the same sides as me, this will feed 6 people.

Gather your ingredients!

1/2 Cup flour (white or wheat)
2 tsp seasoned salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 Tbsp EVOO
8 cloves of fresh pressed garlic
3 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp dried parsley
3 Tbsp capers
1 lb pasta (any kind)
1 can Progresso Recipe Starters Creamy Roasted Garlic

Go ahead and pound out that chicken to be about 1/2 inch thick.  This isn't necessary, but it does make the chicken more tender and gives you more surface area too for the yummy coating you will put on it!

Heat the oil in a large skillet with fresh garlic.  My skillet could only hold 3 breasts at a time, so I did this in two stages, using 1/2 the oil and garlic for each batch. *NOTE:  I did the same with the Recipe Starters and lemon juice mixture, parsley, and capers.

Mix the flour, salt, and pepper together in a shallow dish.  Dip the chicken in the flour mixture, coating on both sides.  Place into the hot skillet.  Cook on both sides until golden brown - about 4 minutes on each side.

While that is cooking, mix up the Recipe Starter with the lemon juice.  Get your water boiling for your pasta.

Pour the sauce mix over the chicken, top with the parsley and capers.  Let that simmer on low for another 5-10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is bubbly.

I chose to use Whole Wheat Rotini pasta and steamed green beans.  Serve it up!

It was delicious!  There was plenty of leftovers for my hubby to take for two days of his lunches this week.  Yes...thinking ahead to some of my busier days when I don't have time to cook up something good for him.  Enjoy this easy dinner.  It took me 30 minutes from start to finish!

What's For Dinner? Chicken.....and hidden veggies

What's for dinner?  Ah, the question of the day.  My son asks this question starting somewhere around 9 AM.  You would think I would post a nice little schedule on the fridge of my plans for the week for dinner.  Yeah, no.  Too often I am scrambling somewhere around 3 or 4 PM about what to make.  Sure, I'm on the ball a couple of times a week and take something out the night before or get something in the crock pot first thing in the morning.  But, this blog post (I think it's becoming a series so check out the one from last week) is for those times when I'm not sure what is going in my family's tummy and it's already 5 PM.

Here we go.....dinner was Herb & Garlic Chicken with Garden Veggie Pasta Parmesan, and a mixed veggie salad with homemade vinaigrette.

 

So, here's how it went down...Heat about 1-2 Tbsp of olive oil and 2 fresh pressed garlic cloves in a deep pan.  Add the chicken and brown lightly on both sides.  Add a packet of Lipton Recipe Secrets Herb and Garlic that was mixed with about 1/4 cup of water (or wine) and about 2 Tbsp of fresh lemon juice.  Just pour it over the top and then cover the sautee pan.  Go back and turn the chicken in a few minutes and re-distribute the sauce.  It will thicken.

While the chicken is simmering, cook up a box of Ronzoni Garden Delights Fettuccine.  This stuff is great.  It has lots of flavor and packs a full serving of vegetables in a 4 oz portion (hidden veggies!).  When it is done, drain it well, toss it with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top.

The veggies was a mixture of what I had in the fridge....grape tomatoes, broccoli, red bell pepper, and carrots.  I made a dressing with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and some fresh pressed garlic.

Voila!  Dinner is served.  It took me a little less than 30 minutes from start to table.  We all ate it up and my son wanted seconds of the fettuccine even after I confessed that it was made with tomato, carrot, and spinach!  Of course, hubby took the leftovers the next day for dinner!

What's For Dinner? Pork

OK....I've been MIA on my blog.  If you know me personally then you know I've been dealing with a lot of goop and goo over the past 6 months.  If you don't know me personally then, well, now you know I've been dealing with a lot of goop and goo.  I'm trying to get back on the wagon with a lot of things and tending to my blog is one of them.

Moving forward.

I spend about an hour total a day on FB and I'm always seeing people post what they made for dinner.  Part of me wants to comment...."who cares?"  Sometimes though when it sounds good I want to comment...."so what is it and where is your pictures?".  I'm always looking for a little brain yank on what to make for dinner.  I do love to cook, but I rarely have time to go all out with a meal that takes hours to prepare.  Did you know that I'm a Foodie Wannabe?  Yup.  I even have a monthly article at Homeschool Mosaics.  And, you guessed it....my article name is Foodie Wannabe.  Check it out!  There, you will find my more involved creations with lots of pics and details on how I made it.  Here, you will find my simple meals that didn't take much time at all and the basic gist for you to re-create it yourself.....if you are so moved to do so.

Tonight, I made pork chops, green beans, and stuffing.  Here is my husband's plate....yum!

Here we have good ol' fashioned pork Stop Top, fresh green beans sauteed in olive oil and fresh pressed garlic (just until tender), and baked pork chops that I coated in a mixture of seasoned bread crumbs and crushed french fried onions.  Total cost of the meal was $9 and we had some green beans and stuffing left over that I will gladly enjoy for my lunch tomorrow.

I will leave you with this funny....well, because I try to find humor in just about anything.  My son, who loves pork chops on the bone, was sighing with joy as he was gnawing on the meat closest to the bone.  He turned to me and said...."Sometimes when I'm playing Minecraft and I kill a pig to get pork I get jealous.  I want the pork to come out of the computer and into my mouth".

There ya have it.