Greek turkey burgers

Dinner tonight was one of my favorites--Greek turkey burgers! Really yummy and easy to make. This started out as a Weight Watchers recipe, but I like more vegetables so this is my version:

• 1 pound ground turkey (93/7 or all white turkey breast--even leaner)
• 2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves (you can use dried oregano--1 tablespoon)
• 3 tablespoons reduced fat feta cheese
• Salt and pepper

Mix ingredients together in a medium bowl--once it is well mixed divide into 4 equal portions and form into patties. Cook on grill pan or in skillet on stove top--you could also grill if you have the time. Spray pan with olive oil cooking spray and respray when you turn the patty over. Cook 5-7 minutes on each side--it is poultry so it needs to be cooked well.

• 1/2 onion- thinly sliced
• red bell pepper-thinly sliced

Saute veggies together in olive oil cooking spray--OR eat them raw and fresh on your burger. Also, Mezzetta brand makes really good roasted red pepper in a jar--a great substitute for fresh or cooked veggies in a hurry.

• Cucumber
• Tomato
• Greek yogurt
• Pita bread OR these healthy sandwich buns (2 slices for the calories of 1 and better for a burger than pita bread)

Spread Greek yogurt on the sandwich slices and pile the veggies on the burger.

How do I cut up herbs and vegetables? This may seem like an odd question, but I feel compelled to address it. The answer is always with a BIG, SHARP knife! Italics and boldface may seem a bit extreme, but, seriously, the only thing more painful than watching someone try to cut up vegetables with the wrong knife is watching an intern do a C-section in July! PAINFUL! So pick the right knife--big with a curved blade so that you can just rock it on the cutting board. Those smaller knives in your kitchen drawer have their own purpose, but keep them away from your vegetables. Thanks!

http://www.kitchenkapers.com/choosing-kitchen-knives.html

What do I feed the kids? My boys actually eat these patties pretty well--I usually cut them up and let them dip it in ketchup or the yogurt. Tonight they ate their meat with cheese and crackers and grapes and they both ate 1 cucumber slice(E dipped his in ketchup, S dipped his in strawberry-banana yogurt!)

Burritos

Why in the world would I start a blog? I love to cook--I hate to gain weight. I love my sister--a fabulous baker who also hates to gain weight. That is the main reason for this blog. I cook quite a bit, but I hardly ever go by the recipe. I am always shaving off some fat/calories and changing things up just enough that I can't remember how to cook it again. So I am going to start writing things down, so I can make the same recipe twice and so that my sister (who loves to bake, but hates to cook) can think of something to cook for dinner.

OK, sis--here are the basics: olive oil, olive oil cooking spray, regular cooking spray (like Pam), herbs (buy one of those pre-filled spice racks on clearance or plant a little herb garden), lemon juice and lime juice (buy fresh fruit or the bottles to keep in the fridge), brown rice, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat tortillas--you need this stuff in your house all the time.

Tonight, we had an old stand-by at the Atkinson house: Burritos! Yes, burritos--does not sound healthy, but actually very easy to eat burritos that are pretty healthy--here we go:

• Whole wheat tortilla
• Grilled chicken (leftover chicken from grilling this weekend--also grocery store rotisserie chicken works great for this purpose)
• Black beans (again, we had leftover homemade beans from this weekend, but canned black beans are good. I especially like Ranch Style brand black beans--seasoned well straight out of the can)
• Salsa ( I like Pace chunky or the Sam's choice equivalent)
• Cheese (optional--if you are trying to lose weight, just skip it or use fat free cheese--not so great by itself, but not bad mixed in with lots of other ingredients and saves a lot of calories)
• Greek yogurt (a new favorite--sometimes you have to look for it--make sure you get the fat free version--tastes very much like sour cream, but NO fat! Fat free sour cream SUCKS, but light sour cream is not bad. Overall, Greek yogurt is healthier because no fat and quite a bit of protein)
• Grilled vegetables (again, leftover from this weekend, but easy to cut up some onion and bell pepper and saute with a little olive oil spray to add some nutrition and taste to your burrito. It is a nice addition, but don't forget you are getting some vegetables in the beans and the salsa if you don't have more veggies)

Just pile the ingredients on the tortilla and pop in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. Eat with a fork--it will fall apart, but very tasty. If you want to go a little lower carb--cut out the tortilla and pile the ingredients on a bowl of lettuce and eat it like a salad. Also, you can smash up the beans or buy "refried" style black beans if you like that taste better--just look for fat-free or low-fat labels.

What am I going to feed my kids? My answer is almost always--THE SAME THING! They are smaller than you and you can make them do what you want! HAHA! Actually, this adapts easily for kids: chicken, beans and cheese on a tortilla--just make a little quesadilla with your cooking spray and let them dip it in salsa or the Greek yogurt (yes, my kids like to dip in sour cream or Greek yogurt--I am not making this up)

Do as I say--not as I do! Do not follow healthy burrito with leftover birthday cake no matter how depressed you are that your baby turned 5 this weekend! Not worth the calories--throw it away!