Burger up!

Thank you so much for all of the wonderful comments that you left yesterday. I am so excited to take your feedback and use it to improve MMM.

If you have not already, be sure to stop by yesterday’s post and enter to win a batch of my dough balls -trust me, they are amazing!

Overall, it sounds like you are interested in hearing about what we eat, how we stay on budget every month and tips to staying organized. Yesterday, I gave you a peek into one of my batch prep days, and I will be making more posts like it in the future. I also would like to include tours of my fridge and pantry, letting you know how we stay organized (and save money) in those two areas.

Just a quick tip: when I worked out of the house, I would do all of my prep work on Sunday afternoons while Matthew napped. Without him running around, prep work was a breeze and took half of the time that it does now. 🙂

Onto the food… Summer has finally arrived here in Minneapolis and it couldn’t have come any sooner! The long, gray days of March and April were really starting to wear on me. I was actually craving winter/fall foods! That is a thing of the past and I am so excited to be out grilling pretty much every night!

A grilling staple, is the quintessential burger. However, ours are not completed by cheese, mayo or white buns. We enjoy lean, flavorful and juicy bison, grass-finished beef, turkey breast and chicken breast burgers at least once per week because the recipe is so simple and lends stellar results.

My recipe usually follows the same formula, no matter which type of meat I am preparing:

1 lb ground meat (bison, elk, grass-fed beef, chicken breast, turkey breast)
1/3 c rolled oats, oat bran or whole wheat bread crumbs
2 egg whites or 1 farm fresh egg
1 onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, grated, passed through a garlic press or finely diced
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/2 tbsp low sodium tamari or soy sauce
1/2 tsp liquid smoke or hickory seasoning
Sea salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Preheat grill to medium high.

In a large bowl combine all ingredients other than the ground meat.

Add the ground meat and stir until just combined. You may want to use your hands, as it helps to incorporate the meat better.

Using your hands, pat the meat down into an even layer on the bottom of the bowl. To create four equal patties, use the side of your hand to score the meat in half horizontally and then vertically, creating a plus. Each quadrant is a single patty.

Gently form four 1/2 inch thick patties. Don’t aggressively pat your burgers, this can make them tough and dry.

Grill on medium high until desired doneness. Four minutes per side for medium.

Serve on a whole wheat bun, english muffin, or large romaine leaves.

Top with avocado, pineapple, low sugar ketchup, low sugar BBQ, whole grain mustard, lettuce, tomato, pickles, etc.

What is your favorite unclean food that you would like to see cleaned up on MMM?

This Sunday is Matthew’s first birthday and I will be preparing a vanilla birthday cake with marshmallow frosting that does not use refined flour or sweeteners. Only wholesome foods served here!