Veggie Burger for a Meat and Potatoes Guy

 I had a garden burger at a restaurant a few weeks ago, my first ever.  It tasted like...a fried hash brown patty.  I think it was a fried hash brown patty on a bun with burger fixin's!  I figure there's no need to pay the high price for veggie burger patties when I am sure I can make my own.  I wanted a recipe that is mostly veggies, not so much starch, and one high in complete proteins.

The problem?  My husband is a total meat and potatoes kind of guy.  Or rather, burgers and fries kind of guy.  I conjured up this recipe with things I had on hand and he.....ate two!    So I guess that's a win!  Kids liked it as well and wanted to take leftovers in their lunch.

Yield: 10 patties

3/4 cup black beans, mashed
1 small zucchini, grated
1 carrot, grated
1 small potato, grated
1 onion, minced
3 eggs
2/3 cup old fashioned oatmeal
1 tbs fresh minced garlic
dash of worchestershire sauce
1 tbs grill seasoning (I used mesquite grill seasoning from Costco)
dash of chicken soup flavoring
black pepper

Combine all ingredients and let set for 10 minutes to allow the liquid to absorb into the oatmeal. Shape into patties (I used a wide mouth canning lid for a mold), and cook in lightly greased skillet until browned on both sides and cooked through.  Serve on buns with tomatoes, lettuce, pickles, the works!

Fun with Sandwiches and Bento

I found this site today, with all sorts of creative ideas for sandwiches. No more boring school lunches! Check it out!

Insanewiches.com

If you liked this, you will probably also enjoy the feature we did last year on Bento lunches.

Quick Lunch Burritos

This recipe was invented when my husband needed something to take for lunch. I dug around in our fridge and came up with this!

Prep/Total Time: 5 minutes
Yield: 2 servings

2 whole grain tortillas (1o inch)
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 cup frozen sweet corn, thawed and cooked
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream, salsa, guacamole, optional

In a microwave safe dish, combine the beans, scallions and corn. Microwave 2-3 minutes or until heated through. Stir to combine.

Spoon one half of the mixture onto each tortilla. Top with salsa, sour cream and guacamole. Roll up.

Tips and Tricks
Substitute black beans if you don't like kidney beans. Heat tortillas slightly for ease in rolling. Try this version of Light Guacamole to go with the burrito! Add shredded chicken for a meat option.
Make It Healthier
Use reduced-fat cheese and low-fat sour cream.
How Kids Can Help
Rinse beans. Shred cheese. Roll tortilla.
Recipe Source
original

Key-West Chicken Avocado Sandwiches

Prep/Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

1 cup mashed avocado
1 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp green pepper sauce , optional
1 cup baby spinach
10 oz grilled or roasted chicken breast, sliced (about 2 cups)
1 mango, peeled, pitted and sliced (about 1 cup)
4 small whole grain rolls, split

Combine avocado, lime juice and green pepper sauce in small bowl. Spread tops and bottom halves of rolls with 2 Tbsp each of the avocado-lime mixture.

Layer 1/4 cup of the spinach, one quarter of the chicken, and 1/4 cup of the mango on bottom halves and top with other halves of rolls.

Tips and Tricks
If you don't like mango, try using sliced cantaloupe or orange slices.
Make It Healthier
Pre-trim fat from chicken.
How Kids Can Help
Mash avocado. Layer sandwich ingredients.

Nutrition Facts
one sandwich equals 367 calories, 29g protein, 41 g carbs, 8 g fiber, 1 g fat, 2.5 g sat fat 60mg chol, 355 mg sodium

Bento!

Have you heard of the new trend in packed lunches for school? Bento Box lunches are a traditional Japanese packed lunch, designed to be both delicious and beautiful. Crescent Moon has given me permission to post her ideas for Bento lunches for her kids.

She started by decorating the plain plastic lunch containers she got for each member of her family. She started out with these new Fit&Fresh lunch boxes.

Then she used stickers and glow-in-the-dark acrylic paint to decorate them, then painted over them with clear nail polish, so she could wash them without ruining the stickers.

This is the lid of hers:


This one is for her DH:


She gave DS a Cars theme:


Her DD has a sort of pirate theme:


And here are some of the lunches she has prepared:

The first day of school Bento:




Breakfast for lunch:




Fall Bento #1:




Fall Bento #2:




And some Pirate themed Bento lunches because Talk Like a Pirate Day was this week:





There is no picture of today's full lunch, but it contains this pirate pizza:



Are you doing something special for your kids' lunch? We would love to see your ideas! Leave us a comment with a link to your post, and if we like your idea we may include it in a future post.

Quick Sandwich Ideas

Pressed for time? Out of ideas? Need lunch right away? Try one of these quick sandwich ideas from Andrea Astrachan, consumer advisor for Giant Food. If you're in the Maryland/DC/Virginia area, be sure to read my account of Giant's new offerings!

Bat Boy
1 slice of turkey, ham or bologna
1/4 tsp light mayo
a pinch of shredded cheese
1 large pretzel rod

Spread mayo on the turkey, ham or bologna. Sprinkle with cheese. Roll up lunch meat and cheese with pretzel rod in the middle.

On The Go Burrito
1 tortilla
1 tbsp salsa
3-4 slices chicken
1/4 cup black beans
1/4 cup shredded cheese

Spread salsa on the tortilla. Layer the chicken, beans and cheese. Roll up the tortilla into a burrito.

Chicken Caesar Pocket
1 pita pocket
handful of romaine lettuce
1 tsp light ranch dressing
3-4 cooked chicken strips

Spread ranch dressing inside the pita pocket and add chicken and lettuce.

Turkey Lunchbox Wraps

Prep/Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 2 servings

2 whole wheat tortillas (8 inches), room temperature
4 teaspoons honey mustard
6 ounces thinly sliced deli turkey
2 thin slices Muenster cheese
1 cup fresh baby spinach
1 medium carrot, shredded
1 bacon strip, cooked and crumbled
1/4 cup chopped seeded cucumber
1/4 cup chopped roasted sweet red pepper

Spread tortillas with mustard. Layer each with turkey, cheese, spinach, carrot, bacon, cucumber and red pepper; roll up tightly.

Tips and Tricks
I omitted the sweet red pepper and made my own honey mustard sauce. My husband and kids liked the honey mustard spread, but I would have preferred the wraps with ranch dressing instead. Use whatever variety of cheese you like. I also finely chopped my carrot instead of shredding it to save my fingers. i also used larger tortillas, so it was helpful to cut them in half once rolled up for neater eating.
Make It Healthier
Use trans-fat free tortillas and center-cut bacon.
How Kids Can Help
Older kids can shred carrots. Younger kids can layer the ingredients and help roll them up.

Herbaceous Beef Burgers

Prep/Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

1 1/2 pounds ground beef sirloin
1/3 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/3 cup finely chopped dill
1/4 cup chopped chives
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper
One 4-ounce log goat cheese, quartered
olive oil
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons honey
4 crusty whole grain kaiser rolls, split
4 leaves green-leaf lettuce
1/4 seedless cucumber, thinly sliced
4 radishes, thinly sliced
4 thin slices red onion

Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high. In a large bowl, combine the beef, parsley, dill, chives and Worcestershire sauce; season with salt and pepper. Divide the mixture into 4 mounds. Press 1 piece of cheese into the center of each mound, then form a patty around the cheese. Drizzle the patties with olive oil and grill for 4 minutes on each side for medium.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the sour cream, mustard and honey; season with salt and pepper. Layer each roll bottom with lettuce, cucumber, radish, onion and a burger. Spread honey mustard sauce on the cut side of the bun tops and set into place.

Tips and Tricks
I used a little less than a pound of meat and made four smaller burgers. I used dried dill, fresh curly parsley, and omitted the chives altogether. You could also substitute green onions. I used spicy brown mustard in place of Dijon, cream cheese instead of goat cheese, and left the radishes off. Make sure the meat is sealed well around the cheese, because the cream cheese I used leaked out as the meat cooked.
Make It Healthier
Omit salt. Serve on whole wheat rolls. Use low-fat or fat-free sour cream.
How Kids Can Help
If you place the meat and ingredients into a plastic resealable bag, kids can mix the meat. Kids can also measure ingredients and mix the sour cream topping.

Turkey Meatball Subs

Prep: 40 minutes

Cook: 20 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

5 whole-grain sub rolls

1 pound extra-lean ground white turkey breast

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp dried oregano

1 egg

1 egg white

1 small onion, thinly sliced

1 14.5 ounce can Italian Style tomatoes

1/4 cup shredded reduced fat mozzarella cheese

Using a food processor, process one sub roll into fine bread crumbs. Measure out one cup of crumbs.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the turkey, garlic, eggs, oregano and crumbs. Shape into meatballs. Add meatballs to a skillet and brown on all sides. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until slices are limp and just starting to turn brown.

Add tomatoes and stir to coat. Allow mixture to come to a slight boil, then reduce heat and cook for twenty minutes or until meatballs are cooked through.

Split remaining rolls in half lengthwise and fill with meatballs and sauce. Top with shredded cheese.

Tips and Tricks

I skipped the processing the extra roll and just used Italian bread crumbs. I also used extra lean ground beef because my husband doesn't like ground turkey. I used part-skim mozzarella because the reduced-fat kind doesn't seem to melt well.

Make It Healthier

Use sodium-free tomatoes.

How Kids Can Help

Measure ingredients. Older kids can shred cheese.

Nutrition Facts

One sandwich equals 355 calories, 4.5 grams fat (0.5 g saturated fat), 39g carbs, 4 g fiber, 7g sugars, 39 g protein, 494 mg sodium, 125 mg cholesterol

3 Meal Series Part 3: Open Faced Beef Melts

Prep: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

9 oz sliced pot roast
1 cup gravy
4 slices Texas Toast, lightly toasted
4 slices cheddar or swiss cheese

In a large skillet heat pot roast and gravy until heated through. Spread toast on broiler pan, Divide pot roast slices evenly among toast. Spoon most of the gravy over the meat and top each sandwich with a slice of cheese. Broil 1 minute or until cheese is melted.

Make And Freeze: Mexican Style Barbeque Beef

Prep To Freeze: 10 minutes or less
Time To Cook: 6-8 hours
Yield: 6 servings

4 pounds chuck roast, fat trimmed
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 to 1 1/2 cups onion, sliced into rings
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp dried chilies
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic

Place all ingredients into a large plastic bag. Seal, being sure to squeeze out excess air. Mix ingredients. Label and freeze flat. Use within two months.

To Cook: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Place contents of bag into a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours. Shred meat with two forks, stir to mix seasonings. Serve on warm rolls or tortilla shells.

Tips and Tricks
Reduce the amount of cayenne pepper and dried chilies if you don't like spicy food. If the roast starts to look dry while cooking, add about 1/3 cup water. When thawing the meat, place the bag in a bowl in case of leakage.
Make It Healthier
Use lean meat. Omit salt.
How Kids Can Help
Measure spices. Mix ingredients once bag is sealed.

Quick 'n' Easy Pita Pizza

Prep: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 Mini Pizzas

1 1/2 cups tomato sauce with Italian seasonings
4 pita bread rounds
2 cups mozzarella, shredded
16 slices pepperoni
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 425. Warm pitas in the microwave or preheated oven for 1 minute, or until soft. Spread sauce evenly on crust and sprinkle on mozzarella. Arrange pepperoni evenly on top and sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake 8 to 10 minutes until cheese bubbles and begins to brown, and pita crusts have reached the desired level of crispness.

Tips & Tricks:
Top with your favorite pizza toppings such as pineapple, ham, ground beef or sausage, olives, onions, or whatever you like!

How Kids Can Help:
After spreading sauce, allow kids to build their own pizzas with their favorite toppings.

Make it Healthier:
Use whole wheat pita bread. Top with veggies instead of pepperoni.

Black Bean Burritos

These tasty burritos have 6 grams of fiber each!

Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Yield: 8 servings

1 can (16 ounces) refried beans
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1-1/2 cups salsa, divided
1 cup fresh broccoli florets, chopped
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese, divided
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
8 flour tortillas (8 inches), warmed

In a large bowl, combine the refried beans, black beans, 1 cup salsa, broccoli, 3/4 cup cheese, onion and cumin. Spoon down the center of each tortilla; roll up. Place seam side down in a baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Cover and bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until heated through. Uncover; top with remaining salsa and cheese. Bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Tips and Tricks
I used full fat cheddar cheese, but cut the total amount down. If you buy sharp cheddar, the more distinct flavor means you can use less overall without compromising your dish. I also used frozen broccoli. Try throwing in extra veggies, like sliced green peppers or halved cherry tomatoes.
Make It Healthier
Serve in whole grain tortillas. Use natural salsa.
How Kids Can Help
Older kids can grate the cheese. Younger kids can rinse the beans and stir the filling.

Nutrition Facts
1 burrito equals 305 calories, 7 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 15 mg cholesterol, 823 mg sodium, 45 g carbohydrate, 6 g fiber, 14 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 3 starch, 1 very lean meat, 1 vegetable, 1/2 fat

Avocado And Turkey Wraps

Prep/Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons chopped jalapeno peppers
1 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 flour tortillas (8 inches)
3/4 cup shredded lettuce
1/2 cup chopped tomato
10 ounces sliced deli smoked turkey
1 medium ripe avocado, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup chopped red onion

In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, jalapenos, pepper and salt until blended; spread over one side of each tortilla. Layer with lettuce, tomato, turkey, avocado and onion. Roll up tightly. Serve immediately.

Tips and Tricks
I'm not a fan of jalapeno peppers, so I substituted a container of Philadelphia Light 'Garden Veggies' cream cheese. I also omitted the salt and onion. Make extras and wrap them in plastic wrap for lunch the next day.
Make It Healthier
Serve on whole grain tortillas. Omit salt. Use reduced-fat or fat-free cream cheese.
How Kids Can Help
Older kids can help peel the avocado. Younger kids can sprinkle salt and pepper and roll tortillas.

Nutrition Facts
1 serving (1 each) equals 509 calories, 32 g fat (14 g saturated fat), 88 mg cholesterol, 1,104 mg sodium, 33 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 25 g protein

Thai Chicken-Broccoli Wraps

This delicious recipe is from the latest issue of Parents Magazine

Yield: 6 sandwiches
Prep: 20 minutes

12 oz boneless chicken breast strips
1/4 tsp garlic salt
2 cups broccoli-slaw mix
1/4 tsp ground ginger
Peanut sauce (recipe below)
3 10-inch whole wheat tortillas, warmed

Sprinkle chicken strips with garlic salt. Coat a large, nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Cook and stir seasoned chicken in hot skillet over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes or until cooked through. Remove chicken from skillet and keep warm. Coat pan again with cooking spray, add broccoli slaw and ginger to skillet. Cook stirring constantly until vegetables are crisp-tender.

Peanut Sauce:
3 tbs peanut butter
2 tbs hot water
1 tbs reduced sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp ginger.

Heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth.

Spread tortillas with peanut sauce. Top with chicken strips and broccoli slaw mix. Roll up each tortilla, and cut in half. Serve immediately.

Tips and Tricks:
I use fresh garlic, in place of garlic salt & stir fry with the chicken.

How Kids Can Help:
Kids can help assemble tortillas.

Nutrition Facts:
223 Calories, 19 g protein, 7 grams fat, 21g carbs, 71 mg calcium, 4g fiber.

Halloween Mummies

Prep: 20 minutes
Yield: 8 sandwiches

8 hot dogs
1 package of crescent roll dough (8 rolls)
ketchup
mustard

Preheat oven according to roll dough directions. Cut dough into thin slices using a knife or an egg noodle cutter. Wrap each hot dog in strips to resemble a mummy. Bake according to directions for rolls. Create eyes & mouth using mustard & ketchup by putting each into a ziploc bag, cutting off the corner and using it as a miniature pastry tube.

How Kids Can Help:
Kids can help wrap mummies

10 Minute Gyros

Prep: 10 minutes
Yield: 6 sandwiches

1 lb beef stir fry strips
2 tsp Greek seasoning
1 tbs vegetable oil (I always use extra virgin olive oil)
6 soft pita breads, warmed
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 cup thin strips of cucumber
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup ranch dressing

Cut beef into small pieces & toss with greek seasoning. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add beef, half at a time and cook, stirring, 2 to 3 minutes or until browned. Divide beef between pitas, top with tomato, cucumber, and feta. Drizzle with ranch or serve with ranch on the side.

Tips & Tricks
Substitute leftover grilled meat (beef, chicken, or pork) for a quick meal made with leftovers. For those with a sensitive palate, who don't care for feta, use Monterey jack for a delicious alternative.

Pineapple Cream Cheese Party Sandwiches

Prep: 20 minutes
Yield: 20 large sandwich pinwheels, or 60 appetizer size sandwiches

2 lb. cream cheese, softened
1 c. crushed pineapple, well drained
2 loaves rye bread, sliced thinly lengthwise (pre-order at bakery)

Cream together cheese & pineapple & spread on each lengthwise slice. Roll up each sandwich tightly as you would a jellyroll and fasten if necessary with toothpicks. Chill 1 hour before serving.

Tips & Tricks:
For prettier pinwheels, have the bakery pre-color the bread. If you don't have time to pre-order lengthwise slices, you can use cookie cutters to cut out tiny shaped sandwiches. For hors d'ovoures this yields about 30 tiny sandwiches per loaf.

Broiled Vegetable Sandwiches

These easy and tasty sandwiches are an easy way to use up garden plenty, and they require so little preparation time, they are perfect for those too hot to cook days.

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Yield: 2 servings

6 slices peeled eggplant (1/4 inch thick)
1/2 cup sliced yellow summer squash (1/4 inch thick)
1/3 cup sliced zucchini (1/4 inch thick)
2 slices red onion (1/4 inch thick)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Dash cayenne pepper
2 hard rolls, split
5 teaspoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
2 fresh basil leaves
2 fresh spinach leaves
1 cup julienned roasted sweet red peppers
2 slices tomato
2 teaspoons minced seeded jalapeno pepper
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Place the eggplant, yellow squash, zucchini and onion in a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan coated with nonstick cooking spray. Coat vegetables with nonstick cooking spray; sprinkle with Italian seasoning and cayenne. Broil 4-6 in. from the heat for 5-7 minutes on each side or until tender and lightly browned.

Place rolls, cut side up, on an ungreased baking sheet. Broil for 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Spread roll bottoms with mayonnaise; layer with basil, spinach, red peppers, tomato and jalapeno. Sprinkle with pepper. Top with broiled vegetables; replace roll tops.

Tips and Tricks
I don't like eggplant, but when it is peeled, sliced thin and broiled, I can barely taste it. I omitted the roasted red peppers and the jalapenos. This recipe makes two sandwiches, but can easily be adjusted to feed a larger family.
Make It Healthier
Serve on whole wheat rolls.
How Kids Can Help
Arrange vegetable slices on broiler pan. Measure spices. Layer veggies on rolls.

Nutrition Facts
1 sandwich equals 290 calories, 7 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 4 mg cholesterol, 869 mg sodium, 44 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 8 g protein
Diabetic Exchanges
2 starch, 2 vegetable, 1 fat

Garden Veggie Wraps

Prep/Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

1/2 cup reduced-fat garlic-herb cheese spread
4 flour tortillas (10 inches)
1-1/4 cups chopped seeded tomatoes
1-1/4 cups julienned fresh spinach
3/4 cup chopped sweet red pepper
2 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

Spread 2 tablespoons cheese spread over each tortilla. Sprinkle with tomatoes, spinach, red pepper, bacon and pepper. Roll up tightly.

Tips and Tricks
Try using different flavored tortillas for a unique taste. I use frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry, if I don't have fresh spinach. If using fresh spinach (not the bagged variety), make sure to rinse it well, as spinach can be gritty. Substitute any kind of sweet pepper for the red pepper, or use thinly sliced carrots instead. Alouette makes a delicious cheese spread, but chive and onion cream cheese works as well and is usually cheaper. Cook the bacon in the microwave to save time and to avoid heating up the kitchen.
Make It Healthier
Use lean bacon and blot with paper towels once cooked. Use trans-fat free tortillas and spread.
How Kids Can Help
Push buttons on microwave to cook bacon. Spread cheese on tortillas and layer with ingredients.

Nutrition Facts
1 wrap equals 314 calories, 10 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 21 mg cholesterol, 614 mg sodium, 37 g carbohydrate, 8 g fiber, 12 g protein
Diabetic Exchanges
2-1/2 starch, 2 fat, 1 vegetable