January is a time for new beginnings and revaluations… how resolute we are will be determined mid-February (ha). Food is most always thought of in this month. I have to be honest, I’m not one for fad “diets”. Those are nasty 4 letter words that will only lead to breaking your heart, your determination and possibly your piggy bank. There is a LOT of money made from people who play on all of our desires to be leaner & healthier.
However, to adjust your daily diet for a healthy new lifestyle… now that is a winner! WARNING: When you go looking to purchase food for a healthy lifestyle… there are tricky advertising practices used (boy am I being nice) some are down right misleading. While you want to eat ‘all natural’ be aware that that is one of the most over used and misunderstood term used of late, all in an effort to try and snag your grocery dollars. Not that you shouldn’t buy anything that states that, but you should become better versed on what it might mean, or not, http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesmcwilliams/2013/11/14/with-the-all-natural-label-under-fire-consumers-are-left-in-the-dark/
Organic… is it better for you? Well, as resent as 2009 there were articles that said NO. There were also many who wanted to at the least ‘wait & see’. This past September, we began seeing new evidence that showed… Oops, it IS healthier. Now, if one theory can be shot down in 5 years- others can as well… so it is up to YOU to read, learn and feel comfortable with what you feed yourself and your family. Myself, I grow as much as I can, and I do buy organic. There are labeling laws on organics, so get familiar with them. 100% organic is different than “organic” or “made with organic ingredients” and NO… all natural does not equal organic. (REMEMBER corporations know people want these choices, but some feel it is cheaper to trick you into buying the marketing lingo- than to invest in selling the real thing. Ouch that stung, but it’s true.)
GREAT ARTICLE: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/danielle-nierenberg/is-organic-food-better-fo_b_5787374.html
The recipe below is a “go to” for me. If you get this down, with only minor adjustment, you will have both an AMAZING burger in your cooking arsenal but also the BEST breakfast sausage! Ground turkey has a reputation… go ahead, say it… “it’s dry” and “it’s tasteless”. I promise if you try this you will through not only those ideas away but you will prefer it to many regular burgers & sausages. So to be clear this is not a “I guess I can live with it” food substitution for some crazy diet. This is an “Oh my stars, where has this recipe been all my life!” for your new healthy lifestyle.
make as sliders for a hardy appetizer
“Too good to be Turkey” Burger w/Asparagus Fries (breakfast sausage adaptation also included below)
1 pound Organic Ground Turkey
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/2 tsp ground red pepper flakes
1 tbsp organic Brown Sugar (or unprocessed sugar)
1 tbsp organic Molasses * you can also use only brown sugar or only molasses
1 clove of chopped organic garlic
1 tbsp chopped sage
1 tblsp chopped rosemary *can sub dried herbs for fresh- but fresh grow so easy & are basically evergreen
1 egg
Mix… hands work well for this
Clean hands were many a mother’s best kitchen utensil.
form patties and cook at medium heat (cast iron does well)… Enjoy your Burger packed full of flavor but not fat!
*Variation: leave out the egg and you have turkey breakfast sausage
Next time you’re in the store – check the long list of ingredients in “healthy turkey sausage” & this is easy!
What better to serve with a lean healthy burger than a healthy but cheesy alternative to fries.
Asparagus Fries & Sweet Sriracha Sauce
Asparagus is full of fiber, folate, vitamins A, C, E and K Detoxifying & packed with antioxidants
1 cup flour with 1 tsp salt added
2 eggs
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs with 1/2 cup of grated, real, parmesan cheese
*Dip asparagus in this order:
First in flour – then egg – then the cheese, bread crumb mixture
BAKE at 400 for 10-12 mins. Though not “fried” these are addictively good and the sauce is a MUST! Again this is not a substitute you simply live with because you can’t have fries. I have fries on occasion but these are the TREAT, not the fries Mmm!
Sweet Sriracha Sauce
6oz. organic plain Greek Yogurt
Zest of an organic lemon & juice of half a lemon
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp Sriracha pepper sauce
1 tblsp of honey
1 tsp salt
OF COURSE, you can buy all this in none organic and it will be cheaper, to me it is worth it. Food… the very thing that helps sustain us and helps us with our quality of life should not be skimped on. I love me a thrift store find and finding a shirt for 99 cents is GREAT, but if a burger is 99 cents… what quality do you think your eating? While growing is our best option, the reality is in 2014, people buy a majority of their food.
We recently had a GREAT conversation about grocery stores that you could find good deals and selections at- here’s the link:
https://www.facebook.com/kimberlyscookhouse?ref=br_tf
“Be thrifty in life, but don’t skimp on your food!” ~kimberly kelly
Want some behind the scenes… this recipe was first used on my blog years ago as breakfast sausage, later it appeared in Upstate Parent Magazine and Ingles grocery store used it as well. Here is the link to the original video. The sound was disabled because of my love for Bob Dylan tunes & youtube’s rules (Ha… we live and learn) Still it’s a fun look at breakfast outdoors… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkBM-HAXxdw
