Bacon Jalapeno Cheddar Burgers

This one isn't SUPER healthy, but it is a healthier version of a bacon cheese burger so I'm considering it a win! There are definitely ways to cut some of the fat out, (use ground turkey or chicken) in this case I used 90% ground sirloin and turkey bacon. I also blotted the bacon and burger off with a paper towel to help absorb some of the extra grease.  You could also sub out the roll for a large lettuce leaf or go with light or Weight Watcher approved buns.

Prep Time:
5 

Cook Time:
20

Servings  

8  

Ingredients

• 1.25 lb of Ground Sirloin
• 1 Cup of reduced fat shredded Cheddar Cheese
• 1 small can of diced Chiles
• 4 sliced of cooked Turkey Bacon

Directions

1. 1. Cook 4 slices of Turkey Bacon in a frying pan
2. 2. Combine Ground Sirloin (or Turkey), can of Chiles, and cup of shredded cheese in a large bowl.
3. 3. when bacon is finished cooking, remove from pan and blot with a paper towel to help cut out the extra fat.
4. 4. Let bacon cool for a few minutes and then crumble and mix into the bowl with the rest of the mixture.
5. 5. Press the mixture into patties (should yield between 7-8 depending on your preference)
6. 6. Fry in frying pan or grill to your cooking preference (rare, medium, well done)
7. 7. Serve with a toasted roll
   

Sausage and Peppers Freezer meal

This is one of my favorite and quickest freezer meals. This is all you need; Sausage, peppers (green or red), onion, and canned tomatoes. I also add in minced garlic when I toss it in the Crock Pot, but it makes the Zip Loc bags stink if you plan on using them again.

 

 

 

I split this into two different bags:

 1 pound of sausage

1 1/2 or 2 peppers

 1/2 a large onion

1/2 canned tomato

 

 

*This photo was taken during " I need to clean out my refridgerator week" so I litterally used anything I had left. Thus the slightly sad looking peppers.*

 

I cut the casing off the sausages and put them in the bag first, its easier to fill them this way. Toss in chopped pepper and onions, and then scoop the tomatoes evenly in the bags. Push all of the air out and zip tight. Toss in the freezer and walk away.

 

 

Toss it in the slow cooker and set for 6/8/10 hours, whatever you need to do. I usually serve with pasta and bread.



 

Meal Planning and Freezer tips

Meal planning has become such a huge idea lately. It is a great way to save money at the grocery store especially when we all know how easy it is to wander around picking up random items and then getting home and having nothing to make with everything that you just bought. It also saves so much money by buying only what you really need, and cuts down on those middle of the week "we have no food" take out orders.  Making freezer meals doesn't have to be time consuming, tedious, and take all day. There's a lot of days where we simply dont have hours to prepare and assemble 6 months worth of dinners. Baby steps, people!

That being said, I am gonna get on my soapbox and talk about how it is much easier to assemble and prepare for the week on Sunday. As soon as Monday rolls around, and its back to school and work, its like all hell breaks loose and we go into "get me to Friday mode!"

1. Before I would stuff everything into the fridge and forget about it until it starts to stink, now I take the time and chop, dice, and slice everything ill need for dinner during the week. Even if you dont know what you are going to do with it seperating big bags of meat or chicken into manageable smaller bags, will save you from having the "I can for the life of me remember when I bought this" conversation.

2. Big gallon sized Zip Loc bags are your friend, and they're cheap! I usually pick up a few at the Dollar Store, its much easier to store than giant Tupper Wear containers.

3. MAKE A LIST. Pick your reciepes, right them down and stick it on the fridge. It will help you be more accountable when you think you're too lazy to cook dinner.

4. Write the date on the outside of the freezer bags. You will forget when you made them. I promise.

5. Prepare a freezer meal while your making dinner. It is so easy to take out what you need for that nights dinner, and stick the rest back in the fridge and forget about it. Grab a bag and create something for later on. These "extra" meals come in handy on weeks when you've run out of ideas or money!

6. Freeze fruit before it goes bad. If you know you wont eat it before it starts to turn, throw it in a baggie and toss it in the freezer. Add it to some yogurt for a quick breakfast smoothie in the morning when your pressed for time.


Feel free to comment and add your tips! I'll be adding to the list as I remember more!

Homemade Ranch Dressing

This one is SO easy!! It only take a few ingredients and its not ever bad for you. As some one who loves Ranch dressing but doesn't want to spend extra time on the treadmill burning it off this ones a no-brainer. the best part is a whole bottle is 1.75 grams of fat and 255 calories!

Ingredients:

1 cup of plain Greek Yogurt (any kind is fine)

1 packet of Hidden Valley Ranch Mix (this is important make sure its the dressing mix and not the dip mix, I promise you'll get VERY different results!)

1/2 cup of 1% Milk

Mix everything together until its blended and chill in the refridgerator for at least an hour before use.

Mason Jar Salads

I know these have become very popular on Pinterest and I have to admit I was a little skeptical on how well they would stand up after a few days. There's nothing more I hate than wilted lettuce! Much like the Mason Jar Fruit Salad I make these every Sunday after the grocery store trip and before I get distracted by something else! I make 10 at a time (5 for me and 5 for my husband) this way I am much more likely to actually BRING my lumch with me to work, instead of just thinking about it.

They are super easy to assemble first start off with your dressing of choice at the bottom, and then start stacking your salad. You want to choose something that doesn't wilt easily, I usually start with celery, carrot chips, or broccoli. After all the toppings are layered on, you want to press down and make sure everything is packed well inside the jar. Lastly put your lettuce in the jar and press firmly to get as much air out in fit as much lettuce in the jar as possible.

FYI make sure that your produce is washed but DRY! Any extra moisture in the jar will cause everything to get wilted and slimy and you definitely do not want that!

I also like to throw some chicken in the CrockPot and shred it to throw on top of the salads, for some added protein. Just for the record I don't put the chicken in the jar but in a baggie on the side!
 Here's my stack of salad jars!

Mason Jar Fruit Salads

I know how busy we all are and trying to eat healthy sometimes falls down the list after everything else we have going on. I've been working on being proactive and preparing as much healthy food as I can and making it easy and portable! I also now have a love of mason jars, they're smaller and cuter than all those isn't mismatched Tupperware containers!!

Every Sunday after my grocery store trip I take all of my fruit out and do a vinegar soak (that post is coming!) I chop everything up and layer into mason jars, I try to get 7 made for the week. The great thing about these is the you can customize with any kind of fruit you want or whatever is in season. The vinegar wash helps preserve the fruit and the air tight container helps everything stay fresh until you eat a chance to eat it!

I do try to put whatever is squishier at the bottom so that you can pack as much fruit in there as possible, it helps to shake the jar and press lightly to get everything to lay flat. This one is relatively boring but it was all they had on sale this week!