Turkey Burgers

I was given an easy, delicious turkey burger recipe by a co-worker and love it so much I thought I would share it with you.

Turkey Burgers
1 lb ground (organic, grass-fed preferred) turkey
1 cup panko bread crumbs, toasted
1 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp Grey Poupon mustard
1 Tbsp ground Parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Melt butter in a non-stick pan on medium heat and add Panko. Stir and cook until toasted.
2. Add toasted Panko to ground turkey, mustard and Parmesan.
3. Mix with your hands until combined and form into patties.
4. Grill on medium-high for 4 minutes on each side.
5. You can add a slice of provolone or Irish cheese and allow to melt once burgers are done (as I have in the photo below).
6. Add your toppings and bun and enjoy!

*Note: I have started adding more mustard and a little more Parmesan cheese and find it tastes that much better, but if you want to stay on the calories indicated in the Nutrition information, please stick with the recipe allocations or be sure to adjust the per serving calories. 

Nutrition: 
Serving Size = 1 burger
Calories = 262 (without cheese topping or any fixings or buns)

Mango Banana Bread

I have been making the same banana bread recipe of my Grandmothers for some time. I have tried a few alterations since and still love the recipe. This time I opted to use mango and banana and coconut rum...I know, right? Just be sure that your fruit is VERY ripe, where you are thinking of throwing it out because no one would eat that...that kind of ripe. (And no, this is not really one of the lower calorie recipes, but a treat we have once in a while and the remainder goes with me to work for everyone else to eat.)

Mango Banana Bread
 2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup soft shortening
2 eggs
3 Tbsp buttermilk
1 cup mashed fruit (banana and mango)
2 cups sifted flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

1. Mix together thoroughly the sugar, shortening and eggs.
2. Stir in the buttermilk and fruit.
3. Sift together the dry ingredients- flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt- and add to wet ingredients.
4. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Nutritional Information:
Makes 1 loaf = 10 servings
Calories = 243

What's-on-the-Needles Wednesday

Normally on Wednesday nights after work I go down to my LYS (local yarn shop) and knit till 8pm. I didn't make it tonight- I am very tired. Instead I came home and made dinner and started searching through my yarn stash for the perfect yarn for a project for my mom and dad. 

I want to make mom a scarf and dad some felted slippers. 

I found the perfect yarn for my mom, in fact I was thinking of her when I bought it, but I still need the perfect pattern.  

I have lots of yarn I can felt for my dad, but not sure I have enough to make a good looking pair of slippers so I might have to get yarn for that. If he wanted periwinkle or aqua slippers I'd be covered but I don't think that will work. I already have the perfect pattern for him. 

Before I begin these projects I am making sure I finish my fingerless gloves 

and my hat to go with them 

I have not finished either, but I just started the gloves last week and the hat over last weekend so I don't think I'm doing so bad. 

Once I have finished these I can begin the scarf and slippers! I always enjoy starting a new project. Especially for a new pattern I haven't made before. That's why I am looking for a good scarf pattern that I haven't already made. I have worsted weight yarn but I don't want it to be too bulky. I will be searching Ravelry for the perfect pattern. If you have any suggestions please let me know. 

Tata for now and happy knitting! 

Sweaters

It is the middle of May in Arkansas and it was 49 degrees and SO foggy at 1:30pm on the top of Mt Magazine. It got worse, but there were no pretty trees to photo at that point. 

I know it's almost summer time, but I just got to go to the AR Yarn Extravaganza Spring Retreat in Mt Magazine to listen to Amy Herzog teach us how to knit sweaters to flatter ourselves (or anyone). Up to now I have been very hesitant to try a sweater because I was afraid I would mess it up or it wouldn't fit and that would be too disappointing (not to mention all the time and money that went into knitting it up).

Amy gave us so much ammo to knit up ANY garment to fit us. She told us about her website, Custom Fit, where you plug in your measurements, your swatch info and you can design your own pattern or any pattern you love. I am very excited to get my yarn and swatch it up!
Speaking of swatches, these are typical swatches for Amy- this is going to take foreva!

But, hey, if the swatch makes a difference, I am all for it! I ordered my yarn, then I will knit up a giant swatch (and soak/block it) and get my measurements then I'm off to the races on a basic sweater off of the Custom Fit website. I am going basic for my first one until I get the feel for it. I will keep you updated.

Juicing

 

Some of you may know that I have been juicing. I haven't committed to full time juicing, just juicing on the side or as a meal replacement. It was in an attempt to lose more weight before Italy. Italy is now just 3 days away!!! I have lost a total of 40 lbs this year and I am really excited about that. I have a lot more to lose, but losing that much before Italy is SO GREAT!

Above is the Mean Green Juice from Sick, Fat and Nearly Dead.
Below is a Carrot Juice and a Beet Juice. They are all delicious!

My sister and I went for a hike

My sister and I went for a hike
Originally uploaded by oshngrl
When I last visited my family in CA, my youngest sister and I went for a hike. It was a nice day, but we couldn't find the waterfall and we both ended up with sunburns. Even with all of that, we had a great time! The crazy thing is, the next day it snowed. Not kidding. I had to wear a coat over my sunburn. Ouch.
I loved this photo from the hike- I braided my sister's hair and we found giant pine cones worthy of photos. I hope you all had a pleasant weekend and have a good week!

Weightloss Wednesday

As many of you know, my husband and I have been on a weightloss journey since Jan 2012. I have lost a total of 35 lbs and hubby has lost 60 lbs. Many people are asking what he is doing since he has been able to lose so much weight. The simple answer is: count calories and exercise. You should know what your resting metabolism is and to lose fat you must decrease your intake of calories below what your body naturally burns in a day. That is also where exercise comes into play. If you want to really lose the weight you need to eat less and move more. The greater the deficit each day, the better the weightloss in a week.

We have also started trying different recipes that have fewer calories, but still use real food ingredients. We have experimented with tofu, stevia and organic food when possible. We have also started making recipes that don't require a lot of special ingredients because that helps us save on the grocery bill.

In the next few weeks I will share a few of the recipes we have tried. I hope this will encourage some who are still on the fence to go ahead and make the leap. Don't think of it as dieting. It is a way of life. You are changing your lifestyle for the better and your body will thank you.