Ground Beef Veggie Burgers

Have you seen the TLC show, Extreme Couponing?

It is madness... Women work 60+ hours gathering, printing, stealing, dumpster diving coupons each week. They make a plan and go shopping and spend $500+ and might spend after coupons $25 at most. We have even seen a show where the store actually owed the buyer money... 

CRAZINESS...

It is neat to watch but, yes there is a but, but, have you noticed the food in the shopping carts????

PROCESSED PROCESSED PROCESSED.... 

One gal had 96 LARGE sport drinks, 200 cans Coke, 40+ frozen pizzas, 40 boxed cake mix, 50 pieces of candy...

Although the show is neat to watch but I do not plan on becoming an extreme couponist! I like my food ALIVE... from my local farmer (well dead), csa, farmers markets. I would rather have a higher grocery bill. I could see myself coupon to just give all the food away to shelters but I do not see the entering our house. 

The neat thing... There was one gal who got diaper boxes for $0.25. That is awesome. Yes, I do not use cloth diapers. I just couldn't deal with the cleaning of them....  

Onto an once alive meal! :) 

Before I start with the recipe, I want to tell you that this creation is all HUBBY... I wish I could take the credit for this delicious burger but I can't :) I did enjoy one in a BIG salad with more vegetables and it was great! I also ate one plain!!! They were WONDERFUL!!!!! 

Hubby usually makes dinner on Friday's just to give me a break and because he secretly loves creating dishes!!! shhh!!! :) He is real good in the kitchen and his mixtures are always delicious! Although he did have a mishap with Chicken and Apples -- YUCK. We wont talk about that today! :) 

He made us delicious ground beef veggie burgers!!! 

 He chopped broccoli, green bell pepper and red bell pepper

and added it to the ground beef and formed burgers.

We then splurged and topped it with cheese. This was great in my spring lettuce salad!!!! :)

The Ingredients:
1 cup chopped (almost minced) broccoli
1 chopped green bell pepper
1 chopped red bell pepper
1 lb ground beef

* If you want to splurge a piece of cheese for each burger!

The Directions:
Hubby chopped all the vegetables and then mixed with 1 lb ground beef. Form into 1/4 lb burgers. We made 6. Then grill until desired pinkness! :)

ENJOY!!!

P.S. If you haven't done so already---- don't forget to enter to WIN $10 off coupons to Applegate!

Part of Real Food Wednesday

First 2 Winners

Congratulations to the first 2 winners! CONGRATULATIONS Kell and CR!!! To claim your coupons please email me at enjoyinghealthyfoods.blogspot.com and I will put them in the mail for you!

Winners numbers were chosen by random.org. We had 32 entries and the 2 numbers that were picked were 14 and 32.

For those of you who did not win,  Thank you for playing and come back Monday when I post the next 2 chances!

THANK YOU APPLEGATE for allowing me to giveaway this coupons to my readers! THANK YOU!

$10 off APPLEGATE

GIVE-AWAY now CLOSED

 Yesterday, I mentioned, my friends at Applegate Farm sent me coupons! 

I asked for help on what to do... and thank you for all that commented!!!! :) 

Here is what I decided to do... 

The next 4 Fridays I will giveaway $10 off to 8 lucky readers! 

2 Lucky Readers the next for Fridays will win $10! 

I will also give 2 lucky Facebook followers $10. 

For your chance to win this weeks $10 coupons here is what you have to do!

1.) Follow the blog. Already officially do? Comment that you are a follower!

2.) Follow the blog on Facebook.  Already officially do? Comment again that you are a follower!

3.) BLOG, Tweet, Facebook it. JUST Share with your friends. Comment that you did so and send me the link! 

4.) Visit Applegate Farms website and look around! Learn about the company and their AWESOME product! Comment that you did so and let me know what your favorite Applegate product is! 

There you have it, 6 simple ways to win!!!! Make sure you use all 6 ways to up your chances and comment separately for each option!!!

I will draw the first 2 winners Friday and post on the blog!!!!

Recipe to come later this afternoon... If I get time! :) 

Applegate Farms

My friends at Applegate surprised me with a care package of their latest products!!!! 

I am a HUGE fan of APPLEGATE! They have a few great products!

Their meat is Humanely Raised (stress-free environment the promotes natural behavior), No Nitrates Added, Gluten & Casein Free and NO ANTIBIOTICS USED!!!!

We could wait to break open the products and taste them!!!!

 Our 3 year old loves lunch meat roll ups! I buy Applegate lunch meat weekly! We LOVE their turkey! We were happy to try out the Roasted Chicken Breast. The meat is so tender and extremely fresh tasting! HUGE HIT!!! We have gone through 2 packages, ALREADY!

Hubby was thrilled about the next product!

He said the pepperoni was amazing. I do not eat PIG PRODUCTS but he does. He said it was amazing and can't wait to try it on a pizza!

The newest product Applegate is offering is Breakfast Sausage. I have to be careful when purchasing Turkey Sausage because most contain PORK. Thankfully -- Applegate is true Turkey Sausage.

We are thrilled about the newest additions! We have been enjoying the breakfast sausage with breakfast this week! The meat is delicious (I can only speak for the Turkey) but Hubby loves both! The turkey has a little spice kick - which is AWESOME!!! 

A special THANK YOU to my friends at Applegate!!! I love your product! Keep up the amazing work!!! 

DISCLOSURE -- Applegate Farms provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

Quick and Easy

I have been LAZY...

This past February, I was on a MISSION --- MISSION LOOSE baby weight! I gained about 40+ pounds and instantly lost 15 or so when Micah was born. By February, I needed to loose 15 pounds to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. 

Once I began to workout --- The pounds melted off.  I became obsessed with working out. I worked out Monday - Friday and some Saturdays. My workout was an hour of cardio and weights. I worked on that for a couple of months. I was feeling good... I decided to up my workouts to an hour of weights and cardio and I would then go in and do a spinning class or another aerobic class. I would be at the gym for 2 hours. I worked hard. I lost the weight and some! 

BUT

July came and I stopped... I was burned out. I could not get myself back to the gym. I made excuse after excuse. 

We have all been there! 

(There was also an incident in the kids room)

Anyways - last week I made it back for my first spinning class. It took all of me to get myself there and to get over my hump! 

Yesterday - I started a new adventure and I want you to hold me accountable! I started INSANITY. 

WOW - Let me tell you... it is HARD. I pushed myself and I still was not able to do everything. 

I AM OUT OF SHAPE... but not for long!!!! :) 

I am going to take pictures and I may or may not post them... But I WILL go strong for 60 days... I WILL prove to (a certain someone) and myself that I CAN and WILL do this. 

To be honest -- I am not needing or looking to loose weight... I am looking to TONE up! I am looking to be and stay HEALTHY! 

Nap times are going to be all about me!!!! :) No more goofing around on the computer or watching (reality/junk) TV... It is ONE hour devoted to me and me alone.... 

Here is to a new and improve and healthy and in shape me!!!!

A QUICK AND EASY BREAKFAST SCRAMBLE!

Egg Scramble with 1 Chicken & Turkey Sausage (AppleFarms), 2 - 5 cups Fresh Spinach, 1 Orange Bell Pepper!!!! 

Applegate Farms

Since there were only 3 comments... I put the names in a bowl and asked Adam to choose one.


The Winner of the Applegate Farms giveaway is The Vaughters! CONGRATULATIONS! :)


Please email enjoyinghealthyfoods(at)yahoo(dot)com with your address!!! I will put them in the mail ASAP!


Angela Vaughter, the winner,  is a photographer in the Indiana area. I was snooping around on her family page and her professional photography page. She really has a great "photo" eye. Her pictures are beautiful!  If you are in the Indiana area and need pictures taken -- LOOK HER UP!!! You will not be disappointed!

Applegate Farms

The kind people at Applegate Farms sent me coupons to share with you (my friends!) 

The coupons are:

1 - FREE ANY ONE APPLEGATE FARMS PRODUCT

3 - SAVE $1.00 

This is a contest --- TODAY only!!! 

All you have to do is comment under this post a recipe or a dish you plan to make with the Applegate Products you buy with the coupons!!!!

I have made several dishes with Applegate and I LOVE their Chicken-Turkey Sausage!!! You choice does not have to be a dish of mine. I might be looking for another delicious dish to try and add to my list!

The winner will be announced tomorrow! GOOD LUCK!

Sweet Potato and Kale with Chicken Apple Sausage

I am using the last of my food share vegetables. I still have a lot in the freezer and am thankful that I saved throughout the season! I had just a little bit of Kale left and needed to use it! 

See we are cleaning out our fridge for next week... we will be enjoying a week in beautiful CABO!!!! :) I do not want to waste and vegetables so I am coming up with new mixtures and combos! 

The Ingredients:

1/2 lb diced, peeled sweet potatoes

1 medium-sized bunch of kale

4 links Chicken and Apple, Applegate

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 tablespoons minced shallot

1 clove of garlic, minced

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 teaspoons whole grain dijon mustard

2 - 3 TBSP maple syrup

pinch of Cajun seasoning

salt, to taste

Place the sweet potatoes in a steamer pot. Steam for 10 minutes. 

Meanwhile, chop the kale to yield a half pound. Wash it, then add to the sweet potatoes in the pot a few minutes into the cooking time.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Slice the chicken sausage thinly and add to the skillet, cooking until browned on both sides. When the potatoes and kale are finished steaming and the sausage is browned, add the sausage to the bowl with the potatoes and kale. Set aside.

Add the olive oil to the skillet, and cook the shallots and garlic for one or two minutes. Add the cider vinegar, mustard, maple syrup, and Cajun seasoning. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Add the potatoes, kale, and sausage to the skillet and turn to coat and heat through. Season to taste with salt.

The winner did not email me so we have picked another winner. Will Heather (allkindsofgoodies) please email me by TODAY to claim the price! CONGRATULATIONS!!! You were lucky #36.

Sweet Potato

Potato and Cabbage

A rough morning leads to a rough (easy) meal.


Yesterday morning, I was walking down my stairs, holding the baby and slipped. I landed directly on my back and neck. (Do not worry -- I am fine.) I am sore -- real sore actually (was shook up a bit) but I am good!!! Micah did get hurt at all, just scared from my yell. 


I had a pretty brutal headache all day and didn't feel motivated. I had some potatoes left over and a huge head of cabbage. I decided to go simple and cook them in my crockpot with some Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar. We had 2 Applegate Sausages (Organic Fire Roasted Red Pepper Sausage ) left so a quick saute and topped the Potato and Cabbage mix. 


We were all pleased! Next time we may have this as a side dish but I was not in the mood last night! :) 

The Ingredients:
1 small head of cabbage
6 potatoes (next time I will add more)
10-12 whole cloves of garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
2 T balsamic vinegar
1 t kosher salt
1/2 t black pepper


The Directions:
wash vegetables, cut potatoes into 1 inch chunks (I didn't peel them)
cut cabbage into wedges--don't worry about separating the leaves (cut into smaller pieces - my leaves were too big)


Throw veggies into the crockpot with the whole garlic cloves. Add olive oil, salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar. Toss with hands to coat thoroughly.
(((((DO NOT ADD WATER.)))))
Cook on high for 3 hours, low for 4-6.
The vegetables are done when the potatoes reach desired tenderness.

Do not forget to comment!!! Chobani GIVEAWAY WEEK --- TWO MORE DAYS!!!

Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Winter Squash and Chicken Sausage

I made this dinner more difficult than it needed to be. Although, for my first time, it was worth the extra time. As I have mentioned before, my family is a fan of Brussels Sprouts. We love them. I have always sliced them into twos or fours but never sliced, ribboned or even peeled. 

Actually, I take that back. I have a Brussels Sprout salad with blueberries (cranberries) and walnuts. Technically, I did not make the salad.

I used 1 1/2 bags of Brussels Sprouts. I cut them in half and then pulled the pieces apart. 

Yes - ALOT of work... Made it a lot harder than it needed to be. 

Next time, I will slice the Brussels Sprouts into slices or as they call it ribbons. 

I cut up, steamed and saute Butternut Squash in Coconut Oil.

I added Chicken Sausage.

Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Winter Squash and Chicken Sausage

Ingredients

3/4 lb butternut squash, diced

4 tsp olive oil, divided

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 links smoked chicken sausage, sliced (preferably a sweeter flavor - I used Apple-Gate)

3/4 lb Brussels Sprouts

1 TBSP Artisana Almond Butter, melted

A dash or two of Braggs Aminos (or soy sauce)

pinch each of smoked paprika and nutmeg

1/2 oz pine nuts, toasted

The Directions:
Place the squash in a steamer pot, add a splash of water, cover, and cook on high for about 5 minutes.

Wash the Brussels sprouts, remove any yellowing outer leaves, trim, and slice into ribbons (I pulled my apart.)

Heat 2 tsp coconut oil over medium-high heat and add the steamed squash with a pinch of salt. Cook for a few minutes on each side, until nicely browned. Add remaining 2 tsp olive oil to the pan, turn the heat up just a bit, then add the Brussels sprouts. Season with more salt and a pinch of smoked paprika and nutmeg. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring a few times, until nicely browned in spots. Add the sliced chicken sausage, cook 1-2 minutes more, and then add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Remove from the pan and set aside.


 Add the squash mixture and pine nuts, toss together and heat through. Add a dash or two of Braggs Amino. Melt 1 TBSP Almond Butter and pour and mix evenly.  Serve immediately.

Oven Omelet with Sweet Potato Crust

Weekends are not always good food days. We are extra busy - running around - doing fun activities - running errands. Meals are always put off till the very end. I plan all week and have a plan and weekends - NOT SO MUCH! I am getting better. 

Yesterday, was no different. I was out most of the afternoon and lost track of time. I had forgot to take out meat to thaw and I was not in the mood for fish. 

Sometime in the past few weeks I came across an oven omelet recipe and it looked great! When it came time to find it - I couldn't! so it was time to improvise and go off memory! 

Here is what I could remember: It had sweet potato crust. There was eggs. There were vegetables.

Here is what I came up with!

The Ingredients:
1 sweet potato, sliced (I left the peel on mine)

6 whisked eggs, farm fresh

1/2 finely chopped sauteed onion

1 finely chopped sauteed red pepper

2 cloves minced sauteed garlic

2 cups lightly steamed, thinly sliced broccoli

1/2 cup sliced Applegate Farms, Chicken & Red pepper, Breakfast Sausage (1 link)

1/2 cup Raw Cheese

1/2 cup finely chopped sun dried tomatoes

The Directions:

Slice the sweet potato and arrange in the pie pan. Mix all the other ingredients in a bowl and pour over sweet potatoes. Top with raw cheese. 

Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes.


** Baby enjoyed the eggs and sweet potato! ** This was quick and easy and was a hit! We ate the whole thing. 

PART OF A BREAKFAST RECIPE CARNIVAL

Sweet Potato