Chicken Parm Burgers!!

Last week, ground chicken was on mega sale at the grocery and Joe is a frugally minded guy so he asked me if I could work with the same ingredient to make different meals all week...challenge accepted!  He bought 4, 1lb packages of ground chicken and I made: Shepard's pie, buffalo chicken burgers, zucchini lasagna and our personal favorite and brand new creation: chicken parm burgers!! According to Joe, they were the best meal I have ever made and that is saying a lot. I don't know if this was an original idea or if I saw a recipe a few months back and sort of forgot about it/turned it into my own but I didn't follow any kind of recipe when I made these. I also don't measure ingredients when I cook, I just put things in until they're the right texture/taste/consistency but I'm going to try to put the recipe here so that you too can have delicious chicken parm burgers:
1 lb ground chicken
1/2 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced (very important to use fresh garlic)
1 egg
3/4 cup italian bread crumbs (this one I'm not sure on I just sprinkle them in until it all makes a burger consistency)
crushed red pepper (I used a tablespoon, use more or less depending on how spicy you like it)
1 cup marinara sauce (I used Prego)

Divide the meat into 3 evenly portioned meatballs, for each meatball take about 2/3rds to make a nest and fill the next with a tablespoon of red sauce

Use the other 3rd of the meatball to make a flat pancake that you put on top of the nest and pinch the edges together to seal it.  I thought this would result in a squirty, messy, oozy sauce situation when you bit into the burger but it didn't, it just kind of cooked in and gave the burger the perfect flavor and moisture.  I cooked them in a non-stick frying pan for about 5 minutes on each side and topped them with a little more sauce and parmesean cheese.  For the bun, I used bulkie rolls but I turned them into garlic bread with the help of some butter, garlic powder and my toaster oven, the result was this:

I'm not a great photographer, so it tasted better than it looks. This is definitely not a healthy recipe, but it is a delicious one. Joe even said I should start my own restaurant and serve just this sandwich...so try it out and let me know if you agree! And if you don't think it's that good you probably did it wrong so you'll have to come over for dinner sometime and try mine :)

Healthy alternatives to pizza and wings now that FOOTBALL IS BACK!!!

We are in week two of the NFL season and football is back in full swing! Football is a religion in the Martin household, and we pretty much watch every Monday and Thursday night game regardless of who is playing and of course ALL DAY on Sunday. I love football because it means I have an excuse to kick back and relax, crack a beer (or 6) and stuff my face with game food. Game food traditionally means a steak and cheese, giant pizza and wings, nachos, or some other kind of meat-filled fat-fuelled meal. Although this is a delicious tradition, my body doesn't bounce back the way it used to from boozy feasts. So this year I am on a mission to enjoy football in all it's glory with healthier but still delicious meals (sticking with the 6 pack though). 

Week 1, I tried my first healthy football meal. We had friends over and it was something I never made before which is always a little nerve-wracking but I figured if it was really gross we'd just order a pizza and try again next week. I found the recipe for a crockpot quinoa enchilada bake via a Google search that led me Here. I'm happy to report that it was delicious and everyone (even Joe!) agreed!! I took the original recipe and tweaked it a little, I used a 12 oz can of corn instead of frozen corn and I didn't measure the onion or pepper I just sliced a whole one of each and threw it in there. I also couldn't find a 19 oz can of enchilada sauce so I used 2 10 oz cans, and the enchilada sauce was the only thing we couldn't seem to find an organic version of but 90% organic is still pretty good.  Also I garnished with TONS of cilantro because it's my fave and I meant to get some avocados too but I forgot and I think it was still delicious without the avocado. 

I still killed a 6-pack on Sunday, but didn't wake up on Monday feeling horrible about what I ate or weighing 3 lbs more than the day before and I didn't feel like I missed anything by eating a healthier food selection. The Martins will be trying new healthy football meals throughout the season and I'll report back to you guys on the good recipes I find.  Cheers and GO PATS!!!