Burger night does not have to be given up when you are trying to live a healthy lifestyle, but it also doesn't have to be super greasy & fatty either! It also can be a quick & easy treat meal if you use my favorite kitchen appliance--the crockpot. Here is how I do my double decker burger nights at home--

INGREDIENTS:
​- 1 pound (1 pack with 4 burgers) of lean turkey burger patties
​-cheese of your choice (I usually go with cheddar, manchego, or gouda)
​-burger buns (whole wheat is the best option but picture is with white)
​-toppings of your choice, I usually go with all or some of the following:

• ​sliced tomatoes
• sliced avocado
• pickles
• ketchup
• mustard

RECIPE:

1. ​​Season turkey patties as you would like and place in crockpot (do not overlap)
2. Cook on low for 3.5-4 hours or high for 6.5-7 hours (NO OIL USED= less fat & grease!)
3. Toast buns and place 2 patties, toppings, and cheese and DONE! Double decker cheeseburger done the cleaner & healthier way!

​SIDES:
​​I always switch up my sides but I usually like to get a side salad in with either:

• ​baked sweet potato fries (homemade) or store bought (see picture below)
• baked or fried plantains
• balsamic tomato & mozzarella salad

​

This is the perfect meal to make when you are staying in on a weekend night and watching movies (or if you just are craving nachos)! Making your own tortilla chips is a much healthier option than a bag of Tostitos because it has significantly less oil, sodium, and preservatives. And, I think they taste even better too :)

INGREDIENTS: (feel free to add or subtract any ingredients, have fun with it!)

• ​1-1.5 lbs of ground chicken or ground turkey
• 1 can of fiesta corn
• 1 can of black beans
• Frozen mixed peppers (if short on time) or 1-3 peppers of your choice diced
• 1 bag of whole wheat tortillas
• 1 bag of low-fat or skim shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 tomato
• guacamole, salsa, or original Greek yogurt (a great sub for sour cream) for dipping

RECIPE:

1. ​​In crockpot- add ground meat of choice with seasoning, 1/2-1 can of black beans, 1/2-1 can of corn & some frozen or fresh mixed peppers
2. Cook on high for 3-3.5 hours or low for 6-6.5 hours

AFTER CROCKPOT IS DONE--

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees & layer a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray oil (you may need more than 1 baking sheet)
2. ​Lay 4-6 tortillas on top of one another and cut into triangles/wedges (you should cut it so that it makes 4-6 triangles)
3. Peel apart tortillas from one another and place on baking sheet (try not to place wedges on top of each other)
4. Bake for 8-12 minutes or until golden and firm to touch
5. Dice tomatoes into small squares
6. In some sort of baking dish- place one layer of chips, add some of crockpot mix on top (you don't want to overdo it so that you won't be able to pick up the chip easily or make it soggy), sprinkle some diced tomatoes, add mozzarella cheese, REPEAT layers (I usually have 3 layers)
7. Bake in oven for 5-6 min (or until cheese melts)

​

​

One of my online boot campers, Julie, came up with this amazing recipe.  After trying it for the first time, I was hooked.  Not only does it taste amazing, but it makes enough to meal prep out some lunches for a few days as well :) Try it out for yourself!

​
​INGREDIENTS:

• ​​1.5-2lbs of ground chicken
• 2 cups of bread crumbs
• 1/4-1/2 cup of parsley & minced garlic mixed together
• 1 tablespoon red chili flakes (although I don't add these in mine)
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups of 100% natural parmesan cheese
• salt & pepper to taste

RECIPE:

1. ​Preheat oven to 400 degrees​​
2. ​Grease standard size muffin tin or baking sheet
3. Mix all ingredients in large bowl with hands
4. ​Form balls using your hands and place in muffin tin or on baking sheet
5. ​Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown
6. ​Place the meatballs in sauce of your choice or serve as is​​​​​​​​​​

INGREDIENTS:
For every pound of ground turkey (although I usually make 3-4 lbs because they are THAT good)
-1/4 cup minced garlic
-1 egg
-3/4 cup Italian-style breadcrumbs
-1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
-1/4 cup cashew or almond milk (or any milk you prefer)
-3 tablespoons olive oil
-1/2 cup finely chopped celery
-black pepper
-about ½ pound fresh mozzarella, cut into small cubes
 
RECIPE:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees & line baking tray(s) with aluminum foil.  Spray thin coat of cooking spray on foil.
2. In large bowl- mix ground turkey, garlic, egg, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, milk, olive oil, celery, and as much black pepper as you would like. (I find that it mixes best when I use my hands although it is messy).
3. Form the ground turkey mix into meatballs.  Make a hole in meatball with finger and place mozzarella cube inside.  Use extra turkey mix to seal hole.
4. Bake for 30-34 minutes.

 
 I usually like to serve these with homemade mashed potatoes :)
 

CHOCOLATE ALMOND BUTTER​

• 2.5 cups (or more/less depending how much you want to make) of cocoa dust almonds (found at Whole Foods)​
• tsp of olive oil
  
• blend until creamy
  

​This is also good for a healthier dessert or as a dipping sauce for other nuts or fruits!

CASHEW OR PEANUT BUTTER

• ​2.5 cups of cashews or peanuts
• tsp of olive oil
  
• tsp of honey (optional)
  
• blend until creamy

​
​ CHOCOLATE CASHEW OR PEANUT BUTTER

• 2.5 cups of cashews or peanuts
• tsp of olive oil
  
• tsp of honey (optional)
• handful of chocolate chips
  
• blend until creamy
  

One of my favorite dishes to make when I need my cheesy fix! Lean ground turkey, mushroom, and ricotta stuffed shells..Not exactly the "healthiest" option only because of the amount of cheese I use, but still a good source of protein in the turkey and at least I know what I am putting in my food and my body (as opposed to restaurant cooking where much more butters and oils are used!).

In Crockpot:
-Add Jennie-O Italian ground turkey, mushrooms & green onions in crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3.5 hours (mix and match veggies of your choice if you don't want mushrooms and green onions)

Oven/Stove
​-Boil shells as instructed on box
​-Once turkey is done, mix with 16oz ricotta cheese, one egg, & pepper
​-Stuff shells and pour your choice of pasta sauce on top (in baking dish)
​-Add shredded mozzarella cheese on top
-Bake at 350 degrees for 50 min

An easy & delicious meal to prep before work or heading out for the day to ensure that you stay on track once you are back home!

Shredded Chicken (5-8 min prep time)
-Season chicken with pepper
​-Throw chicken, mushrooms, and balsamic dressing in crockpot
​-Cook on low for 6 hours

Quinoa Salad (5 min prep time)
​-Place 1 part quinoa and 2 parts water in rice cooker and cook
​-Chop grape tomatoes in half and refrigerate for later

Spinach Quesadillas (5 min prep time)
-Line baking tray with aluminum foil
​-Place whole wheat tortilla on tray and place a layer of cheese of your choice (I chose swiss) and a layer of spinach
​-Place another whole wheat tortilla on top and refrigerate for later

After work/ school/ errands (15 min)
​-Preheat oven to 450 degrees
​-Shred crockpot chicken using large spoon
​-Place cooked quinoa in bowl and mix with grape tomatoes and hummus
​-Bake quesadillas for 5-10 min

​ENJOY :)

-Place one pack of Sweet Italian Turkey Sausage in crockpot
​-Add half a bag of frozen veggies & onions
-Cook on low for 6 hours

-Line baking tray with aluminum foil
​-Cut rolls in half and spread mustard and swiss cheese, placed turkey sausage on top, add on more layer of cheese
​-Broil on high for 4-5 min (keep your eye on it) and ENJOY

-Sweet potatoes made in bulk previously and defrosted in the AM

​-- Tips to make this EVEN Healthier and LESS caloric:
     ~ use low skim mozzarella cheese
​     ~ use whole wheat bun
​     ~ use just one side of bun or half of full bun

 A Cleaner & Tastier take on burritos!
Before Work (5 min):
​-Threw ground chicken in crockpot along with 1/2 bag of frozen peppers & onions
​-Cooked on low for 6 hours

​After Work (10 min):
​-Preheated oven to 350 degrees
​-Placed cheese and spinach on whole wheat tortillas and added crockpot chicken
​-Rolled up burritos and baked for 6 minutes

​Served with a side of jasmine rice that was made in bulk yesterday.

​** Lowest calorie cheese is mozzarella (I used cheddar)
​**If you are looking for condiments, guacamole is a great addition.  If you love sour cream (like I do) but want to cut it out, try plain greek yogurt as a substitute (I admit, I wasn't too keen on this idea but it actually does taste good!)