Ranch Cheddar Burgers for the Cali'flour Flatbreads

I don't know about you guys, but sometimes you just want a delicious juicy hamburger! Today I was definitely craving one! The Cali'flour flatbreads make excellent "buns" for hamburgers, but without all the additional carbs that are in traditional hamburger buns!

The 5 inch flatbreads are made with only a few ingredients which include egg whites, cauliflower, mozzarella and spices. That's it! Just a few clean ingredients and no added preservatives! Yay!

Two of the flatbreads count as 1/3 Lean and 2 Greens on the 5 & 1 plan, whether you are following the Optavia or Medifast program! Add 2/3 Lean and 1 more Green and you have a full Lean and Green meal.

Use Code SANDY to save 10 % off your entire order!

I made the recipe below so that you had all the calculations done for you if you were itching for a yummy burger using the flatbreads. The recipe below makes 4 burgers (2/3 Lean per burger) topped with G Hughes sugar free bbq sauce! So good!

If you don't have the flatbreads, that's okay! There is a link below that takes you to a recipe using no flatbreads. Enjoy!

Ranch Cheddar Burgers for the Cali'flour Flatbreads

Ingredients:

1 lb 95 to 97% lean ground beef, 12 oz cooked (3 ~ 2/3 Leaner portions)

2/3 cup reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese (1 ~ 2/3 Lean portion)

1 tbsp Hidden Valley ranch seasoning mix (6 Condiments)

4 tbsp G Hughes sugar free bbq sauce, divided (4 Condiments)

2 Cali'flour Foods Flatbreads per burger (1/3 Lean, 2 Greens)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.

Form into 4 patties.

Grill until desired doneness.

Serve each burger with 2 flatbreads.

Top each burger with 1 tbsp of sugar free bbq sauce.

Burger only

4 Servings

Per Serving:

2/3 Lean and 2.5 Condiments

Burger with 2 flatbreads

1 Lean, 2 Greens, and 2.5 Condiments
(Add 1 more Green when using the flatbreads)

* Don't have the flatbreads? Here is a recipe which makes 4 full Leans!
Ranch Cheddar Burgers (without flatbreads)

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EASY DOG TREATS

We have a new puppy!! He is a "Cheweenie" and is FULL of energy and fun. This is the first miniature dog that we have ever owned; he is such an affectionate little guy and his name is Buddy.

Buddy loves, what we call the "throw-hunt-find-repeat" game, so I made a big pan of miniature dog treats to to entertain (and train) him with.

BUDDY

This recipe is quick and easy. You can make them any size you want, but we stick with smaller treats. They are super hard and crunch like a good milk bone. 

1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup canned pumpkin 
3 tablespoons honey
1/3 cup water
1 egg
2 cups flour

This is a very thick dough, so you'll need a heavy duty mixer (I use my stand mixer).

Mix the peanut butter, pumpkin, honey, water and egg until smooth. Gradually add the flour and beat well.
That's it!! Easy-Peasy, and it makes a dough that is VERY easy to work with (almost the consistency of Play Doh).

Roll the finished dough into ropes. If you are making it for a BIG dog, you can just make "fatter" ropes (does that make sense?) 

Some times I roll them into a ball before baking, but if I am short on time, I just throw them on the cookie sheet (Buddy doesn't seem to notice). The pieces don't expand much at all, so you can place them fairly close together. No need to grease the pan.

Bake in a pre-heated 300 degree oven for one hour.

If you are making BIG treats, bake them for 1 hour

then turn the oven OFF and let them sit in the

oven for another hour.

I hope YOUR dog enjoys these

as much as Buddy does !!!



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PIZZA CHICKEN

This is the time of year that I get into a menu rut pothole and start pulling out my old cookbooks in search of new ideas on how to use that big bag of frozen chicken breasts in the freezer. Yes, friends, I have spring fever!!

I came up with this recipe a few years ago and it is not only super easy, but a quick and tasty week night recipe.

PIZZA CHICKEN !!

Pound four or five boneless-skinless chicken breasts out a little. How thin you get them isn't really crucial, but just try and make them an even thickness (so the whole breast cooks evenly).

Salt and pepper the chicken meat and dust them with flour and fry them in a little butter until 99% done and then let them rest on some paper towels while you make the sauce.

In a saucepan, whisk the following until smooth:

(1) 6 ounce can of tomato paste

1 + 1/2 cans of water

2 teaspoons of dry onion flakes (or equal fresh)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon dry oregano

1 teaspoon dry basil

1/2 teaspoon fennel seed

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons butter

Simmer slowly until the sauce thickens up (takes about 2 or 3 minutes).

Placed browned chicken breasts on a rimmed baking pan and top with a nice THICK layer of the sauce, then top with shredded mozzarella or provolone cheese and any veggies (if you want them). Just make sure the veggies are cooked.

Bake them until the meat is hot and the cheese is melted...quick and easy!!  You can also cut the raw chicken breast meat into kid size portions or even "nugget" size portions.

ENJOY !!



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Asian Beef Vegetable Skewers

These delicious Asian Beef Vegetable Skewers are perfect for grilling season! I love the assortment of colors you get from the green pepper, yellow squash and cherry tomatoes, but feel free to use your favorite veggies! 

Make sure to marinade the meat overnight so that it will absorb all the yummy flavors from the marinade! For a change of pace, add 2 tbsp of sugar free bbq sauce to the marinade or brush it on at end for a delicious Asian BBQ meal! Now get those grills a burning and start cooking!

Asian Beef Vegetable Skewers

Ingredients:

14 oz raw beef sirloin cut into 1 inch pieces ~ yields 10 oz when cooked 

(2 Leans)

Marinade for Meat:

1/4 cup lite soy sauce (4 Condiments)

1 tsp beef bouillon granules (1 Condiment)

1/4 cup water

1/2 tsp garlic powder (1 Condiment)

1/2 tsp ground ginger (1 Condiment)

1/4 tsp black pepper (1/2 Condiment)

Vegetables:

1 cup sliced yellow squash (2 Greens)

1 cup cherry tomatoes (2 Greens)

1 cup green pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces (2 Greens)

Directions:

Combine ingredients for marinade in a small bowl. Marinate meat overnight in a large ziploc bag. Add veggies to marinade an hour before cooking. Discard marinade and assemble meat and veggies on skewers. Put the skewers of meat and veggies on the grill and cook until desired doneness.

Makes 2 Servings

Per Serving:

1 Lean (5 oz cooked), 3 Greens (1 1/2 cups of veggies) and 2 Condiments per serving (No Healthy Fat required)

* If you would rather weigh your veggies for accuracy, here is the vegetable conversion chart.

** How do we count marinades? Only half of the marinade is absorbed into the meat and veggies so only half are counted as Condiments. The rest of the marinade is discarded. This marinade recipe has a total of 3.75 Condiments per serving so half absorbed into the meat is less than 2 Condiments.

*** Add some variety by adding 2 tbsp of G Hughes sugarfree bbq sauce to the marinade for a yummy Asian BBQ dish! This would give you a total of 4.75 Condiments per serving, but since it is treated as part of the marinade, half absorbed into the meat and is only 2.4 Condiments.

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