Recipe: Chicken Burger

Hubby loves making hamburgers. And I love eating them. But it's really easy for the calories to add up. So I asked him to make me a lighter version. He used 1/2 lb of ground chicken to make two patties (seasoned with Montreal Chicken Seasoning, rosemary, and thyme), which he grilled on the George Foreman. Then he melted 1/2 oz of mozzarella on each patty. He served each patty open-faced on half a slice of sourdough toast with red leaf lettuce, sliced tomato, sliced jalapeno, and grilled mushrooms (I got baby portabellas at Costco, and they just taste so much better than the regular white mushrooms I normally get).  The total for both burgers was about 500 calories, which was amazing for how delicious and satisfying they were. Props to the mister for making a healthy dinner taste like a cheat meal!

Recipe: Bean "Meatball" Sandwich

Super easy, and super yum! Sourdough toast, leftover bean "meatballs," a tablespoon of pasta sauce, and a sprinkle of parmesan. Really, that's it!

Recipe: Open Faced Breakfast Sandwich

This morning I decided to see how my chicken bacon would do being cooked in strips. I was really pleased that it picked up some caramelization and golden color, but it wasn't as crispy as I'd hoped it would be. Maybe I took it off the heat prematurely. It tasted pretty good, it just wasn't the texture I was hoping for (especially for my sandwich).

Speaking of the sandwich, it was pretty simple to put together. I made the chicken bacon and cooked 3 egg whites (which were seasoned with rosemary, thyme, sea salt, fresh cracked pepper, and a pinch of ground red pepper). Then I toasted a slice of sourdough and topped it with the chicken bacon and eggs.

I decided to do it open faced because I find it easier to eat, plus I feel like I'm getting more. I think next time I will add just a little mayo to the toast so it isn't quite so dry (or avocado, if I have one on hand). And I'll try to get the chicken bacon crispier. The way I cooked it, it was a bit hard to bite through it with everything else, and sometimes it came out of the sandwich instead of breaking off.

Recipe: C(hicken)L(ettuce)T(omato) Sandwich

I've already hinted a little bit at how much I love bacon, so it shouldn't be a surprise that BLT's are probably my favorite sandwich in the world. But sadly, bacon has been demoted to "dietary acquaintance" and won't be making many appearances over the next year. So I had to settle for a CLT sandwich using that same chicken lunch meat I've been eating lately (I got a really big package of it).

Anyway, I toasted a slice of sourdough and cut it in half. Then I spread 1tsp of mayo on each half. A slice of chicken, two leaves of green leaf lettuce, three tomato slices, and another slice of chicken. This three-inch tall beauty was actually really satisfying, even without the bacon. Maybe next time I'll crisp up the chicken and make chicken bacon, just to add a bit more texture to sandwich and richness to the flavor. All in all, this is a 300-calorie lunch I highly recommend!