Doin' Some Cookin'... Italian Burger Patties

Little Man can eat burgers for every meal if I let him, because I don't whenever I give him a "kid's choice" night when preparing the week's menu he'll always request a burger night.

Before pulling a fast one on him and switching it up from a plain beef patty I'll always ask if he's interested in trying something new. I told him about a recipe I had found for Italian Meatballs but figured we could smash them down and they would make for a delicious burger patty. He didn't hesitate to say "okay".

(Served mine over greens to cut down on the carbs since I'm trying to make the healthiest choices possible. Definitely not the best way to eat the burger patty. Next time I'd serve it up with some mashed potatoes. I know, I know.)

He loved these burger patties so much that he requested a cold Italian Burger Patty sandwich the next day. To be honest, it tasted exactly like meatloaf but instead of ketchup these have tomato paste in them. I toasted some bread, spread some mayo and ketchup (his request), and put the burger patty between the slices of toast. He said his lunch was amazing and begged to have the last burger patty for dinner that night.

How can I say no when he likes something I made that much? Exactly. I can't.

Italian Burger Patties

Adapted From: Thriving Home

Makes 4 Patties

Stars of the Show:

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tbsp milk
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• dried parsley, to taste
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tbsp olive oil

And Action:

With clean hands combine all ingredients in a large bowl until incorporated. 

Divide the meat mixture into four equal portions and flatten into patties. 

Heat a skillet over medium heat with a tbsp of olive oil and add the patties. Cook 4-6 minutes each side depending on how well done you like your patties. Enjoy!

Doin' Some Cookin'... Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups

This was not a meal that I made for myself. I cannot stand ricotta cheese in lasagna. I don't know what it is about it that I don't like but I always give it a try hoping my taste buds have changed. Nope, still not a ricotta cheese fan.

I had worked a 13+ hour day and took a break to make these Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups for dinner. What an ambitious dinner for a work night and the number of dishes dirtied was a sinful. Ugh! Save this recipe for a special Sunday supper unless you don't mind staying up late doing dishes.

This made a lot of leftovers so I made to-go containers for three of best girlfriends and received rave reviews. One of them stated this meal made me "wifey material". If that's the case I hope my future husband loves lasagna.

The best part of these lasagna roll ups is that they are perfectly portioned lasagnas. I know that the serving size suggests two rolls, however, everyone of my friends said that one was more than plenty. Serve with a garden salad, garlic bread, and viola! Dinner is served.

Feel free to switch up the protein and go for spicy Italian sausage or instead of the spices listed below use basil pesto, add mushrooms, and sauteed onions... the possibilities are endless.

Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups

Adapted From: Thriving Home

Makes 8 Servings (2 Roll Ups Per Serving)

Stars of the Show:

• 1 (16 oz) box lasagna noodles, cooked
• 1 lb mozzarella cheese, divided (separate out one cup)
• 1 (15 oz) container ricotta cheese
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp dried parsley
• 1 tbsp dried basil
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
• 2 cups Parmesan cheese, divided
• 2 (28 oz) jars marinara sauce
• 2 chicken breasts, cooked and diced

And Action:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl mix together mozzarella cheese (reserving one cup), ricotta, egg, garlic, parsley, basil, salt, pepper, spinach, chicken, and one cup Parmesan cheese.

Spread a thin layer of sauce on bottom of 9 x 13-inch pan. 

Lay out noodles on a baking sheet and spread two generous sized ice cream scoops per noodle then add one ice cream scoop worth of sauce. 

Roll the noodle up and place seam side down in the pan. Repeat for the remaining noodles. 

Top entire casserole with remaining sauce, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese. 

Bake in oven for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Doin' Some Cookin'... Breakfast Casserole Muffins

I place an importance on making sure Little Man heads off to school every morning with something in his belly even if it's just a nibble of something if he's really not that hungry. Rare when that happens. His go to breakfast is peanut butter toast or cereal (not the sugary kids kind either). I offer to make him other items but he usually will pass and stick with his usual.

I'm always trying to get Little Man to branch out and try new things so I figured I would give these Breakfast Casserole Muffins a try and not give him any other option for breakfast. Well well well... that plan worked because he loved these.

My only complaint is that there was too much bread in our muffins and not enough of the other yummies. Next time around I will clean out the fridge adding any meats and veggies that need to be used up and might make them healthier by omitting the egg yolks and replacing the bread with some cooked potatoes at the bottom of the tin cups.

We had plenty of leftovers for breakfast for the week. Such a time saver on rushed work and school mornings.

Breakfast Casserole Muffins

From: Thriving Home

Makes 12 Muffins

Stars of the Show:

• 3-4 slices whole wheat bread, torn into small pieces
• 4 slices deli ham, chopped
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 8 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tsp ground mustard
• 1 tsp ground pepper
• dried parsley

And Action:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin tin well.

Fill muffin tins about 1/2 way with the bread. 

Sprinkle ham and egg evenly in each tin. 

Whisk the eggs, milk, mustard, and ground pepper. 

Pour the egg mixture evenly in each tin. 

Sprinkle dried parsley to taste on each top.

Bake 15-18 minutes or until golden brown on top and cooked through the middle. Enjoy! Preferably with some hot sauce like Cholula. It kicked this up a notch. 

Freezer Meal:

Bake according to the directions above and then cool completely. Place in a single layer in a freezer container or bag. Seal well, squeezing out excess air, and freeze.

To reheat, wrap a muffin in a moist paper towel and microwave for 30 second increments until heated through. Or thaw in the fridge and warm in the microwave. 

Livin' It Up... The Chainsmokers Concert at the Houston Rodeo 2017

One of my best girlfriends, Sandra, asked if I wanted to go in on tickets with her to see The Chainsmokers at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo at NRG Park. Um, duh!

I'm not the biggest fan of their music but I won't turn down quality time with my best friend and anywhere I go with Sandra we have the absolute best time.

Two years ago was my first Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo experience and oh my gosh!! I had so much fun. My coworker Joe and his wife invited me to tag along to the Reba McIntire concert and it was nonstop laughs with them. "It's fallin' apart like a two dollar suitcase," said the rodeo announcer at one point and Joe and I took this line back to the office referencing it anytime something at work became a clusterfuck. Another night my best girlfriend, Niki, invited Kristen and I to join her in seeing Luke Bryan. Another fun night with my favorite girls.

I met Sandra at her house around 1pm so we could pick up tickets and her and I headed off to the rodeo. We walked around the fairgrounds until the rodeo events started at 3:45pm. Our first priority was getting a jumbo corndog and then I entertained her and walked the vendor booths and livestock show. The funniest moment was her and I testing out the mattresses and jumping onto one of them at the same time and laughing our asses off about it being a vibrating mattress. The salesman asked how we liked it and at the same time we gave the identical response, "It's gooooood." We have dirty minds.

(This cow has my birthday tatted on it's ass. Must be a Gemini. Ha!)

(Both had our boobies on show today. Haha!!)

(Bull Riding... my favorite event!)

(I am not into rodeo country attire and definitely stood out. Sandra saw me and said "wrong bulls bitch. Haha!)

The Chainsmokers took the stage at 5:45pm. The fireworks and opening music was insane. We thought we were in for a killer show but we we wrong and oh so confused when they started covering song from the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Survivor.

We did not enjoy the concert because we did not have an a very good understanding of who the Chainsmokers were and thought they were an actual group with a female lead singer but they ended up being DJs with a white dude who liked to jump skip around a lot so we both looked at each and at the same time said, "Ready to go?" Haha! She's my Gemini twin.

We still enjoyed the hell out of our time together and talked about picking the worst concert next year again.

Doin' Some Cookin'... Paleo Bruschetta Chicken

I'm all for an easy dinner to whip up on any given night and this has got to be one of the most flavorful chicken entrees I have made in a while.

The entire 30 minutes this Bruschetta Chicken was baking in the oven I couldn't help but crave some crusty garlicky cheesy bread to go with it. My mouth was watering but I stayed the course with my healthy eats and chose to serve this with nothing else. No noodles and no bread. Sniffle.

This will make enough for leftovers and the flavors get even better the next day.

Although not diet compliant I did enjoy this with a glass of Riesling and then took the bottle with me to the bathroom for a bubble bath and to read a book. Classy grown woman shit.

I'll have to detox my body tomorrow and sweat out the alcohol at the gym's sauna in the morning.

Paleo Bruschetta Chicken

Adapted From: Paleo Newbie

Makes 4-6 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 2 cans (14.5 oz) fire roasted diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 gloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp basil, minced
• 1 jar (8 oz) grilled artichoke hearts, drained
• 1/2 cup pitted kalamata and green olive mix
• 1 1/2 lb chicken tenders
• salt and pepper, to taste

And Action:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl combine the tomatoes, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, basil, and olives. Stir well to combine.

Place the chicken tenders in a baking dish and season with salt and pepper.

Pour the bruschetta mix over the chicken.

Bake for 30-35 minutes. Enjoy!