High Protein Burger Recipe
Not every enjoyable food has to be completely avoided when you’re trying to eat healthy or lose weight.
Wait, what am I saying?! There aren’t ANY enjoyable foods that EVER have to be completely avoided!
Still, there are ways to turn an infrequent indulgence into a better choice that can be enjoyed more often.
For instance, I tend to shy away from pre-made burgers in the store. Even though the convenience is incredibly tempting as a busy mom, there are a couple reasons for this:
They’re highly processed. (Which means more unnecessary ingredients, fewer nutrients, and they're less filling.)
They’re usually not very lean meats. Occasional fattier meats are ok, but in the summer I like having the option to make burgers whenever I want.
This has become our go-to recipe because it combats both of those issues.
Speaking of Weight Loss & Being a Busy Parent
We finished beta-testing an Intensive Fat Loss program with some busy moms and dads. Now it's open to you if you're interested in achieving the same type of results our testers got.
In 8 weeks, they averaged 8 pounds of weight loss — likely more total fat than that was lost as body composition changed through fat loss and increased lean mass (aka toning up). They also lost an average of 4 total inches per person, with 2 of those inches coming from the waist.
The best part is this was all done in a way that gives the greatest chance of keeping the weight (and inches) off!
Keep in mind, that was only in two months time. If you want to lose even more than that, there's no reason why you couldn't lose closer to 30 pounds if you stuck with it for a few more months.
Now here’s the recipe…
Ingredients
1 pound any lean ground meat you like! (bison, lean turkey) *lean chicken might work but I haven’t tried
1 egg
⅜ cup oats
1 Tbsp tomato paste *optional
2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp fresh basil, minced
1 Tbsp fresh oregano, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small onion (or 2-3 tsp onion powder if you have picky eaters)
Instructions
Mix your egg and all other ingredients first. Then mix in your ground meat. Roll the meat into smooth balls then slightly press them flat while supporting the sides. (This helps the burgers from falling apart while you’re cooking them.)
This should make 4 - 4 oz patties and be perfect for a family of 4 with small children. I actually make the adult burgers slightly bigger than the kids. It works perfectly.
Grill, oven bake, George Foremen, or pan cook — however, you normally cook burgers. Just make sure the internal temperature reaches a safe cooking temperature for the meat you’re cooking.
Bonus Tips
One way you can improve this even more is with the toppings. Get extra protein with a fried egg. Add extra veggies by topping it with onions, bell peppers, jalapeños, etc. Use an aged cheese instead of the cheap American slices.
Another thing to consider is the bun. We don’t always have it, but our family likes Dave’s bread, which is a good whole grain bread. Or you can do half a bun and go open-faced, or just skip the bun altogether. Sometimes I’ll do that so I can enjoy corn on the cob on the side without overdoing it on carbs.
If you skip the bun you can sandwich the meat between two thick sliced tomatoes or grilled portobello mushrooms. It might be a little messier but worth it for the flavor, lower calories, and extra veggies.
The main point is to make the burger your own so you genuinely like it and aren’t sacrificing taste to just try and be “healthy.”
