4 Ingredient Guilt Free Burgers!

Posted in Lunch/Dinner by Vegan Mommy Dee

Hi everyone! I hope you all have been doing well!

I wanted to share another very easy to make recipe with you all. I’m often asked about how I make my homemade veggie burgers. I always share my favorite recipes so you can all enjoy them too. I usually throw everything I want to add into my burgers into a big bowl and wing it. I don’t normally measure things and I just eye ball my measurements old school. This makes it difficult to pass on to others though so I’m trying to change my ways. I’m now forcing myself to measure things out and write them down as I create my meals. The notes section on my cell phone has been very useful for this. I don’t have to search for paper, pen or an excuse not to jot it down!

I used to complain to my mom about her never having written recipes and winging her meals back in the day. I thought “how on earth will I learn to make these meals if she doesn’t have a recipe written down to follow”? Well, I’ve become my mother it seems. Sorry guys like I said, I’m trying to change my ways!

I love to make healthy twists to my favorite meals. Making homemade vegan veggie burgers is one of my absolute favorite meals. I can pack in an abundance of nutrition into my burgers by making them at home.

I also like to control what’s going into my burgers because then I know that no added oil has been put into them. I feel like that’s unnecessary extra calories that don’t give me any nutritional benefits. Every tablespoon will run an extra 120 calories and that sure adds up quickly at each meal! I will pass on that and just eat more real unprocessed food for the same calories.

I enjoy my burgers with Spinach and sprouts on sprouted bread.

My feedback after posting the recipe video on my YouTube Channel has been wonderful. Everyone has told me that they love how quickly these burgers come together. I’m thrilled! I love helping people save time in the kitchen and still get wholesome food on the table.

You only need 4 ingredients to make the most epic burgers.

This recipe only uses four ingredients to make. I wanted to create a recipe that everyone could pull together easily. I wanted to make sure that even the most inexperienced cook could still whip these burgers up and eat a healthy burger alternative. I also wanted to make sure that it was a low cost meal. Not everyone has the ability make certain recipes because food costs are quite high these days. I often stick to basic ingredients that can be found anywhere and cost little to buy. Spices are definitely optional because they will taste great even if you don’t have any to add to them. Even something as simple as salt and pepper is all you really need for extra flavor. Use whatever you can afford, have on hand or that is easy to find in your local grocery store if you add extra seasonings.

One of the best things about this burger is how easy it is to make a variety of things using just one recipe. You can use this mixture not just to make burgers but also for veggie bites, tator tots, falafels, and veggie “meat” balls. The possibilities are endless! I love creating recipes like this!

You can change up the spices and trade out the ketchup for another oil free sauce of your choice to change things up every once in a while. You can also change up the veggies for different flavors or to use up whatever veggies need to be eaten first. I don’t like food waste! This recipe is great with a variety of veggies so use them up.

4 INGREDIENT GUILT FREE BURGERS

Ingredients:

3 cups rice
4 cups veggies
1 cup oats
2 tbsp ketchup

Optional: Spices & herbs. I like adding garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and dry oregano.

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375° F.

2. Cook up veggies of choice in a frying pan using water instead of oil. I like to use a mix of broccoli, cauliflower and carrot most often.

3. In a large bowl add the rice, veggies, ketchup & oats. Combine well and if you use spices or herbs toss those in now too.

4. Add the mixture to a food processor and pulse until combined well. Be mindful of not over blending it.

5. Add to a lined baking sheet and shape the burger patties.

6. Toss in the oven at 375°F and bake for 20- 25 minutes depending on the size of the burgers. Flip them at the half way mark.

ENJOY!

I’m adding my video of how to make these yummy burgers below for your reference.

If you make this recipe please comment below or tag me on IG! Thanks for the love and support here on the blog as well as on YouTube. Welcome to all the new Subscribers and Followers. If you haven’t already, check out my YouTube Channel and give this video a Like. Subscribe to my channel for more quick and easy recipes. You will also find wellness tips and be able to take a peek at my veggie gardens.

Much Love. Have a wonderful week ahead!

Health, Joy & Positive Vibes,

Debbie

~VeganMommyDee~

23May2019

Fresh Start & New Goals!

Posted in Health & Fitness by Vegan Mommy Dee

Instead of starting new goals on June 1st I decided to shake it up a little and implement them now. I’m kinda in the feeling high vibrational mode and I thought why not just jump into it? New goals are a way we can say I’m important and I want to implement changes right now.

I was never one of those people who started new challenges or goals in the new year. As if January 1st will magically make you ready to accomplish all your goals. I feel like we all know when the right time is and we get that nudge to make changes when we are meant to. There is no perfect time of the year or situation. We just have to trust our intuition and roll with it. In my experiences the biggest changes are made this way.

This week my 18 year old and I signed up at a gym together. We decided that we will get healthier, fitter and work towards our goals together. This brings us an opportunity to spend one on one time together as well. I’m a mother of 5 and any opportunity for quality time is wonderful! Together we will motivate each other as well as enjoy some good laughs. After all I’m rusty and haven’t been working out hard for a long while now! My daughter has never been a gym person until now as well. Lots of learning and life experiences lay ahead.

It’s also 24 hours so even though I work 12 hour shifts I will still have ample time to fit my workout in. We made sure we picked a place that covered all the bases. No excuses! I look forward to my new challenges and I cant wait to bring myself to a healthier state. I’ll bring you guys along with me as well. I’ll post about my health journey and record videos for my YouTube channel (Vegan MommyDee).

Have you recently started implementing new things into your life? Have you set some new goals too? I’d love to hear about it! Let me know in the comments what’s happening with you. Let’s support and encourage one another on this wellness journey!

Health, Joy and Positive Vibes,

~ Debbie (VeganMommyDee)

6May2017

Little Changes, Big Leaps

Posted in Health & Fitness by Vegan Mommy Dee

I’ve had a long health and fitness journey and I’ve pretty much hit every obstacle along the way. My journey still continues as I get closer to my goals and these goals have actually changed along the way. As I’ve accomplished one goal, I’ve set another to strive for. I think I’ve been successful because I’ve always set small goals along the way or implemented small changes in my diet or lifestyle. I’ve found that making small changes are easier to stick to. Once you make these changes and stick to them, this is where habits are made. This is a biggie! Those new healthy habits make a huge impact on your overall health and wellbeing. Not eating past 8 pm for example might be a health change you want to implement but soon that becomes a habit and you no longer feel the need to eat late at night. For me it was making sure I was drinking enough water. That was a huge health change for me. Once I got into that habit I gained energy, cleared my mind and I actually lost some weight as well. Making too many changes all at once or implementing too many restrictions at once will overwhelm you and frustration will cause you to abandon these goals. Smaller more attainable goals will almost always lead you to success.

Ok, so where do you begin if your starting your health journey?

In my opinion these are the staples to keep in mind …

Eat Clean
Stay Hydrated
Exercise Daily

I swear to you that this is the recipe for success! Even if you have very little time in your day, these are manageable goals to set and achieve. So lets break this down a bit so you can see how easy this is.

Eating Clean means that everything that you put in your mouth is going to benefit your body in some way. Will it nurture your body? Will it give you energy? Will it keep you feeling full long so you’re not tempted to hit that local fast food joint? Eat whole foods, fresh foods, foods that DO NOT come from a bloody box! Eat loads and loads of veggies and good quality proteins. Consume good fats like avocado, natural peanut butter and use coconut oil for cooking. I also prefer to consume brown, wild rice and quinoa vs white rice. I just want to provide my body with all the extra nutrients that I can. I don’t like empty calories. Every calorie will be provided to me from quality sources.

Staying hydrated is so vital for our over all health and wellbeing. Drink loads of water! I drink 3 L a day and if I drink less I feel like my mind is in a haze and the energy has been sucked out of me. The more active you are, the more water you need. Replenish what you’ve lost. I fill up a huge water bottle that holds almost 2L of water. I refill it when needed and its a reminder for me because its kept in view. I also keep another bottle that’s always filled on the kitchen table to remind my kids to keep drinking water throughout the day. Sometimes if it’s not in your face, your not going to remember to drink it. Another great way to make sure you remember to stay hydrated is set alarms on your cell phone. That’s a great tool, use it! I would say don’t drink less than 1 1/2 – 2 L per day for optimal health.

Here’s a big one that freaks people out. Exercise daily! That doesn’t mean full-blown workouts daily but any physical activity you can accomplish. It would be optimal to get to the point that you can complete a workout a day, even if it’s a short one. Baby steps though. Work up to that point. Even long walks are an awesome way to stay active and connect you to nature. That’s a WIN-WIN in my books! I’ve been known to take two-hour walks with the baby and I feel fantastic after!

If I can implement these small health choices into my life, then you can totally do it too! I’m a mother of 5 and my days are crazy busy. I’m busy with bringing the kids to their Girl Guide & Brownie meetings, swim class, and everything else that comes up in our hectic life. Somehow, in someway you have to try to make the time. Even if it’s an intense 10 minute workout, get it done. Your body will thank you!

Just remember I’m here to cheer you on & support you along your journey! Message me or follow me on my other social media sites. Instagram is the best place to connect with me. My handle is VeganMommyDee. 🙂

november-2016-183

8Mar2014

Eat Healthy, Be Healthy!

Posted in Health & Fitness by Vegan Mommy Dee

Health

Eat Healthy, Be Healthy!!! Everyday we make choices about our food, so make health conscious ones! Don’t make choices that are going to leave you guilt ridden. Even the most popular comfort foods can be made in healthier ways. I’ve made delicious healthy mac & “cheese” and pot pies which people love! They couldn’t believe they were vegan and healthy because they tasted so good. This is why I keep trying to tell people that healthy CAN taste good! Actually it can taste pretty darn amazing!

I’ve noticed that people can do pretty well making good food choices for meals for the most part but find it very difficult to snack healthy. One of the biggest lessons I leaned on my weight loss journey was to swap unhealthy snacks with healthy ones. If you’re a chip lover try eating homemade sweet potato chips or making yummy kale chips as an alternative. They are so tasty and guilt free! Even my teen has grown to love them and makes them at my house! If your more of a sweet tooth then swap things like sugar loaded ice cream with a healthy homemade version. Process frozen bananas and peaches or mango, freeze in a container for 10-15 minutes to set. How simple is that? Anyone can make it! When your on the run and busy carry nuts and seeds with you or fresh fruit. Everyone who knows me is totally used to me pulling out healthy snacks from my purse when I’m hungry. If you’re not prepared then you will be tempted to pick unhealthy food choices, so be prepared!

I wasn’t always a healthy individual and for most of my life I made poor food choices. I went from being the over weight child to a teen with an eating disorder and I was down to a size 1/2. After having all my children I then ended up very over weight and feeling horrible. I had a very significant amount of weight to lose in order to feel healthy! In 2009 I started to make little small improvements to my diet and becoming a little active. In 2010 I became more active and started walking a lot. Yes walking! So simple right? It was so effective though and the weight started coming off finally and people around me were noticing! By 2013 I lost about 80 lbs and I never dreamed I could accomplish that but I did. Am I done with my health journey? Nope. I have a little more weight to shed but I’m now focused on toning and becoming stronger everyday. So to anyone out there struggling to shed some weight … you can do it! If I can so can you! Keep going! Keep trying! Rome wasn’t built in a day and your weight isn’t gonna come off over night either. Be patient with the process, make healthy food choices and be consistent with your workouts and it will happen!

~ Debbie ~