A quarter pounder with cheese, hold the fat please

I think one of the most common pitfalls of dieting is the assumption that the formula for success involves simple addition of healthy, if unpalatable foods and subtraction of favorites that are tasty but pernicious. It seems to me that many people try to tolerate a bland, meager diet for a period of time to lose weight and are inevitably disappointed and (inexplicably) surprised when they revert back to old habits and regain the weight they lost. Although the strategy of muddling through one's days eating celery sticks and cottage cheese will technically work, I have yet to meet anyone without a serious eating disorder who is able to do this indefinitely to maintain a svelte physique.

To my knowledge, the only way to keep oneself at a healthy weight permanently without sacrificing sanity is to eat foods that are both nutritious and delicious. But finding such foods can be tricky. When I cook for myself, my husband, or my family, I usually re-work traditional recipes to make them healthier. More often than not, the result is something that retains a lot of its original appeal.

A good example is the hamburgers I frequently make for by husband, Steve. His nutritional needs are pretty restrictive-- calories, protein, fat, and carbohydrates must all be within a specified range. Depending on the day, I might make burgers from 95% lean ground beef, 93% lean ground turkey, or extra-lean ground turkey breast. The higher the percentage, the more challenging it is to make a flavorful, juicy burger. Last week, Steve requested extra-lean burgers. If I were to make patties with the ground turkey and simply throw them on the Forman grill, they would be extremely dry and tasteless. So, I added a few things I had on hand to increase the moisture and flavor of the burgers. Then, I formed patties and cooked them in a skillet sprayed with oil spray. After they were seared on both sides, I also added a little water to the pan and covered it with a pot lid to steam them. I can't tell you how long I cooked them because I didn't keep track, but I assume most people can figure out when a burger is cooked! The ingredients for the meat are listed below. If you'd like to try this recipe out, cook the burgers as described above, top with a small amount of 75% reduced-fat cheddar cheese, and serve on low-calorie buns with your favorite toppings (for Steve, this was lettuce, tomato, pickles, ketchup, and mustard).

Ingredients (for 2 medium/large burgers):

8 oz. raw ground turkey breast (99% fat free)
1/4 cup black beans, mashed
2 tbs. ketchup
1 tsp. dijon mustard
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tbs. real bacon bits
salt and pepper to taste

1/2 oz. reduced-fat cheese for topping, 2 low-calorie buns



If these burgers are lean enough for a bodybuilder, I think they will meet anyone's standards! They are low in fat and very high in protein. I have included the nutrition information for a single burger, below. If you have high calorie needs, you can easily eat 2 or 3 of them. If you are a lighter eater, I would suggest making smaller patties, as these are pretty thick.