• Choosing the Healthiest Foods for Your Family

    Welcome! I am a mom of a busy 8 year old and an adventurous 6 year old. I also happen to work for a great company called NuVal. NuVal is a nutritional scoring system that rates foods on a scale of 1-100, based on how nutritious they are. We are implementing NuVal in grocery stores around the country.

    NuVal may not be in your area yet. But I see the scores while they are "hot off the press" and because of that I am able to make better decisions about what to feed my family.

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    I am not a registered dietitian. I am just a mom who happens to work for NuVal. I am also an AFAA-certified Group Exercise Instructor. NuVal is a system designed to lead customers to the most nutritious food choices. It is not a diet or weight-loss plan. Before starting a diet, you should always consult your personal physician. The opinions expressed in this blog are the opinions of the writer and not the opinions of NuVal LLC.

A Nutritious Burger for Dad

Friday, June 18, 2010 at 06:59 AM

Having a Father’s Day Cookout this weekend?  How about trying an alternative to your traditional burger made with ground beef? 

OK – full disclosure here – my Dad will want a regular hamburger and a Saugy hot dog (yuck!).  He is not a fan of my healthy tricks.  However, back at home, when it’s just the four of us grilling, we have been trying out a new recipe as of late:  Grilled Turkey Burgers by the Mayo Clinic Staff. 

According to the Dietitian’s Tip that accompanies this recipe, substituting ground turkey breast for ground beef sheds about 200 calories, 7 grams of fat and 4 grams of saturated fat.  Wow!  Interestingly, the NuVal scores for 93% Lean Ground Beef and 93% Lean Turkey are not that different:

  • 93% Lean Ground Turkey:  NuVal score of 33
  • 93% Lean Ground Beef:  NuVal score of 30

However, as I remember from my beef meatball vs. turkey meatball experiment that I blogged about for the NYC foodie blog Taste As You Go, there is a lot more fat in the beef. 

While it is a healthier alternative, plain ground turkey made into patties and grilled can be somewhat problematic.  The patties don’t bind together well, they dry out and they can be bland.  However, this recipe adds the following ingredients:

  • Bread Crumbs
  • Onion
  • Fresh Parsley
  • Worcestershire sauce
  • Tobasco sauce

The result is a tasty, juicy burger that doesn’t leave you feeling overloaded like a traditional beef burger.  My kids gobble these up on whole wheat rolls.  In fact, they like to add lettuce and tomato, and they think they are eating Krabby Patties, just like the delicacy that they see on SpongeBob Square Pants.  Works for me!  Now if only I could get my Dad to try one!

Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads out there and Happy Grillin’!

Posted by: Melissa 8 comments

Posted in: Uncategorized

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8 Comments on “A Nutritious Burger for Dad”

  1. #1 Joanna Sutter
    on Jun 18th, 2010 at 7:31 am

    I love a good cookout with good food and great guys! ;-)
    Happy Father’s Day to your hubby and your dad, Melissa!

  2. #2 Carol
    on Jun 18th, 2010 at 8:19 am

    Great post, have a great Father’s Day!

  3. #3 Julie @ Pickley Pear
    on Jun 18th, 2010 at 9:47 am

    I would love this turkey burger! My dad, though, is all about the beef. And he can tell the difference! I’m happy he’s at least into the whole wheat buns!!

  4. #4 Barbara
    on Jun 18th, 2010 at 10:01 am

    Indeed Dad will want the Burger and Saugy ( Saugy’s 12 gms fat at least!!!)and please toast his bun !

  5. #5 Lindsay @ The Ketchup Diaries
    on Jun 18th, 2010 at 11:13 am

    I like a turkey burger on occasion, but I always buy at least 93% beef, so I don’t feel guilty eating that either.

  6. #6 Tricia Kuchler
    on Jun 18th, 2010 at 11:30 am

    Ugh! Men are so difficult sometimes. These look good and I would sure eat it :) My dad makes fun of my sister and I for ordering our “coffees” (as he would say) with skim milk and splenda or getting a low-fat latte. LOL I can’t stand it when older people say stuff like, “Well I’ve been eating this for years and I’m just fine.” Shut up! LOL :) Have a good Father’s Day weekend!

  7. #7 c neroni
    on Jun 18th, 2010 at 11:31 am

    Love turkey burgers. My husband will actually eat the ground turkey as a burger, not a problem. But he doesn’t like the ground turkey as substitute in meat sauce or tacos. Go figure!

  8. #8 kalli@fitandfortysomething
    on Jun 18th, 2010 at 12:49 pm

    we are gonna have a cookout! thanks for this melissa :)

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