it’s getting hot in here . . .

We signed papers on Monday!  Woo-hoo!  We are still waiting for final arrangements from the bank, but it should be official by the end of this week.  Just crazy to think we could own a house, well townhouse that is, but it’s still ownership!  We are really into crunch time right now, and the other half and I are wondering what we got ourselves into trying to get situated in a house and take on projects at the end of the semester along with work???  We may have to hold back on some things.

I put some paint up on the walls from the colors we thought we would like and. . .whoa, they are so different!  Some of them turned out to be winners, but how anyone can tell what a color will look like on an entire wall from a tiny square I will never know.  Pretty soon our walls will look like all the colors of the rainbow before we can decide on a dang color! 

I wanted to make meatloaf for dinner, but being that it’s been in the 90s here in Vegas already, I’ve been trying to avoid that inefficient oven like the plague.  So I decided to make a quick alternative . . . stuffed meatloaf burgers!  I just had to mix the meat, form the patties, turn on the stove and sauté for a fraction of the time.  I served it with a fresh green salad on the side, although I really wanted some sweet potato fries!

Stuffed Meatloaf Burgers 

Yield:  About 6 patties

Ingredients  

• A little over 1 pound of extra lean ground beef (96% lean)
• 1/3 – 1/2 cup quick oats
• 1 egg
• 1/2 jar TJ’s bruschetta mix (this makes them so moist!)
• 1 tbsp crushed Italian herbs
• salt, pepper and garlic powder
• 1 small shallot, minced
• cubed mozzarella for stuffing
• whole wheat buns and all your favorite burger toppings

Directions

Place the first 7 ingredients (through shallot) in a large bowl and incorporate.  Place a handful of meat in the palm of your hand and form half a patty.  Place about 2 cubes of cheese on top and cover with another handful of meat.  Form a tight seal.

Repeat with remaining meat and cheese.  Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat.  Cook patties until 160 degrees or until desired doneness, about 5-6 minutes per side.  Place on a clean plate and cover with foil until all batches are done.   Serve with buns and your favorite toppings! 

I also used these burgers crumbled on top of some leftover pesto pasta for a quick dinner . . . yum!

For 6 servings (analyzed with 95% lean beef), one patty has about 180-200 kcals, 8g of fat, 23g of protein, 10% calcium and 15% iron, along with good doses of zinc, riboflavin, B6 and B12.      

Gotta love that ooeey, gooey cheese!  We put a little more bruschetta mix on top.

 

Any painting dilemma stories?  I’d love to hear that I’m not alone!