Good morning blog buds!  I hope that you all had an amazing holiday weekend!

Ours was absolutely gorgeous.  We had PERFECT weather all weekend long.

Saturday morning we got in an hour of Bob’s yoga, followed by a good long dog walk.  Sunday I went on a wonderful hike in the foothills with my good friend Keri of Om of the Rockies.  Monday was another dog walking session in the morning with a long strolling hike in the evening.  We got a ton done around the house and yard and STILL had time to relax.  Every weekend should be a three day weekend, don’t you agree?  I feel refreshed today and ready to take on the new month.

Wahoo it’s finally JUNE!  Love the summer months like you can’t even imagine.

Speaking of June:  in this month’s issue of Women’s Health magazine, they had an article on ‘bikini-friendly burgers’.

I thought the vegetarian Lentil-Quinoa Burger with Sauteed Mushrooms sounded interesting and would be perfect for some outdoor grilling, so I gave it a shot.

Plus the picture was drool-worthy:

So I followed the instructions and busted out six patties:

(it’s not cooking unless you drip stuff on the recipe, right?)

And here is my final product, bunless of course, because I’m already getting plenty of grain/carbs in the burger, so no need to add on a big huge bun.  Just a side of baked kale and a sprinkle of raw goat cheese.

My thoughts on the recipe as it was written:

1.) there was no way that these patties were going to survive the grate of our BBQ grill as they didn’t hold together that well when they were first pressed.  Refrigerating the raw patties helped somewhat but I still ended up ‘grilling’ them on my George Foreman.

2.) there wasn’t a lot of “oomph” to the flavor, even with the cumin and the fresh cilantro.  Add some of your favorite spices if you try this recipe to give it a little pizazz.  I think the burger recipe is a great canvas to play with the flavors – add some Old Bay and dried sea veggies to give it a crab cake feel or some chipotle peppers in adobo sauce for some Tex-Mex heat.   I topped my leftovers with spicy hummus and avocado and it was delicious that way too.

3.) the texture reminded me of the Sunshine burgers, if you are a fan of them (I am!) and they reheated nicely without becoming little hockey pucks.

Definitely give these patties a try – just add your own flair to make them your own!

And no “cookout” is complete without a cocktail, right?  How refreshing does this look:

Guess what it was?

Gingerade KOMBUCHA TEA – that’s all!!  Mmmm so good!  And tastes even better when you drink it out of a wine glass!

Did you try any new recipes or healthy foods over the holiday weekend? Drop me a comment!

***

June is a great month to lay off the heavier foods and cleanse the body!  If you feel the need to do some ‘spring cleaning’ of your temple, you could sign up to take Brendan Brazier’s Thrive in 30 Challenge. I’ve done this in the past and really enjoyed watching the video lessons that arrived in my mailbox.

If the idea of a challenge sends you running for the hills, how about making it simple:  get in a green smoothie (blended salad) at least a few times a week as well as a LARGE salad for lunch or dinner.  Up it to doing these two things every day and you’ll be well on your way to a ‘cleaner’, lighter body!

Have a GREAT day friends!

– Shari B.

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