Sneaking a Powerhouse into my Hamburgers: Can You Guess It?

My husband told me it was cruel of me to talk about that hamburger
the way I did in my last post.

It was the end of the day at work for him
and he hadn't had much of a lunch.

I'll have to make him some hamburgers this week to make it up to him.

Do you have any special tricks when you make hamburgers?

My hamburgers are a mix of my Russian Grandmother's meat patty recipe
and my own endeavor to sneak healthy ingredients into anything that will disguise it well.

(Healthy doesn't have to taste healthy,

if a mom/wife can help it.)

So here we go:
I usually use 2 lbs of our own ground beef
(this was from one of our grass-fed steer).

I add an egg or two,

depending on if the refrigerator is laying well or not.

This is where I take a side-step for health.

I've come to the awareness that there is a lot of junk in store bought bread:

cardboard has more nutrition than white bread.

My people are not too fond of wheat bread.

I think they'd rather just not eat bread at all.

So to ad some "bread crumbs" without bread,

I have switched to adding about 3 heaping Tbs. or so of ground flax seed

per 1 lb. of beef.

Flax seeds are one of those powerhouse foods.

Some of the things flax is good for:

  1. anti-inflammatory benefits in conditions such as asthma, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, migraine   headaches, and osteoporosis.

  2. protection of bone health

   (if one is unable to get the needed Omega-3 from the necessary fish consumption,

    flax seed and walnuts are great at helping to fill in the gaps). 

  3. protection against heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.

   (In the colon, omega-3 fats help protect colon cells from cancer-causing toxins and free radicals, leading to

    a reduced risk for colon cancer.)

  4.  prevention and control of high blood pressure.

  5. providing comparable cholesterol-lowering benefits to statin drugs.

  6. lowering blood pressure in men with high cholesterol.

  7. providing beneficial fiber

  8. putting the brakes on prostate cancer growth

  9. fending off dry eyes.

10. working as a special protection for women's health:

      -protective against breast cancer while maintaining levels of hormones needed to protect bone maintenance.

      -helps restore hormonal balance regarding ovulation and menopause.  (Now who doesn't want that?!)

source: The World's Healthiest Foods

So you can see why I try to sneak it in where I can.


Some chopped onion gets added to the meat,

(add to desired liking or to desired tolerance to the resulting breath;

I added about 1/4 cup to 2 lbs. of beef).

Next I add the desired spices from my spice shelf:

1 Tbs. of parsley ,

about 2 Tbs. of kelp,

(I know; that isn't a spice, is it?

But the nutritional benefits make it another secret ingredient).

1 tsp. of salt,

and a dash of lemon pepper.

(Any pepper will do, of course;

I just like the hint of lemon).

The last time I made this recipe,

I made it into meatballs and sauce for our pasta,

but I use this recipe for my hamburgers, too.

Yum!
(with a silent, healthy twist!)

 *Practical Tip: ground flax seed is more digestible, and can be mixed in drinks or sprinkled on food such as yogurt, cereal or salads.

  Ground flax seed should be stored in the refrigerator or freezer to maintain freshness and to keep it from going rancid.  In seed form, it keeps longer.)
  It is recommended that 2 Tbs. a day is a good amount to take for  nutrition.  Pregnant women should avoid eating more than that in a day:
"Several animal studies (involving rats and mice) have raised questions about the safety of high-dose flaxseeds during pregnancy - not for the pregnant females, but for their offspring. "High-dose" in these animal experiments has meant flax intake as 10% of the total diet, or about 4 tablespoons of flaxseed for every 2,000 calories. Although it is impossible to generalize from animal studies to humans, we recommend that women who are pregnant (or considering pregnancy) consult with their healthcare providers if they are consuming or planning to consume flaxseeds in these high amounts." 
source: The World's Healthiest Foods

Linking to:

Hiphomeschoolmoms.com
Atthepicketfence.com: Inspiration-friday 
Gnowfglins.com: Simple-lives-thursday 

Wordless Wednesday@ 5 Minutes for Mom
Living Well Wednesday @ Women Living Well
Real Food Wednesday @ Kelly the Kitchen Cop
We Are That Family
The Thrifty Home

Raising Homemakers: Homemaking-link-up

Thegirlcreative.com 

skiptomylou.org: Made-by-Monday 

Theprairiehomestead.com 

themodestmomblog.com