It’s National Burger Day, and if you haven’t got it marked in your diary, then why not? We’re big fans of burgers and even those healthy options we can enjoy more often.
The fourth annual Mr Hyde National Burger Day was founded three years ago because there wasn’t a day dedicated to our love of burgers, but there are two in the US (and a National Cheeseburger Day).
And we’re ever thankful we get to share our love for burgers on this specific day, as well as many others throughout the year too.
In 2015 there were more than 125,000 tweets and 40,000 Instagram posts tagged with #NationalBurgerDay, so it’s safe to assume that many people enjoyed it. And with more restaurants than ever signed up to offer you 20% off burgers for the day, it looks like it’s only going to continue to grow.
Healthy burgers
Healthy burgers, is there such a thing? When we think burger we typically think big, greasy and fast food. All of which equates to bad fat and a shed load of calories, but there’s no reason why you can’t enjoy burgers on the regular, without all of the guilt.
Just a few simple changes and swaps will see you enjoy burgers that are good for you – it’s just best to full-fat mincemeat, layers and layers of cheese and deep fat fries on the side too.
Healthy burger options
To choose a healthier, less sinful burger follows these options and ideas
- Make your own at home – you’ll know exactly what gets put into them and they’re really easy to make too, see recipes below
- Use 5% fat mince – switch to a lower fat percentage of mincemeat to cut down on calories
- Switch to leaner meat – why not try a chicken or turkey burger
- Go veggie – why not choose a vegetarian or vegan option instead? Be careful as some can be quite calorific
- Leave out the bun – if you want to cut down on the bread you eat then just add your delicious burgers to a salad or try an alternative bun
- Alternative buns – use Portobello mushrooms in place of a bun, there will be a mess from the water content from the mushrooms, but it’s all part of the fun. You could also try wrapping lettuce around the burger, or take inspiration from The Body Coach Joe Wicks and use sweet potato slices instead.
Healthy burger recipes
To make your own healthier burgers at home you’ll need extra lean mince, finely chopped onion, salt and pepper and an egg to combine the ingredients. That’s it.
To add extra flavours you can, of course, try crushed garlic, fresh chilli, different spices. But fundamentally, that’s everything you really need above.
Combine the ingredients together in a bowl and shape them into individual burgers. Put a thumb shape in each of the patties before you cook them to stop them from turning into meatballs and give a more burger-like shape.
You could also try stuffing burgers with things like mushrooms, pepper or egg with this handy burger maker. It’s a firm favourite of ours.
[amazon box="B014S0Z8FE"]