BBQ Onion Burger

Hamburgers are probably one of the most difficult things to fit into a low-calorie diet. We've addressed this in two ways: 1) finding lower calorie ingredients to make the burgers from and 2) reducing the size of the meal. These days we don't have any sides with them, but if you're looking for low calorie fries, we found that steak fries tend to have the lowest calorie count of the frozen, oven-baked fries, and even if 3 oz doesn't look like much, it's pretty filling.

For a little extra flavor this time, I experimented with making home-baked onion "straws" - just without the breading. Most of the flavor comes from the onions themselves, so the breading really only serves to make them crispy and easier to deep fry.

Makes 2 burgers

Ingredients:
1/4 medium onion
1 teaspoon oil
1/2 lb lean beef patties (we prefer 96% lean)
Your favorite grill spices (we use the Weber hamburger blend)
4 slices tomato
2-4 pieces of lettuce
2 tablespoons barbecue sauce (I used Rub With Love Ancho & Molasses BBQ sauce)
2 hamburger buns (I use Ballpark or Sarah Lee, as they're both lower calorie)

Taco Salad

Adam and I love to have Mexican food, but it's often high in calories. This taco salad hits the spot without breaking our calorie budget.

Makes 4 salads

Ingredients:

For the taco meat:
1 pound lean beef (I prefer 96% lean)
1/2 onion, diced
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
salt
pepper

For the salad:
Lettuce (romaine, butter, or iceberg work well)
1 red onion, diced
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
2 ounces lowfat cheese
1/2 cup fat free sour cream
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup chipotle salad dressing (I make this recipe but with 1/3 of the oil)
4 crunchy taco shells