Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Chickpea Burgers

Its been a fabulously busy Wednesday! I crammed a lot into today and slimmed down my to do list. My day started bright and early at the gym. I ran about a mile and a half and then headed into the group fitness studio to take MOST of Body Pump (I had a meeting I needed to get to so I cut it a bit short).

After a quick shower and a delicious green monster (1 banana, ½ cup skim milk, 2 or so cups spinach and ice):

I headed out to my meeting which went well. I skipped my AM coffee this morning as an experiment and felt pretty good for ¾ of the day… then the dragging started ;). I finished up my day of work and ran some errands (WFs (gosh I love that place), dry cleaners, oil change, Starbucks for a misto….very necessary). I also got some of my to dos around the casa done (ironing, more laundry).

For dinner tonight, I made Sarah’s INCREDIBLE Chickpea Veggie Burgers. I am really enjoying experimenting with new vegetarian dishes and Josh is even liking them (ok…most of them ;)). I made a few modifications to her recipe in terms of ingredients:

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups canned chickpeas
1/3 cup egg whites
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1/2 small onion, chopped
grated zest from 1 lemon
1/2 cup sprouts (i.e. alfalfa or broccoli- I used a mixture of bean sprouts and broccoli slaw)
1/2 cup toasted whole wheat bread crumbs
extra-virgin olive oil for cooking or pam

Directions:
See Sarah’s recipe. I made myself chickpea nuggets


and Josh a chickpea burger.


For chickpea nuggets, just make smaller burgers and flatten a bit during cooking. They only take about 5 minutes per side. On the side, we had some fruit and snap peas. Thanks for another fabulous dinner idea Sarah!

On a side note, I’ve really been enjoying the variety I’ve been getting through my weekly workouts (teaching Body Step & Body Attack, taking Body Pump, Body Flow, Spin, and running (# of times for each varies per week depending on my teaching schedule)). Do you crave variety or do you stick mostly to one activity? Are you happy with your current routine? Do you have any suggestions for new activities for me? I’d love to get out and do some hiking or try rock climbing!

52 comments:

Anonymous said...

I definitely crave for varieties ! and it's the only way to keep entertaining and keep my heart rate hight! :D

Lauren said...

Love these chicpea nugs. Not only do they sound delcious, they are so cute on your plate!

I think I am way to routined but I am trying to incorporate more varitey. It's definitely important to keep things interesting.

Pam (Highway to Health) said...

I've been so focused on running I feel like I'm gonna need to do something different on Saturday! You have great variety in your workouts!

Unknown said...

I like variety, but I've been stuck in a rut lately with working out. I guess that's why I've been trying to switch it up with the yoga!

Aggie said...

I go in phases with my workouts. Sometimes I stick to one activity I love, like swimming, but lately I've been running, spinning and strength training.
Those chickpea nuggets sound awesome!

Leianna said...

I'm mainly a runner, but lately wanted to do something like spinning or swimming to switch it up a bit!

eve said...

The chickpea burgers look great!! I love variety in my workouts too! Recently I've been running, swimming, taking pilates & yoga, and doing weight training. I think cross training is very important

Esi said...

Chickpea burgers/nuggets sound great. You should try adding quinoa to them too. So delish!

The Purple Carrot said...

I drag without my caffeine too :s haha. And I agree, I love WF! I wish it was closer to me and not so expensive because I'd want to get about everything there.

Anonymous said...

Those look lovely :) I like that you made nuggets. You're so cute!
I need variety. I get bored!

Priyanka said...

Love the chickpea nuggets/burgers and I am loving your clean eats!

Meredith (Pursuing Balance) said...

Your dinner looks really good!

lynn said...

those look really good! i love chickpeas....

lynn said...

those look really good! i love chickpeas....

Kristen @ Simply Savor said...

Definitely love to switch things up! It keeps me from getting bored and works all different parts of the body. your dinner looks great, i hope to try this recipe soon :)

Leianna said...

I've never asked before and I love your blog, so do you mind if I add you to my blogroll?

Maria said...

Are those green smoothies really good? I don't know if I could stomach that in the a.m.:)
Come to Utah and go hiking with us! We live right by several beautiful canyons. Do you ever swim laps? I do sometimes and it is a great workout. I am mostly doing my elliptical these days-Dr. has restricted my running until I gain weight, sad. I am also doing strength training and abs every day.

I Run for Fun said...

I love the idea of chickpea nuggets. Chickpean burgers sound so yummy....kinda like the spicy peanut burger with mint sauce I had a couple of weeks ago.

You really give me such great food ideas!

Julie said...

I love that you made them nuggets! SO cute :) I have all of those ingredients. hmmmmmm

fittingbackin said...

those nuggets are adorable! wow - what a fantasticly productive day! Woo! My variety isn't happening right now.... i'm mixing it up with strength training but i'm staying pretty 'on' with walking only. Now that I have my HRM i'm considering doing videos at home on the weekend!!

Gaby said...

those burgers are so cool!

Holly said...

Those chickpea nuggets and burgers look SO good!! I love chickpeas.

I would LOVE to try rock climbing, too. A little scared of heights, but how bad ass does that look?!

Lizzy said...

the sound of chickpea burgers sounds amazing!

Anonymous said...

I have always wanted to try rock climbing! I suppose if I looked hard enough, I could find some indoor walls here in the 'Nati

Yum Yucky said...

Ahhh! The Green Monster is scaring me! (sorry) This burgers look exactly like the turkey burgers we at last night. Yum!

Matt (No Meat Athlete) said...

Thanks for the chickpea burger recipe. I'm always on the lookout for new veggie burgers, they have been a very pleasant surprise of going vegetarian.

Hmm what new exercise to try??? I started swimming a while back and really enjoyed it. I've always been a sucky swimmer so it's very challenging for me, but that's cool because I saw progress really quickly. But I think climbing sounds especially exciting!

healthy ashley said...

I've made chickpea burgers so many times, but never like Sarah's. I'll give hers a try!

CaSaundraLeigh said...

I am the same (dragging) if I don't have some form of caffiene in the AM, but if I drink it anytime after noonish, I can't sleep--crazy!

Btw, I looove rock climbing. Our college kind of specializes in it and they have a huge indoor rock climbing course--it rocks! ;-)

Krista said...

Mmmm...chickpea burgers. those sound like something I would LOVE!

I wish I could tell ya that I switch up my workouts, but sadly I do not. As good as my intentions are, I tend to stick to cardio. I do want to start looking into some type of fitness class that I can go to, though and Pilats will be starting back up in a month....

Bridget said...

Mmmm chickpeas!! Those look awesome! I've alse been wanting to try the ones from 101cookbooks. I only drink 1 coffee in the AM usually but man if I miss it I really feel it in the afternoon. I always try to switch up my workouts; I get bored very easily. I love hiking in the fall!

K from ksgoodeats said...

I love the chickpea nuggets!! Any day that involves a run to WFs is a good day of errands ;)

I'm the girl who was always involved in a sport so I enjoy work outs that don't feel like work outs - playing tennis, hiking, etc. I suppose I like to mix it up!

Anonymous said...

I'm definitely a creature of habit so I pretty much stick to the same workout routines. I've been trying very hard lately to switch it up a bit though--I'd love to try a spin class and I try to get outdoors as much as possible!

Angharad said...

I crave variety!! I don't always get it though due to scheduling.
Your work outs sound divine!
Those chick pea burgers look delicious! Nice recipe!

She-Fit said...

Ckickpea burgers? These look great.

Pam said...

Those burgers look so good!

I'll be right over!

Anonymous said...

the smoothie and chickpea burgers are sooo right up my alley!! can't wait to give them a try:)

Unknown said...

YUM! I <3 chickpeas.

RhodeyGirl said...

those look delicious!

Erika said...

Those chickpea burgers look great!

My Sensei said...

Great idea with the chickpea nuggets! Thanks for the recipe - I love variety in my workouts, although I sometimes do get stuck into some ruts. But switching it up always keeps me comin' back and not giving up! Even if its just going to a different gym the one I originally go to - change can be great and exciting!

Sarah said...

What a great idea to make little nuggets instead of burgers! Will have to try that myself... :-)

Anna said...

!!!! Must make!!!!

Rose said...

Chickpea nuggets? Could this be the best idea ever? I think so!

Bec said...

ooo chickpea nuggets sound really good!

Anonymous said...

I'll have to give these a try, when my husband isn't home!

I love variety - although truth be told, I could eat the same things over and over and not get sick of it!

Paige@ Running Around Normal said...

Wow thanks for posting that recipe! Those look delicious.

I'm just really concentrating on running right now. I'm training for my first 10k, so that, and strength training pretty much take up my whole workout week.

Michelle @ Find Your Balance said...

I mostly stick to yoga but sometimes I need to pump it up with something really lively - I love dancing!

I just made chickpea burgers recently, remember? So yummy. http://www.findyourbalancehealth.com/2009/08/minted-misoed-and-mighty-good-or-reasons-why-i-love-my-food-processor

mtbcy said...

I love the idea of chickpea nuggets! I started with chickpeas and then used black beans to make burgers with the same basic recipe idea and they were sooo good! I added corn and some chili powder along with the other ingredients to give them a southwest flavor- so good with salsa and guac! <3

Ada said...

Those chickpea burgers look so delicious! I especially like that the recipe doesn't sound too complicated which means it would be perfect for a week night:)

I used to have a monotous workout routine that consisted of swimming, swimming, and more swimming but now that I am training for a triathlon I really enjoy the variety of running biking and swimming.

Thanks for your shrimpie inspiration yesterday! I made a shrimp stir fry tonight and it was quite yummy:)

Chef Fresco said...

We just made a variation of those too from the same recipe! Was soo delicious!

Anonymous said...

These sound so good! I've never had a chickpea burger... I bet it tastes a little like falafel. Yum!

Anonymous said...

I love your purple dress--very classy indeed!

I wish when I made a chickpea burger, it would stay together. I will have to try your method!