cilantro burgers with sriracha mayo

At the start of the new year, I decided to change things up by making 2 new recipes a week.  I wish I had kept track of all the new recipes I've made since January. This thought didn't occur to me til May.

We eat at home about 5-6 days a week. I like cooking, and we like healthy eating. We also appreciate knowing what's going in our food. While I can cook dishes without a recipe, it gets hard coming up with interesting, new and tasty on my own. It's inspiring to get new ideas. I will buy magazines, I will do research, and I will share my findings with you. A favorite magazine of mine is Cooking Light. This baby is not cheap. So, if I buy a copy, you bet I'm going to make as many recipes as I can from it.

We eat white meat or fish most days. A burger is a once a week or every other week splurge. Hubby and I love a good burger. Our version of a good burger is one with cheese. Any cheese. And sauce, from mayo to chipotle ketchup. A new favorite is Cilantro Burgers with Sriracha Mayo. Hubby works out 6 days a week. So Hercules needs more food than I do. While this recipe feeds 4, I make 3 burgers out of it. A half pounder for hubby and two 1/4 pounders.

TIPS about this recipe-
We eat a lot of cilantro, so we add more than the recipe calls for.
We use a lot of kosher salt and cracked pepper to flavor our meat.
We double the mayo recipe, because we use plenty on the top AND bottom bun to give it the sauciness. It makes up for the lack of cheese. This way, we don't miss it. Like I said, burgers are a splurge for us. You may as well do it, right.

hands-on time: 20 minute
total time: 20 minutes
makes 4 servings

1 pound 90% lean ground sirloin
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
4 burger buns
3 tablespoons mayo
1 tablespoon sriracha
1/3 cup cilantro sprigs


Combine ground sirloin, chopped cilantro, salt and pepper in a bowl; mix just until combined. Divide sirloin mixture into 4 equal portions, gently shaping each into a 1/2" thick patty.


Heat a grill to medium high heat. Add patties and grill 4 minutes. Turn patties and grill 4 more minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Remove patties. Add buns to grill, cut sides down. Grill 1 minute or until toasted.


Combine mayo and sriracha in a small bowl, stir. Spread mixture on bottom half of each bun; top each with 1 patty. Divide cilantro sprigs evenly among patty; top with top halves of bun.


Recipe inspiration from Cooking Light

My Not-So-Overwhelming Cleaning Schedule

People have asked me how I keep my house so clean. It actually does require a bit of organization and planning on my part, so I'm not cleaning for one whole day. A day of cleaning is exhausting, boring, and not likely to get all done when you have a child at home with you.

Hubby and I are most relaxed in a tidy home. We prefer a swept floor, toys picked up from the downstairs before bed, and a clean kitchen to wake up to every morning. By clean kitchen, I mean no dirty dishes in the sink. I keep a toy basket in the downstairs closet. It's an easy place for us to do a quick stash.

Several years ago, we decided to save money by no longer using our maid service. The only way I could get out of spending a day cleaning was to make a schedule of daily tasks that would keep the house clean. The schedule allowed me to still spend lots of time with our little guy and/or run errands, while enjoying a clean home. I don't stay home every day. I did for one year after our son was born. Then he went to a 2 day a week Kids Day Out program, and I work on those 2 days. I adjusted my cleaning schedule to have a lighter task on the days I work.

My Not-So-Overwhelming Cleaning Schedule

 

And, let's be real. I may not vacuum every Thursday. Maybe I'll let another week go by. I'm sure going to try, though, because my son and hubby have terrible allergies (some of which include dust mites).

I fell out of my routine the end of last year. I struggled getting back in the groove at the beginning of this year. I was a slacker. Then it started spiraling. I had too much to do. My head was spinning with what needed to be immediately cleaned (restrooms) to things I needed to do (dust baseboards, replace air filters, replace an outdoor floodlight that was knocked out in the hail storm). I keep a planner, but that wasn't going to work for this list in my head. I decided to just write it all down. Everything. I made a list, and it kept growing. I stuck it on the fridge knowing I could see it better there. My goal was to knock out 1 or 2 things a day. It was an accomplishment when I could mark something off the list.

The Big List

The house is almost back where it needs to be (I still need to do my annual baseboards dusting), and I am now able to go back to my daily schedule. And there you have it! Now you know the Adams family has clean sheets on Friday.

Daily To-Do's at 3

My little one is 3. He's now able to dress himself and needs reminding to brush teeth in the morning. I created this chart and used the help of superheroes stickers. Since he's already such a helper, I decided to use it on the chart.We are a family of helpers. I think it's an important quality to have in life. The chart is at his eye level at the bottom of the fridge.

 

Art is definitely not my strength, but he knows what the smile means!