When we got Lily, our bulldog, life changed…a lot. People say having a dog is good preparation for children and I would like to think this is true. In which case, we are very prepared future parents. I can’t remember if it was my parents or my in-laws who said that having children may prove to be less challenging that rearing our Lily. Princess? Adorable? Spoiled? Brilliant? Privileged? Stubborn as all get out? She’s all of the above.
For the first 6 months of her life, Lily was blocked off from the carpet in our home in Tulsa. It was our first home, and a new home, and we wanted to keep it looking good. We would spend our evenings on our tiled kitchen and dining room floors, playing with Lily, trying to maintain our evening routine. Needless to say, it was long. And trying.
But, our training paid off. Miss Lily had one accident, on day #1 that we had her…and that was it. Other than the time she chewed up a window sill or the time she ate a plug-in night light, she’s been fairly free of “accidents” and doggy misbehavior. Thankful, she’s never been a “chewer”.
I’ve mentioned it before, but even now I spend most of my time on the floor with Lily as she’s not allowed on the couch (or in bed)…and she doesn’t allow me to be more than 0.2 inches from her at any given time. But on the days she goes to “daycare” (Wednesdays – typically, my longest day at work), she’s a sure bet for an evening of solid snoring. Which means, I get a night “off” and can spend some time doing what I want, where I want…like on the couch.
Last night, Mr. Prevention wanted to watching something on the theater screen in the basement, so we retreated to watch our show. Afterwards, I went up to the second floor to grab a shower, not bothering to check on Lily who was in the dark living room on the main floor.
A few minutes later, Mr. P walked into the bathroom and said, “I just had to put your dog in her crate.” I immediately asked why as she hasn’t been crated in about a year, maybe even longer.
“She was on the couch when I came up from the basement…just sprawled out, relaxing and snoring away!”
Seeing as it was only 9:15pm, I went downstairs to catch up on emails, etc. There she was….standing in her crate with a “What the heck” look on her face and a quick head tilt to the side. I let her out and with that, her crate latch made a very distinct metal-on-metal noise that Mr. Prevention heard from alllllllllll the way in our bedroom.
“Did you let her out?!” he screamed. He knew the answer.
Then, he said, “I bet you’re going to give her some CHICKEN because I was ‘mean’. Don’t do it, Nicole. Don’t do it.”
While I wasn’t going to give her chicken (even though I usually do, as was the case with these burgers), I couldn’t let her stay in there all night. Lily is very, very smart and I think she learned her lesson about trying her luck with snoozing on the couch. It does make me wonder what all she’s up to when we’re gone all day, however.
Buffalo Chicken Burgers adapted from Seasaltwithfood
1 lb ground chicken breast
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 small red onion, finely diced
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 to 2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
pinch of salt and pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp buffalo wing sauce (choose a calorie-free variety)
4 whole wheat hamburger buns
2 oz crumbled blue cheese
2 Tbsp buffalo wing sauce (choose a calorie-free variety), for serving
Directions:
In a large bowl, mix the ground chicken with the following 8 ingredients (through wing sauce). Divide into 4 equal patties.
Preheat a grill, or the oven to 375 F.
Grill for 3-5 minutes per side (depending on thickness) or bake in a baking dish sprayed with non-stick cooking spray for 15 minutes.
Serve with 1/2 ounce crumbled blue cheese and 1/2 tablespoon of buffalo wing sauce. Serve with your favorite coleslaw topping for an added touch!
Yield: 4 burgers.
Nutrition Information (per burger with blue cheese and additional wing sauce – no slaw): 351 calories; 11.3 g. fat; 75 mg. cholesterol; 825 mg. sodium; 31.5 g. carbohydrate; 2.5 g. fiber; 33 g. protein
Result: These were fun for a change! The finishing touches of crumbled blue cheese and an extra drizzle of the wing sauce really bring out the flavors in the burger itself. This is truly a 15 minute meal that can be made on the grill or in the oven. The slaw was a fun touch – I used Bobby Flay’s recipe and subbed in reduced fat mayonnaise and Greek yogurt (half and half). Delicious! Bring on summer and cookouts! Note: Be sure to get ground chicken breast – ground chicken includes white and dark meat… and skin in many instances.
[/print_this]P.S. I totally got yelled at for not making Lily sleep in her crate. Softy mom. 🙂
Be well,
LOL, you guys are going to make GREAT parents 🙂 The softy and the scolder! That’s how NIck and I will be (but the opposite, I’m NOT the softy!).
Great recipe. It’s getting pinned!!
Haha you guys are adorable! Our dog is definitely given free range of the house…and it shows. So good job keeping Lily mostly at bay. 😛 And you’re going to be such cutie parents!
Ohhh buffalo sauce. How do I love thee?
LOL…my dog is a incredibly good dog. She doesn’t chew and never has ( I had one pair of slippers that fell victim when she was a pup), she stays in our yard without any fencing of any kind, regular or invisible, she is gentle and rarely barks. The ONE thing she is allowed to do is go on the furniture. She’s not allowed to sleep with myself or hubby though. What can I say? It’s her reward for being such a great dog and friend! lol
Just remember one thing when you do become parents…don’t sweat the small stuff….lol
The burger looks incredible and I wish I had one right now ( and it’s 9am in the morning!)
When my parents moved, my step mom wanted a pet-dander-free home so our family cat was banished to the basement (she never was a cat person but when she married my dad she couldn’t really kick out the cat). In her frail old age I felt horrible for her whenever I came to visit, so I would bring her up into my room (because even though I no longer lived with them, and never did in their new home for that matter I still had a room with all my old stuff in it). But one day my step mom saw me and she got upset and told my dad I wasn’t allowed to do that. Guess that room isn’t mine other than the stuff in it (and I promise it’s not cat-hair-free)
Bagig’ sleeps in the crate every night. I don’t think she minds it, to be honest. She feels safe in it and she has a comfy dog pillow to sleep in. We crated her for the first year or so but now she pretty much has free reign of the house during the day but still goes to the crate at night.
These look ABSOLUTELY delicious. Can’t wait to buy a grill and try them.
And lol re: Lily. Our puppy arrives next month – and I am preparing for all of the “fun” that comes along with it :)! I will be Mr. tuff guy, and my DH will be the softy. I may be emailing you for advice 🙂
Every time my dog gets in trouble, she runs to my husband. There is definitely always a more strict one. I do feed mine treats as an apology later for being mad at them though. They just melt your heart and you can’t be too mad at them.
These look delicious! I’m sure DH would love these one of these nights. I have problems with chicken burgers because mine seem super moist despite all the breadcrumbs I put in…guess I just need to keep experimenting.
Haha, this story is too funny!
I am definitely the softy too! I hope I am a bit more strict when I have kids or else they will walk all over me. 😉
I’m the softy mom even though I thought I wouldn’t be. haha. I love anything buffalo – yum!
Yep, I am the softy in our house too – I am the treat queen and Ed will do his dance around me until I give in, which I always do!
Love Lily – I bet she lays on the couch all day while you guys are gone! 😀
I made these on Monday and JB was absolutely OBSESSED with them!!! I served them with Melted Fontina Cheese and sliced apples on top….SO good 🙂 I found them to be a bit salty though, def gonna omit the added salt from the meat. I also used half ground breast half ground thigh. Was the all white meat still juicy?
From one mother of a 4 legged child to another, I am COMPLETELY the same as you with my baby girl. Don’t you worry 🙂
Aw, I love hearing about Lily! So funny! These burgers look great – I love that they’re made with chicken and you know I love the buffalo 😀
We really are meant to be friends in every way. We send our pups to daycare too! 🙂 Now, these burgers… That is some serious stuff! They look beyond satisfying and are definitely on my menu plan for next week!
It’s tough to be tough!
LOVE this burger…I’m definitely making it soon.
I think that the fact that you’re able to resist allowing her on the couch says a lot about your mommy skills. 🙂 LOL at the crate door making noise and busting you!
These burgers sound delicious! I just made a batch of buffalo sauce last night so I need to keep this recipe in mind!
We had chicken burgers tonight for dinner – but these definitely are worthy of 2 nights of chicken burgers in a row!
So what brand of Buffalo Wing Sauce have you found that is calorie free? Everything I have found in the store has either margarine, butter or oil in it. INCREDIBLY high calorie. I would love to make these, especially if I can make them close to fat-free.
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Hmm, my grocery store offers a bunch (though, they’re packed with sodium). Frank’s is a popular one, though it’s not my preferred wing sauce. I find them at Big Lots and other discount stores with nonperishable foods, too.
I am SO ready for grilling season! Bookmarking these beauties for sure!