Clean McDonald's Cheeseburger

After tasting this you’ll never fancy a trip to McDonald’s again. I know I didn’t. Twice as nutritious and three times as nice, you can’t go wrong with this semi- healthy cheat. I say semi, due to the fat content which can be found in burger patties, but remember, fat is vital for the functioning of our body organs, and you need fat to burn fat, so get the grill on and start cooking!

In this recipe, I opted for a wholemeal roll as opposed to a white roll. On the basis that as a complex carbohydrate, its rich in fibre and will keep me feeling fuller for longer as the molecules in complex carbohydrates take longer to digest and aid in stabilising blood sugar levels. Contrarily, simple carbohydrates found in cakes, crisps and white bread, spike our insulin levels and can cause a sugar crash, leading us to further indulge later on.

That’s not to say you should avoid white carbohydrates eternally of course, some people prefer white bread, and if you happen to lie in that category then go for it! Just ensure to include other forms of complex carbohydrates into your diet such as legumes, sweet potato and wholegrains. Remember it’s about balance, not restriction.

Anyhow, before I go off on a tangent, I chose a 100% British beef burger, and added a cheese slice on top, before adding lightly fried onions for the real deal. I combined this with a side salad of spinach, cucumber, grapes and plum tomatoes to add essential vitamins and superfoods, creating the ultimate dinner time delight for the hungry but health conscious.

You could also swap the traditional beef patty for a vegetarian option such as Quorn meat or a turkey or chicken burger for those who are looking for a leaner option. Or even spice it up a bit with a side of paprika infused sweet potato fries.

Ingredients

• 1 Wholemeal roll

• 1 Beef burger patty

• 1 thin slice reduced fat cheese

• 1 small onion

• ½ cup spinach

• 5 cherry tomatoes, halved

• ¼ medium cucumber, sliced

• Handful grapes, halved

• ½ tbsp. Apple cider vinegar

• 1tbsp. ketchup

• Frylight oil

Method

1. Preheat the grill onto medium high.

2. Peel and chop onions into thin, bite sized chunks, placing to one side.

3. Lay spinach onto a serving plate.

4. Chop the cherry tomatoes and grapes into halves and lay them out on top of the bed of spinach.

5. Next, chop the cucumber into slices and then into quarter segments, adding to side salad.

6. Drizzle the side salad with apple cider vinegar as desired, then place serving plate in fridge, allowing the salad to stay cool and fresh.

7. Cook the patty for roughly 3-5 minutes on each side, adding the cheese slice on top once the patty has been turned over.

8. Whilst waiting for patty to cook, spray a cooking pan 4-5 times with the Frylight oil spray, and place onto the hob on medium heat.

9. Once the oil has begun to sizzle, add onions, cooking and stirring continually until they turn partly translucent .

10. Reduce heat of hob.

11. Take the serving plate from the fridge and cut the wholemeal roll into half.

12. Turn off the grill and take out the burger placing into your roll, adding onions on top with a squeeze of tomato ketchup.

13. Enjoy your unprocessed MacDonald’s!

#Healthy #Recipe #Dinner