Burgers sound like a greasy mess of food with low nutrition, but they don’t have to be deemed an unhealthy treat if we can tweak the way it’s typically made. With some simple modifications, burgers can serve up some healthy goodness too! :p
So one fine day, K and I decided to make these kids-friendly healthy burgers with the help of little V and baby L. We made some delish Egg-free Tofu Pork Patties for baby V back then, and it was a hit! This time round, our beef burger patties are as is, but you can feel free to jazz up the nutritional factor with kale and all!
Now that she’s older, our soon-to-be four year old enjoyed the preparation process and was eager to sink her teeth into the dish! Preparation was easy and having a toddler involved can be fun (or chaotic, since 1 other toddler was quite the rule breaker!). Have a go with your kids too – cooking together as a family was an interesting experience!
Homemade Healthy Burgers (makes 6 burgers)
Ingredients:
150g Minced beef (feel free to replace with chicken or pork as desired)
McCormick Italian Herbs
Salt, as desired
Pepper, as desired
Ground black pepper, as desired
8 Fresh shitake mushrooms, washed and sliced
Lettuce, washed and cut into desired sizes
Burger cheese slices (regular cheddar slices are great too!)
Fresh pineapple, cut into rings (canned pineapples are great too!)
2 Large tomatoes
1 Large yellow onion, washed and cut into rings
1 tbsp Minced garlic
Gardenia burger buns
For sides:
2 sticks of celery, washed and cut into desired length
2 medium-sized sweet potatoes, washed and cut into strips
4 small potatoes, washed and cut into strips
Yogurt or mayonnaise
A sprinkle of Chia Seeds
To prepare beef patties:
– Set aside small portion of minced beef for kids. Season as desired with Italian Herbs and pepper.
– Season remaining portion of minced beef  for adults – adjust spiciness with extra black pepper and salt as preferred.
– Place both portions of minced beef in separate bowls and cover with cling wrap. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
Method:
1) Shape minced beef into patties. Heat pan and warm up some olive oil. Place patties on pan and cook to desired done-ness for adults. Cook beef patties completely for kids’ portion. Remove and place on clean plate.
2) Add minced garlic, onion rings and sliced mushrooms. Sautée the ingredients and set aside.
3) Slice Gardenia Buns into half and butter both sides. Lightly warm up by heating insides of buns if desired. Stack ingredients accordingly to make your burgers!
As for the potatoes and sweet potatoes, they were air fried with the Mayer Air Fryer – yes, we have a new kitchen tool to play with! Healthier versions of French fries and sweet potato fries, yes? :P
And I definitely couldn’t do without vegetables, so we had some raw celery sticks with a dollop of yogurt and Chia Seeds on the sides too.
Voila! How’s that for some super easy, deliciously healthy burgers that score with toddlers and preschoolers too? :D
Watching Vera and Leroy devour those burgers was such a beaming moment! Thank you Daddy K for helping to cook those patties and stacking up those burgers! I had to whisk the baby away for a nursing session, so in reality, it takes a fair bit of coordination in between. Truth be told, it takes extra teamwork to put a meal together when you have two inquisitive kids, and hungry people to feed! #keepingitreal
And the baby was enjoying his own burger like a big boy! Where did all that time go???
Both kids ate them quite differently too – one had a deconstructed burger, while the other tried to wolf down that stack (and eventually decided to deconstruct it as well)! :P
Do give this healthy burger recipe a try, and let me know how your homemade burgers turn out! :P
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So nice to see the little chef in action and your burger recipe also look very tempting to try too. I am also learning to cook simple dishes at home for my children. Maybe I can start with the beef patty first :D
Phoebe @BPDGTravels
Awww, thank you, Phoebe! It is pretty challenging cooking with both kids cos they’re curious and wanna help with everything. Definitely took longer to prepare these healthy burgers :P Yes, starting with something you’re comfortable for your kids to work on makes it easier. Partial steps of the actual recipe depending on their comfort level too! Do tell us how it went! :)
Homemade burgers are best cos you can control everything that goes into the burger! I love how Leroy sized up his burger with that suspicious look. So cute! Have the kids asked for more burger-making sessions?
– Mary @ Simply Lambchops
Haha that’s a cheeky boy you’ve spotted! He’s the pickier one of the 2 kids =x
I’d love to whip up more homemade burgers with them at home… gotta find time to get in the kitchen and try out recipes again :) Hope your kitchen adventures are fab too!
Wah so shiok!! And healthier too haha… will try them out next time when I’m not that lazy hahaha
Ai @ Sakura Haruka
Haha thank you, Ai! It was shiok and involved for effort for sure. Throw 2 inquisitive toddlers into the meal preparation… and we took longer to get to making those burgers haha! Do let us know how it went if you do try out this healthy burger recipe at home! :D
This looks super yummy and surely kids approved with so much hard work. I too usually grate some veggies and mix them along with minced chicken .
Hard work, indeed! Not sure if hubby and I were working harder for our meal, or our kids! LOL! Grated veggies hidden in the meat patty sounds fab!
Yum! I am always on the lookout for kid-friendly recipes and am glad I found one here.
Being in the US, I feel like my kids’ “Asian appetite” is ironically more unhealthy than our American friends’. They eat baby carrot and celery sticks with hummus or yoghurt for lunch. How did you make yours do that? These are stuff I’ve tried when they were babies but they are picky eaters and have rejected them.
They love tofu, broccoli and salmon, so those have been their staples. Recently, I’ve resorted to kale chips to get them to eat some of those good stuff.
Please share your magic formula!
Hello Chermaine! Hope you’re doing great in the US!
Haha, I don’t really have a magic formula, to be honest. I think perseverance and lots of trial and error helps – I’ve since learned that there are good days and bad ones. My daughter is a natural foodie but now that she’s older, she has somewhat learned to be selective on certain ingredients. Strange but true!
As for my son, he’s always been selective. UGH. Sometimes when we dine out, all he eats is bread =x Hits and misses, and thankfully, it’s gotten better now that he’s older.
Kale chips sounds great! We tried that out and my daughter loves it, even kale salad HAHA! My son would only go for a handful of those kale chips.
If you like, feel free to browse the archive of homemade recipes that we’ve tried. They are easy to follow recipes without a lengthy list of ingredients and tons of effort (we don’t have time!), and are kids-friendly :) Hope they come in handy –> https://thehootingpost.com/category/kitchen-experimenter/ Take care!
This looks so fun! Yet another interesting and engaging activity for the kids sans screen! Excellent! Will KIV this! Thanks for sharing.
Another tip to make the burger healthier is to substitute regular mince with fat reduced mince. Your burgers look good and more importantly, you guys seemed like you had a blast making them as a family!
YES YES YES YES. And also you can cheat by grinding up cauliflower into the mince. MORE VEG!!!
Oh wow! Looks so professional…I love the sides too – celery and all. Caramelized Onions me love too!