Officially summer

Okay so not reeeeally officially summer because that's technicaaaaaally June 21st, but BRING IT ON.

We had a great Memorial weekend. Kicked it off with a schlep to Fleet Farm to get a billion bags of mulch and annuals to plant.

Every year I vow to just get the pre-made planters that are so pretty and chock full of blooms, but then without fail also every year I think Heck no, I'm not spending $30 per planter! I'll do my own! And then I proceed to spend $28  per planter plus hours of manual labor.

Then after the kids went to bed, we opened up the ol' firepit. And bottle of wine. And popcorn...with chocolate chips.

Saturday was filled with playing vehicles outside and a nature walk.

On Sunday we headed out to the lake for some family time and fishing.

If you don't eat some sort of red white and blue dessert, are you even an American?

Monday was pretty much a washout weather-wise but we still saw friends most of the day. That brings us to...Wednesday night!

So I made a recipe that I am DYING to share because hoooooooly buckets it's GOOD. And EASY. And filled with protein and veggies. Can I get you to commit to making it now? Do it do it do it do it.

Chicken Parm Burgers
-2 lbs ground chicken
-1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
-1 tablespoon dried parsley
-1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
-1 24 ounce jar marinara sauce
-8 slices mozzarella cheese
-1 cup fresh baby spinach (optional)
-8 whole grain/whole wheat sandwich thins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a large griddle to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine chicken and seasonings. Form into 8 patties. Spray griddle with nonstick cooking spray. Cook burgers about 5 minutes, then flip. They should be nice and golden brown on both sides.

Pour 1/4 of the marinara sauce in a large oven proof skillet (or you could also use a 9x13ish baking dish). Arrange the patties, then pour over remaining marinara sauce. Bake for 30 minutes, or until internal temperature reads at least 165 degrees. Place a slice of cheese over each marinara-covered patty. Crank oven up to broil. Put the burgers under the broiler and watch closely- the cheese will start melting and bubbling in just a few minutes. Remove from oven.

Serve on a sandwich thin along with some fresh spinach.

Holy wow. Sloppy and juicy and all the flavors of chicken parm, minus the calorie bomb factor of all the breading and gobloads of cheese.

Per burger: 430 calories, 33 grams carbs, 9 grams fiber, 21 grams fat, 34 grams protein

Are these on your not-technically-officially-summer to-make list yet? I sure hope so!