Because Every Night is a Special Occasion: Butterball

It is late in the evening.  The dishes are done; the children are in bed, I’m pleasantly full and quite willing to sit back and relax after cooking a very special turkey dinner for my loving family.

What’s the occasion? Well, there isn’t one. Turkey on a weeknight? You bet. And it isn’t even Thanksgiving or Christmas! Nope, not since I last checked. So what gives? 

Tonight, we dined on delicious Butterball Lean Turkey Burgers that were ready in less than 15 minutes. They were seasoned perfectly, exceptionally lean, the kids gobbled them up and there was virtually no clean up. Now that’s the special occasion.

I know I don’t have to introduce Butterball Canada to you. Chances are, their turkeys have made it to your dining table time and time again. But in addition to their tender, juicy and always delicious whole turkeys, I LOVE that they offer simple, year round meal solutions such as turkey burgers, franks, bacon-style turkey and more. We always make it a point to incorporate lean white meat products into our weekly menus, and with so many delicious options to choose from, Butterball makes it incredibly easy.

Now my husband is a hamburger fanatic, and will happily don the chef apron and grill up thick, meaty burgers before you can say “clogged arteries!” In an effort to spare a few years of his life, I made the decision to swap his regular beef burgers for Butterball Lean Turkey Burgers. To give him credit, he didn’t mind at all and was eager to try out a healthier alternative; he grabbed his grill set and was ready to channel his inner BBQ guru.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans. Within moments of lighting the barbecue we were met with a torrential downpour. So, plan B.

(I can’t stress how important it is to invest in a quality grill pan. It really does get the job done. Sure, your food will lack the smokiness – and carcinogens – of a true outdoor barbecue, but you’ll rarely sacrifice flavour.)

Butterball Lean Turkey Burgers are frozen, uncooked patties that come six to a box. Ingredients include turkey, water, toasted wheat crumbs, salt, maltodextrin, spices, spice extracts, worchestershire sauce, onion, garlic and soy sauce. With the exception of maltodextrin (an easily digestible carbohydrate made from rice, corn, or potato starch), these are all ingredients that I would find in my own pantry. Hence, I’m quite pleased that they’ve kept the goodness of turkey in, and all the other stuff out.

For nutrition junkies, here’s a per serving breakdown:

Really like that it’s really high in protein while keep carbs, calories and fat low. The sodium content does creep up a bit, but thanks to my % Daily Value training, I know that the burgers (at 20%) can easily be incorporated into a healthy diet.

But I suppose the real benefit of enjoying convenient, delicious turkey any time of year (especially BBQ season, holla!) is when you stack ’em up against a traditional beef burger:

Almost twice the calories and more than 3x the fat? I’ll take Butterball #turfection (turkey + perfection) any day, thanks!

Anyhoo, with a 7-8 minute cook time per side (from frozen), I was looking forward to a healthy and delicious dinner. Of course my husband, the meal whisperer, had subtle instructions for me: “Don’t overcook them. Turkey is dry,” and “Shouldn’t you flip them now? I think you should flip them.”

(Sidenote: The burgers were incredibly juicy with perfect grill marks – all thanks to me.)

What can I say? Butterball Lean Turkey Burgers are flavourful and beyond moist. They’re lightly marbled (therefore, I do recommend a non-stick spray when cooking) and have that distinct turkey flavour that brings about memories of mistletoe – in the middle of a summer heat wave.

Turkey on the barbecue? YES please!

Even the little guys gobbled up their share – Reid helped himself to straight seconds when his tiny burger was complete. It’s official: zero leftovers :)

This summer, change up your routine and try one of Butterball Canada’s delicious turkey products. They’re lean, low in fat and calories, and grill up wonderfully for all of your everyday special occasions.

Click here to visit Butterball Canada. 

This post is sponsored by Butterball Canada. All opinions on this blog are my own.