cheesy spinach quinoa burgers

I'm alive.

Apparently going on vacation made me forget how to be a blogger.
But I'm still here!
And back with vacation pictures and a recipe.

It's about time, I know.

How have you been?
I've been struggling to get back into my everyday routine, to be honest.
Going away for a week left me feeling refreshed, yet not quite ready to jump back into real life.

I'm taking it one day at a time.

Here's a little recap of how we spent our time in Indian Shores {which, by the way, we LOVED - such a nice area!}.

We spent our days sipping Coronas and fresh sangria on the beach.

cupholders my sweet friend, Kayla, got us!

Our evenings were spent trying as many delicious foods and drinks as we could.

One night, the girls and I went out for drinks and karaoke while the guys went gambling.

And most importantly, we celebrated America's birthday.

It was so great getting away.

Is it bad I'm already trying to plan another getaway?

I just want to get paid to sit on the beach with my sangria and eat fresh seafood every night.
Is that so much to ask?!

As I mentioned in my post about lemons, before vacation Joe and I were detoxing.
For me, it wasn't really hard at all.
I've always been good at adhering to diet plans.
It's the exercise that I'm horrible at.

The problem with dieting, though, is that most diets don't allow you to eat burgers like it's your job.
{Is there a job that demands I eat burgers? Because I'll take it.}

I've had a serious burger problem ever since J and I had a little mid-week date at The Vortex.
I had gone months without burgers {and red meat in general, really}, and then we stopped at The Vortex before a concert and the Black & Blue burger changed my life.

That was months ago, and I'm still thinking about it.
It was incredible.

So, when I'm craving a burger in the middle of an unforgiving detox, I make the next best thing.

recipe adapted from Skinnytaste

Things you'll need:

1 cup uncooked quinoa, cooked according to package instructions

4 large eggs

1/3 cup reduced fat Parmesan cheese

3-4 cloves garlic {I like my food garlicky}

1/2 tsp fine sea salt

1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp chili powder
1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained of liquid
1 cup plain breadcrumbs
1 tsp olive oil

In a large mixing bowl, combine cooked quinoa, eggs, cheese, garlic, salt, cayenne, chili powder, spinach, and bread crumbs.

The mixture should be moist, but firm enough to make patties that will stick together.

Form patties to the size of your choice.

Heat olive oil in a skillet on low-medium heat.

Cook three to four patties at a time, covered, for 3-5 minutes on each side.

Watch them carefully and flip when they're the desired color.

{Not going to lie, I majorly burned my first batch - so keep an eye on them!}

Drizzle with hot sauce {or any other condiment you like} and enjoy!

As part of my detox I was boycotting bread for the week, so I just ate these on a plate as pictured.

These would be delicious on a toasted bun with lettuce and tomato though!

I'll definitely be making them again soon to see for myself.

Who knew quinoa could satisfy a burger craving?

This weekend, J and I are relaxing at home, going on a date to see World War Z finally (he's a huge fan of the book so we have to see what the movie is all about), and hopefully sneaking in a little pool time if the weather permits.

Do you have any fun plans?

Let me back in the loop!