Photos by Briana Lindsey Photography

This shop have been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and Mazola® Corn Oil. All opinions are mine alone.
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People talk about living a lighter lifestyle all of the time and the first thing that comes to mind is fitness. At least for me, that is. But when you really think about it, there is far more to living a lighter lifestyle than lifting weights at the gym or running 4 miles a day. Drinking water, your mental health and of course, the foods you are eating are just as important.

One simple ingredient that you probably use to prepare 99% of your dinners could be swapped out for something much lighter. So simple, right? And that's just one example...I'm just getting started.

I get it time and time again... "What type of workouts do you do to stay in shape?" And for some reason, everyone seems to think that staying in shape is solely based on working out but let me tell you, there are so many other large factors in play. There is far more to "well-being" than working out and I'm going to tell you one of the main reasons how I stay in shape without being a workout-aholic.

1. Genes. I've got skinny genes. (And side note: I love skinny jeans too)

2. I breastfeed. I breastfeed A LOT. During our pregnancy classes, we were told that breastfeeding burns around 800 calories every single day. And that's a lot more calories than I think I've ever burned working out so yeah, that's a big one.

3. I choose to eat lighter options. Yes, I sure do love my sweets (as you all know by my insta stories) and my love for chocolate will never go away. But I eat extremely wholesome meals, compared to really anyone I know so I think that that plays a huge factor.

No, I don't eat raw veggies and salads with no dressing. I, personally, couldn't live like that. I eat light without sacrificing taste and I'll tell you all about how that's possible to do with all of my favorite meals.

Let's take a burger and fries, for example, a very normal meal for a family to eat. You've got beef burger patties, a white bread bun, fries, and all of that baked or grilled in oil. Now what if I told you that you could have almost the exact same meal, without losing the delicious taste, but you could swap out ingredients for better for you options? Would you be interested in hearing how? I'll answer that for ya - YES! Tell me, tell me!

That's what we do on a daily basis in our family and I'm passing it along to you because getting into a better eating routine doesn't mean cutting out burgers and fries and all of your favorite things. It's all about prep and it's all about swapping out ingredients for lighter ingredients. I'm no wellness expert but I do know some of the basics of eating smart and it's actually pretty simple when you think about it.

Back to that delicious, juicy burger meal I mentioned a minute ago, want to know how to make that all better for you? Here you go (and you can thank me after you try it):

Ingredients:

- turkey meat (instead of beef)
- whole grain buns (instead of white)
- delicious, salty broccoli (instead of fries)
- Mazola® Corn Oil (instead of butter or olive oil or other commonly used canola oils)
- tomatoes
- onions
- Apple cider vinegar
- cheddar cheese

You see what I did there? Let me tell you, this meal is oh-so-delicious and is one of our favorites to cook for dinner. All of the delicious taste is still there but by swapping out ingredients, we have ourselves a much lighter version of our favorite meal. And this can be done with just about anything you cook! So get to cooking!

Directions:

1. Thinly slice onions and heat on medium-high with a large drizzle of Mazola® Corn Oil. Head for 3-4 minutes or until onions are softened.

Mazola® Corn Oil is cholesterol free and has become a healthful staple in many American homes, replacing other cooking oils. With a neutral taste, it allows the taste of your food to stand out. Mazola® Corn Oil also has a smoke point that's higher than most cooking oils and at 450°F, performing well when used for stir-frying, sautéing, grilling and even baking, while other cooking oils with a lower smoke point will actually negatively affect the food's flavor and nutritional value.

2. Once onions are soft, pour in 1 tsp of sugar and 3 tsp of apple cider vinegar.

3. Put broccoli on a baking sheet, drizzle with Mazola® Corn Oil and mix to coat. Salt and pepper to taste. Place in the oven at 425°F for 15-20 minutes or until they begin to brown.

4. Cut tomatoes into rounds.

5. Place small piles of cheddar cheese on parchment paper on a baking sheet, slighter smaller than the size of your burger patties. Make one pile per burger. Place in oven at 425°F for 3-4 minutes, or until edges are slightly browned. remove from the oven and let stand for about 5 minutes or until cheddar has hardened.

6. Form turkey burger patties and place on stove top with a large drizzle of Mazola® Corn Oil. Cook 4-5 minutes per side on medium high or until meat is cooked all the way through.

Form your burgers with all of your ingredients and enjoy a better-for-you burger meal that's just as delicious, if not more delicious. Seriously, it's that good and it makes you feel good too!