As our two younger kids have gotten involved in high school athletics, we’ve explored the world of the right types of sports drinks.  Should they ingest something to replenish muscle fatigue after workouts?  Are calories important?  Is any sugar too much sugar?

Like all other issues in the world, these questions have no perfect answers.  What you believe is based on the things you read and what others tell you.  Kirby and Skyler both run cross country and play basketball, so when they get home they are worn out.  We know they need protein.

For awhile, I made Muscle Milk shakes for them.  Then, when it was pointed out to me from some source that incredibly miniscule portions might have a growth hormone in it, we bailed and went to 100% Whey Protein instead.  I still do the Muscle Milk since I’m trying grow taller as I edge closer to 60.  It appears to be working, but don’t tell anyone.

The kids love the milk shakes either way, so regardless if you want to grow taller like me, or be safe like them, here’s the way to make the tastiest shake ever.

Pour six ounces of half and half into the bottom of the blender, then top it off with 2-3 ounces of skim milk.  You might be surprised, but it matters the order in which you put the ingredients into the blender.  Next, place one scoop of the chocolate whey protein or Muscle Milk powder in (the scoopers come in the containers; if you are making the shake for two, use an extra scoop).

Now comes the important part:  The French Vanilla ice cream.  The harder the ice cream, the less you need, so you’ll need to experiment a bit with this.  Generally speaking, the ice cream should fill the blender up about 3 times where the milk/half & half mixture is, leaving gaps for air (you don’t need or want to pack the ice cream down; just drop it in).  So the blender should be one-fourth milk/cream, three-fourths ice cream (with room for air).

As an aside:  To make an even creamier version of this shake, you can sub whipping cream for half & half, and it makes an even better version, as my kids will attest.

Onto the final blending:  Get out the Hershey’s chocolate syrup.  Squirt 3-4 circulars on the top of the ice cream.  Cap the blender, turn it on lightly (just let it run for a second or two).  Do this 3-4 times so the protein powder gets mixed in, and the ice cream starts to get chopped up.  This aligns all the ingredients for best blending.  Run the blender a little longer, 5-6 seconds, several times.  Look inside.  See if you’ve got a thick, creamy shake.  If it’s smooth and you can pour it without chunks of ice cream, you’re good.  It also shouldn’t be too thin.  By that, I mean there shouldn’t be any milk sitting on top that pours right into a glass.  The shake should be completely mixed for maximum taste and texture.

Keep iced 20-ounce glasses in your freezer.  Pull  them out.  Let them frost up.  Fill them.  This thickens the shake further, and gives your kids top tasting.  They’ll love it, and keep asking for more.  Who wouldn’t?

The Burger Battle on Meals We Steal has featured three types – the bar grease burger, the thin triple seared burger, and today’s entry, the thick, juicy, high quality fresh meat burger.

One could argue that all burgers should have fresh high quality meat.  That’s not the case, as we all know, which is why several different types of burgers can be appealing.  When in the bar, you may go with the greasy, stomach clenching burger.  A quick serve joint may grill you up the sizzling three thin patty burger in two minutes.  They’re good in their own way.  Fresh ground beef may just not be item number one on the menus of those types of places.

So today we feature the high quality, freshly ground beef burger, found typically in two places: 1) Your home (after you’ve bought the meat that day from a local butcher or fresh food supermarket, and 2) higher end restaurants that make it a trademark to feature this type of burger.  This can include strict burger joints that focus solely on making this type of burger.

What makes this burger mouth watering?  Simple:  The meat.  So if you make it yourself, round the patty (at least a half pound of beef), then pound it down so it stays at least three quarters of an inch thick.  You want this one to retain the juices and not cook through too quickly.  If you have some special seasonings, sprinkle them on.  I tend to favor  liquid smoke.  Hickory or Mesquite will do.  Just splash it on after you’ve made the patty and let sit for a few minutes while it soaks in.

Fire up the grill to a medium high heat.  Too high and you will burn the meat and that is the end of beloved entry.  You need to watch the grill closely, making sure the flames don’t start to engulf it. If that starts, move the burger to a cooler part of the grill, or lower the gas if you’re on a gas grill; if you are cooking on coals, douse some water on them after you have taken the burgers off for a second.

Brown up side one.  Flip.  Brown the second side.  Now it comes down to how long you want to keep the burger on the grill and what you want the inside to look like.  Do you like a bit of red meat?  Do you want it pink?   Should it be a light brown all the way through?

Meals We Steal prefers pink inside the burger, so our grilling usually takes one more flip, then place a piece of our favorite cheese on top for the final melting.  When it comes out, you should have juices sliding down the side.  That’s how you know the flavor is packed inside and you haven’t over done it.

Put it inside a large soft roll.  Add some grilled onions and mushrooms, ketchup, maybe some blue cheese dressing if that’s your fancy, and you have another great burger.

We hope you have enjoyed the ride through burger land.  If you think there’s a fourth type, let us know on Meals We Steal.  We’ll be glad to steal it from you.