Tuna Patties

Attempting to increase my protein intake for the day, I decided to have tuna for lunch. Tuna is a perfect lunch, or snack because it is high in protein and is a seafood. With all the craze lately, you would imagine anything from the sea is good for you. 

I was bored of the same old tuna melt, and decided to make a tuna patty. 

The ingredients are:

- 1.5 slices of torn bread

- 1 can of drained tuna

- 1 egg

- 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil

Methods:

First, tear the bread into small pieces and place in a bowl. Then, mix in the egg with a fork until the bread has absorbed most of the egg. Refer to the picture above. 

Next, you are going to want to dump the can of tuna into the bowl with the egg and bread mixture. First, mash the tuna so that it breaks apart and you are able to mix it. Mix the tuna, egg, and bread mixture until all three ingredients are well blended. Next, mix in one tablespoon of olive oil. 

After the olive oil is mixed in, make the patties with your hands. The best way to do this it to pick up about a quarter of the mix, and squeeze it between your hands gently and flatten out the patty when the bread, and tuna is stuck together. You can either make two large patties, or four smaller patties. Place the patties on a sheet of wax paper and place in the refrigerator for ten minutes.

After the patties have been cooled in the refrigerator, spray a pan with cooking spray, and heat it over medium heat. Then, place the patties onto the pan and cover it. After about four to five minutes (the bottoms should be browned), flip the patties and cook for about four minutes without the covering. 

Serve warm on a bun or alone with a fork.

Dd you make this dish? How did it turn out, Comment Below!

Best Pre-Run Foods

I would wake up, go eat a banana and a bowl of cereal and think I could go run, but that was not the case for me. I myself need to eat ALOT before I go for a run in the morning. I'm talking somewhere between 700 to 800 calories. I decided to come up with a list of foods that are the base in my pre-run snack, did I say snack, more like a meal.

Oatmeal
 One of the best foods before a run is a bowl of Oatmeal. Oatmeal has carbs, protein, and a little fat to power you through your run. Oatmeal has a low Glycemic Index, making it ideal for longer runs. The low GI index means your body digests it slower, giving you more energy over a long period of time. Click here for my peanut butter and jelly oatmeal recipe, or here for my blueberry almond oatmeal.

Shredded Wheat

Another great pre-run snack that I usually eat before my morning runs is shredded wheat. Shredded wheat is high in protein and carbohydrates. It also ranks as a high GI food, making it a great snack, fifteen to thirty minutes before your run. Shredded wheat not only is nutritious, but it is delicious too. I have never eaten the big biscuit shredded wheat, I usually buy the spoon size kind.

Toast with Peanut Butter and Banana

It's no surprise that bananas seem to come up everywhere when talking about fuel for runners. Bananas are a quick source of carbohydrates, and sugar giving you the energy you need to get out the door and run right away. Peanut butter and toast is also great for runners because of the protein and fat in the peanut butter, and the carbohydrates in the toast.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich

There's nothing better than the classic Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich. Make yourself one on some whole grain bread and your on your way to a great run. The peanut butter and bread provide protein and carbs, whoe the jelly provides sugar to give you quick energy.

Toast and Eggs

Toast and eggs are the perfect combination, no matter how you cook the eggs, hard boiled, scrambled, poached, etc. The toast, obviously supplies the body with carbs, and the eggs have healthy fats and protein to help your muscles recover during and after your workout. Add an apple to provide you with longer lasting energy. My personal favorite with the toast and egg combination is a scrambled egg sandwich. Click here to find out how to make the perfect scrambled eggs here.

What do you like to eat before your workouts? Comment below!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Smoothie

Sorry I haven't been posting much lately, I have been very busy with other commitments. I decided to post two peanut butter and jelly recipes per week because eating peanut butter and jelly every other day is a lot of peanut butter and jelly.

So today I made a peanut butter and jelly smoothie. The ingredients were, a slice of bread, peanut butter, jelly, milk and half of a banana. First, you spread the peanut butter out over the top of the bread like you are making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, then you fold it into a half sandwich and slice the half sandwich into fours. Mix the fourths of a sandwich in with and eighth cup milk with a spoon in a blender. Then, blend together the banana, a blob of jelly, and the milk with sandwich bits. Blend until you have a smoothie like texture and serve.

What do you guys think!

Comment your creative way to eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and I might use it for one of my posts!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Quinoa

Today I had some leftover quinoa from dinner last night. I had an awesome dinner. I need to share with you a quinoa salad that I found, but that's for another post.

My sixth twist to the peanut butter and jelly sandwich will be peanut butter and jelly quinoa.

It is quite simple to make and quite delicious. Cook about a 1/2 cup of quinoa and let it cool. You should have about 1 cup of cooked quinoa.

After the quinoa has chilled put 1 cup of quinoa in a bowl and pour in a 1/2 cup of milk. Next, mix in a spoonful of peanut butter and jelly.

Serve cold.

Tell me what you think.

If you have any suggesting to a twist on the peanut butter and jelly sandwich just comment below!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Oatmeal

By Matthew K

I love oatmeal. Nothing better than a hot cereal right when you wake up in the morning. Well I woke up this morning with nothing for my peanut butter and jelly twist post and needed something. And then it struck me, peanut butter and jelly oatmeal.

It was delicious! It tasted just like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The oats, which were the bread and peanut butter and jelly. It was the perfect combination.

The recipe is pretty self explanatory, so I am not going to write it out. All you do is make a bowl of oatmeal by boiling water and stirring the oats in. Use 2 parts water or milk and 1 part oats. Then, after      you made the bowl you add as much peanut butter and jelly as you'd like!

Like always, if you have any twists to the peanut butter and jelly, comment below and I might use it for my next post.

Peanut Butter and Jelly French Toast

By Matthew K

For my forth twist to the peanut butter and jelly sandwich, I chose pb and j french toast. It tasted delicious with the gooey peanut butter in the middle. I can’t wait to get farther along in my journey to over 50 twists to the peanut butter and jelly sandwich because I have some really great ideas. 

History

French toast originated over one-hundred years ago in the medieval times. Cooks wanted to use all the food they can and didn;t want to waste a thing. When bread went stale, they didn’t want to throw it out because they couldn’t waste food. They needed it!

Cooks new that with moisture they could bring back the bread to a more edible state. So they mixed the bread with eggs to moisten it up and heated it up and... Ka-Pow! They had french toast.

Pb and J French Toast

So, onto the recipe. This french toast tasted great. You don’t even need the peanut butter, or jelly to make this recipe, the french toast tastes great on it’s own. 

Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

2 eggs

2 slices of stale bread, not moldy but hard (See below)

1 tablespoon of peanut butter (Trust me, it’s a lot!)

1 tablespoon of jelly

1/2 (2) teaspoon of vanilla extract

1/8 (2) cup milk

Method:

Bread soaking up egg and milk

Bread out of the oven

First, crack one of the eggs into a bowl and stir in 1/8 cup milk. Beat the mixture as if you were making scrambled eggs. Then, stir in 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla into the bowl. Place one slice of bread into the mixture and make sure it soaks up the entire milk and eggs, flipping the bread so each side gets equally soaked. You can make the bread stale placing it in the oven until it is hard, but not browned. Repeat the process above with the other slice, and place the bread on oven-safe pan, so the are spread apart. I used two oven-safe bowls. 

Next, put the toast into the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 minutes, or until the bread has white splotches and has lightly browned. Then, spread the peanut butter on one side of one slice of toast, and the jelly on the one side of the other slice. By now you should know why I said only one tablespoon of peanut butter, it melts right away. Two tablespoons would be an awful big mess. Stack the side with jelly on the side with peanut butter and enjoy. You can eat it with a fork and knife like I did, or like a sandwich. 

What do you think? If you have any other ways to eat the peanut butter and jelly sandwich, comment it and I might use it for my next post!

Fluffy Scrambled Eggs and Toast

This morning I woke up thinking of all the wonderful things I could have for breakfast; oatmeal, pancakes, eggs, etc. I decided on scrambled eggs and toast. 

I wanted to try making the eggs extra fluffy just for fun and added more milk than usual. I did so and found out that the key to extra fluffy good tasting eggs is the milk. 

So here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1 slice of bread
• Cooking oil
• Salt

Method:

First, you want to crack the egg into a bowl and beat is lightly with a fork. Then, stir in the milk until you have a light yellow mixture. Coat a pan with cooking oil, and warm over medium heat. When the pan sizzles to a flick of water, pour the milk and egg in and let sit until bubbles appear around the egg. Stir gently with a spatula making sure not to crumble the eggs. Cook until eggs are spongey. 

In the pan, not yet cooked

Cooked, and in the pan

Toast the bread and serve with eggs on toast. It tastes great when you eat it like a sandwich with salt, pepper, and hot sauce. 

What do you think!

Peanut Butter Banan Hot Dog With Jelly

By Matthew K

The hot dog is a delicious, chewy, and mouth-watering food that practically everyone loves. It is a childhood favorite. Meat with mustard, ketchup and other topping on a bun, what can be better?

A pb and j banana dog! This is a twist to the pb and j sandwich and to the classic hot dog. Simply put, it’s just a banana as the meat, peanut butter as the ketchup, and jelly as the mustard. As simple as that. 

I made a pb and j banana dog, and boy did it taste good. The banan and the peanut butter were the perfect combination. and then after you taste the banana and peanut butter, the jelly hits. 

In all, what I am trying to say is that the pb and j banana dog is something you have to try.

Here is how to make it:

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon of peanut butter

1 tablespoon of jelly

Banana the size of bun

Hot dog bun

Method

Well, just knowing the ingredients, anyone can make one, so I really don’t need to write a method. I will though. First spread the peanut butter on one side of the bun and the jelly on the other. Next, place the banana on the bun and serve. 

What do you guys think! If you have any creative twists on the pb and j, comment them and maybe I’ll use it for one of my posts. 

Healthy Oatmeal Pancakes

By Matthew K

Earlier today, I was experimenting with a few ingredients, and ended up making some delicious oatmeal pancakes. They weren't  just oatmeal pancakes, but some of the best pancakes I have ever had in my life. They were quick to make and are good for you. 

The oatmeal provides you with protein which helps build muscle and makes you feel fuller longer. I am not a nutritionist, but i don know that it contains a high amount if fiber which helps with cholesterol and some heart diseases. 

There's nothing better than a healthy twist on an Anerican favorite. The pancakes were thick and fluffy in the middle and soft on the outside.

 Tell me what you guys think, here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup oats, old fashioned or quick cook
• 1/8 cup oats (keep separate from other oats)
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 egg
• Olive Oil or cooking spray

Method:

Oats, water, and milk blend

First, measure out all of your ingredients. Then, place the 1/2 cup of oats into a blender and pour in the milk and water. Stir the three ingredients together with a spoon so they are mixed. Next, blend the ingredients together in the blender until they form a thick mixture. It should not be like water, but like regular pancake batter. Refer to the picture above.

Oats, water and milk mixture stirred in with the egg

Then, in a small to medium sized bowl, whisk the egg with a fork until lightly beaten. Afterwards, pour in the oats, milk, and water from the blender into the bowl with the egg. Stir together until all of the ingredients are well mixed. Then stir in the other 1/8 cup of oats. Refer to the picture above. Next, put a thin layer of olive oil or cooking spray on a medium sized pan and put over medium heat on the stove. You know the pan is hot enough if there is a light sizzle when flicking water onto it.

Pancake on pan

When the pan is hot enough, measure out 1/8 cup of the batter and pour it onto the pan. Wait a few seconds and pour another 1/8 cup of batter on top of the already poured batter. Finally, pour another 1/8 cup of batter onto the already poured batter. OR, pour 1/4 cup of batter on the pan, and then pour 1/8 cup of batter onto the already poured 1/4 cup. This allows the pancake to be thick and fluffy on the inside.

Let the pancake cook for 2 minutes 25 seconds over medium heat, or until the outer top part of the pancake turns golden brown. Then flip the pancake and cook for another 2 minutes 25 seconds, or until the bottom
side on the pan turns golden brown. Serve warm with honey drizzled on top.

Comment your thoughts below!

By: Matthew K

Tuna and Cheese Panini

By Matthew K

The other day I had a craving for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but I also had a craving for tuna. So I thought about a tuna sandwich, but a plain tuna sandwich does not have the same texture as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. So, I came up with this healthy tuna and cheese panini.

This delicious quick recipe is a healthy snack or meal for anyone. The gooey inside makes it great for people who don't even like seafood. 

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2 slices of bread
• 1-2 spoonfuls of tuna
• 1 spoonful of goat cheese (I used honey goat cheese)
• Olive Oil

Method:

Sandwich just before it goes on the press

First, mix the tuna with the goat cheese in a bowl. Then, spread a light layer of olive oil on one side of each slice of bread. Next, spread the tuna and cheese on one slice of bread on the side without the olive oil and put the other slice on top. The sides with the olive oil should be facing out. 

Sandwich on the press

Then, put the sandwich on the panini press and lightly push the top down. When the top side of the sandwich turns brown, you are ready to serve. 

Tell me what you think down below!

50 Twists to the Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich

By Matthew K

As an opening to my blog, I am going to come up with a twist to the American favorite, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, every day for as long as I can. I will keep posting everyday as long as new ideas come to my head. My goal is to reach 50 different ways to eat the classic sandwich.

Come back everyday to see a new post about a twist to the peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Comment your ideas for eating the sandwich and maybe I'll choose yours for one of my posts. I'll try to notify you if I choose yours, so I can get the recipe and make it right.

50 Twists to the Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich!

By Matthew K

The peanut butter and jelly sandwich is such a simple sandwich, yet so delectable. Peanut butter and jelly, who could ever come up with such a combination. I’m not sure who, but I want to take the simple, yet delectable sandwich to a new level. 

I am on a journey to post an interesting version of he peanut butter and jelly sandwich every other day.My goal is to reach 50 ideas, but I won’t stop there. I’m going to keep posting until I can’t think of anything else. Like that will ever happen. 

If you have any ideas on eating the peanut butter and jelly, just comment it and I might use it for one of my posts. I already have two posts, check them out here, and here. 

Twists to the peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich #2

By Matthew K

So today I was rushed on time and didn't have time to come up with my own recipe, but I found one online. I made peanut butter and jelly thumbprint cookies.

They tasted absolutely delicious. They were easy and fun to make! Plus, they tasted like a pb and j sandwich.

Do you have a creative way to eat pb and j! Comment it below and I might use it in my next post!

Blueberry Almond Oatmeal

By Matthew K

I went to bed expecting expecting a beautiful morning. Instead it was a cold 45 degree morning that woke me up extra early. 

I didn't want that to ruin my day, so I made this tasty bowl of blueberry almond oatmeal. Not only did it taste great, but it is good for you. 

The oatmeal provides you with protein which helps build muscle and makes you feel fuller longer. I am not a nutritionist, but i don know that it contains a high amount if fiber which helps with cholesterol and some heart diseases. 

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup old fashion oatmeal
• 1 cup water or milk
• Blueberries
• Sliced Almonds

Method:

First, bring the milk, or water to a boil in a saucepan. Then reduce to a simmer and stir the oats into the boiling milk or water. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally, especially the last two to three minutes. After five minutes of cooking, remove the pan from heat and let the oats cool until warm and serve in a bowl with almonds and blueberries. 

This is a great breakfast to get you energized for the day. Tell me what you think in the comments!

Twists to the peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich #1

Peanut Butter Banana and Jelly Sandwich

By Matthew K

So, for my first post for 50 Twists to the Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich, I ate a Peanut Butter Banana and Jelly Sandwich. It tasted delicious, especially with the banana!

So here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon of Peanut butter
• 1 Tablespoon of Jelly (Any kind you like)
• 1 half of a banana sliced
• 2 Slices of bread

Method:

First, spread the peanut butter on one slice of bread, and the jelly on the other. Make sure to spread it evenly across the slice. Then, cut the banana into slices as thick as you want, the thicker the slices, the thicker the sandwich. Then lay slices evenly on top of the peanut butter. 

Finally, place the side of the other slice that has jelly on top of the banana slices and serve. This makes a quick lunch, or breakfast and tastes great. 

Tell me what you guys think! Comment your twist to eat a Peanut Butter and Jelly and maybe I'll choose yours for my next post!

Oven Cooked Asparagus

By Matthew K

Getting kids to eat their veggies can be a tough thing to do, but with this recipe it isn't that hard. This asparagus is perfectly cooked, tastes great, and is good for you. It goes great with my breaded chicken recipe here. 

Without further ado, here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 spoonful diced garlic (you can dice it yourself or buy it at the store)
• Asparagus (as much as you'd like)
• Olive Oil (amount depends on amount of asparagus)
• Grated Parmesan Cheese

Method:

First, lay the asparagus on a pan with an oven safe, nonstick cookie sheet over it. Coat the asparagus with a layer of olive oil and spread the diced garlic over it. Place the pan into the oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit until the asparagus turns bright green. Then, sprinkle the grated cheese evenly on top of the asparagus. Nothing better than grated parmesan cheese! 

Place the pan back into the oven until the cheese has melted. The asparagus is now ready to serve!

Tell me what you think!

Delicious Breaded Chicken

By Matthew K

This chicken is a great healthy meal for kids and adults alike. It goes great with my oven cooked asparagus here. The chicken is tender and perfectly cooked. Every bite I took, I could feel the tender chicken and the bread crumbs crumbling apart in my mouth.

So here is the recipe:
Serves four

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless chicken fillets
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 cups bread crumbs
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon canola oil

Preparation:

Chicken Being dipped in 

Chicken in Bread Crumbs

First, pour the flour into a bowl. Then, in a separate bowl, crack the two eggs and mix in the milk like you are making scrambled eggs. Pour the breadcrumbs into another bowl. Now that all of the ingredients are set out, lay the chicken in the the flour and coat the whole fillet. Then lay the flour covered chicken on the egg and milk mixture, again coating the whole chicken. Finally, coat the chicken with a thin layer of bread crumbs. Repeat with all four fillets. 

Chicken after being flipped over

Chicken just placed on pan

Next, heat the oil on a large pan at medium to high heat on the stove. Then, lay all of the fillets onto the pan and let cook for 4-6 minutes or until brown. Then flip the fillets over and cook for another 4-6 minutes or until brown. After each side is thoroughly cooked, plate and serve. 

Make sure the chicken is thoroughly cooked before eating.

What do you guys think of this recipe!