Tuna Burger and Dreams

I don't believe anything happens without a reason.

It's actually a pretty big thing to believe. That means when I stub my toe, it happened for a reason. That means that when I see someone biking on the side of the road, there's a reason I noticed them. I don't believe in coincidence.

So this means there's a couple of things that I take more seriously than the average person.

One of those things is dreams. Because I don't believe they are random neural bursts.

I'm not saying that every single time I have a dream I think it's some sort of a sign or prophecy.

Ha, if that were true, I'd be married to at least 4 different guys (probably more) and have a couple kids. If that were true, at some point in my future, I will get chased by a black spider the size of a compact-car. Just think about if it was true of your dreams!

But if I have a dream and I remember it, there's a reason. It means something about it is important, whether it's important because it is bothering or worrying me or if it is actually a warning or sign of what might happen in the future.

To a certain extent, we are in control of our dreams.

If we do something wrong in our dreams, then, what does it mean? Does it mean we are at fault? Well, it won't hurt anyone. Except you.

A little over a year ago, I gave up sweets for Lent (I'm actually not Catholic; this is the only time I have given something up for Lent).

It was kind of a big deal. I didn't realize how much I idolized food until I tried to stop eating sweets. And I did give them up successfully. Sort of. I followed the rules that I made for myself all 40 days. It was the nights that I struggled. In my sleep.

I woke up one morning during Lent so upset because in my dream, I had caved in and eaten a couple M&M's. Big deal? Not really. But I felt unbearably guilty.

It happened two more times. The next time was pie or cheesecake or something much better than M&M's, but I woke up feeling the same: so concerned that I'd messed up.

First, this shows that I can be a bit of a legalist. I set these no-sweets rules for myself and if I had "broken them", it really would not have mattered. But of course, it would've mattered immensely to me. I would've drowned myself in guilt, and yada-yada-yada. Not the point.

Most importantly, this showed that I was still idolizing food. Dreaming about eating cheesecake? I mean it's good, but...come on. God's better, right? RIGHT? Sometimes I'm pretty sure I don't believe that He is.

Idolatry--it's sickness.

Dreams like this also happen when I'm trying not to idolize guys. I can get really hung up on a guy and dream about him fairly often.

I used to think I didn't have control over my dreams, so I didn't have to worry about all of the emotional lust that was involved in them. I've dated SO MANY guys in my dreams. And I used to tell myself that was ok.

No, if I was married, that would be a bad thing. If I was a wife, I wouldn't want my husband to wake up every morning having dreamed about some other woman. That'd be...sad.

Why would I be "off the hook" for lusting, as long as I was doing it while I was sleeping? That doesn't make sense. I mean, at times dreams feel so real, I might as well be awake.

I believe dreams can sometimes reveal the dirt in our hearts. The dirt that doesn't seem all that filthy when we try to cover it up. The kind that we really enjoy secretly, but we know we should not allow our awake minds to focus on. Then we have a nice little lustful dream and giggle to our friends, convincing ourselves that we can't control it.

Sometimes these dreams stay with me all day long. 

Honestly, who wants to dream about someone else's boyfriend/husband one night and then not stop thinking about him all day long because you keep remembering what it felt like when he held you like he did in your dream? That's sick.

Our dreams are our own responsibility. They happen for a reason.

Does all that talking about dreams make you want to make some tuna burgers?

I thought so. Well I've got a recipe for you.

One Serving Tuna Burger

This recipe is adapted from http://www.canyoustayfordinner.com/2011/03/25/lemon-garlic-tuna-burgers/ (I suggest using her recipe if you want to make it for 4 servings!)

Ingredients:
2 oz canned tuna
1/8 c panko breadcrumbs
1 1/2 tbs chopped, sautéed white onion
2 tsp fresh parsley
small clove of garlic, minced
~1 tsp lemon juice
2 heaping tsp sour cream
1 tbs egg (or egg substitute)
salt & pepper

Combine all ingredients to make a patty.

Let set for 5-10 minutes.

I cooked mine in a skillet with a lid for about 10 minutes (5 on each side) on medium heat. The inside probably could've been a bit more done so make sure the skillet isn't too hot. Make sure you let it set for 10 minutes before cooking on a skillet, and warm up the patty along with the skillet (i.e. don't "preheat" skillet).

If you want to turn on the oven for this (I recommend this method if you're making the recipe for more than 1 serving), preheat to 400 and bake for about 20 minutes.

Recipe for the sauce will come later. (It will be a while, don't hold your breath.)

Everything (bagel) Pancakes

I've purchased bagels before.

At the grocery store, and at a bakery. The bagels at the grocery store tend to be on the drier side and overall not that impressive. At the bakery, they were great, but a bit overpriced (especially with cream cheese!) and not the healthiest breakfast option either...depending on the type you chose.

I've made bagels before.

Don't get me wrong, they turned out amazingly. They were delicious. But I remember them taking a little bit of time. Time that I don't usually have in the morning.

This is not a really bagel, it's a pancake. Technically. But maybe you could call it a panbagel if you so desired. (Now I'm thinking I should've made it into a ring shape!)

One of my favorite bagels is an everything bagel. That's why this turned out to be a wonderful and delicious breakfast side! It's extremely quick, and tastes spot-on. Not to mention, it's made with whole grain flour, and it's a savory pancake, so you can have some fruit or juice along with it without overloading on sugar in the morning.

Everything (bagel) Pancakes

Makes 1 serving: one large pancake (double it if you're sharing or very hungry!)

Pancake ingredients
4 tbs flour (oat&w.w. combo)
1/4 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1/4 c. milk
1/3 tsp oil (and some for pan)
pinch of flax seed

Topping
poppy seeds
sesame seeds
1/4-1/8 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp minced onion
salt

Directions
Mix pancake ingredients. Pour onto hot pan at medium-high heat. Sprinkle poppy seeds, sesame seeds, garlic and onion on the uncooked side of the pancake, then flip when it starts to bubble a bit. Check it to see if it is browning, and if it's done, plate it and salt to taste (if you have coarse salt, this will be more like a bagel!).

Notes:
-garlic and onion powders can most likely be replaced for the minced kind. If using dried/powdered, I would suggest either adding it to the batter or adding it after cooked, so it doesn't get burnt.
-for an even more bagel-y taste, top with some whipped cream cheese (and for pretty-ness, put more poppy and sesame seeds on top!)