Curry. It is a wonder seasoning I must say. Have you tried it?
You know what another wonderful thing is? Tuna. White Albacore canned tuna to be exact.
It is just such an EASY lean protein to turn to. Whether bringing it on the go, or cooking up something like this to keep on hand for when you have no time to cook!
Not to mention, when on a college budget, or any budget for that matter, canned tuna is the best way to go. This girl loves all her seafood, but when in college, this is definitely the cheapest way to go. And you aren’t losing any taste by turning to it!
Now I’m about to go all “nutrition degree college graduate” on you, because I really want to express the benefits and importance of getting in a lot of seafood. Through my last four years as a nutrition and dietetics student, I have learned a lot. And surprisingly, the importance of seafood was emphasized a lot.
First, let’s look at the some facts of seafood, white albacore tuna specifically:
- Everyone should be eating 8-12 oz seafood/week (that’s about 3-4 servings)
- Children have a greater chance to reach their highest IQ levels when their moms eat 9 oz of white albacore tuna/week (or 9 servings) during pregnancy!! (according to )
- sadly, the stats also show most pregnant women as of right now are only getting about 1/2 a serving of fish/week..YIKES
- I know you’re wondering, what about mercury?! We will get there.
- White Albacore Tuna, even though lower in fat than red meat, is higher in omega 3 fatty acid, which is very important for heart health. It contains two important kinds of Omega 3’s, DHA and EPA.
- 1, 3oz. serving contains over 20 grams of protein. And compared to other protein sources like beef and chicken, it has less calories for the same amount of protein. Protein is necessary for the building and repairing of tissues along with it’s role in muscle of course!
- A great source of Vitamin B6 and B10: B vitamins are known to be great for energy and your metabolism
- Free from saturated fat unlike other proteins like beef and pork
- Lastly, the most exciting (to me because of my classes) , it is high in Selenium. (I’ll get to why this is important below)
Now on to the topic of Mercury, which is where the importance of selenium comes in.
I’m going into details here because I LOVE seeing things I learn in school in the real world play out. So sorry, but this is just so cool for me to put together. It’s just exciting to me. Especially since we all know how much we actually see our years of classes come out in practicing our careers…”I use math all the time” said NO ONE EVER.
Anyways, by now I’m sure we all have heard how terrible mercury is with the , and how tuna and farmed salmon specifically are high in mercury. BUT GUESS WHAT.
Tables are turned when you bring selenium into the picture. Why? Because selenium COUNTERACTS mercury, as it is has crazy awesome antioxidant properties that actually BIND to mercury, and decrease mercury-related problems. How cool?! So even though it is higher than other fish in mercury..is has actually been proven to be BETTER than others in the realm of the mercury scare. (you can read about all it in this book or this too).
Okay, now back to blogger Sarah Grace and not nerdy nutrition student 🙂
I’ve been meaning to create some quick, cheap, and healthy recipes this summer while at home that I can use up in graduate school this coming year as I pursue my masters in exercise physiology and dietetic internship to become a registered dietitian..WOAH now thats a mouth full. And boy is it going to be a day full as well.
Hence why I need quick recipes like THIS to go to. Things I can make ahead and keep for when I need to “grab n go”..sound like something you’ve been needing lately? I know I’m not the only one with a hectic schedule out there..or needing to stay on a budget 🙂
The secret to keeping things full of flavor without adding a lot of fat or sugar or sodium? Use spices! Cinnamon and curry actually have a lot of health benefits as well, which is why I love using them..not to mention they add a GREAT flavor.
So there you have it, delicious Spiced Apple Tuna Patties. Use as a burger on a bun with lettuce and tomato, or add some protein to your typical salad, OR just grab on the go by itself as quick protein snack.
No matter how you enjoy these guys, I’m confident you’ll like them!
- 1 can Bumblebee White Albacore Tuna, saving the water from can
- 1/2 cup Diced Apple
- 1 Egg
- 1/2 tablespoon Coconut Flour
- 1 tsp Curry Powder
- 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
- Dash of Sea Salt and Cayenne Pepper
- Optional: Coconut Flour for dusting
- Whisk egg well and add tuna to egg, breaking/mashing up the tuna.
- In separate bowl, add all dry ingredients and mix.
- Add whisked egg, tuna and diced apple into dry ingredients and stir until all combined. (add saved water from can here if more moisture is needed)
- Form into 2 patties.
- Coat in coconut flour if desired (adds great flavor!)
- Heat oil in nonstick pan on medium heat on stove. Add patties once hot and then flip once browned on bottom.
- Serve or refrigerate until eating.
Thank you to Recipe Redux and Bumblebee Tuna for sponsoring this post!