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I made us, cheesy tuna melts… on a bagel!!
I don’t know about you guys, but I love a good bagel. Growing up bagels were a staple around our house; pumpernickel and sesame were my favorites. Oh, and I will forever LOVE those cinnamon crunch bagels from Panera. Oh my gosh, YUM.
These melts are obviously not sweet like those cinnamon bagels, but none the less, they are delicious. And super cheesy, which you all know I love just as much as anything sweet!
Ok, so real talk?
For the last week or so, I’ve been feeling very blah. Just not super exited about the ideas I have, the recipes I’m making, or even the photos I’m taking. For instance I semi despise these smoothie photos (I re-shot this post three times!) and while I don’t mind the photos of these tuna melts, they’re still not my favorite. I kind of like to be really crazy exited about the photos I put on this site. It’s a hard feeling to get through, but as I write this, I know a lot of this is in my head. I’m not really sure why, but I am just feeling like nothing I do is good enough. I’m sure a lot of you know this feeling, and therefore also know that it’s one of the worst feelings ever. I am doing my best to stay positive, but it is hard!
I can get this way sometimes when I compare myself to others, which is definitely something I have been doing lately. Normally I’m pretty good at not comparing, or well, I should more say not engaging in that kind of thinking, but my guard has been down all week. All it takes is for one little thing to set off an anxious feeling in my brain and then it’s kind of a downward spiral from there. Anyone else feel the same?
I try to keep this space as positive as can be, but I am human, and totally not perfect, so I thought I’d talk out my anxiousness with you guys. I’m curious, how do you handle feeling stressed or down?
The good news that I keep telling myself is that this will pass, and to just keep chugging along. Normally all it takes is one good day and I snap outta my funk…okok and maybe some chocolate and giant hugs from the little sister! I mean, of course! 🙂
You see, I already feel better! Talking it out really is the way to go sometimes!
Alright, so let’s chat food! Cheesy, carby, comfort food!
My favorite!
For real though, these Cheesy Avocado Bagel Tuna Melts are SO GOOD.
I’m really not a mayo person…in any which way, so in place of mayo, I spread cream cheese onto a toasted bagel. I also used Greek yogurt in the tuna mix. Promise it’s all incredibly delish. I know cream cheese + tuna melt may not be traditional, but really, it’s pretty freaking awesome.
Plus, why only use cheddar cheese when you can use cream cheese too. Hello, TWO cheeses are always better than one! Hehe.
What I love about these melts is that they are a great transition food into fall. They use those beautiful late summer tomatoes, that the markets are currently full of, but thanks to all the cheese these melts still feel hearty and comforting .
AND, since we ditched the mayo and used super healthy tuna, Greek yogurt, tomatoes, basil, avocado and arugula, these melts should very much be considered a healthy, any time, any day, kind of meal!
Um, YES.
So are you guys thinking what I’m thinking? Tuna melt dinner night? Maybe even with a blackberry smash on the side? Hey, it is Thursday after all!
OH and lastly, these are ready in just about fifteen minutes. Um, totally serious!
So you see… any time, any day tuna melt!
Avocado Tuna Bagel Melts.
Servings: 4 Servings
Calories Per Serving: 507 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 sesame plain or everything bagels, halved
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 2 cans oil packed tuna drained
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- juice from half a lemon
- 2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt or mayo I use Greek yogurt
- black pepper
- 4 slices sharp cheddar cheese
- 1-2 heirloom or regular tomatoes sliced
- olive oil for drizzling
- kosher salt + pepper
- 1 avocado sliced
- fresh arugula for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the broiler to high.
- Toast each bagel half in the toaster and then spread each evenly with cream cheese. In a medium bowl, mix together the tuna, basil, lemon juice and yogurt. Season lightly with pepper. Divide the tuna among the 4 bagel halves. Top each bagel with cheddar cheese and 1-2 fresh tomato slices. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt + pepper. Place on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Broil for 1-2 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Watch closely!
- Top each melt with a few avocado slices and a handful of arugula. Eat!
Let’s do this… cheesy bagel tuna melts in for the win!
omg Tiegen!!!!! Seriously I cannot begin to tell you how much I adore your photos and your food (which I make all the time!) and your REALNESS!!! It is very normal to feel this way and just know that each and every one of us has been there and some of us are even there at the moment. I recently did an overnight hike to see the sunrise on a mountain, as I was going up with about a hundred people, I was the last 10 that got to the top. I was so disappointed and all I could say to my friend is “i’m the only overweight girl over here”. And you know what she said? “Yes. you are the only overweight person here…while others are sleeping or watching a show eating chips, you are HERE” Suddenly it made sense. I’m trying. I’m pushing myself and that is what I can do. My competition is myself and I choose to live for myself, because someone may be “better” than me, but there are millions that aren’t! Let yourself feel the blues but keep doing what you are doing. I PROMISE you that you are a success in the eyes of many and you should be in the eyes of yourself:)
HI Azzah!! Wow, can I just say that your comment truly lifted my sprits and made feel about 1,001 times better!! THANK YOU for sharing your story with me. It made me have that same aha moment you had! Just keep doing what you love, being the best you that you can be and all will be good!!
Honestly, thank you!! It was so nice to read your comment after a very long day! Keep up your kindness, it is making the world a better place!! Have a great Friday and weekend! 🙂
these pictures look great. you are too hard on yourself! i think staying focused and busy so that you don’t become consumed with comparisons/anxiety is an awesome tactic, plus spending time with your family who you are so close to!
remember, comparison is the thief of joy (theodore roosevelt quote!) 🙂
Thank you!! I love that quote! Also family is key i think! Thanks Jenn!
Prepared the recipe from your blog – Sake and Ginger Soba Noodle Salmon Stir Fry last evening for hubby and three kids. They had a lot of fun with it. Chopsticks were involved!
Went to Wegmans and got the Sake. They had the perfect size. Left out the chili paste, since it might be too hot for my 7 year old. Everything else in.
Thanks for the recipe.
Sounds like fun!! So happy you liked it Thank you Ann!!
I’m super excited to try this recipe!
Your posts and photos are amazing!
When I’m in a funk, I find practicing gratitude is the best way
to get out of it.
Thank Shelley!
Thats very interesting but I can see that helping!! I’ll have to try it!
Tieghan, you are a unique one. A very colourful girl. Coulour, taste of home, talent – all of three are present on your blog. Every post on Half Baked Harvest. Believe it. You are just perfectionnist. It is tough to seek perfection. It is worth it. People who seek perfection, make beautiful attempts on it.
WOW Thank you so much!! I think you are right but it means a lot to hear it!
Checking out your blog is one of the highlights of my morning! Your photography and recipes are always wonderful. We all have moments of self doubt but know at least for me, reading your blog makes me happy and inspired.
Thank you so much Carol!! This means so much!
Stop beating yourself up girl! You take AMAZING photos! And I look up to your blog so much that I can only dream of my blog becoming someday. See? Im comparing!! lol
But you have so much going for you! I really love breaking a sweat lifting weights to calm myself down if I am feeling down. It gets those endorphins flowing and I am super pumped up afterwards! Or I usually grab some snuggles from a kitty 🙂
These melts look yummy BTW 😉
AH thanks so much Amanda!! It’s hard!! I guess we all do it!
Thats an awesome way to ease the stress!! And of course the kitty!! haha
Seriously though. Bagels are everything. I could eat one with every meal! This looks amazing!!!
https://www.searedandshameless.com
I absolutely love them!!
Tieghan: Once again, you have me thinking and dashing for my shopping list. Love avocado; love tuna; love fresh bagels.
YES!! Thanks Jude!
*Tieghan*
Tiegan
I LOVE that you post everyday. I look forward to seeing the new recipe and check in with what you are up to. I have also really been enjoying your weekend posts – whether a recipe round-up or collection of things you have found interesting. I also LOVE that you give equal to time to the simple 15 minute recipes as you do the elaborate multi-step recipes. Both are creative in their own way, and your pictures make every recipe look amazing.
Never feel like a simple recipe you post is filler. Some of us (me, for sure) get into food ruts and don’t think outside the box when making dinner. This may be a simple recipe, but I never would have thought to put it together. Plus, I have bagels (Panera Asiago, yum!) in the freezer, heirloom tomatoes on the counter, tuna in the cupboard, cheese in the fridge, and basil in the garden – we could have a healthy, quick, and *different* meal today! And without a trip to the store!
I know all about having bad weeks. Nothing is quite up to my standards, and I feel like I’m continually dropping the ball. Or I think I’m doing well until I compare myself – e.g. why can’t I look like her when I do the same yoga pose?! Sigh, true story. Comparing can have a good side, as we can discover new tips or tricks or approaches to improve what we do. Such as taking a walk in a neighborhood of home and garden award-winners, seeing what they are doing right doesn’t have to be a comparison to what we are doing wrong, but what we could add to our repertoire.
In any case, you’re right, it always passes. And when you’re back to a good or great week, you forget what a bad week is even like. In the meantime, make some delicious comfort food! I highly recommend your Green Goddess Zucchini Pasta with Fried Halloumi or your 3-Ingredient Bleu Cheese Appetizer.
Thank you so much for what you do. I truly look forward to it everyday.
Elizabeth
Elizabeth!!!! THANK YOU! Your comment, oh my gosh, you made my week a million and one times better and gave me the confidence to keep posting daily like I love to do!! Also, thank you for sharing your story, it is nice to know I am not alone in the comparing game. Really, I just can not thank you enough!! THANK YOU! Hope you have a great labor day weekend! ps. that blue cheese appetizer. YESS.
Tieghan don’t get down on yourself! Your readers come and read your blog everyday because your incredible pics and personality.
I do have a suggestion for you though and hoping this is constructive criticism. I think you should decrease the the amount of posts you put on the blog each week. By decreasing the amount of posts you can spend more time on each post and make each one the best. I loved your smoothie 6 ways post (super interesting pic setup and creative idea… plus bonus of 6 smoothies!) but the tuna bagel melts (not too complicated with one angle pics and no many prep pics) feel just feel like a Thursday filler to me. If you started posting 4 times a week you could take the time to shoot from many different angles, have a very unique organization of props, and do more creative recipes.
I do love your blog especially the funny stories about what’s going on in your life. Stay positive!
Hi Kristen, thanks so much for the kind words and your thoughts. I actually really love posting so much, it keeps me going! There are just not a whole lot of shots for this post, simple recipe, simple photos. Some post just end up being large or heavier on the photos due to the recipe. Hope that makes sense! Thank you again, so happy you enjoy my work! 🙂
Heeey tieghan!
If you find yourself in an anxious state of mind, and you start comparing yourself
to ‘more succesful’ or … others, you have to remember, that IF you compare, you have to do it the right way, meaning that you should look at people waaay ‘less succesful’ or less ambitious, so there’s a healthy balance, and you’ll find out you’re not doing bad at all 🙂 I’m kind of going to a minor period myself, without really understanding why, but I guess we just have to be patient and believe that this will pass, and positive energy is just around the corner !!!, Eva
Hi Eva, Thank you, you have some really good ideas (: I’m going to try to do that more often!
Your pictures look perfect! Believe me! I don’t quite understand what is so delicious about bagels but looking at your pics I just wanna eat them! All of them! So I think you have succeeded here! 🙂
Awh, thank you so much Julia!!
These look great and very comforting!
Hope you get some comfort yourself. I found this article pretty helpful when I was feeling anxious – http://www.huffingtonpost.com/linsey-hart/anxietys-number-one-kille_b_6503738.html
Thank you!! I’ll take a look at the article!! (: