Dear Tyson® Grilled & Ready®,

Ever since I was asked by the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program if I wanted to try your products, I became a little curious. Of course I wanted to try! I was really excited when I was sent a coupon to purchase either chicken or steak products and I quickly began dreaming of delicious things I’d create. Pasta, sandwiches, salads…my creativity was working overtime. But then it came to me. Create my favorite part of a meal…an appetizer!

So here is my creation. I hope you like what I’ve done with you. I’m not too worried because everyone raved about how delicious you tasted!

Grilled Chicken Artichoke Pepper Crostini

Yields: 30 appetizer bites

Preheat oven to 350°

You will need:

•1 baguette

•4 TBS EVOO

•¼ cup light mayo

•6 oz. of roasted red peppers

•6 oz. of quartered artichoke hearts

•About 10 strips of chicken

•1 yellow onion

1.) Begin by slicing the baguette in thin slices. I had around 30 pieces. Place them on a baking sheet and drizzle EVOO on bread. Bake for 12 minutes or until crispy.

2.) Meanwhile, combine mayo and roasted red peppers in a food processor. Make sure the peppers are dried well to prevent the spread from becoming too runny. Taste to make sure there is a good balance between the ingredients. Next, add the artichoke hearts. Cover and refrigerate until ready to assemble crostini.

3.) Put chicken in a sauce pan until evenly heated. While the chicken is getting ready, slice the onion into thin rings. Sautee onions with cooking spray and remove once they are golden brown and soft.

4.) To assemble, begin by taking a piece of the bread, adding enough of the pepper spread to evenly coat, top with half of a chicken strip, then the onions.

So, Tyson® Grilled & Ready®, what do you think? I love how easy you are to prepare and that you are 98% fat-free and contain no preservatives. Not to mention that I could have eaten all of the Grilled Chicken Artichoke Pepper Crostini! My only complaint? I wish you had been around when I was in college!

In September I completed my first half marathon. And I had been running since then, just not with very high intensity. I think I was kind of burnt out and needed a break.

But in January I began training again. We had plans of completing another half next weekend but plans changed and we no longer are. Looks like I’m just going to be extra prepared when one does come my way!

As most runners know, it is important to properly fuel your body before a long run. There are tons of different theories and ideas out there but really it is all about figuring out what works best for you.

I’ve come to realize that this pre-run meal is not only amazingly delicious, but is a perfect combo for fueling my runs!

I call it… GBT melts, or gooey bacon tomato melts.

This was actually a breakfast we ate growing up. I recently asked my Mom if it was actually something she made because I had faint (and fond) memories of eating it and wanted to make sure it wasn’t a dream. Yes, food is dreamy to me.

Normally I make the GBT melt on a plain ole english muffin. But I was sent a loaf of Hearty Wheat with Flax bread from Nature’s Pride + Foodbuzz and thought it would be even better to fuel my run!

1 slice of bread contains:

100 calories

1.5 g of fat

0g saturated fat

0g trans fat

0 mg cholesterol

130 mg sodium

17g carbs

3g fiber

4g sugar

5g protein

You will need:

•1 slice of Nature’s Pride Hearty Wheat with Flax

•1 medium tomato

•4 slices of microwave bacon

•1 oz. cheddar cheese

•1 tsp butter

•1 tsp flour

•1 TBS skim milk

1.) Slice tomato and microwave bacon for 1 minute on a paper towel.

2.) Now here comes the fun part! Ok, so I understand that when you make a roux (a thickening agent for sauces and such) you melt the butter, then slowly add flour, then milk. But for this recipe I found it works best if you add the butter, flour, milk and cheese all at the same time. Once you add the ingredients and the pot is heated at a medium heat, continually stir until everything is well mixed and the cheese melts. It will become a cheesy sauce within a matter of 3-4 minutes.

3.) Next, it is time to plate! Begin with the bread, sliced in half. You can toast the bread but I actually prefer it untoasted. I feel like I can taste the bread more and it has a better texture this way. Then, add sliced tomato.

Then add the bacon followed by the cheese sauce.

I also recently received a french press from Jay for my birthday! I love it because it makes a really great, strong cup of coffee in about 3 minutes. And the amount it makes is just perfect and the right amount of caffeine I need to fuel my run.

So satisfying and energizing I promise you’ll be able to run and run and run! And with all this fueling and running but nowhere to run…I might just be ready for a marathon in no time!