Healthy eating includes sandwiches! This recipe, like much of my cooking, is made by more of a methodology rather than an actual hard and fast “recipe”. Meaning you can easily switch the ingredients based on what you have in the house, and what you like!
Sometimes, nothing hits the spot like a hearty sandwich, but I also try to make them as healthy as possible. I love to use homemade pesto in this dish. If you have a food processor, it’s so easy! I also use whatever I have on hand. Pesto is a combination of greens; nuts; oil; an acid (like lemon juice); and sometimes cheese.
I love to make one with spinach, basil, walnuts, lemon, avocado oil, salt, and pepper.
Put all of your favorite pesto ingredients into a food processor and then stream in the oil!
Once you’ve made it, store it in the fridge and you can grab it for sandwiches, pizzas, and even salad dressings. But, enough about wonderful pesto, let’s move onto the sandwich!
I often savor these once the kids have gone down for naps. It’s really just a super jazzed up and healthy grilled cheese, which also happens to be so satisfying and packed with vitamins and nutrients.
Making a sandwich should be simple, don’t complicate things. Don’t worry about not having the exact ingredients; just take inventory of the healthy things that you like and have on hand in the house and if you want a sandwich, make one! But mix in some of your favorite veggies.
Bread choice is also key. Some of my favorites are sprouted wheat rolls (you can buy these frozen at Wegmans), Dave’s Killer Seed Bread (you can find this at most Stop and Shop’s), and Iggy’s Multigrain is always a winner. Look for minimal (no preservatives or anything you can’t pronounce) ingredients, and no sugar (you’d be surprised how many brands sneak it in). If you are into mayo, I love Primal Kitchen’s avocado oil mayo. Be careful when choosing an avocado oil mayo and READ THE LABEL, as they are not all created equal. Many are called avocado oil mayo but actually have other oils as filler, with only a little bit of avocado oil in the product.
So, here’s how I make one of my favorite afternoon power boosters!
Quick And Easy Power Veggie Sandwich Recipe
Ingredients
- Dave’s Killer Seed Bread or Iggy’s Multigrain Bread (or whatever sturdy whole grain bread you like)
- Organic roasted red peppers, jarred (rinse and dry these before putting in sandwich)
- Fresh mozzarella, sliced (I like Maplebrook Farms)
- Pesto of your choice, either homemade or store-bought
- Coconut oil
Instructions
- Spread coconut oil on one side of each piece of bread.
- Spread the other side with pesto.
- Layer cheese and spinach on the side with pesto.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Add a layer of roasted red pepper and another layer of cheese.
- Put the top of the sandwich on, pesto side down.
- Put in a hot pan or skillet, oil side down, and turn carefully once browned.
- If you have a panini press, USE IT (I love my Breville one)
TIP: This is especially delicious if you add artichoke hearts.
I love to eat and I love a good sandwich! This is truly a good sandwich in more ways than one. Play around with what you like and enjoy! Feel free to share your favorite veggie combos in the comments section!
The Impatient Mother (Christie Bigelow, 36) is a mom of 3 (11, 2, and 11 months). She’s on a mission to make nutritious food for her family and herself, usually with limited time and sometimes limited ingredients!
Fast, simple, delicious, and flexible is the name of the game… that and time optimization.
From baby food, on up to toddler, teen, and husband, she has a wide range of mouths to feed and is constantly coming up with creative ways to get the best stuff into the people she loves.
Christie shares many of her tips and tricks for things like getting veggies into kids, cooking with whole foods, and baking with nutrient dense ingredients on her Instagram feed and will soon be launching her own blog.
Foodies and mom’s alike, be sure to follow her on Instagram @theimpatientmother and stay tuned for the blog.
