Category Archives: Lunches

Baja Chicken Sandwich

Posted on November 27, 2012 | 14 Comments

As I type this, I am sitting with my feet propped up. We had a family football game on Thanksgiving, and it didn’t end well for me. My brother and I got our feet tangled up, and he ended up stepping on my foot pretty bad. We took a trip to urgent care the next morning to find out it wasn’t broken, but with orders to rest, not put weight on it, and ice it. So I have been on crutches for a couple days. Today was the first day I hobbled around without them! Really not sure what this is going to mean for my running, but I am not thrilled

So, on to the food! My husband was watching football, and saw a commercial for a Baja Chicken Sandwich from Quiznos, and asked if I could make that at home. After checking out their menu, this is what I came up with. I have no idea if it is even close, but it sure is good. I made a chipotle mayo, and a southwestern style barbeque sauce for this sandwich. Add chicken, bacon and cheddar cheese, and you are done. Comes together very quickly, so it is great for a quick weeknight meal.

My husband was very happy with how this turned out. I skipped the chipotle mayo for my 7 year old, due to the heat. I was a little nervous about him eating it, but he loved it. Once he saw the bacon, I am not sure he cared too much about what else was there. I love having sandwich night for dinner, and this is great because you can customize them for everyone without extra work. Someone doesn’t like mayo, leave it off that one. Husband likes extra cheese, just add more. Plus, this would be great for leftover chicken (or even turkey).

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Posted in Dinners, Lunches

Tagged bacon, baja chicken, baja sauce, cheddar, chicken, chipotle mayo, copycat quiznos baja chicken, Lunches, quiznos baja chicken sandwich, sandwiches, southwestern barbeque sauce, subs

Potato Pizza

Posted on November 19, 2012 | 18 Comments

I had to miss cooking club this month because we were traveling. I was really disappointed, this was the month I was most looking forward to. Each month has a different color as the theme. November was orange, and I couldn’t want to see what everyone came up with. October was purple, and that is where this recipe was from. Purple is hard to come up with!! I could come up with lots of blueberry desserts, but this was lunch.

Purple potatoes were the one thing that kept coming to mind. But I wasn’t sure what to do with them. Then I remembered this gorgeous pizza that Liren had made awhile ago. I was intrigued by the idea when she posted about it, so I thought why not try it out now.

This pizza was amazing. I don’t really know what else to say. It is not your traditional pizza, but it all works so well together. It makes a perfect lighter dinner when served with a salad. I was really surprised given how much food is at cooking club, that I went home with no leftovers. I added a little bit of bacon to this, for some extra flavor. I mean, potatoes and bacon are perfect together. I did make the crust from scratch, but you could use store bought. This crust is my go to recipe, super easy, and very quick. I really hope you make this. It would be great as an appetizer for a party too!

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Posted in Dinners, Lunches

Tagged garlic oil, light dinner, pizza crust, pizza crust from scratch, potato pizza, potatoes, potatoes on pizza, purple potato recipe, quick and easy pizza crust

Tabbouleh Salad

Posted on October 18, 2012 | 13 Comments

Today for Breast Cancer Week we are back on the healthy kick. Tabbouleh is full of veggies, whole grains, and healthy fat. Tabbouleh is made from Bulgar, or cracked wheat. It is a staple in Middle Eastern cuisine. It is low in fat and high in fiber. Fiber is a big player in the fight against cancer. Research shows that a diet high in fiber can reduce your risk of cancer. That’s because the more fiber you eat, the less time harmful toxins spend inside your body. The other big part of Tabbouleh is the parsley. New studies are showing that parsley can help fight cancer, by slowing the development of tumors.

I am the only person in my house who likes Tabbouleh. So I made this for lunch one day, and enjoyed it for a few days. It is chalk full of cucumbers, tomatoes, parsley, mint, lemon juice and olive oil. It is so fresh, full of texture, and great flavor. This works well for a light lunch, a side dish with dinner, a salad for a potluck, or just about anything.

I enjoyed this with a few pita slices and some hummus. A perfect Mediterranean, veggie lunch. You can play with the amount of parsley and mint you add. The traditional Labenese version actually uses more parsley than bulgar, but I am not a fan of that. And since you are making it at home, you can make it anyway you want!

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Posted in Lunches, Side Dishes

Tagged breast cancer foods, bulgar, cracked wheat, healthy cooking, healthy salads, middle eastern salad, parsley recipes, salad, tabbouleh, tabbouli

BLT Salad

Posted on September 19, 2012 | 16 Comments

My cooking club is back! We took a break over the summer since it would be nearly impossible for us to meet with kids home. We met last Friday, and it was great to just relax, and have a wonderful lunch. This month the theme was Tomatoes! Oh the possibilities…..

I almost made Bruschetta. But I saw this salad, and had to find a reason to make it. It has tomatoes, so I figured it would work. I am not normally a salad girl. I mean, I like a good salad, it doesn’t even have to have all the fatty stuff on there. But they are just never the same when I make them at home, so I am usually disappointed. But I am glad to say, this one did not disappoint one bit!

I had tons of fresh tomatoes to put in this, and it really made them pop. Lots of great flavor, and such a bright color. The dressing is mayo based, so I was really nervous (I don’t like mayo at all), but it was really good. It worked so well with the salad. And, you know you can never go wrong when bacon is involved. I had the leftovers for dinner the next day, and it was still wonderful. I served the dressing on the side, so it wouldn’t get soggy.

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Posted in Dinners, Lunches, Side Dishes

Tagged bacon, blt, healthy salad, lettuce, Lunches, mayo dressing, mustard dressing, salad, sandwich, Side Dishes, tomatoes

Asian Peanut Noodles

Posted on August 31, 2012 | 19 Comments

Today is my 11th anniversary. My husband took the day off of work, so instead of trying to find a babysitter, we are spending the day together. Awhile ago I mentioned that our parents live across the street from each other. I got lots of questions about how we met etc. from that post. So I thought today would be the perfect time to talk about that. First off, no they didn’t always live across the street from each other. This only happened about 6 years ago. Before that it was just in the same town.

My husband and I were both in competitive summer marching band when we were in high school. He played the drums, and I played the trombone. The summer between my freshman and sophomore year we met. We played cards on bus trips, and just became good friends. Once school started he asked me to go to a movie (which happened to be labor day weekend). I was 15, and wasn’t “allowed” to date until I was 16. I told my parents were were going to a movie as a group, but they didn’t believe me. After much persuasion they let me go to the movie with this 17 year old boy, who had a car. BUT there was a catch. On Friday night we had to go out to pizza with them, and then to the high school football game. My aunt and uncle lived in town, so somehow they were there as well. Quite the first date. He must have passed the test, because the next night we were allowed to go to a movie and get ice cream together.

We dated for awhile, broke up, he went to college (only 30 minutes away), dated other people, but the whole time remained really good friends. Then the summer between my freshman and sophomore year in college we took a trip to Florida to see his sister together. She works at Disney, so it was a fun trip. Shortly before school started, we started dating again. Unfortunately our colleges were 2 hours apart, so we had to do the long distance thing. When he graduated he had a choice of moving to Fort Collins or Rochester, MN. Rochester was 1 hour away from my school, and I still had 1 1/2 years left. So Rochester it was.

We got engaged on my birthday, January 1, 2001. I still had a semester of school left. We both wanted to get married quickly, and not put it off. August 31, 2011 was the soonest we could find a place. It was on the Friday of Labor Day weekend, and it was perfect. Kind of fitting that our first date was on the Friday of Labor Day weekend as well. Fast forward 11 years later, we are in Fort Collins, and have a 7 year old son. And I would do it all over again! It has been an amazing 11 years, and I look forward many more ahead!

So today I have an Asian noodle recipe, that has my husband all over it. I made this for lunch one day when he was home, and he loved it. Quick, easy, and super versatile. You can add chicken, pork (I did that with the leftovers), shrimp, other veggies, whatever!

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Posted in Dinners, Lunches

Tagged asian noodles, Asian stir fry, peanut noodles, peanut sauce, peanut stir fry, vegetarian, vegetarian noodles

Bacon Avocado Grilled Cheese #SundaySupper

Posted on June 10, 2012 | 47 Comments

Bacon Avocado Grilled Cheese

We are driving back to Colorado today. It has been a great trip. We were able to spend lots of time in Wisconsin with our parents. Then we stopped in Iowa for a couple days and spent some time with friends. I am very glad we were able to make this trip this summer.

Today I am bringing you a recipe as part of the group #SundaySupper. I have seen it around for awhile, but got the chance to participate this week. The goal of this group “is to Bring back Sunday Supper Around the Family Table in every home. The Family Table can be anywhere as long as the main ingredient is Love.” Isabel from Family Foodie came up with the group, and does an amazing job organizing it! #SundaySupper is joining forces with LAND O LAKES® this week for Simple and Fresh Summer Recipes.

LAND O LAKES® has a new product out, you may have seen in in your store already. It is Butter with Olive Oil & Sea Salt. It is your normal sweet cream butter with a hint of olive oil taste, and sea salt. The sea salt helps to really enhance the flavors of your food. This is perfect for quick weeknight meals. You can add great flavor to your meals without a lot of extra work!

Avocados are a great summer food in my opinion. I could eat them all year round, but in the summer they are all over the place, and pretty cheap. Add fresh juicy tomatoes, and bacon, and you have a great grilled cheese sandwich. Simple, fresh ingredients, and great for a quick summer meal.

So, not only was Land O Lakes kind enough to send me a coupon for their new butter, but they want to give one to you as well!

Here is what you have to do:
Answer the question (required): What is your favorite recipe made with butter?

For additional entries:
Like Land O Lakes on Twitter and Facebook (leave me a comment telling me you did)
Subscribe to my RSS/Email feed (leave a comment telling me you did)
Like Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts on Facebook and Twitter (leave me a comment telling me you did)

So that is 4 chances to win. The giveaway will close at midnight on Wednesday June 13th.

Bacon Avocado Grilled Cheese #SundaySupper

Serves: 1

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 5 mins

Total time: 10 mins

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A grilled cheese with bacon, avocado and tomatoes

Ingredients

2-3 strips bacon, cooked
½ avocado, mashed
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 slices Colby Cheese (or a sharp cheddar)
Sliced tomato
2 slices good bread
2 tsp Land O Lakes Butter with Olive Oil & Sea Salt

Instructions

To assemble the sandwich lay a slice of cheese on each piece of bread. Spread the mashed avocado over 1 of the slices of cheese. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Press the strips of bacon into the avocado, and top with tomatoes. Close the sandwich, and spread about a tsp of butter to the outside of each piece of bread. Cook in a pan over medium heat until toasted. Flip the sandwich, and cook until the other side is toasted and the cheese is melty!

I received a full-value coupon redeemable for LAND O LAKES® Butter with Olive Oil & Sea Salt, for recipe development and review purposes. All opinions are my own.

Don’t miss all the other great meals for #SundaySupper

Ravioli Florentine with Spinach and Butter Sauce by Hezzi-D’s Books &Cooks
Roasted Salmon & Asparagus with grilled Garlic Bread by Daily Dish Recipes
Steak with Blue Cheese Butter by In the Kitchen with KP
Pasta with Roasted Asparagus and Cherry Tomatoes by Mama’s Blissful Bites
Fettucini with Cream Sauce and Turkey Sausage by Val’s Food and or Art
Butter Burgers by Ultra Epicure
Bacon and Havarti Quiche by Juanita’s Cocina
Cider Chicken with Butter Pecan Rice by Momma’s Meals
Crusty French Bread with Sun-Dried Tomato and Parmesan Herb Butter byThe Weekend Gourmet
Chicken Scallopini by Diabetic Foodie
Pasta with Butter Thyme Sauce by Magnolia Days
Chicken Tikka Masala by Melissa Likes to Eat
White Bean Ragout with Grilled Garlic Bread by Comfy Cuisine
Wild Raisin Nut Rice Pilaf with Olive Butter & Sea Salt by Sue’s Nutrition Buzz
Olive Oil and Sea Salt Pan Seared Scallops with Quinoa by Big Bears Wife
Flank Steak with Garlic and Wild Mushrooms by Family Spice
Bay Scallop Gratin by An Appealing Plan
Buttery Sea Salt Tuna Fajitas by Family Foodie
Sole Meniere by The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
Buttermilk Biscuits with Jalapeno Cheddar Butter by Damn Delicious Bacon Avocado Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Dinner, Dishes and Desserts Sage Cornbread Muffins with Cranberry Orange Butter by Cupcakes and Kale Chips
Easy Onion Focaccia Rolls by The Meltaways
Whole Wheat Biscuits by Cookistry
Buttery Garlic Knots by From My Corner of Saratoga
Herbed Cheese Bread with Pancetta and Onions by Mrs. Mama Hen
Honey Butter Dinner Rolls by Chocolate Moosey
Warm Balsamic Green Beans by Chip Chip Hooray
Buttery Herbed Potatoes by The Messy Baker Blog
Basil Butter Corn by Supper for a Steal
Mashed Potatoes with Herb Butter and Cheese by Basic and Delicious

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Posted in Ad-Free Reviews, Dinners, Lunches

Tagged avocado, bacon, grilled cheese, quick meals, sandwiches, weeknight meals

Greek Pasta Salad

Posted on May 3, 2012 | 31 Comments

greek pasta salad

I think I am finally feeling caught up after my busy weekend. I have groceries in the house, laundry is caught up (well, I could do another load now), the floor is vacuumed, and my kitchen is in good shape. We have had doctors appointments this week, football practice, and a big report my 1st grader has been working on. Needless to say, I am ready for the weekend! Too bad it is only Thursday

Remember awhile ago when I made that Greek Vinaigrette dressing? This is one of the things I did with it. It was so good. I marinated the chicken in some of the dressing, and then I grilled it. Then I used the vinaigrette again as the dressing for the pasta salad. I ate this hot and the leftovers cold, it was great both ways. It was supposed to have black olives in it. I even had them out on the counter, but forgot to put them in! I do not like Feta, but if you do, it would be a great addition and make this even more Greek. As for the avocados….I have no idea if they are Greek. I just like them, so I put them in.

This would be a great side dish for your summer barbeque or to bring to a pot luck. I would just leave out the meat, and it would be equally delicious!

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Posted in Dinners, Lunches

Tagged cold pasta, greek vinaigrette., pasta, pasta salad

BLAT's and Award

Posted on July 22, 2011 | 65 Comments

BLAT’s are one of my favorites in the summer. It isn’t traditional I know. People think I am strange, and don’t know what I am talking about. But the A is for Avocado! It goes perfect on a BLT. But then it really isn’t a BLT anymore is it? So I have to call it a BLAT. Fresh garden tomatoes, buttery avocados, crispy lettuce, salty bacon all on toasted bread….delicious! Serve with sliced cucumbers from the garden and my new favorite crackers (Cashew Nut Crisps), and you have the perfect lunch!

There isn’t really a recipe here, just stack slices of everything on your favorite toasted bread. Skip the Mayo! First, it is gross (sorry, personal opinion). Second, you have creamy avocado…who needs Mayo? Third, there isn’t an M in there is there? If you want to add Mayo then it would be a BLMAT!

Now on the Award. Tina over at Flourtrader passed this great award to me a few weeks ago. I have been very bad about passing it along, sorry about that. Tina is a wonderful blogger, with all sorts of great recipes on her site. Make sure you check her out!!

Congrats to the following bloggers I am passing this along to! (You can pass it along to a few of your favorites as well)

Cassie at Bake Your Day
Carloyn at All Day I Dream About Food
Wendy at The Weekend Gourmet
Sawsan at Chef in Disguise
Janet at From Cupcakes to Caviar
Dee at Deelicious Sweets
Laura at A Healthy Jalapeno
Julie at SugarFoot Eats
Erin at The Spiffy Cookie
Valarie at Simple Fare, Fairly Simple

Thanks to everyone who reads my blog! It really means a lot, and I appreciate each and every one of you!!

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Posted in Dinners, Lunches

Tagged avocado, bacon, sandwich, tomatoes

Guest Post – Toasted Turkey Sandwich!

Posted on July 6, 2011 | 52 Comments

I love that while I am on vacation, I can still share great things with you. Today I want to introduce you to my friend Dee. If you have not checked out her site Deelicious Sweets, you really need to. Dee and I have the same sense of humor, so I love to read what she writes. She also makes amazing food! Just wait to see what she has made for us today! I mean really, I want to go to her house for lunch, and have her pack my picnics! So sit back, enjoy, and meet Dee!

I’ll admit, I am not a fan of turkey. Don’t get me wrong, I can make a killer turkey at Thanksgiving but I would rather go outside the box and cook up some filet’s or salmon anything that isn’t turkey. Alas, my family (mom and dad) is so strictly traditional that anything other than turkey just won’t do. So, when I decided to plan my whole weeks menu around the new issue of Everyday Food and flipped through it only to see that Thursday was this sandwich, I was pretty hesitant if not even a bit disappointed. But, being the big girl that I am, I put on my big girl pants and trudged ahead and bought the turkey for said sandwich. I’m an open minded girl, I can sit with the big dogs if need be. Now, with all that build up, you’re wondering if I liked aren’t you? No worries, I won’t leave you in suspense much longer. This recipe also came with a side of cucumber pickles. I have never pickled anything in my entire life and I was shocked at the ease of this. I may need to look into a pickling career. That’s odd, right? Why would I even say that? Maybe it’s the screaming, wailing neighbor child. I’m being distracted. Oh, the sandwich! EXCELLENT! This will be made again my house. This was the conversation in my house after this meal was consumed: Hubby – “Where did you get that recipe?” Me – “Everyday Food magazine but I went my own way a little bit with it.” Hubby (pointing to himself with a big dorky smile – “Well, this guy liked it!” Still makes me LOL a little bit! Okay, okay, enough chitter chatter, here’s the recipe!

Toasted Turkey Sandwich with Quick Cucumber Pickles

Yields 4 servings but I managed to get 8 out of mine – yeah lunch!

For the Sandwich:
1 large round rye bread (about 8 inches in diameter) sliced in half horizontally, insides scooped out
1/3 cup tapenade (I used Culinaria a brand sold at my local Schnucks – Black Olive)
1/2 pound deli turkey, thinly sliced
1 small zucchini, thinly sliced
1 large tomato, thinly sliced
4 ounces provolone, thinly sliced

For the Cucumbers:
2 medium cucumbers, cut lengthwise into thin wedges
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. sugar
coarse salt and ground pepper

For the Sandwich:
Preheat oven to 350. Cover inside of both bread halves with an even layer of tapenade. Arrange turkey on bottom half of bread. Top with zucchini, tomato, and cheese. Sandwich with top half of bread and wrap tightly in foil. Place on a baking sheet and bake until bread is toasted and cheese is melted, 25 minutes.

A step by step guide to the Toasted Turkey Sandwich!

For the Cucumbers:
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss cucumbers with vinegar and sugar; season with salt and pepper. Let sit at room temperature, 20 minutes.

Unwrap sandwich and cut into 4 wedges (or with a serrated knife. Serve with pickled cucumbers.

Source: Everyday Food

Wondering what to do with all of that leftover bread you scooped out? I gave it to my kids to fish with. You could also make breadcrumbs.

A big hug and thanks goes to Erin for allowing me to be a guest blogger! XOXO

~ Enjoy!

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Posted in Dinners, Lunches

Tagged pickles, picnic, sandwich, turkey

Reader Request: Kids Lunch Ideas

Posted on June 15, 2011 | 24 Comments

I received an email from a reader last week asking to do a post on ideas for kids lunches. My first thought was, really? I am not the person to ask. I struggle with this every day! But that being said, I figure there are a lot of Mom’s out there with this dilemma right now. Summer break, kids home, needing to come up with lunch ideas. So why not create a post, and let you the readers help me! I have 1 boy who is 6 years old and very picky. So our lunches are very basic! I have a few good ideas, and I have done some research to help. But who better than other Mom’s to throw out their great ideas!

A few staples to get you through lunch
   - Yogurt (squeeze, containers, etc.)
   - Cheese (shredded, string, cubes, etc.)
   - Tortillas
   - Lunch Meat
   - Fruit (Banana’s, strawberries, apples, grapes etc.)
   - Peanut Butter (assuming no nut allergies)
   - Bread (sliced bread, hot dog buns, hamburger buns, tortilla’s)

Pizza! What kid doesn’t love pizza. Here are a few quick, easy, healthy ways to do pizza for lunch
   -   English Muffin Crust
   -   Tortilla Crust
   -   Pillsbury Biscuit Crust
Just top with sauce, cheese and your favorite toppings. Bake to melt the cheese and crisp the crust!

Lunchables! Make your Own! My son loves the idea of lunchables everytime he is at the store, but he never eats them. Why? They are kind of gross!
   - Sliced Cheese – Buy the big chunks of it, and cut slices
   - Meat (You can get the deli to cut it thicker for you)
   - Crackers
Put it all on a plate, and let me create what they want with it!

Quesadilla’s! My son just likes cheese in his, but you can add whatever veggies or meat your kids like. I use my sandwich press to get it crispy, but a saute pan will work just as well.

Sandwiches! This is obvious, but it can be boring!
   - Use hot dog buns. My son thinks it is just like Subway when we do that
   - Nutella is a great sub for peanut butter (and they think they are getting a huge treat).
   - Use Cream cheese and strawberries
   - Pita’s can be more fun that just bread!
   - Make it into a wrap using a tortilla
   - Toast a Waffle – great alternative to regular bread.

Hot Dogs! It is summer afterall!
   - Wrap Pillsbury Cresent Rolls around a hot dog and bake
   - If you have time check out this recipe for Pretzel Dogs- AWESOME!!!
   - Make your own Corn Dogs at home
   - Slice up hot dogs and put it in Mac n’ Cheese

Hamburgers!
   - I make extra mini burgers, slightly under cook them, and then freeze them. They are great to pull from the freezer, and reheat for a quick lunch

One thing to remember – it doesn’t have to be a put together formal meal. Peanut butter and apple slices, a slice of cheese, and yogurt is a great lunch. You have all the key elements to keep your child full – protein, fiber, fruit, calcium, etc.

Disney’s Family Fun site has some really fun ideas for lunches and snacks

Please, let me know what you feed your kids for lunch!