Vegetables – Sweet T and a Honey B

It’s Fri-Yay! We are merely hours from signing off our work computers for the last time for a solid three days. This Memorial Day weekend involves picking up some flowers and iced coffee from the local farmer’s market, barbecuing with friends, and spending some much needed relaxing time with my husband. In true Memorial Day fashion, we have some rain in the forecast but I am hopeful the sun will decide to peek his head out-even if only long enough for Bryan to grill up those burgers. Before getting this weekend kicked off, I wanted to share a quick idea for a great weeknight meal to keep in mind when doing your grocery shopping this weekend.

This past Monday I rushed home from work for a number of reasons. This was mainly because, let’s face it- we’re all glad when 5pm on a Monday rolls around. Though, there was a little extra anticipation this particular week because the new season of the Bachelorette was premiering. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I was looking forward to meeting this season’s crazies all weekend long.

I couldn’t throw my sweat pants on fast enough and wanted to make a quick dinner so as not to miss the first introduction (I’m already impressed with Kenny the pro-wrestler from Las Vegas). Using minimal fixings and my beloved panini maker, I made a vegetable panini so delicious that it deserves the final rose.

Vegetable Paninis with Pesto Mayo – Makes 2 Paninis- 11 WW SPs each

Sandwich:

4 slices of sourdough bread
2 tsp EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
1/2 cup sliced zucchini
1/2 cup sliced yellow squash
1/2 cup sliced red pepper
1/2 cup sliced white mushrooms
2 slices (1 oz. each) Havarti cheese

Pesto Mayo:

1 tbs basil pesto
1 tbs mayonnaise (I use mayo made with avocado oil)
2 tsp fresh lemon juice

In a medium sized frying pan, heat EVOO over medium heat and add all veggies to the pan. Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring every minute or so. Vegetables are done when soft and begin to blacken.
Place 1/2 slice of Havarti cheese on your sourdough and add your cooked vegetables, then your other 1/2 slice. Close your sandwich and place sandwich gently on your panini press (you can easily make this right in the frying pan if you do not have a panini maker).
Using a fork, whisk pesto, mayo, and lemon juice in a small bowl.
Once your panini is done, add 1 tbs of the pesto mayo to each sandwich and enjoy! I like to serve with fresh fruit or tortilla chips.

After a weekend filled with corned beef sandwiches, lucky charms puppy chow (who knew that was a thing!?), and a few green beers to celebrate my favorite holiday, Sunday evening brought desperation for something that was going to NOT make me feel like all I wanted to do was sleep. I allowed myself to enjoy some junk food this weekend but in all honesty – I definitely felt it as the weekend came to a close. My body was begging me for some nutrients so my husband and I chose to put together our own salad bar filled with our favorite toppings for Sunday night dinner. I feel like if you add the ‘bar’ aspect to any meal it instantly makes it more fun! We enjoyed shopping for our fixings and came home to assemble our bowls before sitting down to watch a movie.

It’s no surprise as to what our individual salads looked like – Bryan always chooses a sweeter salad and my choices are definitely on the savory side. He enjoys fresh and dried fruit, nuts, a more tart cheese, and vinaigrette dressings when it comes to his favorite salads and mine are always chocked full of veggies, usually a protein like chicken or turkey pepperoni pieces, avocado (naturally), and creamier yogurt based dressings. We love chopping up everything at once and picking and choosing what to put on top. It’s a HUGE misconception that the only way to eat healthy is to eat salads – but it sure is an easy way to make sure you’re getting you’re getting your fruits and/or veggies, especially after a weekend of not-so-good food choices. The bonus is that recently we’ve found ways to make our salads bowls more interesting than just by adding the typical cucumbers, carrots, or croutons. Some of our recent go-tos include mini turkey pepperonis, Cheese Crisps by Fresh Gourmet (These are incredible because they have that crunch that you might like in your salads but since it’s simply baked cheese, there’s no carbs involved) , salsa, beans, different colored roasted peppers, or chopped apples.

Our ‘At Home Salad Bar’ also made for great leftovers for the next day’s lunches. We packed lunches at the same time we assembled our dinner and it was great getting to sit down knowing that lunches were already made – and we had very little clean-up (HUGE win in my book).

I would be lying if I said I didn’t take a bite or two of Bryan’s salad. They were both SO good. Our bowls definitely left our tummies feeling full and my body was absolutely thanking me for giving it something that was NATURALLY colored green 😉

Here are a couple salad ideas for you to try at home whether you are a sweet or savory type person!

Sweet Waldorf Chicken Salad

1 cup chopped romaine lettuce
3 oz shredded grilled chicken
2 tbs dried cranberries (reduced sugar)
2 tbs chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 chopped granny-smith apple
1/2 cup green grapes (cut in half)
2 tbs blue cheese crumbles
2 tbs vinaigrette of your choice

Assemble all ingredients/toppings and enjoy!

Savory Roasted Veggie Salad

1 cup chopped romaine lettuce
3 oz shredded grilled chicken or lean ground beef
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 sliced red pepper
1/2 sliced yellow pepper
1/2 cup matchstick carrots
1/2 avocado, diced
1/2 cup diced cucumber
2 tbs asiago or romano cheese crisps from Fresh Gourmet
2 tbs blue cheese yogurt dressing from Bolthouse Farms (FAVORITE!)

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over low-medium heat and add peppers and carrots to skillet. Cook for approx 5 minutes or until veggies become soft. Top romaine lettuce with cooked chicken or ground beef, cooked vegetables, and remaining toppings. Enjoy!