Pesto Grilled Chicken Sandwiches

Nothing says "it's summer" (food-wise) like a good pesto. I've always had a thing for smelling fresh basil (seriously, next time you see a plant for sale at the grocery store, rip a leaf and inhale -- OMG.) I've always been one of those people that buys the packs of fresh herbs to use 1/4 of it in a recipe, then let the rest die -- because who honestly has a consistent reason to cook with sage? However, I broke from the mold and took a chance this summer by purchasing a fresh basil plant from (you guessed it) Trader Joe's (for $3.99!) and cared for it, patiently waiting for the opportune moment to make pesto. And this happened.

Fresh, slightly sweet and cheesy, pesto is pretty much as natural of a condiment as it gets. You'll find lots of different recipes on the internet, and you can easily change it up to get your own results. Here is my own recipe.

Servings: 4

What You'll Need:

• 4 mini ciabatta rolls (or any bread you like)
• 1 package Trader Joe's Grilled Balsamic Rosemary Chicken, cut into 4 pieces
• If you want to grill your own chicken, there are many ways you can do it. For the basics, take chicken breasts, cut into 4 pieces, season with salt and pepper (I would also suggest letting them sit in a plastic bag with a little bit of balsamic vinegar for some flavor!) and throw on the grill until fully cooked and nicely charred. You can also put on the stove with some cooking spray if a grill is not available!
• 4 tbsp Table Haven Easy Summer Pesto
• OPTIONAL: 4 oz sharp white cheddar

The Step-by-Step:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Cut ciabatta rolls in half, and toast them in the oven for 5 minutes.
3. Place chicken then cheese on roll, then top with fresh pesto.
4. Place sandwich back in oven for 5 more minutes until heated through.
5. Serve immediately! (If you're on the run and don't have time for the oven, this sandwich is also amazing cold, since it's full of flavor!)

Enjoy!

xoxo n

Skillet Grilled Cheese w/ Arugula and Leftover Ham

Call me 'the Leftover Queen' because the crown fits. I hate (and especially since getting control of my finances -- see here) throwing away good food. Following a weekend at my dad's house where ham was served (and extra's were bagged for Natalie) I thought to myself how I could make it work into my week in a non-leftover way (seriously, where's the fun in just heating it up?) So, alas, an old classic turned chic. With the mellow spiciness of the arugula and the all-too familiar kraft cheese (but fat-free this time) I made this sandwich that knocked my socks off. And for cheap. Hurrah.

Servings: 1

What You'll Need:

• 2 slices white bread
• Even Better Option: 35-calorie-a-slice Nature's Own Wheat Bread (it doesn't taste low calorie -- win!)
• 1 cup arugula
• 2 slices Kraft cheese (fat-free if you can swing it)
• 2 thick slices of ham
•  "I Can't Believe it's Not Butter" Spray (if you don't have this, you can use butter-flavored cooking spray, or just regular cooking spray)
• Regular Cooking Spray for frying pan

The Step-By-Step:

1.  Layer a cheese slice, the ham, the arugula, and another cheese slice in between the two slices of bread.
2. Spray the pan with 
3. Spray the top of the top slice with butter spray.
4. Flip the sandwich onto the pan, so you're placing it sprayed-side down.
5. Let cook for 2 minutes, and then spray the top side with spray butter.
6. Flip and cook for 2 more minutes.
7. Serve.

here's to unboring.

xoxo n

Strawberry-Stuffed French Toast

I was riding home on the bus today, and thought to start reading the May issue of SELF Magazine that I had found in my mailbox this morning and hastily threw in my bag. If you don't read SELF, you should -- they've done a major redesign and have become (in my eyes) one of the best "we love fitness but are still hip" magazines out there. I always find their information fun yet helpful for my fitness journey. Plus -- I love their recipes!!! They had a few more than usual this month because they are having their annual "Drop 10" diet plan to get slim for summer, and the recipes were bomb dot com! I literally almost started to drool right there on the bus! Their "Blueberry stuffed french toast" particularly caught my eye, but since I didn't have all the ingredients, I improvised. I had a bunch of strawberries but no blueberries, and instead of the plain greek yogurt, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract that it required, I had a single cup of vanilla greek yogurt -- and it worked!

Sure enough, it still came out delicious! Who knows, maybe I'll drop ten ;)

Servings: 1

What You'll Need:

• About 5 fresh strawberries (whole)
• 1/2 a cup of vanilla greek yogurt (I love the Yoplait -- only 100 cals!)
• 2 slices whole-wheat bread
• I didn't have whole wheat, but used Nature's Own Honey Wheat!
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp milk (I used almond milk!)
• Cooking Spray

The Step-by-Step:

1. Slice strawberries in half; set aside.
2. Spread greek yogurt on both pieces of bread (like you're making a PB&J.)
3. Make a sandwich by arranging the strawberries on top of one of the slices of bread, and topping with the other slice.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, cinnamon, and milk.
5. Spray a small pan with cooking spray, and let it heat.
6. Carefully, dunk the sandwich in the egg mixture, then turn it over, making sure that both slices of bread get dunked in the egg.
7. Cook on the stove for 3 minutes on each side.
8. Serve with more fresh strawberries, and some maple syrup if you have it!

xoxo n