Chicken & Pesto Panini

MMM. Sandwiches have to one of my all time favorite meals, eating out, or eating in. Paninis have become a staple in our house after we got a George Foreman grill not too long ago! It's so nice to be able to throw leftovers in-between bread and have a delicious meal!

Chicken & Pesto Panini

2 slices sourdough bread

sliced (cooked) chicken

2 TBS pesto

1/4 cup mozzarella cheese

butter

Butter one side of each slice of bread, and place on slice, butter down, on a preheated panini press (or George Foreman) add 1 TBS of the pesto to the bread and spread around, then layer the cheese and chicken, and spread the remaining pesto on the other slice and add it to the top of the sandwich. Close panini press and cook until golden.

Dip in extra pesto, or ranch dressing.

*yes, I realize I added an extra N in panini on the photo, that's what I get for blogging so late!

BBQ Chicken Panini

You know when you get something new, oh say, a kitchen gadget, and you wonder how you ever lived without it!? Well, my friends, I got a George Foreman. Holy Moly. I love that thing! After the usual chicken and meat, I tried making paninis, and they were SO yummy we've been making them in every possible combination ever since! This one has definitely been a favorite!

Sourdough bread

Shredded/Rotisserie Chicken

BBQ Sauce ( I like honey)

Mozzerella Cheese

Mayonnaise (trust me on this one)

Okay, so preheat your grill/george foreman/panini press, or whatever you're using. On the outsides of each slice of bread, spread a thin layer of mayo. You CAN use butter if you want, but I heard this tip on The Chew, and it's wonderful!! In a bowl, mix the chicken and bbq sauce, and place a big scoop on the bread and spread it out. Top with cheese and the other piece of bread. Grill on med/high until the cheese melts and the bread is golden and crispy. Serve with RANCH! Yum! Or, whatever dipping same you want! ;)

Aloha Chicken Sandwich with warm pineapple salsa

I made these sandwiches the other day for dinner when I had NO time to make dinner. And they were amazing! Definetly a keeper!

For 2 Sandwiches:

1 large chicken breast

2 burger buns

1 cup Kraft toasted sesame asian dressing

2 TBS thick teriyaki sauce

Salsa:

1 can pineapple chunks

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

1 red bell pepper - large dice

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp garlic powder

another 1/4 cup of the asian dressing

Butterfly chicken breast, so you have 2 thin fillets. In a gallon sized ziplock bag, place chicken, Kraft dressing and teriyaki sauce. Marinade in the refrigerator for 2-6 hours. or however long you have! ;)

Preheat a skillet to medium, and add marinated chicken. Cook 8-10 minutes, until no longer pink.

While your chicken is cooking, in a smaller skillet, add pineapple, mushroom and red pepper, then add the remaining dressing and seasonings. Heat through on med/low until chicken is done.

Assemble sandwiches. We used mustard and mayo, and garnished with lettuce.

Salmon Burgers with homemade tarter sauce

These burgers remind me of my childhood! My mom used to make salmon patties for us all the time and my favorite was when she would make extra, and for lunch the next day, we would have them as burgers! Yum!

So now that I'm in charge of the meals, sometimes we skip right to the burger phase! Although I still do love them plain!

::Salmon Burgers::

Makes 2 thick burgers, or 4 thin

5 oz salmon (I use two 2.5 oz packages)

1 egg

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1/4 tsp parsley

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/8 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)

 

In a bowl, combine all ingredients and mix until well combined. Spray a hot skillet with cooking spray and cook burgers on medium for about 5-6 minutes (turning 1/2 way through) or until the burger seems firm and the outside is browned.

Place your burger on a bun and top with *tarter sauce (or 1000 island dressing) and lettuce.

 

*Making your own tater sauce is really easy! All you need is

miracle whip (about 1-2 cup)

lemon juice (about 1 TBS)

sweet relish (a few TBS)

spicy brown mustard (optional-- about 2 tsp-ish)

onion powder (a dash or 2)

salt and pepper (a dash or 2)

mix well and chill until ready to serve.



Chicken Bacon Ranch Wrap

Lunch is hard at our house. My husband doesnt come home from work for the time being, and my 2 year old's nap is at 12, so he eats earlier. That just leaves me. I never really want to make a huge fuss over lunch, but if I don't eat something substantial, I'll snack all day long. Not good.

Wraps and sandwiches are usually my favorite lunch food, and I try to switch them up quite often so they dont get too boring. My husband got the chicken rach quesedillas from Chili's a couple nights proir, and they were still on my radar (thank you pregnancy) so I decided to do a slightly lighter version.

 

Makes 1 wrap

1 large wrap or tortilla

1 TBS ranch dressing

3 oz grilled chicken (eyeball it)

2 slices monterey jack cheese

2 slices of turkey bacon

lettuce

red onion

Siracha hot sauce (optional)

 

Cook your bacon until crisp. If you chicken is leftovers (like mine was) heat it in a skillet until very warm.

Spread the ranch dressing evenly over the tortilla.

 Once the chicken is heated, place on the tortilla and imedietly cover with the cheese. This will allow the cheese to melt slightly.

 Follow with all the other ingredients. Roll and Enjoy.

 

Fuji Chicken Sandwich

I get a lot of odd looks when I mention that one of my favorite sandwich toppings is... apples! Yes, apples! Especially in summer! It just adds a nice crisp, sweet taste that you don't get from anything else!
Makes 2 sandwiches
4 slices Whole Grain Bread
Chicken breast lunch meat
1 fuji apple
letttuce
red onion
miracle whip (or mayo)
yellow mustard

I think making a sandwich is pretty self explanitory ;)
I just sliced the apple in 1/4 inch slices and added it to the middle of the sandwich.
Soooo yummy! Try it!

Grilled Buffalo Chicken Sandwich

Last summer I posted about this buffalo chicken sandwich. It quickly became a favorite at our house and we had it all the time! But I've been trying to eat a little healthier these days, and as a result have stopped buying the breaded popcorn chicken (much to my sweet husband's dismay)

So I was really excited to revamp this sandwich and try and make it a tad healthier!

And... It was a hit! I actually like this one better than the original! This will definetly be a staple in our house this summer!

Grilled Buffalo Chicken Sandwich

makes 2 sandwiches

1/3 cup Franks hot sauce

2 TBS butter

1 large chicken breast

garlic powder

salt and pepper

Miracle Whip/Mayo (optional)

toppings: lettuce, tomato, onion, avacado, etc.

2 good quality hamburger buns

Heat your grill to Med- High. Split the chicken breast in half so you have 2 thinner fillets. Season the chicken with a little garlic powder, and s&p.

Grill the chicken for 15-20 minuted (depending on the temp of your grill and the thickness of your chicken)

While the chicken is cooking, melt butter in a small saucepan and add hot sauce. Simmer for a few minutes and remove from heat.

Once the chicken is cooked through, dunk in the buffalo sauce and allow to sit in the sauce for 4-5 minutes to soak up the sauce. Toast the hamburger buns and add the chicken and your toppings.

Smoky BBQ Chicken Sandwich

I was craving a chicken sandwich the other night, and oh man this hit the spot!

I am obsessed with these Weber seasonings by the way, they work so well for all meats!

Smoky BBQ Chicken Sandwich

makes 2 sanwiches

2 crusty burger buns

1 chicken breast

2 Tsp Weber Smoky Mesquite Seasoning

lettuce

tomato

onion

1 TBS miracle whip (or mayo)

1 tsp BBQ sauce

Butterfly your chicken breast in half lengthwise and pound out until 1/4 inch think. Season the chicken with the mesquite seasoning and grill on the BBQ until no longer pink.

Mix the miracle whip and BBQ sauce together and spread on toasted bun.

Add the Chicken to the bun adn top with lettuce tomato and onion.

Hot Deli Chicken Sandwich

This was SUCH a simple sandwich, but I LOVED it! So I'm going to share!

2 Sandwich Rolls

4 slices good quality lunch meat chicken

2 slices cheddar cheese

lettuce

mustard

In a dry skillet, slightly brown your lunch meat over medium heat.

Split rolls and add cheese, place under broiler until cheese has melted

Add chicken, lettuce and mustard.

Enjoy.

Sloppy Joe Grilled Cheese

Saying that I love grilled cheese is like the understatment of the year. I love grilled cheese. love. So when I saw this on pinterest I knew I had to try it. SO good. You'll make it for luch again and again! I promise you!

makes 2 sandwiches

4 slices bread

1/2 cup sloppy joe meat (I used this from the freezer)

4 slices cheese

butter

Butter one side of each slice of bread. On the non-buttered side, spead 1/4 cup of the sloppy joe meat and top with the cheese and the other slice of bread. Put in a hot grill pan until browned nicely. Flip and repeat on the other side.

Chicken & Apple Wrap

Ok, so in the next few weeks, you may notice a pattern in my recipes!... we are tying to eat healthier at our house! I decided to get us on the right track, and help us learn portion control (okay and to kick off my weight loss) We have started counting calories! It actually hasn't been as hard as I had expected! I just keep a notebook on my counter and when I eat something I jot it down! It has helped us cut down a ton on snacking and kept our portion sizes under control! And bonus... I've lost 3 lbs! :) Now I know that we wont be able to count calories forever, but I just wanted to use this as a way to sort of 'train' our bodies to eat healthier, and less! Anyways... I may do a post on more about that later! Now onto lunch the other day!

Chicken & Apple Wrap

makes 2 wraps

2 low calorie whole wheat wraps

10 thin slices chicken breast deli meat

8 thin slices granny smith apple

1 low fat string cheese

red leaf lettuce

mustard

4 Sandwich style pickle slices

ground black pepper

Lay out your tortilla, layer the chicken and apples. Take 1/2 of the string cheese, shred it into pieces and add it to the wrap. Sprinkle with black pepper...

it should look somewhat like this...

Add lettuce pickle and mustard. Roll tightly, cut in 1/2 and serve.

Grilled Fish Sandwiches

 2 large whole wheat rolls

2 tilapia fillets (about the same size as your rolls)

juice of 1/2 a lemon

lemon pepper seasoning

3/4 cup shredded cabbage

2 Tbs tartar sauce*

Sprinkle your fish with a little lemon pepper on each side, and place on a hot grill. Cook just a few minutes per side, just until fish turns flaky. squeeze lemon over the fish evenly on both sides of each fillet during the last few minutes of cooking. Split rolls and spread 1 Tbs of tartar sauce on each roll. Place fish in the sandwich and add cabbage.

*I never buy tartar sauce, since it's SO easy to make! Just take about 1/3 cup light miracle whip, 2 TBS relish a sprinkle of garlic powder and s&p. Mix well. 

Cran-Apple Chicken Salad

1 1/2 cups shredded chicken

4-5 TBS miracle whip

1/4 of an apple-diced

2 TBS craisins-chpooed

S&P to taste

Mix all ingredients together and serve on bread.

{EASY} Chicken Gyros

You want to make these! Know why? Because want to make them again. and again and again.

They were SO yummy! And really simple to make!

My love for gyros started at the county fair. I know, not the most conventional place to get greek food. But it hooked me none the less! And with our lack of greek resturants in Southern Utah, I decided if I wanted them again, it was up to me!

So after accidentially buying my baby plain yogurt instead of vanilla, I whipped these up and they were a hit!

For the Chicken:

2 Chicken breasts pounded out flat and cut into strips

1 TBS plain yogurt.

1tsp oregeno

1 tsp lime juice

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

For the Tzatziki sauce:

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1/2 cucumber, peeled and seeded

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp oregeno

1 tsp lime juice

1/2 tsp white vinegar

salt and pepper

1-2 TBS extra virgin olive oil (use more or less depending on the consistency you want)

In a bowl, mix chicken with all of the other 'chicken' ingredients, allow to marinade for about 1/2 an hour.

For the sauce, strain your yogurt over a fine strainer LINED kitchen towel for at least 1/2 an hour. This makes the yogurt a lot more thick, you'll be suprised! While the yogurt is straining, grate your peeled and seeded cucumber with a fine grater, over a paper towel on a plate. Once the cucumber is grated, squeeze as much liquid as you can out of the pulp. Add all of the ingredients for the sauce, including the cucumber pulp and strained yogurt to a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a blowl and refridgerate until ready to serve.

Cook your marinated chicken in a skillet or on the bbq until no longer pink.

Now we're to the fun part! The pita! I am VERY picky about pitas! They are always dry and crumbly. No good. I found these at walmart and they are awesome!

Papa Pita -Greek Pita Flat Bread

It's SUPER soft and thick and YUMMY! and it was like $1.50 for 6 pitas at walmart! Score! Make sure to get good pitas! It makes ALL the difference!

Warm the pitas for about 30 seconds in the microwave.

Then all you do is layer!

Pita on the bottom, then chicken, then lettuce and whatever you want (olives, onion, tomato etc.) and drizzle with the Tzatziki sauce.

Grilled Malibu Chicken Sandwich

We love chicken sandwiches at our house! I bet I make at least one or two versions a week! This was in super quick and easy if you use leftover grilled chicken, like I did.

Grilled Malibu Chicken Sandwich

1/2 chicken breast-grilled

slice of swiss cheese

lunch meat ham (not the cheap stuff)

lettuce

mayo and mustard

sandwich bun

After grilling (or reheating) your chicken, toast your bun and spread with mayo and mustard. Layer chicken,  ham, cheese and lettuce, top with the other bun and enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

I am ALWAYS trying to think of quick, easy meals to feed my hubby in the 1/2 hour he comes home for lunch! This is a perfect, fast lunch for when you don't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, but you still want a yummy meal!

Buffalo Chicken Sandwich

2 TBS Butter

1/2 cup Franks Hot Sauce

1/4 tsp garlic powder

2 Hamburger buns

12 pieces of popcorn chicken

sliced cheese

lettuce

miracle whip (or mayo-if thats how you roll)

In a small sauce pan, melt your butter. Once the butter is melted, add the hot sauce and garlic powder and simmer for a few minutes.In the meantime, cook you popcorn chicken, the easiest and fastest way I have found to do this is to microwave it until thawed, and then stick it in the oven under the broiler for 1-2 minutes until its crispy. Works like a charm! Anyways, once your chicken is cooked, drizzle the buffalo sauce over the chicken and toss until coated. Toast your bun (optional) and spread a little miracle whip on it. Add your cheese and lettuce, and finally your chicken. This would also be super good if you had leftover coleslaw to put on it!

This is definitely one of my husband's new favorite sandwiches! I have a feeling it will be making it onto our lunch menu often!

Red Hot Chicken Po-Boy

This sandwich is SO simple... but it is SOO SOO yummy! THe sauce totally makes it, and you can add more/less hotsauce to adjust the heat level to your liking!

You need...

Cooked Popcorn Chicken (just the tyson kind, about 6-7 large peices)

1 crusty roll

shredded cabbage

lettuce

1tsp Franks Hot Sause

1TBS Miracle Whip

Mix the mayo and hot sauce in a small bowl and spread generously on the insides of the roll. Add chicken, cabbage and lettuce and DEVOUR!

Crock Pot French Dips

My love for french dips didn't come about until after I was married. But now, its one of my favorite dinners! And it's SO easy and cheap! It takes a little time, but it's SO worth it! I usually turn this on before I go to bed on saturday night, and it's perfect when we get home from church.

You Need...
1 beef roast (around 2-3 lbs)
6 cups water
1 packet Au Jus mix
1 TBS garlic powder
3 tsp onion powder
2 Beef Bouillon cubes
Crusty rolls
Cheese
ANOTHER Au Jus packet
1 tsp garlic powder

Combine the top 6 ingredients in a slow cooker, and turn in on to LOW for about 12-13 hours AT LEAST! I promise you, the longer you cook this the better! I tried cooking roasts on high for 5-6 hours forever, and they were tough and dry and not good at all, but cook it on low overnight... and it turns into moist, juicy, yummy, beefy heaven! about an hour before I serve it, I shred the meat and put it back into the juice for the last hour. Make the Au Jus according to the directions and add the garlic powder. Pile meat onto the rolls, add cheese and dip away! We add mustard to ours, but you can get creative and add whatever!

Veggie Chicken Salad

This is a WONDERFUL summer lunch! it's cool, and crisp, and you can use any kind of veggies you have in the house!

Veggie Chicken Salad

1 cup shredded chicken

3 TBS miracle whip

1 TBS mustard (optional)

1 TBS dill pickle relish

1/4 tsp coarse ground pepper

1/4 tsp kosher salt

shredded cabbage

diced carrot

diced celery

Mix all ingretients together and chill. Spread on whole grain bread and enjoy!

Fried Chicken Sandwich

1/2 of a chicken breast pounded to about 1/4-1/2 inch thick
1 egg white+1tsp water
1/2 cup bread crumbs + 1tsp garlic powder
1 TBS mustard mixed with 1 TBS Miracle Whip
1 slice provolone cheese
Sandwich toppers (Lettuce, tomato, onion)
A big chunk of French Bread, split

Dip the chicken into egg and then into bread crumb mixture. Place onto a cooling rack ON a cook sheet (so the chicken doesn't get soggy on the bottom) and bake at 350 for about 15-20 min, or until the chicken is no longer pink inside. Spread the french bread with the mustard spread and add chicken, and any other toppings. Top off with the other 1/2 of the bread and enjoy! :)