I Love Sandwiches!

I've been trying to view this month as a "glass half full" type of month.  Am I going to be broke this month?  Yes but, my family is going to have an awesome Christmas.  Glass half full!

Did I get to the gym today?  No but, I went on an hour long, 2 mile walk with my husband and had some great quality time mixed with cardio.  Glass half full!

After putting together this post did I figure out that my stomach issues may be due to a gluten intolerance?  Yes but, this gives me the opportunity to find out more about gluten-free cooking.  Glass half full!

Is the family going to be stuck eating at 6:30 2 nites a week and forced to eat sandwiches on Fridays?  Yes but, I get to try out some new sandwich recipes and quick (shove down your throat) meals.  Glass half full!

I've put together a few sandwich recipes from my blog and from other bloggers for you to take a look at.  

Some of my past sandwich recipes:

Fish Sandwiches

Black Bean and Mushroom Wraps

Tuna Salad

Grouper Sandwiches

Some good ones from around the web

Jalepeno Popper Grilled Cheese -- {Closet Cooking}

Vietnamese Caramel Shrimp Bahn Mi -- {Closet Cooking}

Ultimate Roasted Veggie Sandwich -- {Vegan Richa}

What's your favorite sandwich?  

UnBirthday Party

MAD HATTER:
Now, statistics prove, prove that you've one birthday

MARCH HARE:
Imagine, just one birthday every year

MAD HATTER:
Ah, but there are three hundred and sixty four unbirthdays!

MARCH HARE:
Precisely why we're gathered here to cheer

BOTH:
A very merry unbirthday to you, to you

I love that movie!  It's actually my favorite Disney movie.  Sleeping Beauty and Princess and the Frog come in a VERY close second and third though. 

Why am I quoting Alice in Wonderland and talking about unbirthdays?  Because Sunny realized the other day that we have been talking about her and her sisters' birthdays and what kind of party they wanted but, I never have a party;.  (Honestly I haven't had a party in the last 19 years)

I simply explained that I don't have friends in the area so I can't have a party.  (I didn't bother to tell her that our vacation every year actually IS my "party" and the only friends I need are my family)

Her response?  "I'm sorry.  You should have an unbirthday party."  And that's what we did.

The UnBirthday Spread.  Fancy Tablecloth and "wine"

I made 4 different types of tea sandwiches; cucumber with dill cream cheese,  tuna, peanut butter and jelly, and cheese with caramelized onions.  I put out fresh fruit and veggies with a ranch dip for the vegetables.  

For dessert I made planned on making a chocolate sweetpotato cake.  But, because I'm an idiot, I mixed up 2 recipes and the cake turned out like a lava cake.  It was actually delicious and the girls loved it.

Recipe Redux members are among the first to be introduced to California sweetpotatoes! Sweetpotatoes are not in fact a “sweet potato”- they are a different vegetable entirely. Sweetpotatoes will now be known as one word to emphasize to consumers that they are quite different from the white potato and other sweet potatoes out there.

What’s unique about California sweetpotatoes is that they are grown in soft sand and are hand sorted during harvest to minimize scarring and scratching. The result is a visually, higher quality (i.e., more attractive) sweetpotato. California sweetpotatoes are a “nutrition bang for the calorie buck” with 4 grams of fiber, 2 grams of protein, a good source of vitamin C and more than a day’s worth of vitamin A, all for 105 calories per serving (1 medium size, cooked). Plus, they are available year-round.

Consumers often mistakenly think that sweetpotatoes are yams. The California Sweetpotato Council also wants to set the record straight to clear up this confusion and shift the vernacular. Sweetpotatoes are sweet and moist, while yams are dry and starchy and not readily available in the U.S. Part of the confusion comes from the fact that there are varieties of sweetpotatoes called yams. Sweetpotatoes with orange interiors have a higher beta-carotene content than true yams. Sweetpotatoes are grown in the United States, while yams are imported from the Caribbean. (The scientific name of sweetpotato is Ipomoea batatas and it's a member of the morning glory family. A yam on the other hand belongs to the Yam plant family.)

I received three different types of sweetpotatos to sample.  I chose the O'Henry variety because according to description paper that was included "this tater's white flesh is sweet, [and] creamy."  It sounded like the perfect  variety for my cake.

Oh and before I forget, the legal stuff: I received free samples of California sweetpotatoes mentioned in this post. By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by the California Sweetpotato Council and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.

Sweetpotato Lava Cake


1.25 cups white Flour (you can also use whole wheat)
.25 cup cocoa powder
1.5 t baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup mashed California sweetpotato
1 cup cinnamon applesauce

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Stir together dry ingredients
3. Mix in wet
4. Spray a 9 inch cake pan with pan spray and pour in batter
5. Bake 30-40 minutes until the top is set and center has a pudding-like consistancy
6. Serve warm

Normally the girls aren't big sweet potato fans but, the loved this!  It's fairly healthy and if you switch the sugar for sugar free maple syrup this recipe is healthy enough to eat for breakfast.

What's your favorite Disney movie?   


   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

C is For...Chick'n Ranch Wraps

My mom is an awesome cook.  I really wish I could still eat the foods I grew up on.  But, like I've said before, I try and alter as many recipes as I can.  So far, I've been able to replicate about a handful.  This recipe is a very simple one {which is rare for mom's recipes} but, it's very delicious.

I made it Fat Free Queen AND vegan friendly.

Chick'n Ranch Wraps
1 bag of Quorn Chick'n Strips
2-4 T ranch dressing
1 head romaine lettuce, cut thinly
1 roma tomato sliced paper thin
 6 tortillas

                                                                   
Directions

1. Heat chick'n and toss with dressing
2. Lay a tortilla down, put some lettuce, onions and tomatoes, then top with chick'n
3. Fold bottom over filling then roll, leaving the top open.

Wham, Bam, Thank you 15 minute dinner!  

Raising an Olympian -- Take 2 -- Gymnastics

After 7 long months and hearing the question, "When are you going to sign me up?" Mantha has finally started gymnastics.

I think it's interesting how the mind of an 8 1/2 year old and her mother differ.  She starts looking for Olympic gold, I start looking at colleges.

Please don't call me crazy.  I just want to find out where the top ranked collegiate gymnastics tearms are and which ones have her degree. Currently she wants to be a veretinarian or a meteorologist.  Plus, I need 10 years to wrap my head around the fact that she could be going to college in Michigan or Oklahoma.  Ranked 7th and 2nd respectively.  {Too see all the rankings click HERE}  

But. this post isn't about my obsession with planning things really early.  Thiis is a post about nutrition.  

The 2 main nutrients that gymnasts need are carbohydrates and protein.  Carbs are important because they are the main source of energy for the muscles.  
Good sources of carbohydrates include:  Whole grain bread, whole wheat pastas, cereal, beans, and nuts

As I said before protein is another important thing that a gymnast's body needs.  It helps repair muscles and tissues, as well as aiding in muscle growth. 
Good protein sources include:  Meat, fish, chicken, quinoa (1 cup has about 18 grams), beans, tofu/soy, eggs/dairy products, spinach, and broccoli.

The days when she has practice and the day after are the most important days to make sure she gets all the necessary nutrients.   

This meal that I fixed for Mantha before her practice was rich in all of the important nutrients.  (This recipe can easily be made vegan by switching out the cheese and getting vegan tortillas)

Please pardon the horrible photo.  My sandwich wasn't wrapped well.  I overstuffed it.  :(

Black Bean and Mushroom Wrap
Adapted from: Live Better America's Black Bean Veggie Wrap
Serves 5
Calories: 325
Fat: 1 g
Carbs: 47.2 g
Protein: 31.1 g

Ingredients

5 fat-free flour tortillas (for a healthier option substitute whole wheat)

16 oz sliced fresh mushrooms

2 medium onion, sliced thin

1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained, rinsed

16 oz  fresh spinach leaves

10 oz shredded fat free Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Saute mushrooms and onions
2. Add 3/4 of the spinach and saute until it wilts
3. Heat tortillas
4. Lay out tortillas, sprinkle a fifth of the cheese on each of the tortillas, add some of the raw spinach, then top with the mushroom mixture and  roll.
5. Enjoy!

I'll be posting the nutrional needs of another Olympic sport soon.  Kaylee decided to switch sports this season.  Can you guess what she decided to do??

Resources
USA Gymnastics article on weight and nutrients