Good Day Columbus - Packing Your Lunch

This morning I got to spend some time with the Good Day Columbus crew at Fox28 (check out the video here).  It was a lot of fun seeing everything that goes on behind the scenes and all of the fun segments they get to do.  I helped out with some tips on packing sandwiches for lunches, whether that's for your lunch or your kids' lunch.  It was kind of a mini Chopped challenge to think of some interesting ways to use Klosterman's bread (Ohio family owned bread company).  So here are the three super easy, super quick, all vegetarian sandwiches I came up with....

Peanut Butter Banana Rollup

Perfect for kids!  Just smear some peanut butter on two slices of bread, split the banana in half with your fingers, and wrap the bread around the banana like a taco.  The peanut butter will keep the bread "stuck" to the banana and prevent the banana from oxidizing.  Also delicious toasted a bit for ooey gooey peanut buttery goodness!

Avocado Tomato and Cheese

Kind of your vegetarian BLT.  Avocado makes everything better and a packed lunch is no exception.  Bring the avocado with you if you're worried about browning because all it takes is a spoon to scoop and squish!  The avocado and the cheese act as barriers for your bread to keep from getting soggy from the juicy tomatoes... and I hate soggy bread... you know I'm not recommending anything that would leave you with a soggy mess.  :)

Pear and Brie

During the winter I was obsessed with this panini!  I made them several days in a row, which never happens in my house... we're all about variety.  Even though melty brie is the best, you can still get a good cold sandwich out of this cold duo.  Just slice up the pear and the brie and layer it on.  Extra points for a toaster oven at work because nothing beats melty brie!  :)

 

Here are a couple sneak peeks to the behind-the-scenes view on the Good Day Columbus set...

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Avocado Toasts - total time 5 minutes

I've seen a lot of avocado recipes out there lately!  You would think they were in season or something.  Hass avocados (which is what is in most grocery stores) can grow in California all year long, so I guess they are really always in season.  Other avocados are harvested in late summer and fall.  

But there is a reason everyone loves talking about avocados!  They are delicious... buttery and nutty... and they are nutritious... with healthy fats in omega 3s and potassium.  Nature's butter.  I use it in place of mayo in things like chicken and tuna salad.  It's also great on toast!  Which brings us to today's post...

I started making "avocado toast" way back in the day, in fact, it was one of the first recipes on this blog.  I usually don't roast my own tomatoes for this any more, especially if tomatoes aren't in season.  I love getting sun-dried tomatoes packed in jars with olive oil.  The flavor is amazing!  I always have a jar or two in the pantry to add to pastas and pizza... and toasts.  :)  Any way... now that we're using jarred tomatoes, it cuts out all of the prep time in this recipe and gets you to the eating portion that much faster!  That makes it perfect for breakfast, snacks, or on-the-go lunches.

This is my trusty toaster oven that we received as a wedding gift closing in on eight years ago.  It gets used almost every day and I was cleaning it the other day and some of the words and numbers started rubbing off the dials!  Good thing we have it all memorized!

Recipe for one avocado toast...
1 piece of bread (or english muffin)
.25 hass avocado
1 sun-dried tomato
a few shavings of parmesan cheese

1. Toast bread.
2. Scoop out avocado with a spoon and smear on the toast.
3. Cut up the sun-dried tomato and layer on top.
4. Sprinkle parmesan on top.
5. Devour.

 

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