How Would You Build America's Better Sandwich + 2nd Annual Oroweat Contest

The coupons for product redemption, information, and gift card have been provided by Oroweat® Bread so that I could try the product and share my thoughts and information about Oroweat®. The opinions expressed in this post are my own and do not reflect the opinions of Oroweat® Bread.

How would you build your perfect sandwich creation?

Mine would be piled high with smoked turkey, colby jack slices, juicy fresh tomatoes and creamy slices of ripe avocado for some healthy fats and oils. It would all be served up on slices of Oroweat® Original Oatnut, one of my all-time favorites!

I don't think sandwiches ever have to be boring, you just need to find a good bread that you love and ingredients to keep you fueled for the day.

You will always find a nut or multi-grain option of bread in our home. My husband is a huge fan of the Oroweat® Country Potato Bread - It is perfect for a good old fashioned Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich.

As a child I liked to see just how much I could stuff between two slices of bread... sometimes My Mom must have suspected I was part snake, with my desire to unhinge my jaw for a serious sandwich creation!

Oroweat® Whole Grain Sliced Breads are my favorites, but I also like to switch things up with the Oroweat® Sandwich Thins® Rolls. I like the flavors available and the soft texture of their bread products. They are the perfect complement to my favorite fillings whether they are meats, cheeses, veggies or crisp bread and butter pickles! 

All of Oroweat® Whole Grain Sliced Breads and Oroweat® Sandwich Thins® Rolls contain:

o   3 to 4 grams of fiber per slice or thin

o   Zero grams of Trans Fat

o   No High Fructose Corn Syrup

o   Cholesterol free

Look for the Whole Grain Stamp found on all of Oroweat® Whole Grain Sliced Breads and Oroweat® Sandwich Thins® Rolls to see how this fits into the daily recommended 25-38 grams of fiber^[1] and 48 grams of whole grains per day^[2]. 

So all you have to add is the good stuff to make your sandwich your own.

My sandwhich is piled high with mayo, lettuce, tomato, colby jack cheese, smoked turkey, avocado slices and a thin smear of honey mustard. What do you think? I think my creation would fit in nicely with the "Fueling Good" category in America's Better Sandwich contest. If you haven't heard about the contest, see below for how to enter, what you can win and how with your entry Oroweat® will donate to Feeding America.

Oroweat® Bread is excited to launch the second annual “America’s Better Sandwich” Contest! The sandwich architect whose filling matches the goodness of Oroweat® Bread will win a grand prize of $25,000. You can choose to use any of the Oroweat® Whole Grain Sliced Breads, including the new Healthfull® bread varieties, or any of the Oroweat® Sandwich Thins® Rolls varieties for your entry.

There are 5 great categories to create for, and there will be one ($5,000 category prize) winner selected for each:

• “Creative Classics” (nutritious spins on sandwich creations that have stood the test of time, such as grandma’s club sandwich, BLT or other old-time favorites)
• “Fueling Good” (these sandwiches should incorporate ingredients that help boost your energy such as healthful fats, protein, fiber and iron)
• “Open-Face Artistry” (sandwiches are works of art for the world to see, and these snacks and meals announce their ingredients—like sharp cheddar or tasty tuna— sans second slice, highlighting bold colors and textures)
• “Breakfast in Bread” (these sandwiches, featuring nutritious breakfast favorites like eggs and yogurt, invoke images of cozy mornings in bed or boisterous brunches with friends)
• “Love, Healthfully” (celebrate our new Healthfull® Breads with innovative recipes that play off nuanced, foodie-approved ingredients like honey, flax and sunflower seeds)

Entries will be accepted June 15^th - August 23^rd, online consumer voting will take place September 21^st - October 18^th, and the winners will be announced on National Sandwich Day- November 3^rd.

Oroweat®  bread will donate one loaf of bread (up to 100,000 loaves) to Feeding America for each valid entry submission during the entry period and vote received during the online voting phase of the 2015 “America’s Better Sandwich” Contest

[1] http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=6796

[2] http://wholegrainscouncil.org/whole-grain-stamp

So, what would be on your better sandwich creation?

Malibu Chicken Sandwiches - A Grilling Favorite!

 This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc.  its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #FireUpTheGrill #CollectiveBias

Our grill is currently getting quite the workout! I took a childhood favorite of mine, Malibu Chicken, and turned it into an amazing grilled chicken sandwich with grilled pineapple and crunchy sweet red baby bell peppers served on a ciabatta bun. Mmm... summer perfection on a plate!

As a child, there were a few go-to meals I would always order when we ate out. Malibu Chicken was one of those. The combination of Swiss cheese, tangy ham and a sweet mustard sauce was my favorite way to dress up a simple chicken breast. Just recently I was thinking about that Malibu Chicken, but I wanted to make it summer friendly by throwing it on a bun with a few more veggies and sweet grilled pineapple.

Did it work?

Yes! I think this twist on my childhood favorite is even better than the original. My secret weapon is marinading the chicken breasts in buttermilk first to keep them tender and juicy.

Honestly, buttermilk just makes it better. Marinating the chicken ahead of grilling keeps the chicken breast really moist and flavorful. No one enjoys dry grilled chicken, right? I just added salt and pepper, a little garlic and paprika to the buttermilk.

My other sandwich addition was to throw on some grilled pineapple. My kids are obsessed with the warm, juicy slices of grilled pineapple right now. Just throw them on the hot grill before cooking the chicken. (I like to add them to a clean grill.) Grill marks are optional, though always fun, as long as the pineapple is warmed through and starts to carmelize, they will be amazing.

And then throw on the chicken! I didn't do anything extra to these boneless, skinless chicken breasts other then the marinade and then a little salt and pepper.

But the real stars of this meal were all the great Kraft brand items I picked up my local Walmart. In fact, I was able to pick up Kool-Aid and a fresh Walmart Marketside Ceasar Salad kit to pull this all together for an easy weeknight meal outside.

With a warm grilled sandwich, side salad, and cold drink, does it get much more "summer" than that?

So once the chicken wsa cooked through, I piled on a few slices of Oscar Mayer Selects Natural Applewood Smoked Ham and topped it with a Kraft Big Slice of Swiss cheese. Just an additional minute or two on the grill and the cheese was sufficiently melted.

Then it was time to create my perfect Malibu Chicken sandwich! I picked up lettuce as well as red baby bell peppers for my sandwich, again all at Walmart. Don't you love it when you can get everything in one stop?

I put a little Kraft Real Mayo down first and then started to layer my ingredients on the fresh ciabatta buns.

And since I am a fan of sweet bell peppers and pineapple together, I thought it would add the perfect 'crunch' to my sandwich. We are loving those cute little baby bell peppers right now. My kids love to snack on them plain, but they also work well to throw into recipes.

Then I served up my Malibu Chicken Sandwich with my side Ceasar salad and a big glass of Kool-Aid. Yum!

Malibu Chicken Sandwich

You will need:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 c. buttermilk
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 2 tsp. paprika
• salt & pepper to taste
• 8 pineapple rings (2 per sandwich), drained and patted dry
• 4 slices Kraft BIG Slice Swiss Cheese
• 8 slices Oscar Mayer Selects Natural Applewood Smoked Ham
• 2 red baby bell peppers, sliced
• lettuce
• Kraft Real Mayo
• Sweet Mustard Sauce

Sweet Mustard Sauce

• 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp. Kraft Real Mayo
• 1 tsp. yellow mustard
• 1 tsp. honey
• 1/2 tsp. Worchestershire sauce

Whisk together the buttermilk, garlic, paprika and salt and pepper in a dish. Marinade the chicken in the buttermilk mixture for up to 4 hours.

Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.

Spray the grill with non-stick spray and then grill the pineapple slices for 2-3 minutes per side. Keep an eye on them so they don't burn.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Grill the chicken for 5 minutes on the first side. Then flip with tongs and grill till the chicken is cooked through. Check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer. When done, place two slices of ham on each chicken breast. Top with a slice of Swiss cheese. Cover for a minute or until the cheese just starts to melt. Remove from the grill.

To create the Sweet Mustard Sauce, whisk together the Dijon mustard, Kraft Real Mayo, yellow mustard, honey and Worchestershire sauce. Set aside or chill until you are ready to assemble the sandwiches.

To assemble, spread ciabatta buns with Kraft Real Mayo. Place a lettuce leaf on the bottom, top with a chicken breast, then top with 2 pineapple slices and sliced red pepper. Drizzle the Sweet Mustard over the chicken breast and top with the remaining bun.

Enjoy!

And don't forget to grab all the ingredients for this summer meal idea at Walmart. They have have a great selection of Kraft brands as well as Marketside sides and a fresh produce section to help you pull it all together like a pro.

And if you are looking for even more great grilling recipe ideas? Ccheck out the Kraft digital cookbook full of inspiration for your summer meals.

Dill and Chive Steak Wraps - with Mezzetta Memories

Many thanks to Mezzetta for sponsoring today’s #MezzettaMemories recipe story and encouraging me to spice up my favorite Holiday recipe. All opinions and experiences are my own.

As a child I always remember the waiting for the holiday meal. We would drive to the coast to be with my Dad's family and my Mom and Aunt would stay busy in the kitchen preparing food for our evening holiday meal.

As a kid, that was rough.

Usually we arrived early in the day and sometimes would spend a day or two there exploring the coast, botanical gardens or spending time at church. I only had one cousin nearby growing up, another only child like myself, so the wait was really long. And those good smells coming from the kitchen made us so hungry.

Well, with all the holiday meal preparation going on, you can imagine that meals before and after the big one were simple and fast. Since holidays are all about spending that special time with family, and the big meal is only one part of that, I created this Dill and Chive Steak Wraps recipe to fit in perfectly with a busy kitchen schedule
.

And the best part is, preparation is super simple with Mezzetta products. I grabbed my favorites, Sliced Greek Kalamata Olives, Roasted Bell Peppers, Imported Golden Greek Peperoncini and I also picked up a jar of Capers for Chicken Piccata later this week.

Keep reading to see how you can win your own Mezzetta products and grab a coupon, too! 

So, I know what you are thinking. A holiday wrap without turkey? Is that possible? Well, the truth is neither my husband nor I are huge turkey fans. In fact, my husband's family tends to not make a turkey for Christmas dinner. Instead they opt for Prime Rib.

 I chose to go with steaks for my dish because I could smoke them ahead of time and usually have simple flat iron steaks on hand, but leftover Prime Rib would be killer in this dish as well.


The signature touch to this simple wrap is the Dill and Chive spread made from cream cheese, sour cream and dried dill and chives. Make it up the night before so the flavors have time to come through. Make a little or double the recipe, this is a great option for feeding a crowd before that big meal. Let everyone build their own and don't worry about washing the silverware because wraps are finger-friendly!

Dill and Chive Steak Wraps

You Will Need:

• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 c. sour cream
• 1 Tbsp. dried chives
• 1 1/2 tsp. dried dill
• 10" flour tortillas
• flat iron steaks, precooked, cooled and sliced thinly
• Mezzetta Roasted Bell Peppers, sliced
• Mezzetta Sliced Greek Kalamata Olives
• feta cheese crumbles
• Bagged Salad Mix
• Mezzetta Imported Golden Greek Peperoncini, for serving

*The spread makes a generous 4-5 wraps, the other ingredient quantities will depend on the number of guests you are serving.

The day before, prepare the dill and chive spread. Place the softened cream cheese, sour cream and herbs in a small food processor and blend till smooth. Refrigerate overnight.

To assemble your wraps, warm the tortillas in a large skillet over medium low heat. Smear with dill and chive spread then top with your desired amount of sliced steak, feta, roasted bell peppers, olives and bagged salad mix. Don't forget to serve with a Peperoncini or two on the side! 

Okay, now you have seen what food was inspired by my childhood holiday memories. What unique holiday dish would Mezzetta foods inspire you to create?

Good news! Mezzetta is offering a downloadable $.50 off coupon on any Mezzetta products. The coupon is located on the Mezzetta page. Just look for the gift graphic in the collage to grab yours! (available  December 1st through December 31st) 

Giveaway Alert! 

Also, while you are there be sure to enter the Memories Start with Mezzetta Daily Gift Basket Giveaway! You could win some delicious prizes and be able to re-create this wrap and more! Each day one lucky winner will receive a gift basket full of tasty Mezzetta products. Get all the information and giveaway details on the Mezzetta Memories page.

Best of luck! 

Spread Some Creativity with Jif - Enter the Most Creative Sandwich Contest

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for Jif. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

Peanut butter was a staple in my home growing up and today I enjoy eating mine with my family. Not just for lunch, I love mine with toasted bread and sliced bananas for breakfast, or mixed into a wrap sauce for dinner.

Well, Jif is currently hosting their Most Creative Sandwich Contest - challenging peanut butter sandwich enthusiasts out there to create an original sandwich recipe that includes 2 tablespoons of your favorite Jif product.

Parents of children ages 6 - 12 can submit their original recipe for a chance to win and be crowned this year's recipe winner. They will also win a $25,000 college fund and a trip to New York City!  Check out some of the finalists from last year's contest.

My son and I have our thinking caps on and plan to whip up an entry together in the kitchen. My favorite so far is a Phad Thai wrap using salted peanuts, rice noodles, bean sprouts and our favorite Natural Creamy Jif.

Be sure to enter before the deadline, November 8th. Check out the full contest rules for more information.

Would you like a chance at a $25K College Fund 

and a trip to NYC?