Mother & Daughter Lunches

For Rosie's lunch today, I simply made her butternut squash pizza. She doesn't react well to tomato sauce, so I wanted to substitute it with something else. I had butternut squash puree that I give her aside basically any protein I make her for dinner. So I spread some on a whole wheat sandwich thin (I also buy the Trader Joe's brand), and topped each round with a slice of N&K Muenster Cheese & baked it in the toaster at 400 until the cheese melted- my kitchen really smelled like a pizza store, & she loved it! It was her first encounter with "pizza," & I think I'll do it more often. I used a pizza cutter to cut it into squares, and let her go at it on her own. She was in heaven, I think. (sorry for the poor quality picture because I used my phone). This is a fantastic way to hide a vegi in your kids pizza! You can do the same with sweet potato, even pea puree...

 My lunch was an apple cheddar panini. Apple in a panini, you ask? I told you I like sweet+savory together! In an attempt to make room for summer fruit, I decided to make an apple cheddar panini, using granny smith apple & the N&K sliced orange cheddar cheese from my basket. I've actually been making this kind of a panini for a while now & I love the combination. Even though you can theoretically get apples all year round, for some reason they remind me of fall/winter, and I love having peaches/nectarines, & blueberries stocked in my fridge for summer, so let's just say this is an homage to the granny smith, in an effort to get rid of them! Cheddar & apple go great together!

-2 slices of multigrain seeded bread, or any bread of your choice
-Honey Mustard (i.e. French's)
-Light Mayonnaise
-4 slices of a Granny Smith apple
-Sliced avocado
-Arugula
-Orange cheddar cheese

-Preheat a panini press, or grill pan on medium high, spray with nonstick cooking spray. If you use the panini grill pan, preheat the press as well on a separate flame on low, sprayed with cooking spray as well.
-Spread the honey mustard on one slice of bread, and the mayo on the other slice
-Layer the arugula, avocado, apple, & cheese on one slice, starting with the cheese, & ending with a piece of cheese if you want 2. Place in the grill pan, & top it with the 2nd piece of bread.
-Press with the cover a few minutes until the cheese is slightly melted (it will melt better if the cheese is slightly at room temperature). Flip & repeat.
-Cut in half & serve with salad of your choice (the one pictured is arugula, terra chip sticks, artichoke hearts, & a creamy balsamic vinaigrette

You can DEFINITELY eat this sandwich cold, if you don't have a panini press or grill pan (if you don't have a panini pan you can use a plate or a frying pan to press it).

Muenster... orange cheddar... check!

Until next meal...
E