power of breakfast

copycat dunkin power breakfast sandwich

this is a great make ahead freezer breakfast for moms on the go. i’ve been in a rut with either eating something quick and unhealthy for breakfast, or not eating anything at all because usually by the time i sit down, the kids are screaming at me. i love the breakfast power sandwich from dunkin, but obviously can’t go there every day, plus i’m always tempted by their pumpkin coffee and we’ve been trying to cut out some sugar and eat more whole foods. this was a good compromise!

ingredients

4 eggs and 4 egg whites
6 turkey breakfast sausage patties – either premade patties or make them yourself
6 slices of cheddar cheese
6 arnold sandwich thins – i went with the multigrain
one red, orange, or yellow bell pepper
1/4 yellow onion
1 clove garlic
1 1/2 – 2 cups of fresh baby spinach
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp dry mustard

instructions

preheat your oven to 350 degrees. mince the peppers and onions (and garlic, if you don’t use pre-minced like me, because i’m lazy), and chop the spinach pretty finely. heat a large skillet to medium, add the olive oil, and sauté the peppers and onions until they start to get soft, about 5-8 minutes. meanwhile, beat the eggs in a large bowl and add the salt, pepper, and dry mustard. mix the the chopped spinach into the eggs. add the garlic to the skillet after the peppers and onions have softened and cook for one more minute then remove this from the heat. line a sheet pan (i recommend 9×13) with parchment paper, then spray it with cooking spray to make sure the eggs don’t stick. spread the pepper and onion mixture evenly across the bottom of the sheet pan, and pour the egg and spinach mixture over this. use a spatula to make sure the spinach is evenly distributed and then bake this for 12-15 minutes, until the eggs are completely set.

while the eggs are baking, fry the sausage patties in a skillet over medium-high heat until they are completely cooked through. i made my patties pretty large and thin to try to make them the same size as the bread. they still ended up shrinking a lot during cooking. once the eggs are done, let them cool enough to handle, then remove the parchment from the pan and slice the egg into six squares, big enough to fit the sandwiches. you could also use a large round cookie cutter or biscuit cutter if you want them to fit perfectly! assemble each sandwich by placing egg, sausage, then cheese and wrap each one individually in foil for freezing. to reheat, just place a wrapped sandwich in a 400 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes, or until everything is heated through. you can also wrap it in a paper towel and microwave it.

sandwich love

two cheese veggie panini

a vegetarian panini that hits the spot with herby balsamic mushrooms, roasted peppers and onions, spicy arugala and 2x the cheese. you could definitely add some rotisserie chicken, but with everything going on here you won’t miss the meat!

ingredients

herbed balsamic mushrooms
baby bella mushrooms, sliced
olive oil
fresh thyme, about 1 tsp of leaves stripped off the stem
1 clove minced garlic
splash of balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper

roasted peppers and onions
1-2 red or yellow bell peppers
1/2 yellow or sweet onion sliced thinly
olive oil
salt & pepper

sandwich
crusty panini bread – i like this one from aldi, but you can use anything!
herbed balsamic mushrooms
roasted peppers and onions
goat cheese
muenster cheese
baby arugala
sliced tomato
butter

instructions
for the roasted peppers and onions, preheat your oven to 415. thinly slice onions and peppers and lay flat on a sheet pan covered with foil, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. toss to evenly coat everything then bake for 10 minutes. remove them from the oven, toss and return for 5-7 more minutes until onions start to brown. for the mushrooms, heat a large skillet to medium heat and add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. add in the mushrooms, thyme, and some salt and pepper to taste, and saute until the mushrooms release all their liquid. once the liquid begins to evaporate, add a few splashes of balsamic vinegar and continue cooking until most of the liquid is gone. add the minced garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes. arrange your sandwich by buttering both slices of bread on the outside, stack up the goat cheese, mushrooms, onions and peppers, tomato, arugala and finish with the muenster. press in a panini press or grill over medium heat in a skillet until both sides are golden brown and the cheese is melted. enjoy 🙂

this sandwich is lit

bbq cuban

smoky pulled pork, salty ham, tangy pickles, sweet barbecue sauce… this sandwich has it all. ITS LIT FAM.

ingredients

leftover pulled pork – see my instant pot recipe here!
deli ham (i go for the ham off the bone, sliced thin)
panini bread (the pane turano panini bread from aldi is our go to)
2-3 slices havarti cheese depending on how big your bread is
kosher dill sandwich slices
your favorite barbecue sauce
dijon mustard

instructions

mix together half and half dijon mustard and bbq sauce to make bbq dijon spread. butter each slice of bread generously. build sandwich by spreading the first slice with the bbq dijon spread. place the cheese first, then pork, ham, pickles, and finally cheese again. spread the other side with sauce and place on top. press in a panini press until golden brown and cheese is melted, or if you’re like me and don’t have a panini press, grill on the stovetop and use something heavy to press the sandwich down. i used a cast iron skillet. enjoy!

bbq cuban panini

barbecue cuban panini with pickles

BBQ Cuban panini sandwich.

smoky pulled pork, salty ham, tangy pickles, sweet barbecue sauce… this sandwich has it all. ITS LIT FAM. bbq cuban panini is a mashup of two of my favorite things… bbq pulled pork and cuban sandwiches. plus a tangy sweet barbecue dijon mustard spread. definitely an amazing lunch or dinner, and can be made with leftovers of any pulled pork you have.

ingredients

leftover pulled pork – see my instant pot recipe here!
deli ham (i go for the ham off the bone, sliced thin)
panini bread (the pane turano panini bread from aldi is our go to)
2-3 slices havarti cheese depending on how big your bread is
kosher dill sandwich slices
your favorite barbecue sauce
dijon mustard

instructions

mix together half and half dijon mustard and bbq sauce to make bbq dijon spread. butter each slice of bread generously. build the sandwich by spreading the first slice with the bbq dijon spread. place the cheese first, then pork, ham, pickles, and finally cheese again. spread the other side with sauce and place on top. press in a panini press until golden brown and cheese is melted, or if you’re like me and don’t have a panini press, grill on the stovetop and use something heavy to press the sandwich down. i used a cast iron skillet. hope you love this barbecue cuban sandwich as much as i did… if you try it let me know in the comments!