Chicken Parmesean Sub (Mamma Mia)

Day 13 - "I'm just tryin to keep my bread cheesy baby"

After ordering my sandwich today I sat and waited a bit for it to be prepaared. As I sat, the cook/pizza thrower comes over to tell me that it's going to be a minute because they make everything to order so the food is just being cooked. This was thrilling news! I get a fresh sandwich instead of something that's been sitting around...okay! As if the idea of a chicken parm sub wasn't exciting enough!

The bread was soft and had a hint of garlic taste which I always appreciate. The sub was so cheesy it was as if mozzarella sticks were packed into the sandwich. The chicken (actual chicken!) was breaded and cut up in the sandwich and there was the perfect amount of tomato sauce, not overwhelmingly saucy. There was just a simple balance of ingredients that worked so well. Another recommendation that did not disappoint!

Ice Cream Sandwich

Day 12 - "The ice cream man is coming!!!."

I love that sandwiches are purposely made for every meal. For today's ice cream sandwich I went with a classic klondike bar, chocolate wafer and vanilla ice cream inside. There are so many delicious variations that I couldn't choose one over another so I just went old school.

 I like my ice cream sandwiches when they have sat out for a couple minutes so that the center of the sandwich isn't so cold. The outside starts to get a bit melted and smooshed by the cookie, perfection!

Cheeseburger (Five Guys)

Day 11 - Cheeseburger in Paradise

I'd never had Five Guys before today but everyone always raves on and on about it so I had to give it a try. And I have to say....I get it people. Delectable! The cheeseburger was so juicy and the amount of fries you are given is insane. The greasy bag that you leave with is the first sign that you are in for a treat.

I decided to go traditional and ordered my cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, pickles, ketchup and mustard. I would have been happy with nothing but the cheeseburger and bread because that was so tasty all on its own but I went for a few toppings. I paired it with some Five Guys fries which I dipped in ranch but they were also great by themselves. Good stuff! If you haven't had it yet then get on it!

Open-Faced Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil Sandwich

Day 10 - "Open shut them..."

There goes my extra slice of bread for the week! So yesterday I had a club sandwich including that bonus slice while today I decided on an open-faced sandwich so that there would once again be balance in the world.

Another simple sandwich.  Multi-grain bread, olive oil, tomatoes, fresh basil, mozzarella, and little black pepper. It tasted so light and fresh, I could have had fifty. Then I thought 'wait I think I have'...it's basic brushetta! Delicious!

*Yum Jess!

Club Sandwich (Swamp)

Day 9 - "You can find me in the club..."

You had me at bacon...the club sandwich is another favorite of mine because you've got an extra slice of bread, it's the double decker of sandwiches. And I enjoy the way a lot of restaurants prepare them by cutting them into quarters and putting fun colorful toothpicks in them. Food is just more fun when there are accessories.

Today I chose to get my Club sandwich from 'The Swamp'. Although I'd never had this sandwich there, I only heard good things. Turkey, bacon, avocado, lettuce, and tomato on toasted multigrain bread. The avocado was a nice creamy addition to the traditional club that I've had. And I chose sweet potato fries as my side because if sweet potatoes are ever an option, it's the correct one.

Grilled Cheese

Day 8 - Grilled Cheese is Looney Tunes

It's the simple sandwiches that are closest to my heart. Partly due to laziness that makes me eat them so frequently and partly to the genius that causes 3 or 4 ingredients to make me so damn happy.
I have to admit that I didn't grow up with the traditional grilled cheese sandwich. I would often see (on television) a grilled cheese sandwich and think that it was made in a toaster oven. I would get a similar cheesy effect but I was missing something so important...the butter! Once I learned how to make a proper grilled cheese there was just no turning back.

I like to use cheddar and/or cheddar and colby jack cheese for my grilled cheeses. Today I just used a couple slices of cheddar on honey wheat (it's what I already have) and buttered that bread up. I chose to pair my grilled cheese with some simple V8 tomato basil soup (all my veggie servings!) and it was so tasty! Other times I like to eat my grilled cheese with broccoli because of the broccoli and cheese marriage, those two just belong together.

Philly Cheese Steak (Firehouse Subs)

Day 7 - "In West Philadelphia..."

Steak, onions and cheese on slightly toasted white sub bread = one happy girl. Although this is not exactly a traditional philly cheese steak it was still quite delicious. I had the option of adding green peppers, onions and mushrooms to my cheese and steak and I went for it. The combination of peppers and onions with the steak and gooey provolone cheese was fantastic. Mushrooms don't have much flavor to me, so even though I added them this time I'll just skip them next time.

The sub can be ordered with chips and a drink but I decided to go with the larger sub and forgo the chips.  It also comes with a pickle which I assume comes with every sub but didn't pair well with this one. The sandwich is too savory to be adding this nonsense pickle to the mix. All in all, it was delicious.

Cuban Sandwich (Mi Apa)

Day 6 - 'My family is from Cuba but I'm an American...'

I would surely be a lousy Cuban/Miamian not to include some kind of Spanish inspired sandwich during my 30 days. I would eat anything on some Cuban bread.  My brother and I loved getting the ends (about 5 or 6 inches of bread), pulling out the masa (soft white bit) and filling it with scrambled eggs. No mess sandwich!

Pressed Cuban bread, lightly buttered, little yellow mustard, pork, ham, swiss cheese, and thinly sliced dill pickles. The salty meats with the cheese and the bread that had a hint of garlic taste to it was perfection. At Mi Apa they serve this sandwich with mariquitas (plantain chips) and I paired it with a mango juice which had actual fruit in it (who knew)!

Meatloaf Sandwich

Day 5 - 'I would do anything for love'

I am definitely a carnivorous eater so when a friend told me about her favorite sandwich consisting of meatloaf, bread and mayonnaise I was quite excited.  We added tomatoes because that's how her sisters eat it and I was a little weary of eating meatloaf without ketchup but honestly it held up all on its own.

No ketchup required. Words I didn't think would ever be seen in a paragraph with the words meatloaf but here we are. White bread, mayo, tomatoes and meat. Keep it simple. Another keeper to my sandwich repertoire!

*Natalie, you are a star =)

Chicken Wrap (Salad Creations)

Day 4 - 'Strawberry Fields'

There is no meal that I love more than a sandwich.  But second on the list is definitely a salad. So anytime that we can bring these two together, I'm one happy girl. Today I had a salad squeezed into a wrap, busting at the little tortilla seams. When the server handed it to me I estimated it to weigh at least 7 pounds. It wasn't until a little while later that I thought about where all those 7 pounds had gone...in my belly, well worth it!

The wrap titled 'Sophie's Strawberry Chicken' is filled with grilled chicken, spring mix, strawberries, mandarin oranges, cranberries, candied pecans and goat cheese. The recommended dressing is raspberry vinaigrette which I went along with. I figured if these people can put these ingredients together they must know something. The creamy goat cheese with the chicken, crunchy pecans, sweet strawberries and oranges...fan-tas-tic. The way the ingredients all complement each other is just magical. If you are a fan of fruity salads you need this in your life.

Chicken Sandwich (Chik-fil-a)

Day 3 - "And the pickles..."

Buttered bun, boneless chicken breaded and seasoned to perfection and of course the essence...the pickles. My brother best tested this pickle theory by mistake. He used to order his sandwich with the pickles and pull them off before he ate it. One day he orders it without the pickles...something was missing...the pickle juice. It just brings it all together. Even if you don't like pickles, you need the juice!

I'm a big Chik-fil-a supporter, I will dip anything in Chik-fil-a sauce, crumbs, paper, my finger--too far I know. I always order the number 1 with waffle fries and a soda. Classic and delicious. I especially tend to crave it on Sundays because I know I just can't have it, but don't we all.

Ultimate Sub (Publix)

Day 2 - 'Ultimate Satisfaction'

Ham, Turkey, Roast Beef & Swiss Cheese.

When it comes to subs, Publix packs on the ingredients, you leave with a sub weighing at least 5 pounds and always spring for the whole instead of the half --to 'save some for later' or gorge on the deliciousness that is a Publix sub. You know it's quality when you need to develop a strategy for unhinging your jaw to bend/maneuver a full bite of the sandwich into your mouth.

I had never tried the "Ultimate" before but it was highly recommended by a new friend and I just had to try it. Boars Head Ham, Turkey, Roast Beef and Swiss cheese with some veggies piled on top. But the key to this sub was the honey mustard which brought it all together with the little bit of sweetness and spice. Solid sandwich.

*Tara knows more than just soup. =)

PB & J

Day 1 - 'It's Peanut Butta Jelly Time!'

This had to be the first sandwich on the list because peanut butter is a major staple in my diet. I easily eat at least 5 sandwiches involving peanut butter a week. There are times that I will eat peanut butter and jelly every day for lunch and still love it. When we were younger my brother would make stacks of these with 4, 5, 6 slices of bread - yum!

I like pairing my PB & J with something salty usually (like pretzels or potato chips - original something) and a cold glass of milk.