Confession: My hubby and I are not particularly fond of deli meat. I mean, we’ll eat it if it’s covered in gooey cheeses and special sauces but it’s not our first choice when asked the question, “What sounds good for lunch?”. Since I pack my sweetheart’s lunch everyday (in a metal Star Wars lunch box) it is sometimes difficult to come up with new, exciting and simple foods to send with him. Besides the obvious leftovers from a weeknight meal, I like the challenge of coming up with easy accessible and tasty lunches that we all can enjoy.
Apparently I am not alone in the ‘deli meat dilemma” since I was recently talking to some of my mommy friends who also got their fill of sandwiches from school days. It appears we are on a quest to spice up the often overlooked lunch while making it easier to fix something for ourselves too! My hubby at least gets a designated break (cue laughter from all the mommies out there) whereas those of us that stay at home with young children find it much more difficult to stop and prepare ourselves a mini meal when there’s total mayhem in the background.
The following are two great recipes that are guaranteed to add some excitement to your lunch. The first recipe is for chicken salad and is a major favorite in our home. By using a rotisserie chicken you not only let someone else do the hard work for you but you get the delicious smoky flavors of white and dark meat combined with the juicy red grapes and tangy sour cream…I’m hungry just typing this. The second recipe for the cornbread ham & cheese is one I found just flipping through a magazine. We tried it last week and loved it but I suggest serving these open faced since cornbread tends to crumble. This sandwich is a nice twist on the plain old ham sandwich and the bacon mayo spread is so delicious it might become your standard sandwich spread from now on. If you prepare the chicken salad and make the cornbread muffins on a Sunday afternoon, your work for the week will be over in regards to lunch. I hope you try one or both and as always let me know what you think!
Chicken Salad
You will need:
1 Rotisserie Chicken, shredded
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup mayo (I use fat free)
1/4 to 1/2 cup of sour cream (I use fat free)
1 teaspoon dried dill
1 cup seedless red grapes, sliced
handful of chopped walnuts
Shred chicken. Add grapes and walnuts to chicken. Combine salt, pepper, mayo, dill and sour cream. Pour mayo mixture into chicken mixture and gently stir to combine all ingredients. Serve on store bought croissants.
Corn Muffin Ham & Cheese
You will need:
6 corn muffins, halved (I use a Jiffy mix)
1/4 cup mayo
2 Tablespoons cooked crumbled bacon
1 teaspoon dried dill
1 teaspoon parsley flakes
deli ham
sharp cheddar cheese
cucumber slices
Combine mayo, bacon, dill and parsley. Spread onto the halved corn muffins. Top each with a slice of deli ham, 1/2 slice of cheddar cheese and a cucumber slice. Again, serving these open faced prevents crumbling and means you’ll have double!
