From the moment my kids discovered ham — particularly prosciutto — there has been no looking back. Whenever we’re in the grocery now, my son asks for it the second he sees it. Recently we were making ham sammies together and I let him decide what toppings would go on his. I offered up a bunch of different options, but I was shocked at what a great idea he thought spinach was. He was so right, it resulted in today’s recipe. Spinach turned out to be the perfect addition, adding a sweet taste, vibrant color and a bit of extra nutrition to a brown bag sandwich that’s easy to love.

Ham, Cheese & Spinach Sammies

4 English Muffins, split (I use whole wheat english muffins, but you can use any kind of bread you want)
1/2 Cup Cheese, shredded (I prefer swiss, mozzarella, havarti, cheddar or gruyere)
4 Slices Ham or Prosciutto
1/3 Cup Spinach Leaves

1. Place half of each English muffin on a plate and top with some cheese, a piece of ham, a few leaves of spinach another sprinkle of cheese and the other english muffin half.
2. Place in a sauté pan over medium heat and cook for 3 minutes on each side or until cheese is melted (feel free to use a bit of butter or oil in the pan, but it’s not necessary).
3. Serve.

I take absolutely no credit for the creation of this recipe. I have never heard of anyone eating it before (or seen it on a menu, so please feel free to tell me if you have). The idea was all my kids’.

We often buy hearty whole grain sour dough bread and sharp cheddar cheese at the farmers’ market with which we use to make, among other things, paninis. Sometimes we’ll add a slice of heirloom tomato or avocado to jazz them up, but last weekend Kenya asked if we could just use pickles. Pickles. Not as a garnish to accompany the tomato and avocado, mind you, but as the sole co-star to the cheese. It sounded so silly that we all (even Kenya) started giggling, “grilled cheese and pickle?” But then Chloe started chanting for it too. Never one to ignore a culinary request, especially one from my kids, I thinly sliced a bunch of kosher dills and started assembling the sandwich.

Well, my munchkins are definitely on to something. Who knew you could up the ante on the classic grilled cheese — a sandwich already bordering on perfection — but three days in a row later, the Grilled Cheese and Pickle Panini has become a new lunchtime favorite in our house.

Grilled Cheese & Pickle Panini (Serves 2)

4 Slices Whole Wheat Bread (or your favorite sandwich bread)
4 Slices Cheddar Cheese
2 Pickles, thinly sliced lengthwise

1. Preheat panini maker (this can also be made in a saute pan).
2. Place a slice of cheese on one slice of bread and cover with a layer of sliced pickles.
3. Place another slice of cheese on top of the pickles and cover with a slice of bread.
4. Continue making the second panini.
5. Place sammies in the panini maker and cook for 2-3 minutes.
6. Slice panini in half or on a diagonal to make triangles and serve.

With all the fun things my kids have going on during the summer, the last thing I want to do is be in the kitchen. So, on Sundays I grill a few pieces of chicken and several ears of corn to keep in the fridge and turn into different meals over the next few days. Since my kids love chicken and corn and quesadillas, this unbelievably delicious and simple to prepare dish couldn’t make them any happier. With just a few additional ingredients to make it even more of a complete meal, this is a great recipe to keep in your file when you want to make the most out of the leftovers in your fridge!

Grilled Chicken & Corn Quesadilla (Serves 6)

1 Tsp Kosher Salt
1 Lb Chicken Breast, boneless & skinless
2 Ears Fresh Corn
1/2 Tsp Ground Cumin
1/2 Tsp Kosher Salt
2 Tbsp Fresh Cilantro, chopped
2 Green Onions, sliced
1 1/2 Cups Jack Cheese, grated
6 Flour Tortillas

1. Preheat grill.
2. Season chicken breasts with 1 tsp of salt, brush grill with oil and grill corn and chicken breasts for a total of 8 minutes until juicy and cooked through.
3. Allow chicken and corn to cool, then remove the kernels from the corn and dice the chicken into small cubes.
4. Place the chicken and corn into a bowl along with the remaining ingredients and toss to combine.
5. Lower the heat on your grill and place a 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture onto one side of the tortilla and fold over.
6. Grill the stuffed tortilla for 2 minutes on each side, being careful not to burn the tortilla.
7. Continue to make the remaining quesadillas.
8. Slice into triangles and serve.

Summer is supposed to be a time to relax and not feel so scheduled day in and day out with your kids, but for some reason this time of year feels as busy as ever. With even more and more outings, play dates and shuttling back and forth to summer camp, I seem to have even less time in the kitchen so I always need quick recipes at my disposal that I know Kenya and Chloe will enjoy. My kids love themselves some cucumbers and so I always keep a bunch of them on hand for these simply delicious sammies. They are light and refreshing — the perfect sandwich for summer, no matter how little time you have to make them!

Cucumber Cream Cheese Sammie (Serves 2)

1/4 Cup Cream Cheese
1 Persian Cucumber, thinly sliced (any variety of cucumber will work, but I like the Persians for this sandwich)
4 Slices Whole Wheat Bread

1. Spread 1 tbsp of cream cheese on one piece of the bread and top with thin slices of half of the cucumber.
2. On another slice of bread, spread another tbsp of cream cheese and then sandwich the two slices together.
3. Continue to make the second sammie.
4. Cut in half or quarters and serve.

To me, summertime means burger time! I like to switch it up and get away from the usual beef burgers and instead try something different like these BBQ Chicken Burgers. If you have visions of a meal time mess, fear not. Since you add your favorite BBQ sauce into the mixture in this recipe, the burgers take on all the tangy, sweet and spicy flavor without it dripping all over you and your kids’ fingers and clothes while you eat.

The next time you’re having a party or family gathering whip up a batch of these burgers and look around at all the happy (and clean) faces!

BBQ Chicken Burger (makes 8 mini burgers or 4 regular size burgers)

2 Tbsp Oil, divided
1 Small Onion, diced
1 lb. Ground Chicken Breast
2 Tbsp BBQ Sauce (your favorite), plus additional for serving
1/2 Tsp Onion Powder
1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 Tsp Kosher Salt
4 Jack or Mozzarella Cheese Slices
Burger Buns
Accompaniments: additional bbq sauce, lettuce, tomato, pickles

1. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a sauté pan over medium heat and sauté the onions for 4 minutes or until tender and set aside to cool.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the sautéed onions, ground chicken, BBQ sauce, salt, and onion and garlic powder. Evenly divide the mixture and shape into patties.
3. Heat remaining tbsp of oil in a pan and cook the patties for 3 minutes on each side.
4. Place 1 slice of cheese on each patty during the last minute of cooking and allow to melt.
4. Place burgers on buns and top with desired accompaniments.
5. Serve.

I’ve talked before about my son’s overwhelming love of onions, both raw and cooked….and my bewilderment over this fact. Raw onions have such a strong and intense flavor, yet I have seen him on more than one occasion eat handfuls of raw onions until his breath was so strong I had to turn my face away. Of course cooking onions makes them sweeter and much less sharp, but I’ve still seen some kids respond poorly to their texture. Believe me, I like onions every now and then, but my little guy could eat them morning, noon and night.

However, the real surprise came last week after I had made this recipe. Chloe had just woken up from her nap and there were several remaining pieces of the Onion and Cheese Quesadilla I had made for Kenya’s school lunch resting on the cutting board in the kitchen. She saw them and chirped, “I want some quesadilla”. I haven’t seen Chloe eat onions often, but I didn’t say anything and handed her a piece. I expected her to take one bite and be done with it. Three slices later I was proved wrong. Very wrong, obviously. Could it be that I have two onion loving kids? Then again, is it really so weird for kids to like onions or is it just weird that I think it’s so odd? No matter what the answers are, my guys loved this recipe and since it’s so easy to make, I see a lot more onions in my future.

Onion & Cheese Quesadilla (Serves 4)

1 Tbsp Canola or Vegetable Oil
1 Small Red Onion, sliced thin
1/4 Tsp Kosher Salt
2 Cups Mozzarella Cheese, shredded & divided
4 Tortillas, flour, spelt or whole wheat

1. Heat oil in a sauté pan over medium heat and sauté onions and salt for 6 minutes or until golden. Remove and set aside.
2. Place one tortilla in a dry pan over medium heat, sprinkle 1 cup of cheese over tortilla and top with half the cooked onions.
3. Top with another tortilla and heat through, about 3 minutes on each side or until cheese is melted and tortilla is slightly toasted.
4. Repeat with the remaining ingredients for the second quesadilla.
5. Cut into wedges and serve.

Home late!!! Trying to catch my breath after carrying two children and an armful of bags up the stairs and into the house. Shoes off, someone’s screaming, I’m trying to get settled. Wait a minute. Dinner?!?!

This has obviously happened to me more than once, so I’ve devised a few recipes to have up my sleeve on nights like these in order to feed my super hungry posse in (way) under 20 minutes. I adore pesto, eggs and bread. They have long shelf lives and are always on hand in my fridge. Thank goodness I can use them to make something my guys not only like — but really love, like this Egg Pesto Melt — so I don’t have the mommy guilt of not getting a decent meal on the table.

Even when I’m short on time and still have a night of bath, brushing teeth, books, and bed ahead of me (phew, I’m exhausted…do these days ever end?), at least I can be assured we all have bellies full of nutritious food.

Egg Pesto Melt (Makes 1 Sandwich)

1 Large Egg
1 Tbsp Pesto
1/2 Tsp Vegetable or Canola Oil
1/4 Cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
2 Slices Whole Wheat Bread

1. Whisk the egg and pesto in a bowl.
2. Heat the oil in a small sauté pan over medium heat. Pour in the egg mixture, tilting the pan to spread it evenly across the bottom.
3. Allow the egg to cook for one minute, using a rubber spatula to gently pull the egg away from the sides of the pan so the rest of the liquid egg can continue to coat the pan and cook.
4. Using the spatula, fold the outside parts of the omelet inwards into a square shape (to fit the bread).
4. Remove the square-shaped omelet to a plate, place a slice of bread topped with half of the shredded cheese, cheese side up, in the pan. Top with the omelette, remaining cheese and slice of bread. Cook for 1 minutes on each side until golden.
5. Serve.

Ok, it’s day three of chicken fajitas and I’m sure you’re starting to think, “really, what else can we possibly make after three days with the same fajita mixture that my kids will actually want to eat?” I’m here to tell you that if you make your family these chicken fajita quesadillas, there are going to be some seriously happy people all around you. Just take the remaining chicken fajitas, chop it up fine, place on top of a tortilla, sprinkle on some cheese, top with another tortilla and in minutes you will have an original meal that no one but you will realize came from the same thing you had for dinner the night before! And the night before that!

Chicken Fajita Quesadilla (Serves 4)

4 Tortillas
1 Cup Cheese (Mexican Cheese Blend, Mozzarella or Cheddar), grated
1 Cup Chicken Fajitas, chopped (chicken & veggies)

1. Place one tortilla in a dry pan over medium heat ( I use a cast iron skillet).
2. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of cheese over tortilla and 1/2 cup of chopped chicken fajita mix.
3. Top with another tortilla and heat through for 3 minutes on each side or until cheese is melted and tortilla is slightly toasted.
4. Repeat for the second quesadilla.
5. Cut into wedges and serve.

I’m still exhausted from a busy, food-filled weekend, which included eating a ton of baked ham, veggies and cheddar-rich Mac n’ Cheese. It feels like we have enough leftovers to take us into the New Year, so the recipe I’m posting today is exactly what my family will be eating a lot of for the next few days! Hope you’re recovering from your holiday weekend and enjoying time with your loved ones.

Ham & Cheese Crepe (Makes 14 Crepes)

Weelicious Crepe Recipe
1 Cup Ham, finely chopped
1 Cup Cheddar Cheese, grated

1. Place the crepe in a dry saute pan over low to medium heat.
2. Place about 2 tbsps of ham and cheese (1 tbsp of each) on one half of the crepe. Fold the other half of the crepe over the ham and cheese and heat for 1 minute until the cheese melts.
3. Fold the crepe in half again, making a triangle and serve.

*This recipe makes 14 crepes. I like to use 1/2 for the sandwiches and freeze the others. Place a piece of parchment between each crepe to prevent sticking and put the stack into a large Ziploc freezer bag.

Whatever daddy eats the kids want to eat….or at least that’s true in our family. My husband is really into eating breakfast sandwiches for breakfast, so of course Kenya and Chloe want them also. I wouldn’t say that this Banana Cream Cheese Sammie is exclusively for breakfast, but it’s definitely really delicious first thing in the morning or just as a carbohydrate filled lunch treat to keep everyone full of energy and ready to keep going for the rest of the day until dinner!

Banana Cream Cheese Sammie (Makes 2 Sandwiches)

4 Slices Whole Wheat Bread
1/4 Cup Cream Cheese, divided
1 Banana

1. Cut the banana in half for each sammie. Then cut each half into strips lengthwise (so the pieces are long and flat).
2. Spread 2 tbsp of cream cheese on one side of the bread and top with one half of the banana slices.
4. Place another piece of bread on top to make a sammie.
5. Repeat with the remainder of the ingredients to make the second sammie.
6. Serve.