Pizza Subs

I'm guilty of it - stopping by Subway, Firehouse Subs, Roly Poly or whatever sandwich shop may be on my way home at times.  It's silly when you think about it.  You're paying four bucks for a sub that you can easily make at home.  Plus you can make it more nutritious for your family too. 

I love pizza subs and they are one of my favorites to order out at a sandwich place.  Finally I decided I should start making my own at home though.  Here is the simplest way I found to create these good sandwiches without adding those extra calories and spending additional money from your wallet:

Pizza Subs

(I made three.  Make as many as you want!)

3 to 4 Hoagie style breads, cut in half - you can make your own OR use store bought (whole wheat would be best~)
Butter spread (I like Smart Balance best)
1 tsp of Garlic salt seasoning
1 tsp of Oregano or Italian seasoning
1 cup of tomato or pizza sauce (I use the all-natural Ragu or whatever I find on sale usually!)
Turkey pepperoni slices (About 3/4 cup at least for four sandwiches)
Shredded cheese - whatever kind you like best (I used reduced fat cheddar)
Additional veggies of your choice - onions, peppers, mushrooms
Additional cheese such as Parmesan - if desired


Directions: The measurements are approximate because my family is small and everyone likes different things on their sandwiches.  However, here are the basics you need to know:  Cut your hoagie bread in half.  Butter each bread with a knife.  Sprinkle the garlic salt on each bread.  Or use garlic powder and sea salt separately.  By buttering your bread, you give it that extra flavor; PLUS you can freeze any leftovers you have without the bread becoming soggy! 

Spoon out the tomato/pizza sauce on your hoagie breads.  About 1/8 to 1/4 cup on each bread slice should be enough.  Now lay out the turkey pepperoni slices on top of the sauce.  Cover every inch of that saucy bread!  :-)  Next sprinkle the Italian seasoning and/or Oregano over the pepperoni pieces.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired.  Then add a bit more tomato/pizza sauce on top of that.  Here you add any additional veggies you may want here (onions, peppers, mushrooms, olives or whatever you like!).  Top each bread slice with your shredded cheese. 

Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for about fifteen minutes.  The edges of the bread should be slightly brown and crispy.  Let it cool for a few minutes. 

You can eat it just like that - as pizza garlic bread.  Or you can put the bread pieces back together and you've got your own tasty Pizza sub, like this:




Mmmm, mmmm!   Just as good as Subway.  Maybe, hopefully even better! 

What kinds of other subs can you make at home to save you money and calories?  Got any ideas?  Share them here! 

Slim Sloppy Joes

"Sloppy Joes, Slop, Sloppy Joes...."

If you've never seen or heard the Adam Sandler "Lunch Lady Land/ Sloppy Joe" song, then PLEASE do yourself a favor, watch this video above.   (If the video doesn't work, then try this link:  http://youtu.be/E_-KbstEG4E).  It's seriously one of the funniest things I've ever seen in my life!  Love it!

Anyway, I have perfected the Sloppy Joe mix and made it a slimmer, lighter version that is nutritious and more filling!  You must try it.  I literally ate it for four days in a row last week as my lunch.  No exaggeration! 

Slim Sloppy Joes

(Serves 6 to 8)

1 lb of ground turkey

1 jar (16 oz) salsa, mild

1 and 1/2 cup of chopped bell peppers (about 3 peppers, combo of green and red)

1 cup of shredded carrots

1/2 cup of pureed broccoli

1 tbsp ketchup

2 tsp basil

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp Cajun seasoning (or a combo of salt and pepper)

3/4 tsp garlic powder

Generously grease a skillet with cooking spray.  Saute peppers in skillet on stove.  Add in your ground turkey.  Cook until brown.  Remove from heat.  Drain or blot any excess grease.  Place meat and peppers in a large bowl.  Add in all other      remaining ingredients.  Stir well with the salsa, ketchup and all seasonings.  Serve in wraps or on buns. 

Freeze leftovers in plastic containers.  Sloppy Joes will keep for up to four months.  Reheat in microwave or on stove. 

Enjoy this one!  It's a great meal that takes minimal time to make and enough to eat on for days! 

Manly Chicken Salad

Does your husband stick his nose up at traditional chicken salad?  Mine does.  He is never thrilled when I hand him a "girly" style wrap or sandwich that has the classic chicken, eggs, mayo, and celery.  He hates it even worse when I put the "frills" in there like grapes and cut up pieces of apple like you're served in gourmet restaurants or at wedding/baby showers.  So finally I came up with a "manly" chicken salad that I can be proud to serve him and that he is more than willing to eat.  

That's right ladies, no girly man chicken salads around here anymore!  That's right, Hans and Franz have to "pump you up" with this masculine meal now. 

So serve up this "manly" chicken dish for the men in your life.  And tell them they can thank me when their taste buds go wild with delight!  Enjoy this one!  I know we all did, both girls and guys in my house!  :-)





Manly Chicken Salad
(Serves 6)

2 cups of diced pre-cooked chicken (I used leftover barbecue chicken from our grill so it was really good!)
1/2 cup of mayonnaise (I used fat-free)
1/4 cup of bacon bits
1 Tbsp. ranch dressing
1 tsp. A-1 or other steak sauce
1 tsp of ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup of diced green onions
3/4 cup of shredded cheddar (or other variety) cheese  (I used a reduced fat kind)


Mix the pre-cooked chicken with the bacon bits, mayonnaise, ranch dressing, steak sauce and ground cumin.  Add salt and pepper if desired.  Stir well until all blended.  Now add in the green onions and shredded cheese.  Mix together.  Spread on sandwich bread, rolls or tortillas (whatever your choice of bread may be). 


We served ours my delicious homemade yogurt wheat bread.  Here's what it looked like before we bit into it. 



So yummy! 


Do you have a "girly" style recipe that you made more "manly" to please your husband or the men in your life?  Share the details!

Easy Thai Chicken Wraps - the kids will love these too!

I took a leap and tried this ethnic-inspired wrap last week.  Surprisingly, my family really liked it.  Even my three year old ate it twice for dinner.  That's probably because it tasted a lot like the peanut butter in it.  She loves her PB&J sandwiches.  Now I have another way to give her some protein and sneak in a veggie too.  These are NOT spicy at all, not the way I make them.




Easy Thai Chicken Wraps (Serves 4 to 5)

2 cups of shredded or ground chicken
1/2 cup of shredded or pureed carrots
6 Tbsp of creamy, all natural peanut butter
4 Tbsp of soy sauce - I used low sodium type
4 Tbsp of rice vinegar
3 Tbsp of water
1/2 tsp of chili powder
5 to 6 whole wheat flour tortillas


Heat a large skillet on the stove.  Spray lightly with cooking spray.  Toss in your ground or shredded chicken and the carrots.  Cook for about 7 minutes.  Remove from heat.

In a small, microwaveable-safe bowl, place your peanut butter.  Heat on high for about 15 to 20 seconds.  Remove from microwave.  Scoop the peanut butter into a larger bowl.  Pour in the soy sauce, rice vinegar and water.  Whisk until smooth.   Sprinkle in the chili powder and stir. 

Scoop the peanut-sauce mixture over the chicken and carrots.  Coat them until all is covered.  Use a large spoon or spatula.  




Warm your whole wheat flour tortillas in the microwave for about 20 seconds.  Then scoop out a portion of the thai chicken into the center of the tortilla (about 1/3 cup in size).  Then tuck and fold the edges and sides around so that no chicken mixture will be visible or fall out. 

Serve warm.  We ate ours with cream style corn.  This was a surprisingly filling meal.  I served my husband two wraps but he could only eat one. 

This freeze well too.  I froze three wraps and ate on them later in the week.  I simply wrapped them in aluminum foil and then took them out the freezer in the morning.  I let one thaw at room temperature and warmed it in the microwave for about 30 seconds before eating.  Tasted like it was freshly made!   :-)

Enjoy this little bit of something different to your boring old sandwich routine!  :-)

Note: If you have peanut allergies or don't like peanut butter, you could try substituting almond butter or sun butter.  I haven't tried it so I can't personally vouch for the flavor but I think it would still taste great.

Open Faced Sweet and Spicy Meatball Sandwich

I'm on a quest to find the perfect meatball recipe.  I just haven't found quite what I'm looking for yet.  However, when I saw this Sweet and Savory Meatball recipe posted by my friend Anne awhile ago, I decided to give it a try.


I tweaked her recipe quite a bit.  In addition, I didn't bake mine in the oven but used my slow cooker for the entire process.  I loved the end result.  I added barbecue sauce, bread crumbs and salsa (in place of her onions) to give it a different flavor.  I call it my Sweet and Spicy Meatballs.  And when I say the word "spicy" I don't mean hot or peppery - just more flavorful thanks to the salsa and spices that are in it.  The orange marmalade and juice give it a sweet, citris flavor as well.  This one is a nice change from the boring old grape jelly and ketchup meatball recipes that are out there!  I hope you enjoy it.






Open Faced Sweet and Spicy Meatball Sandwich

(Makes 20-24 meatballs)

Adapted from Annie Bakes


For the sauce:
1 jar (12.75 oz) of orange marmalade (find it in the jelly/jam aisle of your grocer)
1/3 cup of orange juice
1/3 cup of barbecue sauce - whatever is your favorite (I used Sweet Vidalia Onion flavor)
2 tbsp of diced jalapeno peppers, with juice






For the meatballs:
1 pound of ground turkey
1 egg beaten
1/3 cup of salsa (I used mild)
1/4 cup of ketchup
1/4 cup of bread crumbs
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
dash of salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning


Plug in your slow cooker.  Set heat to low.  Make the sauce by mixing the orange marmalade, orange juice, barbecue sauce and diced peppers with juices at the bottom of the slow cooker. 

In a large bowl, make your meatballs.  Do this by mixing the ground turkey, egg, salsa, ketchup, bread crumbs, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper and seasonings.  The mixture will seem wet and have a reddish color to it.  Form into 1 inch thick balls (I made 22 with mine).  Place the meatballs in the slow cooker, sitting in the sauce as pictured below. 






If you want, you can drizzle some of the orange-barbecue sauce over the meatballs.  I found a handy medicine dropper that was in my bathroom cupboard and transformed it into a handy kitchen tool, just like this:






Cook your meatballs on high for 4 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours.  Since I didn't start mine until 1 p.m. and I wanted them ready for dinnertime, I cooked mine on high heat for two hours followed by low heat for two hours.  They came out great! 


We served our meatballs open on sandwich bread with cheese.  This was a fork and knife kind of dinner.  My husband and I really liked the flavor and I will definitely make it again.


Let me know in the comments if you have a tried and true meatball recipe worth sharing.  Please share your good ones!