Special thanks to Nature’s Harvest® bread for sponsoring today’s post, including providing me with information, coupons and gift items to help facilitate my recipe creation. The ideas and opinions presented within this post are my own (except where noted to give proper credit where it is due).
My family is slightly obsessed with “Finding Dory” and we’ve waited rather impatiently for its release. As opening day drew closer, I began to worry that the movie wouldn’t live up to our anticipation. Fortunately, it was just as funny and entertaining as we’d imagined. We’ve been on a “Finding Dory” high ever since and it’s spilling over into our everyday lives. In fact, watching the movie led to the creation of a “Finding Dory” inspired lunch.
Don’t worry, even in my obsession with “Finding Dory,” I haven’t overcome my innate laziness or found dozens of hours of free time. In other words, this lunch is just as easy to make as it is adorable. Honestly, it should take you the same amount of time as it would to make a grilled cheese sandwich and peel an orange.
“Finding Dory” Lunch
Since this lunch is high on the cute factor, it’s easy to squeeze in healthy ingredients and skip less nutritious options (e.g. potato chips) for a well-balanced lunch the kids won’t complain about eating. I started with Nature’s Harvest® whole wheat bread, then added nitrate free turkey, hormone-free cheese, fresh spinach and all natural grape jelly. The jam adds a pinch of sweetness and kids love the novelty of combining turkey and jelly. For some reason, they feel like they are getting away with something (as if we are breaking a food “rule”).
The sandwich itself takes no extra time to make than a typical sandwich, other than the minute it takes to shape it using cookie cutters. The ocean-themed sides are where you might spend an extra few minutes, but that’s it – I promise. I saw these adorable banana dolphins on Party Delights. The hardest part is to peel the banana just enough to insert the grape and not too far so that the inside of the banana is revealed. And since Hank the Septopus was one of my kids’ favorite characters in Finding Dory, I crafted one using bell pepper slices and a baby carrot.
📋 Recipe
Turkey and Grape Jelly Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 2 slices whole wheat bread
- 2 Tbs natural grape jelly
- 3 pieces thinly sliced nitrate-free smoked turkey
- 1 slice mild cheddar cheese
- 1/4 apple thinly sliced into 6 slices
- fresh baby spinach
- 2 Tbs butter
Instructions
- Spread grape jelly on each slice of bread. Top one slice of bread (jelly side up) with turkey, then cheese. Arrange apple slices on top of cheese in a single layer. Cover apples with baby spinach leaves. Top with final piece of bread (jelly side down facing spinach).
- Spread 1 Tbs butter evenly over top of sandwich. Melt remaining butter in a small frying pan over medium-low heat.
- Add sandwich to pan (unbuttered slice on bottom). Cook for 2-3 minutes or until bottom slice is lightly browned. Carefully flip sandwich to brown other side. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Remove from pan and immediately cut into desired shape. Serve warm.
Nutrition
About Nature’s Harvest® Breads
As I mentioned, I used Nature’s Harvest® Stone Ground 100% Whole Wheat bread. I prefer the health benefits of whole wheat bread (21 grams of whole grains!), but ALL of Nature’s Harvest® breads are made with:
- At least 8g of whole grains per serving
- No artificial flavors
- No artificial colors
- No high fructose corn syrup
Who doesn’t love Dory?! What a fun lunch idea. I miss the days of making fun lunches like this for my kids.