Sweet Protein Sandwich

This sweet protein sandwich is a unique and fun lunch. Nope, this isn’t just dessert. Fruit and seeds give it nutritional benefit, and yes, Nutella has some decent protein, too!

Mister Man entered a cooking competition on Saturday through our school district. The food service provider sponsored a healthy recipe contest (oh the irony!) where 4th and 5th graders were invited to create sandwich recipes.

Needless to say, my budding chef leapt at the opportunity. I was so proud of him at the district finals where he prepared his sweet protein sandwich, and he’s already preparing to enter next year’s contest – as is Little Miss.

This was a sandwich he truly came up with all on his own. Granted, I helped him a little bit, but that’s only because I vetoed his first option: salami and pineapple.

Once I pointed out that this may not be such a popular option with most people, he started brainstorming other ideas before coming up with this sandwich.

It is definitely not one I ever would have dreamed up on my own! My creative son did and I can vouch for the fact that it’s pretty tasty!

He practiced this sandwich repeatedly, ever since he submitted his recipe to his school and found out that his creation was one of two finalists from his school to compete at the district level.

I love how he got creative and made a strawberry garnish. Why? He felt the plate needed a little something “extra.”

The trick to making the sandwich work is cutting your apples fairly thin and the strawberries just a bit thicker. He got really good at that at home using my sharp knives (under my supervision always), but it took reminders a few times.

Unfortunately, the competition wasn’t quite so easy. He was flustered when they put out his ingredients and his Nutella came out in chunks because they had refrigerated it, and it was hard as a rock.

We finally got them to microwave it so that he could spread it, but that was a challenge for him to adjust to (hello, autism).

He pulled off the leaves of his strawberry garnish because he completely lost his focus, and I could do nothing to help him get back on track but watch.

Couple that with the fact that they gave them “child safe” knives (read: dull butter knives) to use, and we knew there was no way he’d win – have you ever tried to cut apples with a butter knife? thinly? – but he had a blast competing and showing off his sandwich, and that’s all that matters to us.

In the end, he won a bronze medal and a plaque for his entry. Granted, everyone who made the finals won a bronze medal, but who cares?

His sandwich was definitely one of the most creative and judges gave feedback that they would have scored him much higher had he cut his fruit thinner. We don’t care – he had so much fun. Besides, we get to go home and eat this sandwich again and again.

My son created this sweet protein sandwich as a lunch option, but we enjoy Nutella elsewhere, too. My kids love this no bake Nutella cookie, while my favorite is this dessert pizza. Other great options?

• Nutella cupcakes
• Chocolate cherry smoothie
• S’mores cereal bars
• S’mores stuffed strawberries

How to Make a Sweet Protein Sandwich

Remove the hull from your strawberries. Slice them about a quarter of an inch thick, lengthwise. Slice your apples as thinly as you can. You’ll want 4 or so slices of each apple.

Spread the Nutella on one slice of bread and sprinkle with flax and chia seeds. Press strawberries gently into the sandwich, then top with apple slices.

Place the second slice of bread atop the first and cut the sandwich in half for easy eating. Garnish with another strawberry for fun, if you so choose.

What would you put on your protein sandwich?

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