Grilled cheese has become a staple at our house since my daughter started eating solids over two years ago. It’s a great beginner food because it’s soft – and extremely kid friendly. After making grilled cheese a few times I started to get creative with it – and discovered a variety of ways to prepare it. So I’m sharing with you several variations of the grilled cheese meal.
Standard Grilled Cheese: I start with my favorite whole grain bread, Orowheat 100% Whole Wheat, which has 3 grams of fiber per slice (for more info see Everything You Need to Know About Whole Grains article). For my everyday spread I use Brummel & Brown, which is made with yogurt and is lower in saturated fat than butter. I butter one side of the bread, place the buttered side down on a nonstick pan, top it with a cheddar cheese slice then butter the second piece of bread and place the non buttered side over the cheese. I cook one side over medium heat until browned and then flip it over until the second side is done. I serve with fruit, carrot sticks and dip, or Sun Chips. This meal contains 6 grams of fiber, 5 grams protein and 15% DV for calcium.
Grilled Cheese & Avocado: The only difference with this sandwich is I add sliced avocado to the cheese. This is personally how I like it best – and my daughter loves avocado, which is rich in monounsaturated fats and vitamin E.
Grilled Cheese, Vegetable & Avocado:I take the above combo and add thin slices of zucchini or yellow squash. If I have time I’ll saute the slices in olive oil first. The zucchini adds more fiber and is a good source of vitamin C.
Turkey or Ham & Cheese: With this sandwich I add either turkey or ham slices to the cheese. Sometimes I’ll add avocado to the turkey. The turkey and ham add protein and some extra iron.
Tuna Melt: This sandwich contains tuna salad and Swiss cheese. To make the tuna salad I add some mayo, olive oil, chopped celery, chopped red onion, squeeze of lemon and Dijon mustard. Tuna contains omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA which are essential for brain development.
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