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Cinna-Toast Air Fryer Monte Cristo Sandwich

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When I first went to college, I wasn’t very opening to trying new foods.  Like ever. I blame my mom. Funny thing is, I wasn’t even really that picky. But “weird foods”, like tomato basil bread, or serving preserves alongside a sandwich, or tzatziki sauce…nope. Not going there. I credit my sister with helping to expand my pallet.

When I arrived freshman year of college at West Virginia University, she was starting her Master’s degree. Luckily for me, she was already at the try anything stage. I remember us going to this restaurant where I ordered chicken tenders and fries.  She goes and orders a “Monte Cristo” sandwich.  “A what”, I said!? She explains that it’s this ham, turkey and cheese sandwich that’s deep fried and topped with powdered sugar and served with raspberry preserves.

Okay, sounds intriguing.  

Our food comes out and I instantly want to taste her food.  It looked amazing.  I was hesitant to dip it in the raspberry preserves, but I did, and that too was amazingly delicious. Fast forward to today and I will pretty much try anything and I’m working to make sure my girls have an expanded pallet.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not offering up caviar and kangaroo, but they definitely aren’t ones to balk at speciality breads and will consume almost anything you sit down in front of them.

Back to the Monte Cristo Sandwich.

Obviously it’s ham, turkey, and cheese, layered to perfection. I wanted to make this for our family, but I wanted to option to not deep fry it.  Insert: Air Fryer. An air fryer gives you the ability to have the perfect crunch with the added calories of frying.  It’s a win-win. Then, one day I was walking through my local Wal-mart and saw these new Eggo Cinna-Toast and a brilliant light went off in my head.

Make an Cinna-Toast Air Fryer Monte Cristo Sandwhich. 

I quickly noticed on the packaging that Eggo’s are now made with artificial flavors and colors from natural sources, which makes me a happy mama. The Eggo® Cinna-Toasts™ are cinnamon roll flavored and naturally a delicious, fun-filled way to eat breakfast! But they can be used for so much more.  I also love that they are perforated to pull apart which would make these the perfect sized sliders for parties. This air fryer monte cristo sandwich is great for lunch or an after school snack!

Here’s how you can make one too!

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Air Fryer Cinna-Toast Monte Cristo Sandwich
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
20 mins
 

Monte Cristo level up!  Pair New! Eggo Cinna-Toast bread with traditional monte cristo sandwich ingredients for the ultimate sandwich with a healthier twist.

Course: Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: American, French
Servings: 4 sandwiches
Calories: 714 kcal
Author: Larisha Campbell
Ingredients
  • 3/4 lb Black Forest Ham thinly sliced
  • 1/2 lb Smoke Turkey Breast thinly sliced
  • 4 slices Gouda cheese
  • 8 slices swiss cheese
  • 8 slices Eggo Cinna-Toast
  • 1 tbsp Powdered Sugar
  • Raspberry Sauce
Instructions

  1. Lay out one slice of Eggo Cinna-Toast.

  2. Layer sandwich as follows: one slice gouda, 2-3 slices ham, slice of swiss, 2-3 slice turkey, slice of swiss, 2-3 slices ham, slice of gouda
  3. Top with another slice of Eggo Cinna-Toast.

  4. Repeat with remaining sandwiches.

  5. Place in air fryer on 392 degrees F for 8 minutes.
  6. Carefully remove sandwich (will be hot!).
  7. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
  8. Serve alongside prepared raspberry sauce.
Recipe Notes

Nutritional Facts do not contain value for raspberry sauce.

Nutrition Facts
Air Fryer Cinna-Toast Monte Cristo Sandwich
Amount Per Serving (1 sandwich)
Calories 714 Calories from Fat 306
% Daily Value*
Fat 34g52%
Saturated Fat 17g106%
Cholesterol 169mg56%
Sodium 2220mg97%
Potassium 654mg19%
Carbohydrates 46g15%
Sugar 21g23%
Protein 50g100%
Vitamin A 760IU15%
Calcium 683mg68%
Iron 1.9mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Ready to make yours?  Grab this Ibotta offer first! Earn $1 when you purchase ONE
Eggo® Choco-Toast™ Chocolatey Chip or Eggo® Cinna-Toast™ Cinnamon Roll at Walmart.

Italian Ham Pasta Salad

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Homemade-Italian-Ham-Pasta-Salad

For many of you, school has already started.  For the rest, it’s right around the corner. For all, the chaos of everything has already begun. Within a few weeks, you will likely be scratching your head wondering what in the world to put in that lunchbox or what to make for dinner in the 30 minutes you have between end of school, extracurriculars, and bedtime.  Here’s your answer.

This Italian Ham Pasta Salad has a little bit of everything that will make everyone happy. What I love, is that it’s 8 minutes of cooking, 10(ish) minutes of chopping, and BAM! DONE!. You have a delicious, protein packed, vegetable filled dish, that even picky ones will eat some of it.

WATCH SKIBS MAKE IT!!

I grew up never knowing I liked pasta salad. My aunt would make a pasta salad at every get together, but it wasn’t until I was in my teens that I tried it.  Once I did, I couldn’t get enough of it.  It was one of those things that you prayed was at every get together. And it was always gone if you went to grab a take home plate which always annoyed you. Luckily, I watched my aunt make her pasta salad enough that I can make it myself now. Here’s that pasta salad recipe.

Even though I still, to this day, love her pasta salad dearly, I wanted something more. Something fresher. Something packed with protein to fill us up. Thus, you get our Italian Ham Pasta Salad. Skibs and I got into the kitchen and got to work.  She almost did this recipe entirely by herself.  I had to chop and help with mixing at the end, but otherwise, it was all her. She absolutely loved making this Italian Ham pasta salad because of that too.

 

making homemade pasta salad

Baby was with us too.  On my back, babywearing, as normal. She was just enjoying eating as usual.

baby in the kitchen

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Italian Ham Pasta Salad
Author: Larisha Campbell
Ingredients
  • 1 lb tri-color rotini cooked
  • 1 lb cooked ham cubed
  • 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes cut into thirds
  • 1/2 each: red green, orange, and yellow bell pepper, cut into small cubes
  • 1 cucumber skin on, cut into slices or half slices
  • 4 oz colby jack cheese cubed
  • 4 oz fresh mozzarella cubed
  • 1/8 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 1/2 cups homemade zesty Italian Dressing see below
Italian Dressing
  • 1 cup olive oil
  • 1 cup apple cider vinegar
  • juice from half a lemon
  • 5 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/8 cup red onion finally chopped
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients.
  2. Stir well until all the ingredients are covered with dressing.
  3. Cover bowl with lid, or foil, and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours (up to overnight).
  4. Save remaining Italian dressing for another recipe or serve on the side.

Italian-Ham-Pasta-Salad

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Ham and Cheese Bites

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Ham-and-Cheese-Bites

As a parent, you know that pizza can pretty much solve all of life’s problems for yourself and your child.  Upset teen? Give them pizza.  Overstimulated toddler? Make a pizza. Tween in a rush to get to sports after school…PIZZA!  There has been numerous times for all parents where pizza has come to the rescue for us. Most families make or order pizza on a consistent basis. Growing up for me, that was Friday nights and we’ve traditionally followed the same now that Andrew and I are parents as well.

If you’ve been following us for any extended amount of time, you know that we frequently use our homemade pizza dough recipe pretty much all the time. It takes five minutes or less to stir together and we’ve gotten it down to a science in perfection.  With just 5 ingredients, we want all families to know how easy it is to make your own pizza dough at home. It’s also a great experience for kids to learn as well.

Skibbles enjoys making pizza dough from start to finish. Measuring, pouring, and stirring all the ingredients together and then after letting it rise, she loves kneading it out. At almost four, she naturally needs a little help, but giving the ingredients are so cheap to make, I never have to worry about her messing up. Quite honestly, sometimes she even comes up with some pretty neat ideas too that we have slated to share with you in the future.

Ham-and-Cheese-Bites1

Today, however, I was searching for something to share that was easy, freezeable, and would be a huge hit with everyone as back to school time has hit again. I channeled a previous recipe, our Popable Pizza Bites, and decided to make these Ham and Cheese Bites. Not only are these insanely easy to make, but you can freeze them, either before or after cooking.  I always prefer to freeze them after cooking, that way you can just pop them in the microwave to reheat, rather than having to wait for them to cook.

Homemade-Ham-and-Cheese-Bites-recipe

Homemade-Ham-and-Cheese-Bites

With so many sports, extracurricular activities, and just needing quick and simple meals, this is definitely one to add to the books! Don’t forget the Honey Mustard BBQ sauce to dip!  As always, we hope you enjoy!

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Ham and Cheese Bites
Author: Larisha Campbell
Ingredients
  • Pizza Dough Recipe
  • 1 8 oz block of Colby cheese cut into 28 pieces
  • 1 8 oz package of Smoked Deli Ham or favorite deli ham
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter melted
  • 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 tbsp Parmesan cheese
Instructions
  1. Prepare pizza dough according to the directions, letting one half rise, and freezing second half.
  2. *Optional: If you wish to double this recipe, let both halves rise and double amount of ham and cheese above
  3. Roll out dough into 28 equal balls.
  4. Roll each ball into a small circle and add one piece of cheese and approximately 1/2 tbsp of ham.
  5. Fold up edges around filling and place in 13x9 baking dish seam side down.
  6. Repeat until all balls are filled and in baking dish.
  7. Mix seasonings together.
  8. Brush each with melted butter and sprinkle with seasoning.
  9. Cover and freeze overnight (or at least 30 minutes).
  10. Baking: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove cover and place into oven for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
  11. Serve along with Honey Mustard BBQ sauce.

Ham-and-Cheese-Bites-recipe

Tips:  After freezing overnight (or for 30 minutes), place in a sealed zip bag in freezer until ready to cook, then follow directions. OR cook, then cool, and place in a sealed zip bag in freezer until ready eat. Microwave 30 seconds at a time until cooked through. Cool down and serve.

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