Slightly Silent Sunday: Millet & Chia Sandwich

Still have a few more NYC/BOS posts to share with you, but in the meantime, let's whisper a little about sandwiches. Everyone loves a good sandwich and to me, what makes a good sandwich is great bread. Sure, the spreads are important, cheese, deli meats, and for me, a mix of herbs and greens make the sandwich. Below you'll see a few progressive pictures of my sandwich making. Wonder what bread I used? I'll tell you it's gluten free and delicious, so scroll to the bottom and discover the bread love!

As a sandwich lover, I had the chance to taste test this Millet-Chia bread by Udi's Gluten Free Foods and below you can read some facts about millet and chia from the Udi's blog:

Millet
Millet seed is an ancient grain first cultivated in China around 4500BC.  It is high in protein, fiber, magnesium, and phosphorus, all of which are important for certain functions in our bodies. 

Chia
An ancient grain stemming back to Mayan and Aztec cultures around 3500 BC, the teeny chia seed’s name literally means “strength.” This name is fitting, given its concentrated nutritional content.  Chia seeds have a mild, nutty flavor and can be added to a variety of foods to boost nutritional content, such as hot cereal, vegetables, sauces, and baked goods (such as breads and cookies).

The chia seeds add the perfect texture to this bread, and you feel like you're definitely eating something deliciously healthy. It toasted perfectly on a buttered cast iron skillet, and was strong enough to hold up to various ingredients. Ingredients that I think make one of the best sandwiches:

• Cheese: One of my favorite cheeses to use in hot sandwiches is mozzarella, because of how gorgeous it melts and it's like the glue that holds my sandwich together;
• Deli Meat: Another favorite, Honey Baked Ham. The balance of sweet and salty is joy in my mouth;
• Greens: Have you ever had Pho? One of the things I love the most about it is the herb salad on the side, which I recreated here by tossing some fresh greens with cilantro. This adds a burst of flavor to an otherwise normal sandwich;
• Spread: Sriracha and Mayonnaise. Go make it right now and try it, it will change you world. Want to add a touch of sweetness to it? Drizzle in a little honey! 

This sandwich was the perfect lunch using Udi's Millet-Chia Bread. You can purchase it online here and check your local markets as well! If you'd like, like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter for updates, new recipes, products, and just an all around fantastic gluten free community.

Disclaimer: Udi's Gluten Free Products were sent free of charge as samples to allow for this review. No monetary compensation was exchanged. 

My Current Addiction: Freeze-Dried Fruit

Fresh Fruit, Dried Fruit, Frozen Fruit....Freeze-Dried Fruit? We consume fruit in every form possible to humankind, and now one of my current addictions is freeze-dried fruit. It's crispy, it's sweet and it's just a natural and intense fruit flavor that you won't find in any other fruit form.

But...how DO they convert slices of strawberries into those crispy freeze-fried morsels? Just like making astronaut food! Using a method called sublimation, Crispy Green takes fresh fruit, slices it and freezes it to preserve the nutrient content. Then the fruit slices are placed in a heated chamber where it receives heat from all sides and allows all the water to evaporate from the frozen fruit, WHILE it remains frozen. Sublimation causes a result of dry, crispy fruit that is as light as a feather. Learn more about freeze-dried foods over at How Science Works.

This is definitely a great product to add to our Build A Better Me Healthy Blogging Challenge, because we're all looking for snacks that are actually good for us and are delicious. Because health and flavor should always go hand in hand!

Other than snacking on them from the bag, here are a few tips on other ways to consume them:

• Crush and add them to your morning yogurt or oatmeal
• Make fruit cereal milk! Crush them into your milk and cold steep for an hour in the fridge. Strain and enjoy kiwi milk, strawberry milk, or even apple milk! Similar to the cereal milk process here.
• Top cupcakes and muffins
• Toss in your favorite trail mix for a burst of tart and sweet fruit flavor 

FruitziO is one of their lines and includes: FruitziO Strawberries, FruitziO Peaches, FruitziO Apples & Strawberries, FruitziO Apricots and FruitziO Kiwi. My favorite are the Strawberries: their tartness, balanced out with natural sweetness from cane sugar, makes them the perfect snack. Much better than mindlessly snacking on greasy potato chips. And I'm no calorie counter, but these have only 100 calories per bag! They're also vegan, peanut/tree nut free, dairy free and gluten free!

Disclaimer: I was sent product free of charge to facilitate this post. My opinions are always my own, and no monetary compensation was exchanged. I just thought this would be a great snack addition to the Build A Better Me Challenge.