These fun sandwich cups are perfect for lunch boxes! Filled with chicken, olive and herbed cream cheese - the kids love them!
I was that kid. You know, the one with the tuna fish or egg salad sandwiches. As many times as my friends held their noses and turned away from me, I adored those brown bag lunches. In those days, cafeteria lunches were not available at my elementary school, except for the highly anticipated bi-weekly "hot dog days", which were always accompanied by a big cup of orange drink from McDonald's. Now, my children are provided with a rotating choice of meals in their school cafeteria. Unfortunately, these lunches leave a lot to be desired, nutritionally speaking. Hamburgers, pizza, corn dogs, waffles on a stick - seriously.
Each morning, I pack lunches for my kids in their lunch boxes, trying to provide them with something nutritious enough to fuel the recess soccer game. However, there are only so many peanut butter sandwiches or turkey wraps one kid can take. When Rachael of La Fuji Mama emailed me with a challenge to come up with a lunchbox meal using Lindsay Olives black olives, I jumped at the chance. Rachael's blog is full of innovative ideas, not to mention photos of her adorable girls enjoying the food she makes. A few days later, a box containing Lindsay Olive's new resealable containers of black olives, plus several more of their high-quality products arrived at my doorstep and I set to work. These are products that I regularly buy for my family, so I recommend them without hesitation.
Using regular whole-wheat sandwich bread, I made toasted sandwich cups. With my boys' help, I filled the cups with an herbed cream cheese, chopped rotisserie chicken, grated carrots, and black olives. It was a challenge to make them as quickly as the boys gobbled them up.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Cut the crusts from 3 pieces of whole-wheat sandwich bread, and cut each piece of bread in quarters.
Brush both sides of each bread piece lightly with olive oil. Firmly press the pieces into a mini-muffin tin.
Bake until the edges of the bread are golden brown. Let the bread cups cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, remove from the pan, and allow to fully cool on a wire rack. The bread cups can be made a couple of days in advance and kept fresh in an airtight container.
In a medium bowl, whip 4 oz. light cream cheese until fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon dried oregano and a pinch of salt. Whip to combine.
Fill each sandwich cup with 1 teaspoon herbed cream cheese, 1 teaspoon grated carrot, 1 teaspoon chopped chicken (I used rotisserie chicken), and 1 teaspoon sliced black olives (such as Lindsay large pitted black ripe olives).
Pack 6 sandwich cups in each of two reusable sandwich containers and put into your childrens' lunch boxes, with a freezer pack.
Back to School Chicken, Olive & Herbed Cream Cheese Sandwich Cups
3 slices whole-wheat bread
¼ cup olive oil
4 oz. light cream cheese
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Pinch of salt
¼ cup grated carrot
¼ cup cooked chicken (rotisserie chicken is quick and convenient)
¼ cup sliced black olives (such as Lindsay large pitted black ripe olives)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Cut the crusts from bread, and cut each piece of bread in quarters. Brush both sides of each bread piece lightly with olive oil. Firmly press the pieces into a mini-muffin tin. Bake until the edges of the bread are golden brown. Let the bread cups cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, remove from the pan, and allow to fully cool on a wire rack. The bread cups can be made a couple of days in advance and kept fresh in an airtight container.
In a medium bowl, whip cream cheese until fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add oregano and a pinch of salt. Whip to combine.
Fill each sandwich cup with 1 teaspoon herbed cream cheese, 1 teaspoon grated carrot, 1 teaspoon chopped chicken (I used rotisserie chicken), and 1 teaspoon sliced black olives.
Pack 6 sandwich cups in each of two reusable sandwich containers and put into your childrens' lunch boxes, with a freezer pack.
Makes 12 sandwich cups (enough for 2 lunches).
(Disclosure: Lindsay Olive sent their product to me, free of charge, plus I am receiving a small monetary compensation.)
Maria
Great lunch box recipe! I would love to have this in my box. Great seeing you last night. Thanks again for a wonderful time!
Drick
now this is something this schoolboy will be packing for work - great treat
My Man's Belly
How cute! Lunches can get really boring. I'm sure your kids never know what they're going to be surprised with. How cool.
danasfoodforthought
Such a cute idea! I'm sure your kids loved helping you out with this!
s
fantastic idea!
SprinkledwithFlour
What a cute idea!
marla {family fresh cooking}
Great lunchbox idea. Not only is it a well rounded meal, but it must taste wonderful. My kids would love these-they LOVE olives and cream cheese---so do I 🙂 Such a creative idea! xo
Suzanne aka vivisue
GREAT idea, not only for the little kids, but us "big kids", too! I can see these as an appetizer at our next family gathering. Oh, and about Lindsey Black Olives, they ARE, by far the best black olives! I use them for everything! Great post and as always great pics, too!
Alison
What a great idea! Love it! Another awesome post by you!
Table Talk
My girls still like reading the notes I slip into their lunch boxes, though now they keep them hidden from the other kids at the table to escape embarrassment.
I know they would love to find these little sandwiches --great job thinking outside of the lunch box and coming up with something nutritious, tasty, and cute!
bellini valli
I like the fact that the olives are in a resealable container. This is a fantastic brownbag idea:D
Best Hamburger Recipe
wow! what a delicious recipe site! thanx 4 sharing!
penny aka jeroxie
sandwich cups. even I want it!
Magic of Spice
Oh, these are fantastic...and perfect for a lunch box or any lunch...My boys are pretty big now, but they would devour these. I did see these olives in the new containers recently, very nice 🙂
Barbara Bakes
What a fun post. Love the little note in the lunch box.
Kristen
I was that brown bagger, too! I didn't think too much of school lunches and my mom was so willing to make mine. I took a thermos with hot food up until about 6th grade. My friends thought I was weird, but I loved having real food. I love the ingredients you put into these sandwiches! They sound delicious and look so fun.
Claudia
I actually stopped making my kids lunches when they went into middle school. And they chose their lunches well. Now, they are in college and I know they wold love to come home to these - they're adorable for kids of all ages and we are definitely all olive fiends.
Kate @ Our Best Bites
Oh, my gosh, I love those little bread cups! They're adorable!
sweetlife
great idea, I bet any kiddo would love this..
sweetlife
Mags
What a unique and nutritious lunch for your darlings! You're so creative.