South of the Border Sandwiches

People kept telling me I looked tired today. Probably because I am. I stayed up late writing for Tablespoon last night and when I actually did make it to bed, baby girl was dancing to "Bootylicious" in my belly. But that part I don't mind so much. My favorite part about being pregnant is feeling the baby move inside. And then when I dance alone in my living room...someone's always dancing with me.

I have a ton of energy in the morning. I actually just decided to stop running this week, which is week 32 of my pregnancy. A year ago, I ran the St. George marathon. Now, I just barely move my feet and call it running. My doctor said I was fine still running but I'm pretty sure I was freaking out everyone at the gym. Okay, I know I was. A grandma came up to me and said, "Honey, I don't think you should be doing that." And then one of the gym trainers leaned up on the treadmill and whispered with a smile, "That baby is going to come out running." My husband said to step outside of the box and think if I saw another pregnant lady running at the gym in my state, wouldn't you think she's crazy? Yeah, probably.

My point is that in the morning I have all this energy but by the time I get to dinner, I'm wasted and fighting Braxton Hicks. Tonight, I actually called an audible and phoned Papa Johns (it was also pizza night for my son's school so I didn't feel so bad).

Sandwiches are a happy medium for me. It's not a ton of work but still looks like I tried. These sandwiches were a hit with half of my family. The younger two kids didn't go for them because they had too many vegetables, but I loved them. Great for entertaining. They are smothered in a savory combination of southwest spices, turkey, tomatoes, avocados, and olives. They come from the Lion House cookbook so you know they're good.

I cut my bread slices a little too thick. You want the bread to sandwich ratio to be more even.

South of the Border Sandwiches

Source: slightly adapted from The Sister's Cafe; original recipe from Lion House Entertaining

1 loaf French bread, cut into 3/4" thick slices

½ cup olives, chopped
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup lite mayonnaise
1/3 cup nonfat sour cream
1/3 cup green onions, chopped
1 pound sliced turkey
2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced
2 ripe avocados, sliced
¾ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
¾ cup pepper jack or Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, combine olives, chili powder, cumin, and salt; set aside 2 Tablespoons of this mixture. Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, and green onions to the remaining olive mixture.

Place bread on an ungreased baking sheet and spread 1 Tablespoon of the mayonnaise mixture on each slice. Top with slices of turkey and tomatoes. Spread with another Tablespoon of mayonnaise mixture (I didn't add this because I didn't think it needed it). Top with avocados and cheeses. Sprinkle with the reserved 2 Tablespoons of olive mixture. Bake @ 350 for 15 min. Makes 8-10 servings.