Pesto Chicken and Roasted Vegetable Sandwich

Title: Pesto Chicken Sandwich

Sandwiches are a staple for many people’s lunch, but they can get so boring (and unhealthy), so I am making an effort to post more healthy sandwich recipes to help all of you that pack a lunch to take to work. Remember the days of boring, dry and bland ham sandwiches? Well, those days are gone and delicious sandwiches like this have replaced them.

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So, you all know how much I love carbs right? I have joined up with the Federation of Bakers and the Flour Advisory Bureau to promote the nutritional benefits of a balanced diet that doesn’t cut out carbs. There are so many fad diets out there that are ridiculously restrictive and the media are always promoting some kind of new no carb diet. Well, I am here to tell you that you don’t need to cut out carbs to be healthy or lose weight.

Bread gets a seriously bad rep, and I have no idea why. I am not suggesting that you eat a whole loaf a day (but wouldn’t that be amazing?), but there is no need to give it up totally. I have tried that before, it made me sad and I ended up having a bread binge. Here are a few facts on bread/carbs for you:

• Carbohydrates help you to feel fuller for longer, making you less likely to snack on the unhealthy things and providing a great source of fuel before or after a workout
• Bread is low fat, low sugar and around 80 calories a slice, so if you’re watching your weight you can fit it easily to your health plan
• White bread is a good source of non-dairy calcium as white bread is fortified with calcium
• There is no singular dietary cause of bloating; low stress, eating a well-balanced diet containing fibre & drinking enough water can help

Whenever I post anything with carbs or even mention my love of carbs, so many people say “can you eat carbs when losing weight?” YES! Yes you can. Sure, most people need to cut down, as the majority of unhealthy people do have a diet that is too high in carbs, but it is just about making smarter choices, there is no need to cut them out completely.

So what makes this sandwich healthier? Well, it also uses Greek yoghurt instead of mayo, the chicken is grilled and it is packed full of vegetables too. This got a huge thumb up from  Mr HHH too.

Ingredients – Serves 2:

– 4 slices of wholewheat or Gluten Free bread

– 1 chicken breast

– 2 tbsp pesto

– 2tbsp 0% Total Greek yoghurt

– 2 handfuls of rocket (arugula) lettuce

– 1 red pepper, thinly sliced

– 1 courgette (zuchinni), ribboned

– 4 sundried tomatoes

1) Put the red pepper and courgette in a baking tray and put in a preheated over at 200C/390F for 30 minutes.

2) Butterfly cut the chicken breast and grill (broil) on medium for 10 minutes each side or until cooked through.

3) Spread the pesto on 2 slices of bread and Greek yoghurt on the other 2 slices of bread.

4) Put the lettuce on top of the pesto bread and then add the roasted vegetables. Top with the chicken and sundried tomatoes and then top with the Greek yoghurt slice of bread.

Nutritional Information – Per person

Calories: 434

Fat: 9.3

Carbs: 28

Protein: 21

Fibre: 14.2

*This is a sponsored post, but all views are my own*