Open-Face Veggie Sandwhich

In general, Matt & I really try to eat a natural diet full of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, & some meats -mostly chicken & beef]. Since tiny Otter's existence, we've really made an effort to fill our fridge & pantry with these foods. Raw veggies can get dull, but we don't have loads of time to cook when we get home as we're both pretty worn out from work. We've been searching for quick, but healthy recipes for all three of us & this is one we've made a few times & love. 

This tasty sandwich is simple to make, doesn't require too much prep time, & provides a lot of nutrients. We've made it a few times & I think I've perfected the recipe [that I found on Pinterest of course, but have made it my own].

Prep Time: 15-20 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:
-fresh broccoli [about $1.00 for two heads]
-fresh yellow zucchini [$1.59 for two] --- I'm sure regular green zucchini would be good too
-onion [$2.29 for a bag of six, only half of one is needed for this]
-green pepper [can't remember the price]
-fresh mushrooms, pre-sliced [$2.50 at Aldi]
-loaf of french bread [$2.40 at Walmart]
-mozzarella cheese; block or shredded [block= $2.00 at Aldi]
-garlic mayo [home mixed]

=about $13 for total supplies, with PLENTY of extra veggies & bread left over [this is a meal for two, but I'm sure the supplies could feed a family of four, maybe with an extra loaf of bread]

Prep:
-cut up all veggies: fairly small pieces so they can be easily piled onto the bread
       To give you an idea of how much to cut up: half an onion, one yellow zucchini, half of one head of broccoli, one green pepper, as many mushrooms as you like
-depending on the number of sandwiches you're making, mix some mayo & about a half teaspoon of garlic powder.
-put all veggies on a tin foil covered baking sheet with a tablespoon or two of olive oil, & mix the veggies around in the oil so they're lightly coated. [vegetable oil works just as well, but olive oil is healthier]
-turn your oven on the broiler setting & place the oven rack on the top shelf, allow a couple minutes for oven to heat up

Cook:
-Place pan on the top rack in the oven, cook for 2-3 minutes then stir the veggies. Cook an additional 2-3 minutes. When veggies are soft [& the tips of the broccoli might start to brown], they're done
-While the veggies cook, it's a good time to spread the mayo on the bread. Just a thin layer is good.
-Take the tin foil off the cooking sheet [with veggies still on it obviously] & place slices of bread onto the cooking sheet. Using a spatula, pile the veggies onto the bread & place cheese on top.

-Put tray back onto the top rack of the oven and cook until cheese has melted, about 2 minutes.

Add a little salt & pepper on top if you like, & enjoy! We had fries on the side.
[potato fries are best, by just cutting up a potato into slices/wedges, and bake with some olive oil until they're soft. Another good side would be some fruit]

If you try out this recipe, let me know what you think!!

Bonus: with all those left over veggies, it makes the prep time for a stir fry practically nothing! I cut up extras of the veggies while I had the knife out last night, & all we have to do tonight for dinner is cut up some chicken & cook it up!

Basic Nutrition Benefits:
1 cup broccoli: protein, calcium, iron, dietary fiber, Vitamins A, C, E, K, and folate
1 cup yellow zucchini: dietary fiber, iron, various Vitamins & minerals
1 cup onion: dietary fiber, Vitamin B6
1 cup mushrooms: Vitamin D & C, folate, & various minerals

**all are low in saturated fats & cholesteral**
**fiber is a GREAT thing in general, but especially for pregnant women. With our hormones a little wacky, the digestive track is relaxed, making constipation a common side effect. I haven't had any problems with this, & I really believe it's because we've intentionally planned our meals to be nutritionally beneficial.

Looking ahead:
-walking & weight gain