It’s my birthday today! Are you guys big on celebrating your birthday? For as long as I remember, my birthday has been an obsession of mine. It’s probably just a bit (okay, a lot) egotistical, but I just love the idea of a day celebrating me. I like planning elaborate themed parties with tons of friends (DIY grilled cheese party anyone?), but I also love the flip side of that – spending a day celebrating, just me and my boo.
No matter what I end up doing, there is one absolute must: eat ALL the things. It’s the one day you shouldn’t hold back. I know, I know, veggie sandwiches aren’t what one usually thinks of when they’re thinking about birthday eats, but when I saw this glorious picture of the ultimate veggie sandwich on Instagram, it had to be mine. I’m all about veggie sandwiches (and pizzas too, to be honest). I love the the different textures, the crunch, and the freshness.
This sandwich was truly epic – perfect for a pre-birthday treat!
The Ultimate Veggie Sandwich Recipe
makes 1 sandwich
- 2 slices bread of choice (I used multigrain)
- mayo and mustard, to taste
- 6 leaves romaine lettuce
- 1 small carrot
- 1/2 small cucumber
- salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 1/8 head red cabbage
- 1 avocado
- handful of sprouts
- 3 slices tomato
- thin slices red onion
Start off by prepping your vegetables. Trip the lettuce leaves to the size of your bread. Julienne or shred the carrot, thinly slice the cucumber and cabbage. Pit and peel the avocado and thickly slice. Toast the bread and let cool (so it doesn’t get soggy). Spread on mayo and mustard to taste and build your sandwich: 1/2 of the lettuce leaves, carrots, cucumber, salt and pepper, cabbage, avocado, sprouts, tomato, onion, then the remaining lettuce and top slice of bread. Wrap tightly in parchment paper or wax paper and slice in half. Enjoy immediately!
i put a candle in it, because birthday :)
Giveaway: I hope you guys like chopping vegetables (and everything else) because for my annual birthday giveaway, I’m giving away a shiny sharp Shun Nakiri knife and a Walnut Boos Block Cutting Board from cuttingboard.com. I absolutely LOVE my nakiri and there’s nothing better than chopping and slicing on a beautiful wood cutting board.
To Enter: Leave a comment below with your favorite birthday memory. I want to hear ALL the details! I’ll randomly choose a winner and notify them through email. Open to US residents only. (Sorry international friends!) Also, if you’d like some extra entries (one per follow), follow me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest (and let me know in your comment). Contest ends September 17th at 12pm PST. Good luck!
Update: Congrats Willow! Get ready to get your knife skills on! Keep an eye out for an email :)
11th bday- we set out a gigantic, 4′ x 6′ bday cake in our public park and had ourselves a food fight! no friend was spared from the cake attack.
Every year on Labor Day weekend in Colorado Springs hot air balloons pepper the sky for some kind of “race” but I think they just float around for fun. My birthday happened to fall on Labor Day the year I turned 5. That year one balloon had to make an emergency landing and it happened during my birthday party in front of my house! According to my kid logic, I thought the balloon was landing for my birthday. The landing went well, everyone was okay and I was ecstatic about my birthday present.
My favorite birthday was at least 10 years ago, when I was able to take the day off from work and spend a full day relaxing. I just became a follower on twitter.
I had the flu for the week before my 9th birthday. My parents had to drag me out of the house I was so tired. They dragged me into this weird store I hadn’t been to before that I had no reason to be in and I wanted no part of it. We round a corner and all my friends from school are there to wish me a happy birthday.
Energized, we ate cake, candy and realized we were in an archery/billiards place which was pretty awesome!
Everyone had fun, I was no longer flu stricken and I got to celebrate seeing more than just the inside of my parent’s house along with my birthday!
following you on instagram, twitter, & pinterest. I’ve been wanting a nakiri knife and boos cutting board for awhile now! Pick me!
Happy Birthday! I am a big believer in a Birthday WEEK.. so keep it goin’! One of my funniest Birthday memories was a surprise 30th Birthday– everyone was there but me! It was pre cell phones and I had wandered out to a spot across town with some new friends. Eventually, I made it to the party– but only after my sisters and bff called all over town looking for me! Needless to say, there have been no surprise parties since! (I follow on FB and pinterest)
My birthday was a week ago and we cooked Maine lobsters which is always my choice for my birthday. They were absolutely yummy with Irish butter. My husband and friends also enjoyed them. For me this is the best birthday treat.
My favorite birthday memory was two years ago. I went to Portland, OR to visit my brother and we went up to Washington and took a whale watching trip. The day was fantastic with a clear blue sky and the temperature was about 60 degrees. We saw all kinds of wildlife. I can’t remember what I ate that day, only the fact that I saw orca whales, a humpback whale, eagles, seals and porpoises.
30th Celebrated with Cousin that also turned 30 and with other Cousins
My birthday a couple years ago was pretty fantastic. Boyfriend took me to a Brooklyn Mash dinner – 5 courses, beer pairings. It was actually several weeks after my actual birthday, but it didn’t even matter. Sharing that with him was all I could ask for.
Happy Birthday! As a kid, with a December birthday that sometimes felt like it was lost in the Christmas shuffle, I loved that my Dad always made it a point to celebrate my half-birthday. One year was especially memorable, we were at one of my favorite spots on the planet, a family house on Lake Michigan, and he surprised me a cake that was 1/2 cake and 1/2 ice cream.