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 :)
My favorite birthday memory was my 20th birthday. My boyfriend at the time threw me a huge surprise birthday party. Considering it was my second year in college, it was amazing to see so many new friends and old friends from home make an effort to attend. And it was fun to drink a lot of booze with new people too. :)
A few years ago, I made the Milk Bar funfetti cake for my birthday! Happy Birthday, hooray!
Turning 21 ! I celebrated with friends during Spring Break at Padre Island. 1974!
Birthday cheers to you!
My favorite birthday memory was about 10 years ago. I was in a new city, living alone, my air conditioning was broken (May in Florida) and I thought I’d be spending my birthday alone. My birthday was looking grim. As I was driving home I looked up and saw two people waving at me from a wall in my neighborhood. It was my mom and my brother! I put the car in park and we jumped around and danced right in the road! They traveled from across the state and Colorado, respectively, to spend my birthday with me. I had never gone so long without seeing either of them. It was such a relief to see their smiling faces! We ate Thai food and drank wine and caught up. It went from the saddest to the happiest birthday ever. They still laugh at my reaction when I saw them waving at me from the wall.
I follow you on Instagram and Pinterest.
For my 5th birthday I had a tea party using all of my grandmothers vintage tea cups, cake plates and tea hats. My mom went all out on the tea sandwiches and little cakes – it was the best!!!
This sandwich looks amazing! I’m thinking about what I brought for lunch and am now incredibly disappointed. Growing up, my older sister and I always had a joint birthday party because they were only a few days apart… and while I hated sharing the day with her, it was always perfect. We would be up at our cabin in Northern Minnesota, spend the day on the lake, grill burgers and brats for dinner, and finish with presents on the deck and a chocolate bundt cake with cream cheese and chocolate chip filling (I had the same cake every year for my birthday!!).
xo, Ellie
with love from ellie
8 years old, waking up to a tall stack of griddle cakes, lots of syrup, LOTS of bacon – topped off with a candle. Better than the cake!
Crushing hard on this one – ultimate indeed!! And yeah! I love celebrating my birthday (and other peoples). It’s so fun!!
My favorite birthday memory is the time I got a lot of my friends together at a local favorite restaurant. It was small, so we took up about half the tables there, and we had a great time.
The best birthday I ever had, I got my first strike while bowling. It was truly epic. And I’m following you on Instagram!