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 :)
What an awesome giveaway!!!
My favorite birthday memory was when I was just a wee child and totally had a pinata that my parents got for just my brother and I. As one of the kids who never got in line in time to actually have hit one before (and I have vivid memories of crying over it!), it was so awesome.
Birthdays with my husband are super fun. I keep telling him not to buy me so much stuff, but I get thoroughly spoiled every time :)
Ooo! My favorite birthday memory has to be when I turned 16. My parents treated me and six of my friends to dinner and a broadway show. It was very special and kind of crazy!
On my 13th birthday my mother gave me some of her best pendants and rings which to me are priceless. I follow u on insta! Love love such inspiration
Your birthday sandwich looks delicious! My favorite birthday food memory is making ice cream cake with my mom. We make one for my birthday and my sister’s birthday every year. We’re from Wisconsin, so we love our ice cream! (Not that everyone else doesn’t love ice cream).
I already follow you on Instagram, but I’ll go get you on pinterest too!
Happy Birthday!
My birthday is at the beginning of Spring, which is a beautiful time of year but always fell during exam week in high school and college. At the end of my second year of college, I had exams the day before, morning of, and day after my birthday. Since my friends knew that going out wasn’t an option, they planned a surprise lunch for me at my favorite Indian buffet. I had NO IDEA, but was so happy to be around my friends and eating great food for an hour or two before heading back to the library!
Happy Birthday! Love the ultimate veggie sandwich and I follow you on Instagram!
i remember my first birthday celebrated in the US (9th birthday). the concept of bringing treats for the entire class was foreign to us, having recently immigrated here from korea by way of germany/netherlands/west africa. my mom stayed up all night baking cupcakes and concocting perfect frostings (my favorite is still her cream cheese frosting). i was so delighted – still am, by the memory – to celebrate my birthday with my new friends, but mostly these days, i’m so grateful for how giving with her time my mother was. thanks for allowing me a small space to capture that memory and sweet nostalgia once again.
Happy Birthday!!
I have a twin sister and I remember our 6th birthday like it was yesterday (and I am 47!) My parents allowed us to invite all the girls in each of our classes – so think 26 six year old girls in total. My Mom took half the girls and colored Easter eggs (our birthday is in late March) while my Dad took the other girls and we watched cartoons and movies in a “theater” my parents put together with 8 mm film. At the end we had a giant Easter egg hunt and my Mom made a castle cake with a molten chocolate river around it and a Hershey chocolate bar bridge.
The only thing that upset me that day is that since I was 30 minutes older than my sister, I thought I only had my birthday for the first 30 minutes of waking up, and she got it the rest of the day and I remember crying because I didn’t think that was fair until my Mom cleared it up – ha!
I already follow you on all your other social media :D
I’ve always been super introverted. On my 5th birthday, my dad got all my family together. He threw a huge bash and had everyone sing me happy birthday in unison (my nightmare). He put me in front of a big ice cream cake, and once everyone was finished singing I was so overwhelmed that I burst into tears. It’s on video, and you can hear my dad saying “Oh no, she’s compressed!”
Instead, he took me in my room with my cake. And I ate as much as I could by the handful. The ice cream melting in rivers between my fingers. So, clearly, worst birthday but also BEST BIRTHDAY.
Happy birthday! I hope you have all the cake to yourself. <3
Sitting at a restaurant to celebrate my 5th birthday, I apparently burst into tears when the restaurant staff broke out singing Happy Birthday!!! To this day I try and avoid eye contact with traveling restaurant singers….