Well, I ended up getting my mums and going to the farmer’s market on Saturday. The mums were only $3! I planted them yesterday so we shall see how long they last ha! One thing that stood out to me at Union Square was the amount of food trucks lined up on the side street. It was amazing. You can kind of see from the pic below. There was a taco truck, a couple of organic and all natural food trucks, a diner inspired food truck, and ice cream. You name it. They had it.

I didn’t get any food while I was there, but I did splurge on a burger and fries at Island Burgers and Shakes. After reading about Shake Shack having to post their calorie count after reaching burger chain status last week, I couldn’t stop thinking about a big, juicy burger and fries. A phone call and a couple of glasses of wine later, the smell of greasy food and a delivery guy approached my door. Did I think about eating a whole day’s calories all in one meal? No way. I just sat there and enjoyed every bite of my swiss and mushroom burger.

Now about this sandwich. We have some grated gruyere cheese, a granny smith apple, and Grey Poupon dijon mustard. If you can’t find gruyere, swiss cheese is a great substitute.

The black forest ham was thinly sliced from the deli counter. Any kind of ham would work or even turkey.

We have whole grain bread to keep it healthy. We’re going to grill the sandwich in olive oil instead of butter. Mustard is used instead of mayo. These little swaps make all the difference for a healthier sandwich. Some fruit never hurts either.

I love combining fruit and cheese in sandwiches. It makes for a nice contrast and something new and different for lunch.

Ham, Gruyere, and Apple Sandwich
adapted from Weeknights with Giada

makes 2 sandwiches

Ingredients
olive oil for drizzling
4 slices whole grain bread
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1 cup shredded gruyere cheese
4 slices black forest ham
4 1/4-inch thick slices granny smith apple

Directions
Drizzle one side of each bread slice with olive oil. Spread the dijon mustard on the other side of each bread slice. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the cheese on 2 of the bread slices. Arrange the ham over the cheese. Then arrange the apple slices on top of the ham. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese over the apples. Place the remaining 2 bread slices, mustard side face down, over the apples.

In a medium non-stick pan, drizzle olive oil in the pan over medium to medium-low heat. Grill the sandwiches for 2 to 3 minutes until golden. Using a spatula, flip the sandwiches over and grill for another 2 to 3 minutes until golden and cheese has melted. Cut sandwiches in half and serve.