Double Pumpkin Cheddar Grilled Cheese

Have you fully recovered from the Halloween sugar high? Don't even look at me like some mini-Snickers didn't find their way out of your kid's basket and into your mouth...

I didn't eat one chocolate bar, peanut butter cup or sour candy this weekend. Mostly because I was too busy stuffing my face with everything else in the world at the Epcot Food & Wine Festival.

If you haven't ever been, let me tell you a little about it: It is a dangerous playground of tapas-style food and drink samplings from just about every country on this planet. {At least it sure feels that way.} Those Disney folks are pretty clever because they encourage you to get a special little swipe card that you load with funds and wear on your wrist for easy access at each station. And the next thing you know, you have spent your child's college fund and your retirement on escargot-stuffed croissants and Irish cream ale and all you have to show for it is indigestion and an empty bank account.

Our first stop was the Hawaiian kiosk with Kahlua Pork Sliders & pineapple wine.

Ok, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but it does get pricey because every kiosk looks better than the last. On the positive side, you're walking the entire time {when you're not waiting in line because, duh, it's Disney} so you're burning calories while you are consuming them, and while I'm fairly certain that it doesn't exactly balance out, it's a nice consolation.

Anyway, between the walking, carrying all 20-some odd pounds of Cole and calling on my self control, I didn't feel like I did too much damage in the end.

It is fun, fun, fun. I highly recommend it!

That being said, we sort of missed out on Halloween festivities because we were too busy showing Cole the ways of the World {showcase, that is}. There was a tiny bit of mom guilt, but then I realized that 1.) He's not old enough to eat candy anyway and 2.) We had already given him a chance to dress up the night before and walked him around a local festival... and the guilt melted away.

My baby chef. Love, love, love.

Guess what else melts? {Nice segue, right?} Cheese. 

Yes, I know I just told you that I spend the weekend eating and I should probably spend the next week or two eating kale and air before the the holiday season gets underway... but look at this.

There is a real possibility that you are all pumpkined out by now, but I had to give pumpkin just one last hurrah since I didn't do Halloween. And besides, this isn't as terrible as you'd think.

Remember the Pumpkin Seed Pesto I recently posted as a dipper for chicken nuggets? Well, as it turns out, it makes a fantastic spread for sandwiches, too. Since I also had pumpkin puree leftovers in the fridge, I slathered that on the sandwich as well. Lastly, a handful of arugula adds a little more green, which is always a nice touch and helps to ease the conscience.

You can use whatever type of melty cheese you enjoy, but I used Cabot's Farmhouse Reserve Aged Cheddar because I like the sharp, salty bite with the creamy pumpkin and herbacious pesto. Yum times a million.

Ok, I think all the pumpkin is out of my system now. What flavors and recipes do you want to see as we enter the holiday season?

Double Pumpkin Cheddar Grilled Cheese

1 tablespoon butter, divided
2 slices bread {I used White Mountain bread,but sourdough would be good, too}
2-3 tablespoons canned pumpkin puree
1/4 cup fresh arugula leaves
1 tablespoon Pumpkin Seed Pesto {recipe found here}
About 2 ounces {or more!} Cabot Farmhouse Reserve Cheddar, sliced or shredded

1. Over medium heat, melt half the butter in a skillet.

2. Meanwhile, assemble sandwich. I made mine by spreading pumpkin puree on both pieces of bread, then spreading pumpkin seed pesto on one side. I placed the slices of cheese on one side and the arugula on the other so that the spread would hold onto them like glue, then closed up the sandwich. You can make your sandwich as you please! :)

3. Place sandwich in melted butter and toast until browned, about 3-5 minutes.

4. Lift sandwich and add remaining butter to skillet, then flip the sandwich and toast the other side until the bread is browned and the cheese is melty.

Goes great with a hot cup of soup!

{Gluten Free} Chicken Nuggets with Pumpkin Seed Pesto | NatureRaised Farms®

I have a few requirements for the dishes that make it to our dinner table:

1. Must taste good.

2. Must be nutritious.

3. Must try to be as natural as possible -- no funky ingredients, excessive processing, hormones & antibiotics --  and ethically produced.

4. Must not take forever to prepare.

5. But really... must taste good.

Sounds pretty basic, right?

You'd be surprised how limiting these rules can be when you're looking for quick meal solutions. Some things taste great but have an alarming amount of questionable ingredients. Or maybe they follow the rules, but the taste leaves something to be desired. If you'll notice, that rule is a non-negotiable!

The good news is there are options that can facilitate making the right choices for your family if your checklist looks anything like mine. And that means that throwing in the towel and making a beeline for the drive-thru will be a distant memory!

I'm going to be honest, I typically don't think to buy my chicken in the frozen section of the grocery store because most of the products in those freezers don't make the cut for me. But when I learned about NatureRaised Farms® working with farmers who care about how their animals are raised and treated so that they can provide a product that meet the list of "musts", I wanted to give them a hug. They get me! 

Because I set high standards in my own home, I appreciate it all the more when companies do the same. Give me something with recognizable ingredients, responsible practices, that taste good, and I'll be your BFFL. {Doesn't take much.}

Since NatureRaised Farms® covered a lot of the bases on my checklist as far as quality, safety and convenience, I was happy to spend my time focusing on my favorite part: Flavor!

Did you know that you don't have to limit your nugget-dipping to barbecue sauce and honey mustard?! I know: mind. blown. You can actually add flavor AND a little extra nutritious boost to your meal by making a dipper like this fabulous Pumpkin Seed Pesto! Served alongside some of my cinnamon-spiced sweet potato mash, this makes a meal that would pass inspection around here.

In my house, you would be more likely to find grilled chicken breast like this as the protein in this dish -- we're not in the "chicken nugget" phase of life just yet with our kiddo. But since I know a lot of you out there are, I just wanted to show that you can still add a little color and freshness to quick family favorites, which is good news for all!{Plus, I couldn't find the grilled chicken breasts in my local Target. Rats!}

I used NatureRaised Farms® Gluten Free Breast Nuggets, which I was able to toss into my cart on a Target run {woot!}. They're fully cooked chicken breast nuggets that bake in under 15 minutes and are breaded in a crunchy gluten free rice flour crust. The best part about this meal is that you can get the Pumpkin Seed Pesto and sweet potato mash made in the time it takes for the nuggets to bake, which means less time from kitchen to table. {See rule #4!}

So, go ahead and have your rules... and eat them, too!

Check out more easy weeknight recipes using NatureRaised Farms® products over on their Pinterest page!

Bonus: You can save 15% on any NatureRaised Farms Purchase from October 25 to November 7 with this Cartwheel app offer! As if you needed any other excuses to visit Target...

Chicken Nuggets with Pumpkin Seed Pesto
and Cinnamon-Spiced Sweet Potato Mash

4 NatureRaised Farms® Gluten Free Breast Nuggets, prepared as directed
1/2 cup roasted, lightly salted hulled pumpkin seeds
Handful of fresh basil -- about 1 cup loose leaves
1 small garlic clove, grated or minced
2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
1/4 - 1/3 cup olive oil

For Chicken: Bake as directed.

For Pesto:

1. Place pumpkin seeds, basil, garlic, pumpkin puree in a food processor or blender jar. Pulse a few times to combine, then stream in olive oil while pulsing to reach desired consistency. {If the mixture is too thick, add a tablespoon of water at a time to thin it out.}

2. Taste and season with salt if necessary -- just be careful not to over-season if you used salted pumpkin seeds.

Serve alongside nuggets.

Social post & recipe is sponsored by NatureRaised Farms® Chicken but all comments and opinions are organically my own.

For Sweet Potato Mash:

2 medium sweet potatoes
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Bring a medium pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil. Add in chopped sweet potato and boil until fork-tender, about 12-15 minutes. {While these boil, make your pesto!}

2. Drain and return to pat. Mash {or use a hand mixer} to achieve desired consistency.

3. Add butter and cinnamon, and mix to distribute evenly.

Serve hot.