I love me some Panera. When I lived in Pittsburgh, there was a Panera Bread just a five minute drive away from my house. I probably had Panera for lunch or dinner at least twice a week.
Many miles (and many pounds) away from those college days, I still crave the exact same meal from Panera Bread: the You-Pick-Two combo of Creamy Tomato Soup and the Chicken Caesar Sandwich. Caesar dressing and tomato soup are two of my all-time favorite things. Put them together & add some amazing asiago bread (and, of course, those delicious potato chips…) and I am in heaven. Unfortunately (or fortunately, for my bridal-body-diet-plan), we do not have a Panera bread nearby. I am usually able to convince FH to make a special trip on the weekends, but a weeknight Panera craving will go unfulfilled these days.
That is, until tonight. When I masterfully recreated my favorite Panera meal… and… (yes, it gets better) for half the calories!
I checked the nutritional value of my Panera Pick-Two of choice here using the Panera Bread Nutrition Calculator. Including the chips (lets be honest, I always ask for chips. Apple? Yeah, right.) my meal of choice carries a whopping 760 calories. Ouch. And that is not including the times I also got a cup of Panera’s vermont cheddar mac & cheese. Oh, you say decisions like this lead to weight gain? Who knew.
Anyway…
Tonight’s homemade version weighs in at about 350 calories (for 1 sandwich & 1 cup of soup), yet still packs flavor. Now that is a Tuesday Miracle.
Chicken Caesar Sandwich
{Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats}
First I poached three chicken breasts (1 sandwich for me, 2 for FH). I boiled them for about 12 minutes, and then pulled them apart by hand.
I moved the chicken pieces into a saute pan on low heat & added three tablespoons of Ken’s Lite Caesar Dressing, a handful (maybe 1/4 of a cup?) of DiGiorno Three Cheese Shredded Blend, & some dried parsley & pepper. (I LOVE the taste of pepper in my Caesar dressing- so I probably used a full teaspoon).
I threw my multi-grain sandwich thins into the toaster while heating up the chicken mixture.
I easily built my sandwiches by filling the sandwich thins w/ the chicken mixture, and adding some mixed greens & a slice of tomato.
Meanwhile… I was making:
Creamy Tomato Basil Soup
{Adapted from here}
2 (28 oz) can of crushed tomatoes
16 oz fat free chicken broth
12-15 fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup skim milk (recipe called for cream… talking wedding dress in my mind said no way, lady!)
1/2 cup butter or margarine (I used margarine)
Step 1- bring the crushed tomatoes & chicken broth to a boil
Chop up your fresh basil, and toss it in! Add pepper to taste.
Turn the heat down to low, and add the milk and margarine.
This soup, ladies & gents, was amazing. FH said, and I quote, “delicious”.
Take that, Panera! (No chips needed).
Enjoy your night, everyone! I am currently watching New Girl- my favorite Tuesday night show. I totes adore Zooey Deschanel… and laugh my bootie off at her show!
Some Kind of Lovely Ride 