For this Wednesday I’m throwing it back to The Elvis Panini hoping your days are filled with as much fun, food and kids as mine are these days!

Elvis Panini from weelicious.comPin

When I gave birth to Chloe and the baby my midwife asked me what meal I would like to eat to celebrate and nourish my body. I’m sure I could have picked anything under the sun like Roasted Chicken with Caramelized Lemons and Cherry Tomatoes to Southern Style Pork Tenderloin, but my very favorite meal is The World’s Greatest Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich. In fact, I ate one everyday for a week after having her last month when turned into wanting warm sandwiches everyday. After seeing a huge bunch of bananas in the kitchen I started whipping up these Elvis Panini Sandwiches for everyone. They’re not only easy (especially for a new mom to make and nourish her body), but they’re also super satisfying when you want something crunchy and sweet, but also packed with a fruit, protein and carbohydrate.

Elvis Panini from weelicious.comPin
Want to save this recipe?
Just enter your email and get it sent to your inbox! Plus you’ll get new recipes from me every week!

I literally have hundreds of cookbooks I started collecting when I was a 
little girl and continue to this day. I admit that after all these years, it’s gotten a little out of 
control, but I love the endless variety and different styles of books out there. There are also some genuinely odd and funny ones as well. The Elvis 
Presley cookbook “Are you Hungry Tonight” is great. Just looking at the table 
of contents makes your arteries feel like they are clogging, but the one recipe Elvis is best 
know for is the “fried peanut butter and banana sandwich”. I’m not 
saying that it doesn’t sound incredibly delicious, but it’s not 
exactly one of the first dishes I would want to turn my son on to given the “fried” approach. So, always in service of trying healthy approaches to not-so-healthy classics, I think I came up with a good one… Mini Elvis Panini’s.

Elvis Panini from weelicious.comPin

I recently had over a group of 
little ones ranging from 15 months to 4 years old and they devoured 
these sandwiches faster then I could make them. Since I still haven’t 
given Kenya peanut butter (our Doctor recommended we wait until he’s over the age of 2 in case of allergies), I made his with almond butter (feel 
free to replace it with peanut, soy or cashew butter if that’s what your 
little one prefers). Almond butter is an ideal first nut for babies to 
try since it has a low allergic potential and almonds are packed with 
calcium, vitamins B and E. 
By using the panini press, the heat melted the banana and almond 
butter together while pressing the sandwich together for smaller 
mouths to get bigger bites. And….same great taste, no frying. These mini sandwiches are delicious and 
will give your little one tons of energy for playing.

Pin

Elvis Panini

No ratings yet
Author: Catherine McCord
Prep Time 1 minute
Cook Time 4 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients  

  • 2 Piece Whole Wheat of Ezekiel Bread, 7 grain or cinnamon raisin
  • 1 Tbsp almond butter or peanut butter
  • 1/3 Banana, cut into several slices cut lengthwise

Instructions 

  • Spread almond butter on one side of bread and cover with 3 slices of banana.
  • Top with the second slice of bread and place in a panini press on medium/high heat.
  • Cook for 3-4 minutes or until sandwich is pressed and golden.
  • Cool thoroughly and cut into 4 squares and serve.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 70kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 2g | Sodium: 75mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g
Did you make this recipe?Mention @Weelicious or tag #weelicious!

About the Author

Catherine is a mama of three. A Kentucky girl living in California. Here’s what I know: all kids can be great eaters and mealtime must be easy. I create simple, healthy recipes the whole family will love.

Comments

  1. All of these look amazing and I can’t wait to try a few of them. Has anyone packed them for their child’s lunch? How are they several hours later?

  2. Sunbutter (sunflower seed butter) is also a good alternative if allergies to all nuts are a concern. Usually available in the natural food section of the store.

    Also, I’ve heard if you don’t have a panini press, you can use two cast iron skillets – a big one to cook in and a smaller one to “press” the sandwich while cooking. (I just set it on top of the sandwich, I don’t really push down.) You have to flip the sandwich and it doesn’t leave the pretty ridges that a panini press makes, but it does make it condensed and crispy.

    Thanks Catherine. I love your website!!!

  3. I was just thinking of PB and banana panini!
    Thank you to Anna for the tip, that sounds like a great idea.

  4. When I make this, I mashed the banana with a fork before spreading on the bread so that the pieces of banana didn’t slide out when my 15 month old ate it. Worked great! Thanks for all your yummy ideas!

  5. Monday to Friday Meal Plan Ideas | Weelicious â„¢ - Fast, Easy & Fresh Homemade Home Made Baby Food Babyfood Recipes, Toddler Food (and now for big kids too!) says:

    […] Egg in the Hole and Yogurt with Apricot, Peach and Raisin Puree Lunch: Elvis Panini and Strawberry Spinach Salad Dinner: Baked Ziti and Steamed Asparagus Snack: Dark Chocolate […]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating