Clean Eating Monte Cristo Recipe
The Monte Cristo sandwich is an incredibly decadent sandwich–ham and Swiss cheese in a crispy, yet soft fried bread, topped with powdered sugar and served with jam. They are rich, sweet, savory, flaky—pretty much all of the sensations you could hope for in a delicious meal. Disneyland’s restaurant Cafe Orleans is also known for their Monte Cristos:
The only problem? They aren’t the most nutritious of meals. Since I love the Disneyland Monte Cristo, I decided to take on the challenge of making a 21 Day Fix-approved, clean-eating version of this sandwich, since Disney + Food + Health is my jam!
The Ingredients
- 2 slices of 100 calorie or less whole wheat bread per person (I used Dave’s Killer Bread 80 calorie The Good Seed)
- 3 slices of lean lunch meat (lean ham if you want to be more traditional), or ham-style Tofurkey (that’s what I used!)
- 1 slice of Swiss cheese per sandwich
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- 2 T unsweetened almond milk, coconut milk, or non-fat milk
- 1 tsp melted coconut oil
- 1 tsp solid coocnut oil
- 1 cup of blackberries and/or raspberries per person
- hint of lemon juice
21 Day Fix Counts: If having a whole sandwich with two slices of bread, the container counts are 2 yellow, 1 red, 1/2 blue, 1 purple, and 2 tsp. If you want to cut down on your yellow container counts, you can have half a sandwich using only once piece of bread, with counts as being 1 yellow, 1 red, 1/2 blue, 1/2 purple, and 1 tsp.
The Preparation
Step 1: Whisk together egg, cinnamon, honey, milk, and one tsp melted coconut oil.
Step 2: Heat your solid coconut oil in a pan until fully melted and coating the whole pan.
Step 3: Dip each of your bread slices into your mixture, then put on the pan on medium heat, batter side down.
Step 4: Add your meat and cheese toppings to your bread, and continue to cook until your bread is a light golden brown (about 3-4 minutes).
Step 5: Top with your other dipped slice of bread, then flip over to cook the other side. If your bread is cooking faster than your cheese can melt, then lower your heat.
Step 6: While the other side of your sandwich is cooking, and your cheese melting, in a small saucepan put your berries, a drizzle of honey or maple syrup, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Once starting to bubble slightly, mash your berries so they become a chunky sauce.
Step 7: Continue to stir your fruit until slightly simmering and hot. Take your sandwich off the stove once both sides of your bread are golden brown and your cheese is slightly melted.
Serving
Now it’s time to enjoy your 21 Day Fix-approved, all-natural, refined sugar-free Monte Cristo sandwich! To serve, you can either dip in your fruit compote on the side or place on top, like I did! The only thing this Monte Cristo doesn’t have from the original is powdered sugar–which, let’s face it, although that taste is eliminated, you’ll feel so much better eating this version of the sandwich that you won’t miss it at all!
With my recipe, you can enjoy the amazing flavors that will take you back to Disneyland’s Cafe Orleans Monte Cristo, but without the guilt.
And although I had this sandwich for breakfast, many restaurants serve it all day long! This recipe would be perfect for a special morning, such as an anniversary or birthday! I hope you enjoy my 21 day fix-approved Monte Cristo sandwich recipe.
And if you’re curious about what the 21 Day Fix lifestyle is all about, you can check out my coaching page! I coach an online Disney-inspired 21 Day Fix group with more amazing recipes like this, which you can contact me if you have any questions about.
