A Practical Walk

Whenever we come Stateside, sandwich meats play into our meals. It’s just so easy and quick, especially when we’re on the road. But this time coming back I was determined to significantly cut back on our cold-cut purchases for 2 reasons:

1. The cost – It doesn’t feel like they’re expensive, but if you think about how much meat you’re actually getting for the cost, it’s not a lot.
2. Health reasons – I don’t like the preservatives and ultra-processed nature of sandwich meats. In my attempts to eat less-processed foods, I thought this was a good starting point.

We’ve been back in the US over 2 months and I have yet to purchase any bologna, salami or the like. One way to do this, is to simply stop eating sandwiches, but our family really enjoys them, so instead I’ve found some ways to eat sandwiches, just without the sliced meats.

Beans on toast

This isn’t the best option if you’re packing a lunch, but we eat this often on days when we need a quick lunch at home. Simply spread some refried beans on bread, add cheese and toss in the oven until melty. I also like to add sliced tomates sometimes.

Veggie Sandwiches

As a kid I enjoyed cucumber sandwiches. Mayo slathered on the bread, sliced cucumbers, and salt and pepper sprinkled on. Mmm… I still love this, but also as an adult discovred tomato sandwiches, the same thing just with sliced tomato in place of the cucumbers.

I remember reading somewhere, probably either The Tightwad Gazette or on a blog, that a sandwich doesn’t have to have both a meat and a cheese, it can have just one or the other. And I’ve found this to be true. A cheese sandwich can satisfy just nicely, especially if you have a variety of veggies to add in.

Grilled Cheese

And if we’re talking cheese, there’s also of course the classic, simple, yet amazing grilled cheese sandwich!

Cooking up our own meat

After Thanksgiving turkey prices plummeted and we took advantage of that! My husband smoked the turkeys and then we cooked the bones down for broth. Now we’ve got plently of turkey and broth in the freezer! One way we eat this meat is putting it in a sandwich.

Of course you can do this with all kinds of meats. I frequently purchase sale chicken (usually whole or leg quarters) and cook it up, debone it, then freeze in portioned bags. Recently my husband smoked a brisket and that makes for a tasty sandwich!

Tuna/chicken/turkey/egg salad sandwiches

The above mentioned cooked turkey or chicken makes or a great salad sandwich. We also enjoy tuna, which I try to purchase on sale. I’ve learned how to stretch a little 5 oz can of tuna for our family of 4 (2 of which are teenagers). I simply finely chop or grate lots of veggies into it. My favorites are cabbage, celery stalks and leaves, raddishes and pickles. You could also add grated carrots, onions, or apples. Recently I tried putting plain yogurt* in the tuna in place of mayo and my family didn’t even notice!

Egg Sandwiches

Sometimes we do egg salad sandwiches, fried egg, or scrambled. In fact my son eats eggs and toast almost every morning or breakfast.

What are your favorite go-to sandwiches that avoid deli meats?

*I use The Frugal Girl’s Homemade Yogurt recipe. You don’t need a special yogurt maker or anything. I make half of it sweet vanilla and half plain. She has a handy-dandy printable version, a trouble-shooting guide, and price breakdown too.