Written By: Sofia Layarda, MPH
Title: Master of Public Health
Alumni: University of California, Berkeley
Last Updated on:
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you try to plan what to pack for the kids’ school lunches? If you are stuck in a sandwich rut, try the following ways to put a new twist on your tried-and-true favorites without busting out a whole new cookbook.
Yes, you read that right. Legumes are not just for stews, soups, or salads. Try using hummus (mashed chickpeas), mashed lentils, or mashed tempeh in place of mayo as a spread for your sandwiches. An easy tempeh spread can be made by adding cut-up, pan-fried tempeh cubes to a food processor along with a few cloves of garlic (raw or roasted), a pinch of cayenne pepper, shallot, lemon or lime juice, salt, and sugar. Puree to a paste. Another easy, tasty spread for sandwiches is pesto. You can go the traditional route with pine nuts, basil, garlic, and parmesan cheese. Or, you can experiment with other nuts and seeds and other herbs.
Looking for a simple way to perk up your regular tuna salad or chicken salad sandwich? You can:
Disassemble the sandwich: Switch to a whole grain salad with protein and extra veggies. Here are some ideas:
While there is nothing wrong with using green lettuce for your sandwich, there are other options that are also fun to try. Sprouts, slices of pickled vegetables (radish, jicama, cucumber), and other dark-green leafy vegetables such as arugula, spinach, and kale make tasty and interesting companions to the rest of the sandwich fillings.
Meatless doesn’t have to mean a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. These are meatless sandwich fillings too:
While sandwiches are fairly easy to make, sometimes we need a little variation to keep them interesting and enjoyable. Pick and choose from the ideas above to make lunchtime a pleasant break from the routine.
Alumni: University of California, Berkeley – Sofia believes in bringing back fun and pleasure into everyday eating. She loves cooking, and is constantly experimenting with ingredients, creating recipes and trying them out on family and friends. Her latest interest lies in finding realistic and practical ways of environmentally-friendly food/eating habits.
grocery aisle, kid's nutrition, lunch, school