Healthy Sandwich Ideas for a Healthy Lunch

The best sandwich ideas and healthy sandwich recipes for a healthy lunch. ADVERTISEMENT

Chicken salad sandwiches, egg sandwiches, tuna sandwiches and more. What makes a great healthy sandwich?

First, consider the type of bread you choose. The same filling can taste quite different when it's in a soft white bap, to when it's tucked into a hearty wholemeal roll with seeds on top.

Truly healthy sandwich recipes will always avoid white bread because it's lacking in fibre. If you really love white bread, look for a variety that has half-and-half white and wholegrain flour - kids will often accept this compromise for their favourite white bread.

Otherwise, always start with good, fresh, wholemeal bread or rolls, or try wholemeal pittas or wraps instead.

Check out these healthy lunch box ideas for 10 healthy sandwich ideas.

For healthier sandwich fillings, avoid processed meats like salami and pastrami which have been implicated as being unhealthy in the cancer prevention diet.

If you do go for meat, choose lean varieties, cut off any visible fat and avoid cheap ham which has been reformed from other cuts and is likely to contain added fat, water, salt and sugar.

Poultry is an excellent choice. Try this Chicken Salad Sandwich Recipe, or go for an easy turkey sandwich from these Leftover Turkey Recipes.

You'll find other great ideas here:

Egg Salad Sandwich How to make a succulent egg salad sandwich.

Vegetarian Sandwiches Sandwiches to keep veggies happy, from cucumber, through peanut butter to avocado.

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Veggie Might: Last-Minute Lunch

Penned by the effervescent Leigh, Veggie Might is a weekly Thursday column about the wide world of Vegetarianism.

On Tuesday, I put out the call (as if you didn’t know it was me) for help with emergency lunch ideas. You came through aces, and I’ve been implementing a few of your tricks. (I already had hummus in the company fridge!) The full results will be posted in next week’s Q&A.

But here is what prompted the call for advice. Last Thursday morning, I overslept. The night before I had cooked corn-on-the-cob and some red beans for a quinoa salad recipe. My plan was to chop the remaining veggies and cook the quinoa in the morning before work. I needed a new plan.

With only 15 minutes until I had to leave for work, I started thinking about what I had ready and what I could prepare at the office. I’m new to this company, but I know 2 things about the place: lunch is sacred and there is a microwave in the lunchroom.

Dried quinoa, a slice of onion, and a teaspoon of salt went into a container. Into another, I combined corn from one of the cobs, a 1/2 cup of beans, and 2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Taking one last peek into the fridge, I spied half a tomato and tossed it on top of the beans and corn. Maybe there was a knife at the office?

I was out the door right on time.

At lunchtime, Operation Microwave Quinoa deployed. I added 8 ounces of water (using my graduated water bottle as a measuring device) to the dry quinoa and onion. Using my best guess, I put the container in the microwave with the lid ajar, and set the timer for 5 minutes.

The quinoa was nearly done when the timer dinged. I removed the lid, reset it for 3 minutes, and what-do-you-know? It was perfect! Fully cooked, fluffy, and ready to eat.

I zapped my bean/corn/chipotle combo and sawed the tomato with a knife I discovered in one of the pantry drawers. In the future, I’ll try to cut all my veggies at home.

Once everything was hot, I mixed the contents into one container, topped concoction with the sliced tomatoes, and sat down to a delicious, office-cooked meal with Roger Federer. My last-minute lunch turned out to be a relaxing, satisfying break from a hectic day.

Thanks again for your fab comments on Tuesday. If you have any more last-minute lunch suggestions, feel free to share them in the comments.

~~~

If this article tickled your fancy, sidle on over to
20 Cheap Healthy Dishes Made from Pantry Staples
The Brown Bag Brigade
Healthy Takeout on a Budget

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Lunch Boxes for Kids - Pack Healthy Kids' Lunch Bags

Loads of ideas on packing healthy lunch boxes for kids ADVERTISEMENT

How healthy are our kids' lunch bags? In a UK government survey, the contents of 74% of lunch boxes for kids were below the nutritional standards set for school meals.

It?s true. A friend who works in a day nursery sees children who bring in a jam sandwich on white bread, a packet of crisps and a bar of chocolate for lunch. Packed with salt, fat, sugar, no veg, no protein, no fruit ? a disaster.

These are the nutritional guidelines for lunch, for a child aged 9-12: Energy 585kcalFat 23.7gof which saturated fat 7.5gCarbohydrate 81.3gSalt 1.83gThere is no guideline for the amount of sugar, which is found in carbohydrate, starchy foods, as well as in fruit and vegetables. Added sugar, which causes tooth rot, is high in juice drinks, fizzy drinks and many processed foods.

Like many parents, I pack up a lunch for my kids every day, and I know what a challenge it can be to think of something appetising and to include that?s also healthy. If you're concerned about your child's weight, see our tips on weight loss for kids.

I hope these suggestions help you pack healthy lunch boxes for kids.

The UK Food Standards Agency, offer this list of what ought to be inside healthy lunch boxes for kids. 1 portion starchy food ? bread, pasta, rice1 portion milk or dairy food1 portion fruit1 portion vegetables1 portion protein such as meat or fish

OK, that?s the bottom line. But how do you go about getting all that into those lunch boxes for kids?

Before you get started, check out the food safety tips, to make sure you pack a safe lunch box, as well as a healthy one.

Click here to go back to the top of Lunch Boxes for Kids.

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Healthy Lunch Box Ideas | Lunch Box Ideas | Healthy Eating and Kids - Travel Food Safety Tips | Kids Eating Healthy ?2005-2009 healthy-eating-made-easy. All Rights Reserved

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