You can save a bundle of dough by brown-bagging a sandwich for lunch.
Consider this: By plunking down $5 to $7 on a noontime meal five days a week, you're spending $1,300 to $1,820 a year. That cash could buy you a well-deserved vacation, or the smaller clothes you'll need after skipping the french fries that come with a restaurant meal.
Fifty years ago, 25 percent of the American household food budget was spent on eating outside the home, according to Katie Horstmeyer, a register dietitian with Memorial Medical Center in Springfield, Ill. Today, that figure is 50 percent.
If finding more bucks in your budget is on your radar, then lunch is a place to start. And the classic bagged entrée is the sandwich.
Forget a slab of American cheese or a schmear of peanut butter on square bread. Deprivation does not make a eater happy. Let's shoot for a great sandwich. Some tips from Oscar Mayer and celebrity chef Bobby Flay:
- Try a whole-wheat pita, ciabatta bread or a multigrain bun. Crusty breads compliment soft ingredients like tomatoes and cheese.
- Add vinaigrette, pesto, olive tapenade, hummus, flavored mayo or salad dressing to the sandwich. A slice of cheese can act as a shield to protect the bread from getting soggy.
- Don't forget the greens, which add flavor and texture. Bibb lettuce has a sweet, mild flavor, while romaine and arugula have bolder tastes.
- Add sweetness and crunch with apple slices. Try sweet-tart Granny Smith with turkey (in the recipe below) or a Pink Lady with ham and cheddar on rye. Keep apple slices from turning brown by brushing them lightly with lemon juice.
- Layer on tomato slices, especially those from a flavorful heirloom variety. Or consider roasted red peppers, caramelized onions, avocados, fennel, parsley leaves, red onions, cucumbers or sprouts.
- Don't be afraid to experiment with new flavors. Jazz up the sandwich with a little cranberry relish, coleslaw or chopped and toasted nuts.
Of course, you'll need something to go along with that sandwich. Horstmeyer suggests including three of the five food groups (vegetables; fruits; milk; grains; and meat, beans and fish) in your lunch.
"Make containers of blueberries or yogurt. In the morning, pull one out of the freezer and by lunch it will be ready to eat," she said.
She also suggests homemade trail mix or homemade bags of 100-calorie snacks. By making your own accompaniments, you can control the portion size and include the ingredients you like.
"Try a variety of sandwiches so you don't get in a rut," Horstmeyer said. "When you're not excited with what you brought, you'll want to go out to eat."
Granny Smith Turkey Sandwich
Adapted from Oscar Mayer
1 thin multigrain sandwich bun
1 tablespoon horseradish Dijon or other flavored mayonnaise
1 Bibb lettuce leaf
1 slice cheddar cheese
2 ounces sliced turkey breast
2 Granny Smith apple slices
Spread cut sides of bun with mayonnaise. Fill with remaining ingredients. Serve with fresh fruit.
Makes 1.
Chicken Muffuletta with Spicy Olive Relish Mayonnaise
From Bobby Flay and Hellman's
Roasted red peppers (from a jar), drained
1/2 or 1 jalapeño chile, chopped (depending on how spicy you like)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
3/4 cup prepared olive relish
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons olive oil
16 (1/4-inch) slices provolone cheese
1 large round loaf of bread, sliced in half crosswise
Combine red peppers, jalapeño, garlic, mayonnaise and vinegar in a food processor and process until smooth. Scrape mixture into a medium bowl and fold in the olive relish and parsley. Set aside.
Heat grill to high or grill pan over high heat.
Brush chicken breasts with oil on both sides and sprinkle with salt and pepper, if desired. Grill 4 to 5 minutes per side until golden brown and just cooked through. Remove from grill, let rest 5 minutes then slice into 1/4-inch slices on the bias.
Spread some of mayonnaise mixture on the bottom half of the bread, add half of the cheese, half of the chicken and repeat with the remaining ingredients (mayonnaise mixture, cheese and chicken in that order).
Spread the cut-side of the top of the loaf with more mayonnaise mixture and place, mayonnaise-side down, on chicken. Wrap tightly in foil, place on baking sheet and place bricks or a heavy cast iron pan on top. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour (to allow the flavors to meld) or overnight.
Serves 8.
Tuscan Tuna Salad on Focaccia
From "The All New Good Housekeeping Cookbook" (Hearst Books, 2001)
1 can (15 to 19 ounces) white kidney beans (cannellini), rinsed and drained
½ cup chopped fresh basil
3 tablespoons capers, drained and chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 can (6 ounces) tuna packed in water, drained and flaked
1 bunch watercress (4 ounces), tough stems trimmed and sprigs cut in half
1 round or square focaccia (8 inches) or 4 pita breads, cut horizontally in half
2 ripe medium tomatoes (6 ounces each), thinly sliced
In large bowl, mash 1 cup beans. Stir in basil, capers, lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper until well blended. Add tuna, watercress and remaining beans; toss to mix.
Spoon tuna mixture onto bottom half of focaccia; top with tomato slices. Replace top half of focaccia. To serve, cut into 4 wedges.
Makes 4 servings.
Kathryn Rem can be reached at 217-788-1520 or kathryn.rem@sj-r.com.
