CuriousEpicurean

jack's lunch sandwiches

ever since jack and i started to live together - ten years ago - i have packed his lunches. give or take days when he's out of town, lunch meetings, or i'm lazy. for the most part though, i have taken it upon myself to make sure he has lunches. it comforts me to know he's eating and eating something healthy... on days that he's on his own, he usually tells me he goes to fast food or buys something in the vending machine or if he's out with his co-workers, rarely do they pick a place that doesn't involve grease or high in fat. and he does bring his fair share of sugary snacks so i try to balance that out with low to no sugar sandwiches and meals at home. i'm constantly looking at nutritional information.

and jack has a tendency to work through his lunch hour - especially if there's nothing there for him to eat. and that's a worrying thing too. if there's no fuel, just like kids in school without breakfast, i don't think the brain works to its full capacity. and with jack's work, not only does he need his brains to figure out complex machine problems. i also think food fuel helps his reflexes. if you forget to close a machine door or whatever, it can mean serious injury.

anyway, as i've said before, in kansas, he did a lot of tupperware lunches because he had a small fridge & a microwave at his office there. here in seattle, since he's on the road a lot, we had to change that and his lunches only consist of sandwiches. enough so that he can eat while he drives or park & eat; or eat while he's scoping the machines.

here are some lunch musts for his small little cooler, per jack:

*sandwich
*water bottle
*snacks (that he takes care of himself)
*fruits (i always have fruit in our bowl, so he can just grab in the a.m. and put in the cooler)
*freezer packs

sandwich ideas:

• whole-wheat bread (favorite is oroweat lite whole-wheat or winter wheat- they are smaller slices)

• organic salad greens (no iceberg lettuces); red onion; tomatoes; avocados (if they're on sale); banana peppers or jalapeno slices; sprouts if i have any...

• lean cold-cuts ( i mix it up week to week ...turkey, ham, )
  

• cheese slices (for a treat for jack, i don't do lite cheeses. i usually get his favorite, pepperjack)

• bread spreads:

-lite miracle whip blended with either wasabi paste or pesto or dijon mustard
-tzatiki with greek yogurt
-basil mayo (i have a thriving basil plant at home so this is a good way to use it up)
-avocado (i recently mashed avocado with a couple of tsps of lite miracle whip; kosher salt & pepper to taste)
-light veggie cream cheese

then stack the sandwich as you like it.

get creative