If you’ve already had a cooked meal for lunch, chances are you won’t feel like cooking again for dinner. After all, you’ve been working hard all day. Now, you just want to get some food on the table quickly and then enjoy your evening. Anyway, it is better to have a light meal instead of a big one.
Sandwiches are a great solution. They make great healthy meals that are filling, but still light, provided of course you choose low-calorie ingredients. And most of them are very quick and will not take much time for you to prepare.
There are endless possibilities of what you can put on your sandwich. Be creative! But be sure to choose from the following key ingredients:
- Wholemeal bread
- Low-calorie spreads and toppings
- Low calorie sauces and dressings
- Salad, vegetable, vegetable or fruit
Wholemeal bread
Whole grain products have several advantages over processed white foods. For one thing, they fill you up much faster and for longer because they are high in fiber. That means, especially if you eat slowly, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll eat too much, and you won’t get hungry again quickly.
You can use whole wheat bread, rolls, toast alternating for more variety. Maybe there are even different types of whole wheat bread available.
Low-calorie spreads and toppings
What would a sandwich be without ham or cheese? Alright. But choose lean ham and low-fat cheese so your sandwich stays healthy instead of becoming a calorie bomb. Choose reduced-fat margarine over butter and buy low-calorie spreads. Low-fat cottage cheese is a great spread when mixed with a few spices. But no matter what you use, don’t put too much, as this will add calories.
Cooked or grilled meat that you still have in your fridge is also a good addition to sandwiches. For example, slices of grilled chicken breast or the rest of your meatloaf. I also love to put flaked tuna in it (canned in water, not oil!). The salmon slices are a bit pricey but taste delicious on a whole wheat roll topped with onion slices and sprinkled with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Low calorie sauces and dressings
Sauces and dressings do a great job of making your sandwich special. Choose reduced-fat mayonnaise and try to avoid prepared sauces, as many of them are high in sugar. If you want tomato sauce, apply only a thin layer.
Alternatively, you can make your own healthy sauces and dressings at home, for example, a sauce from canned tomatoes, onion, and green pepper.
Salad, vegetable, vegetable or fruit
Don’t forget to put some really healthy stuff on your sandwich! Salad sheets are great and fast. If you have cooked or roasted vegetables on hand, mash them up and use them as a spread on your steak sandwich. Or slice them. Homemade salsa or baked bean salad is also a good option. Sliced onions taste great on sandwiches. And if you like it sweet, why not add slices of fruit? Or pineapple rings or peach halves?
By including a large serving of these foods, you ensure that you are getting low-calorie toppings with plenty of vitamins and minerals. This will go a long way towards making your sandwich a healthy and filling meal.
If it comes to preparing the sandwich, you have plenty of possibilities to make it exciting. You can make a burger, broil any kind of sandwich in the oven, use buns today and toast tomorrow… You can even do a buffet: just put everything on the table and let people make their own sandwiches. Much less work for you and much more time to socialize with your family.
