I hope everyone has had a marvelous week! My daughter and I have a tradition to stay up watching the Super Bowl together. She is usually sent to bed after half time and I'll stay up to finish the game.... knowing full well she will use any excuse she can think of to get back up and see how it is going all night. We snack and joke and cheer no matter who is playing. I love having these little traditions with my girl. Maybe one day when she is grown she will remember watching the big game with her crazy mother and the joy we had during those times.
I actually had asked on myfitnesspal if anyone had some blog suggestions about a month or two ago and one of the suggestions was sandwich bread swaps. Truthfully, most people love sandwiches. Whether you are making a cold cut sandwich or a hot open faced choice or anything in between there is something satisfying about sandwiches. I loved the idea and so here it goes! The items I use when I would love a sandwich but am not looking to eat a big hoagie roll or kill my calories on just the bread alone.
One of my original choices that I started buying about 10 years ago was Joseph's Lavash. I had been watching a healthy cooking show and the host explained she had made her own crunchy chips for snacking by cutting up lavash bread. I went to stores everywhere and couldn't find anything except in a few bakeries and nothing that was always available. Back then I couldn't actually find Joseph's in my local stores but had found them online. In faith that this would be good I ordered 4 packs so I could have it shipped. Suprise! Even now all these years later when I can easily find this brand in stores we still buy these constantly. 60 calories for half a flatbread or 120 for an entire piece with plenty of protein and only 6 net carbs a serving. My husband likes to make these into a pizza for himself or as his bread when we make BLTs for dinner.
Along with Joseph's Lavash bread my next product I love is Joseph's Pita Bread. These pitas are made with the same ingredients and stats as the lavash except 60 calories is for an entire pita rather than half the lavash. Unlike my husband I actually prefer making little personal pizzas on these. I have also used them as impromtu taco/gordita shells. Also, being a pita with the pocket I enjoy sliding some tuna salad inside and snacking away. In all honestly, I grab these sometimes just to eat plain or on the side the way you might want a piece of toast with your breakfast.
Next up is a store specific item at Trader Joe's. I have yet to see these in other stores but I keep hoping any day now to find them in Walmart, Ingles, Publix or some other major grocer. Jicama Wraps are great! Jicama naturally has a bit of a crunch factor and these wraps keep thier texture pretty well. While I mostly use my jicama I buy whole for fries or shred into salads these wraps are pretty fantastic. These wraps are only 15 calories and 3 carbs for 2 wraps. Since the only ingredient here is a vegetable feel free to fill those things up without any guilt at all.
Speaking of vegetables as your "bread" I want to let you in on a little piece of advice about me. If you want to win me over while serving vegetables always include zucchini. Mmmm. I love zucchini. Seriously, this is my favorite vegetable. This is especilly true when it is raw or grilled. Over this past summer we were grilling outside and I cut somewhat thick slices of zucchini to add to the grill. I also made little sliders instead of larger hamburgers. The sliders fit perfectly on the zucchini and the combination made incredible snacking for that afternoon. Raw zucchini also works great as a vehicle for your sandwich fixings. The best options for a more hearty sandwich are to slice in half lengthwise and use a spoon to hollow out the middle. Or you can use a vegetable peeler for thin strips and use these to make roll ups with your favorite sandwich. I even saw someone make a zucchini grilled cheese online the other day.
If you are already looking at slicing in half lengthwise and hollowing out the middle for a sandwich don't discount the cucumber! There are certainly things I would use a cucumber rather than zucchini. I have used a cucumber for tuna, chicken or crab salads especially. To me the more tangy creamy salads work best in the cucumber. However, feel free to try anything else that comes to mind. I believe I even read about a deli that started offering cucumber in place of bread so this seems to be a trend others have picked up on lately.
Sometimes, only an actual bread will do for your sandwich needs. Maybe your meal requires actual toast to be prepared. Have no fear! Those breads you see in the store for 35 to 50 calories a slice have come a long way and are seriously tasty. The one pictured here from Aldi I purchase every few months when I really need a true bread to eat. If you are on a low carb diet this may not be the best option but if calories and fat are your concerns this is always a fantastic option when only real bread will do the trick.
What if you have a burger or something that you prefer an actual round shaped bun to eat? I have you covered there as well. The Sandwich Thins tend to run about 100 calories for a "bun" and we use these often on burger night in our home. We buy ours from Aldi but other name brands make them as well and you can find them in all major grocery stores. When I go to a major store I usually look for the ones by Arnold's.
A traditional "skip the bread" option has always been lettuce wraps. Fast food joints are notorious for giving a low carb option that really means they are just putting your sandwich between lettuce. You should realize that not all lettuce is created eaqual. Iceburg tends to just lack any flavor and romaine is good as more of a boat than a bun. If you are looking for the best "bun" option my personal opinion is to look for some Bibb lettuce. The leaves seem to be sturdier and more flavorful making it easier to keep that sandwich together while you eat it.
When I really want to skip the bread all the way another favorite trick is to lay out your lunch meat and put your condiments inside. A snack I do often is turkey breast wrapped around a pickle spear and some sriracha. Instead of trying to figure out what to put my lunch meat on for a sandwich or wrap just put everything right inside and roll it up.
Low Carb tortillas tend to be lower calories than regular tortillas as well as providing more fiber. My favorite low carb tortillas are, again, from Aldi. I feel they taste the same as the regular flour tortillas but only clock in at 80 calories and 4 net carbs. These I have used as wraps, tacos, pizza crust and even rolled up meatballs & marinara in one as a meatball sub without the hoagie roll. They are absolutely delicious.
However, I did find another low carb tortilla with even better stats recently. These I have used for enchiladas, wraps and even homemade tortilla chips. Who wouldn't love for a wrap with only 45 calories and 4 net carbs while still tasting so good? Also, with 11 grams of fiber it really helped me feel full after eating these.
Second to last would be mini sweet peppers. It is so simple to slice a few of these in half lengthwise, pull out the seeds and pile in your sandwich makings. A serving is approximately 3 peppers for 25 calories. This would give you 6 little 2 bite sandwich boats making that sandwich a really fun and colorful snack. Also, halving these makes for a great tortilla chip replacement if you want to have that salsa in your fridge without killing your diet.
Last but not least would be the humble pickle. You have been putting pickles on your sandwiches or next to your sandwiches all your life. Live a little and put your food on the pickle. The same way you would for that zucchini or cucumber above use the pickle. Trust me. I enjoy buying the full size pickles and slicing in half to fill like a boat. I love buying the sandwich sliced and rolling them up. I even love buying the small slices and scooping my tuna or chicken salad directly on them instead of on a cracker. And there are so many different flavors and types of pickles that the options here are endless.
Now that was a lot of options for making those sandwiches. Who ever said being healthier and cutting carbs had to mean no sandwiches? I hope you try some of these options and let me know what you use in place of traditional bread.