Thursday, January 28, 2016

Low Sodium Sandwiches

Some Low Sodium Sandwiches
“I want an egg sandwich for lunch,” my husband announced a few days ago. No problem. Most sandwiches are part of a “Pull Out” meal —  Pull Out of Pantry, Fridge, or Freezer. If I’ve got the right stuff on hand, I can put together a pretty good sandwich lunch or dinner in no time at all.

That’s why I try to keep an arsenal of low sodium products specifically with sandwich based meals in mind. Here’s what I usually have squirreled away:

From the pantry — cans of low sodium tuna (Trader Joe’s, Bumble Bee, Starkist, or Chicken of the Sea); freeze dried chives (Penzeys, Spice House, or Litehouse); unsalted potato chips (Kettle or Tim’s Cascade); an assortment of spice blends (dill weed; curry powder; Penzeys Forward, Mural of Flavor, & Sunny Spain); canned fruit (in juice); California Lavash Whole Grain (90 mg./sheet)  


Some Low Sodium Sandwich "Fixings"
From the fridge —  eggs, Kraft mayo (70 mg. sodium/tbsp.); Westrbrae Stone Ground NSA* Mustard; Healthy Heart Market No Salt Dill Pickles; Healthy Heart Market No Salt Bread & Butter Pickle Chips; low sodium jarred salsa (Trader Joe’s Fire Roasted NSA*, Frog Ranch mild [40 mg. sodium/2 tbsp.], or Newman’s Own mild [65 mg. sodium/2 tbsp.]); low sodium sliced Swiss cheese (Primo Taglia Lacy or Sargento [each 35 mg. sodium/slice]); deli sliced low sodium ham/turkey/beef; Lucerne NSA* Cottage Cheese


More "Fixings"

From the freezer —  hamburger patties; homemade sliced bread and sandwich buns

Produce —  fresh seasonal fruit; cherry tomatoes; celery; baby carrots; cucumbers
Leftovers make good sandwich fillings too. Things like meatloaf, roast chicken or turkey, roast beef or pork. Nothing beats a meatloaf sandwich. Or a chicken salad sandwich flavored with curry or dill. How about roast beef or pork with a touch of mustard and horseradish.


More Sandwiches
With all these goodies on hand, I can get a decent low sodium meal put together rather quickly. This is important when following a low sodium regimen. We all have days when we’re not feeling well,  we’re tired, we’re pressed for time, or we simply don’t have the motivation. Complicated meal preparation is not going to happen. But we really don’t have the option of sending out for pizza, driving through the nearest fast food joint, picking up take-out from a nearby restaurant, or even just grabbing some ready-to-go food at the grocery store. Too much sodium! So having a goodly supply of low sodium sandwich-ready items is a real boon.

*NSA=No Salt Added

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for putting together all the sandwich fixings. There are definitely some products I'm going to look for. I haven't been able to find the California Lavash in my area, but I wanted to pass along a couple of other bread items I've been able to snag, for others who may not be able to find it.

Thomas' makes Sahara White Tortilla Wraps, which have only 110 mg sodium per wrap. I've used them to make wrap sandwiches as well as burritos. They have a nice flavor and texture. I've been lucky to find them at a really good price at my local Entenmann's bakery outlet. http://www.thomasbreads.com/products/sahara-white-tortilla-wraps

Also, Alvarado Street Bakery makes No Salt! Sprouted Multi-Grain Bread, which isn't cheap by any means, but it serves a purpose. Around here it's about $5 a loaf, but only has 10 mg sodium per slice. The slices are very substantial, rather heavy and almost chewy. It makes a great piece of toast; I like putting peanut butter on it. I've also enjoyed egg salad on it. I think it would work for any sandwich that has a thick filling so you aren't getting two slices of it too close together. (I tried it for a grilled cheese sandwich once and it was way too dry and chewy.) http://www.alvaradostreetbakery.com/product_detail.php?id=28

Both of these freeze well.

shambo said...

Erica, thanks for writing. I especially appreciate the heads up about the Sahara wraps. I haven't seen them anywhere in my local grocery stores so far. But you never know. Stores seems to add and subtract low sodium products frequently, so they might become available here in the Sacramento area eventually.

Right now the California Lavash is available at most of my local grocers, including Whole Foods. Trader Joe's has a pretty good lavash too. It's a larger piece, and a single serving is 1/2 a sheet with 180 mg. sodium/serving. Not as low as the California brand, though.

Thanks also for mentioning Alvarado Street Bakery's no salt bread. I agree that it's pretty good, and definitely is useful. All of my local grocery stores carry it, so I'm assuming it's widely available.

Thanks again for writing. And, if you come upon any other great low sodium products, please do not hesitate to contact me. I'll be interested and would love to share your info with others.