I know I say it a lot, but this really was an excellent lunch!!! SO much variety and good flavor – and so nutritious! It took me a good 30 minutes to eat too, which is always nice and satisfying.
First off, I have not had a Classic Turkey Sandwich on fluffy bread (no offense husband) in SO LONG. My mother in law gave us two small slices of fluffy wheat bread from a loaf she bought at a local bakery, and we haven’t had deli turkey on hand in so long that I knew I wanted to plan my lunch around a turkey sandwich. No fancy toasting it in the oven or heating it panini-style – just plain. old. sandwich. Many of you have simple sandwiches for lunch in your blogs and they always look so good!
I layered 2 slices of all-natural turkey with classic Grey Poupon, avocado, pickled jalapeño, and romaine lettuce (another ingredient we don’t have often but it really made the sandwich!)
I always think hot sandwiches are much better than cold, but this guy proved me wrong (I think it was all the crunchy lettuce)
So good!
I also, as promised, put the leftover kale (already washed and trimmed) in the oven for 10 minutes. Chips! It doesn’t look crispy in the photos, but it really is!
We also had 4 leftover cremini mushrooms so I put them in the oven beside the kale. Another instant side dish.
Then I had 1 carrot and 2 pickles with a small amount of bean hummus (I just kept putting things on my plate!)
Another of my plate –
And lastly, to fill the fruit + dairy slots, I had applesauce yogurt with cinnamon. Basically 1/4 cup natural applesauce mixed with about 1/3 cup of plain yogurt. Cinnamon on top. I’ve never done this before, but it was fantastic!
Would you believe this whole lunch was under 500 kcal?
Thanks to being heavy on veggies and going cheeseless on the sandwich (I can never taste it so why bother!?), this whole lunch was 475 kcal, 11 grams fiber and 25 grams protein. Nice!
It’s another gorgeous afternoon here, but I know the bad weather is on the way. I’m going to take advatange while I can and work on yet another semester project on the patio. Then I’ve got plans to go to Trader Joe’s and perhaps a walk in this pretty sunshine.
Happy Weekend to All!
Nick says
Nice little lunch. TJ’s! My favorite place to go, I even go when I don’t need food, it’s sorta like a kid in a toy/candy store. It’s bad to go when you’re hungry though!
– The Peanut Butter Boy
Cara says
That is a great example of how you can eat a ton for little calories if you eat healthy! I love it! mmm.
I want to try the applesauce and yogurt thing. Mmm.
hk says
So funny! I was going to suggest to posters getting used to plain yogurt that apple sauce (unsweetened) is a great addition to yogurt, and really a small amount goes a long way to add some sweetness! I love the combo of tart yogurt and sweet apples, especially with cinnamon to top it all off! I’ve also swirled a bit of pumpkin into this combo, and then finally I love to top it all of with crushed up (2) graham cracker sticks. yum!! Lunch looks great, glad you were pleasantly surprised by the seemingly boring, old cold sandwich…they’re a reliable go to, for sure! Enjoy the patio and getting crackin’ on the project! Have a fabulous friday 🙂
Kris10 says
All of this talk of sunshine is killing me! It’s cold and dreary here in Nebraska and we even got some snow this morning! Sigh.
Great looking lunch. Makes me want to trade my salad in for a hearty sandwich.
bikergurl says
Wow, that’s a lot of food for the amount of calories! I can’t wait until I have a real fridge so I can just pull stuff out to make lunch! Right now I only have a mini fridge, so I have to plan my groceries pretty carefully!
Comrade GoGo says
Sometimes a simple sandwich is one of life’s greatest pleasures. . . . I love turkey sandwiches!
rhodeygirl says
Happy Friday!
What kind of deli turkey is all natural? i get so overwhelmed with all the different kinds at the market and I feel funny asking more than just a couple of questions at a time, so any suggestion of a brand name would be awesome!
Thanks!
P.S. The bf and I are planning our Asheville trip for May! Thanks again for the tips!!
Mandy says
This looks amazing! I’m sooo going to try that kale. What a filling lunch that must have been with all of that amazing fibre! And all of those stunning colours: gorgeous. I gotta tell ya, I LOVE your big meals! I’ve lost 112 lbs and have never changed my portion sizes. I like big meals! You wouldn’t believe the flack I get for that. But hey, if I can still eat big meals and lose 112 lbs, I say, what’s the problem? I love to see another person who can eat huge portions and still maintain their weight. Thanks for the beautiful website!
Anne P says
yum! i’ve been having a lot of meatless (especially hummus or various other bean based) lunches recently, but also went back to the good old turkey sandwich (although mine was on a pita) today! a tasty classic 🙂 mmm i need to add some applesauce to my yogurt, that sounds good!
Yaz says
Hey guys I am looking to buy a new food processor to make hummus and the like do you gals have any suggestions?
By the way Kath the food looks delish.
Angie says
I have been reading this blog for about a month now and it is FANTASTIC!!!! Thanks Kath for all the work you put into this and for inspiring me to be healthy! I love all the meal ideas and made the veggie lasagna last weekend which was delicious.
Kris10 – You say you are in Nebraska? Me too!
Andrea says
that is incredible! so much volume! you really are inspiring kath (for vegans/vegetarians/and omnivores alike)! TGIF – have a great weekend
arimcg says
I want some more kale chips. I loved them.
Heather says
I can’t believe all that food was less than 500 calories! I’m definitely trying the kale chips this weekend…
kim says
I just went to TJ. Loaded up on oj (for my sick husband) and soups. and some tofurky and salad greens for me. I found the nicest studio/gym around the corner. they gave me a free week trial. Did pilates twice and a beginner spin. If any of you have back issues, I swear the pilates just rocks my world. Completely alleviated severe backpain I’ve had for years. Give it a try.
Romina says
Sometimes a good old sandwich is all you need!
Ally says
Wow, what a great meal!
I need to work on making my meals full of more volume. They have been pretty dense with calories lately.
Jill says
Sometimes a plan ol’ sandwich is just what you need! You started me on a jalapeño-on-sandwich kick, but when I lacked some of them I tried out wasabi in it’s place – it’s actually really good!
Anonymous says
Hmm.. Are you sure that’s only 11 grams of protein? It seems like it would be more considering the turkey, yogurt, bread, etc.
Kris10 says
Angie–very cool! What part? I’m in Lincoln. We definitely missed the worst of the storm here. Just little flurries this morning, but the cold! Ugh. Seeing Kath’s outdoor dining photos and reading about her long walks in the sunshine make me so jealous!
Teddy says
Hi there!
I’ve been on a yogurt kick lately- mostly with pecan granola and fresh fruit. I’d never thought to add cinnamon or apple sauce. Sounds lite and wonderful. Thanks for the idea!
I’ll be coming around her more often to pick up some new nifty ideas like this one for sure.
Teddy
VeggieGirl says
Kale!! Cremini mushrooms!! Undoubtedly, amazing additions to your perfect lunch. Yum!!
Best of luck working on your semester project, Kath – get ready to enjoy the weekend!! :0)
BethT says
I have a new fave TJ’s find, albeit an unhealthy one…they have frozen croissants you let rise overnight, then bake fresh in the a.m. They are SOOOO GOOOOD. They have chocolate and plain. The plain ones are mini croissants so calorie-wise, they aren’t QUITE as bad…
Being able to walk to TJ’s is one of my all time favorite reasons for living and working where I do, haha!
Betsy says
your kale chips look so good and crunchy 🙁
i’m gonna have another go at them next week, so hopefully mine will be like yours!
christine says
WOW..That is a lot of food.
Yummy that sandwhich looks soo good!! I love turkey sandwhiches!!
Kath says
Anon,
You’re totally right – I had switched protein and fiber! I fixed them – good catch!
K
Julz says
OK, you are the lunch g-ddess. The End.
Katie says
Wow what a HUGE lunch for 500 kcal! And seriously… i could eat a turkey sndwich every day for the rest of my life and not be sick of it. So yummy!
Elizabeth says
Yaz…I have a Cuisinart and I love it. They can be pricey, but they really are fantastic food processors.
Courtney says
Kath,
I don’t always read the comments so if you’ve answered this before, I apologize. I was wondering if you were planning on getting a part time job now that you are just in school and have had some time to get adjusted.
Yaz says
Thanks Elizabeth for your suggestion, I am considering a cusinart. I saw it at costco for $25. I thought it was a great price for something so useful.
Tina says
I love big lunches like that!
CourtneyS says
Mmmmm, I’m putting kale chips on the menu for next week. That’s a great lunch!
For anyone who is interested, I made a sandwich today with whole wheat, a veggie burger, tomato, avocado, and mustard and had that with some lentil soup. It’s still holding me over nicely.
Happy weekend!
CourtneyS says
I meant interested in a tasty lunch idea, not just interested in what I had for lunch!
Alison says
Kath,
We have a new policy at work where we aren’t allowed to post comments on blogs so I can never comment anymore but I just wanted to say that I absolutely love your blog and your healthy relationship with food is so inspiring! Have a great weekend!
Melissa says
Alison – I think it’s funny that you’re able to READ blogs at work, but not POST on them!!! 🙂 LOL
Kiala says
Oh poor Alison! That is an awful rule. 🙁
Twinks says
So I started this last night, but there was not much dialogue because I posted so late…I guess what I want to say is that I wish I could eat what I “should” because I want to, not because in my mind, I have to. Don’t get me wrong, MOST of the time, I want to, but I do have trouble letting myself not want to. Make sense?? Any advice?
Kath says
Mandy ,
112 pounds!! Wow!! A huge congrats!
Andrea ,
Thanks!
Courtney ,
Now that I have an ad, this blog IS my part time job 😉 But I am working on lining up something in between my summer school sessions.
Alison ,
Thanks for saying hello! We’ll miss your comments 🙂
Kath
Kristie says
Mmm turkey sandwiches are the best!
And I’m definitely going to be trying the yogurt and applesauce mix asap! I love yogurt and mixing all kinds of different things in it so I’m super excited to try that combination!
Jessie says
Kris10 and Angie i’m in Nebraska to! In Lincoln!!!
Jessie says
Oh and also, i read that the temp next week may be up to 70 and sunny so hang in there!
brit says
wow, i am in lincoln as well! who knew there were so many nebraska readers?
Erin says
Turkey sandwiches are definitely one of my favorite lunches of all time! Especially with honey mustard. Mmm.