Saturday, May 17, 2014

Create a Wrap - Big Sandwich

When I first married my husband, he and his kids had this special meal they would call "the big sandwich". It was a french bread sandwich they would pick up from the local grocery store deli and take to the pool or to the park. When they introduced it to us, we absolutely loved it. It is hard not to fall in love with any food that is being served while you are having a good time at the park or at the pool. 

We have lots and lots of fond memories of packing up a big sandwich and heading on the road somewhere. Sometimes we would just pick one up and have dinner at the park because the kitchen was too hot to cook. 

But lately the local grocery store has not been making the big sandwich, and our family has grown so much that just picking up one sandwich doesn't feed everyone anymore.  So we have started having sandwich night at home. It turns out really fun and I really love it when food can not only be nourishing for the body, but for the spirit as well. 


The thing about "Big Sandwich" night is that it ends up being more of an anything goes on your sandwich night. We clean out the fridge and let the kids have their creativity run while.  We slice up an apple or a pear (which can be eaten ON your sandwich or just while you are standing in the kitchen deciding on your creation) We have some that like BBQ sauce and some that have to have 1000 Island Dressing. Some like spicy mustard and some are more traditional yellow mustard users.  We had some leftover olives from taco night that we got out and they were a huge hit. We had a loaf of bread, some tortillas and a bag of leftover hard rolls from French Dip night. 
Sandwiches are a great way to great creative in the kitchen. To let your kids (and yourself) explore new things that you might like. And they are a really great way to sneak some extra veggies into your diet. Spinach greens, bell peppers, cucumbers and sliced fruits make  fantastic additions to sandwiches. Your imagination is your only limit.



I have come to love Big Sandwich night, even more now that we are making our own. The kids surprise me with their creativity and we always have a good time being there together preparing dinner.