Turn Your Favorite Sandwich Into a Salad

     I hear it so often, I need a T-shirt. "I'd love to eat Paleo, but my family will never get on board with it." I don't understand this because Paleo is THE most delicious food I've ever eaten. I believe this statement to be the ultimate excuse because what people really want to say is, "I'm scared, and it sounds hard and like work, and I'm addicted to food that makes me feel bad, but I don't want to say that and hurt your feelings because you're so cute, and you're looking at me with your big, brown eyes. No, don't cry! Oh, dang! Fine. I'll try it." Look deep into my beautiful, bright eyes: "Try it; you might like it."

     I really do understand how giving up certain foods, especially sandwiches, can be hard and upsetting. They are easy, cheap, and fast to put together. Fresh tomatoes out of the garden? Why not throw together a BLT or a tomato sandwich? (This may be a Southern thing, but the difference is that a tomato sandwich is made with lots of mayo and black pepper. Lettuce and bacon are optional.) Hamburger meat? Shape it into a patty and throw it on a bun with accessories of your choosing (or not), and eat it with your face. Thanksgiving leftovers? Turkey sandwiches with cranberry sauce and a side of sweet potatoes because we all need a good carb-induced nap after Black Friday shopping.

     But do we need to eat grains? According to all things Paleo and all Paleo authors, we really don't. They don't offer any nutritional value that we can't get from other, more micro-nutrient-dense sources. They contain anti-nutrients that keep us from absorbing nutrients from other sources. And they are highly addictive.

     So what's a food-lover to do? Why not make your favorite sandwich into a salad? I hear some of you, "But salads are so boring. They're not food. They're what you eat while you're waiting for food." Or, "I ate a salad last night. Well... it was mostly a crouton and tomato. Ok, it was pizza. I ate a pizza." But I believe that the best salads are inspired by foods we really enjoy.

     What about that tomato sandwich? Take those garden-fresh tomatoes, slice them up, make a homemade mayo-black pepper dressing, and put it all in a big bowl with some fresh leaves of a variety of lettuces. BLT? Add bacon. Roast beef and cheddar? Get grass-fed/grass-finished roast beef, chop it into a lettuce-y base, go Primal and add real cheddar, or dress with "Cheesy" Paprika Ranch Dip.

     In fact, some of my favorite salad recipes that I've created and shared on this blog were inspired by some of my favorite sandwiches. Hamburger Salad and Fang Gang Salad were both inspired by our families favorite sandwiches. So indulge your craving for your favorite sandwich without the bread. It's still fast, relatively cheap, and way better for you.