I'm trying to knock out more carbs from the week for myself & my family but we all love a good sandwich. From the ease of making one to the transportability it fits well in all our schedules. I just need to find different ways to make them without always relying on bread.\ Recently we've been playing with wraps & this idea: I'm open to any suggestions. Thanks.
Flatbread or wheat tortillas are good for reducing carbs. If you can find it, pita bread is also a good bread alternative for sandwiches. If you are looking to reduce carbs and calories, wrapping ingredients in a lettuce leaf is good also.
I saw a food show that used lettuce leaves to make the breadless sandwich. I don't remember which letttuce but it had large leaves to make a wrap type sandwich. It did look good, maybe a little messy.
Just as you've shown, pretty much any veggie that has the width. Mushrooms, eggplant, cucumber, zucchini etc.. so many veggies lol. A lot of people use rice cakes too. Lettuce or any other leafy green, rice paper, nori, tapioca. There are also a zillion different kinds of wraps you can make yourself from various flours and/or veggies. Or you could just grab a healthier bread and cut out other highly processed foods because carbs aren't the problem
Lettuce wraps are great and so versatile....you can make patties or kind of pizza crust inspired bases with zucchini, squash, etc. made like a patty or a flatbread.
Wow, that cucumber sandwich really looks great. I would try other vegetables also, like maybe spinach, romain lettuce, etc. I am going to try this cucumber sandwich, it looks rather tasty.
Sam's Club (and I believe Costco) sell a large box of low carb tortillas by Santa Fe Tortilla Company, which are really good. They are high in fiber and low in carbs, and are actually really easy to work with because they stay moist and aren't as dried out and fragile like many other whole wheat tortilla's can be. I've never had any problem with them "breaking" on me while trying to roll them up into a burrito or wrap. Plus flavor wise, they are very neutral, and don't have that sometimes overpowering nuttiness that whole wheat or whole grain wraps can have. Otherwise, I would personally probably just stick to lettuce wraps - many sandwiches can be pretty easily adapted to these. If you like hamburgers, perhaps make mini burgers instead that you can put into some red/green leaf lettuce or butter lettuce leaves. Or slices of grilled chicken in the leaves. There are some recipes out there for pizza crust made out of mashed cauliflower - you could perhaps make a sheet tray of that and cut it into squares to use as "bread" for your sandwiches too.
Those tortillas sound really good, Ohio. I wonder if I can find them at regular Walmart. I'll have to check. Joan, those cuke sandwiches look good. I've also seen other "stuffed sandwiches" made with various veggies like zucchini. Some people use things like slices of eggplant instead of bread as well. I like to use a nice leaf of Romaine lettuce to make a wrap. There are quite a few different recipes for "breads" made out of vegetables or different types of chick pea flour and whatnot as well. I wasn't too impressed with some of the former. I've yet to try the latter, but I plan to. x
I recently found that seaweed wraps (used for sushi) can be used. You can buy packs of seaweed wraps either square or round, so they can be used for hot or cold sandwiches. I also like to maybe use half and then make smaller wraps for snacks to take out. The bonus is these don't go off either and I keep packs in the garage as spares.
You could use crackers instead of bread. I used to have crackers in my lunchbox and make a sandwich with them using the various bits and pieces I'd packed. I also like peanut butter and banana sandwiches - cut the banana in half and spread peanut butter on the banana, then close with the other half of the banana! A bit simple, but I love them! I'd also agree with the lettuce wraps suggestions. I love lettuce wraps with chicken and sweet chili sauce personally! The cool lettuce and hot chili go well together!
Oh that's interesting! I'll have to try that one. You can also use deli meats as your wrap. For example, take slices of deli meat and wrap it around pickle spears. This a great snack.
Crackers have always been a favorite of mine over bread. Using bananas as a sort of cracker is a new thought also. I think that would make you feel full very fast. I love peanut butter and often just get a spoon full of peanut butter to make me happy.
I use Low carb tortillas all the time and make wraps. I actually prefer it these days to eating bread sandwiches. For me, I just think the taste is better and its a little better for me. I also like using Breton crackers from Costco to make little mini-sandwiches. I'll make 6 or 7 of them and it fills me up just fine. And as everyone else already said, pretty much any veggie can be a replacement if it has some room to put meat in it.
Agree with the suggestions & I actually did have to cut out carbs specifically for that week. It's not an attempt to lose weight I'm actually pretty trim. It had more to do with a rhythm I was on.
Have you tried using a large lettuce leaf filled with your favourite fillings? That is a really quick, simple and cheap alternative to using bread. Instead of sandwiches, try making a 'pot' of something, suing things like raw or roasted bell peppers to hold various fillings. Another alternative is to use a slice of cooked meat as a wrap to hold a filling inside.
Call me Debbie Downer here, but there's no such thing to me as a good sandwich without bread. I mean, bread kind of defines sandwich to me. I think you just need to expand your horizons outside the realm of carbs and say goodbye to them. Looks like you are making a pretty good transition and it seems like your options for meals are still wide open. The pitfall most people get into when making a healthy habit change is assuming they can still have those things they've given up, just in another form. I don't really agree. If you are off carbs, just be off carbs. If you can reward yourself once in a while, have a real sandwich.