The phrase, “The best thing since sliced bread,” carries no weight in my mind;  what’s so great about sliced bread?  Perhaps it’s the result of years of bagged lunches with only minor variations of the same boring sandwich, but about a year ago I realized that I have a serious dislike for the all-American lunch.

That’s right:  I HATE sandwiches.

When I say, “sandwiches,” I’m referring specifically to the make-at-home variety.  The whole grain bread.  The meat. The cheese.  The veggies.  The condiments.  The peanut butter and jelly.  Regardless of the combination–and I’ve even walked on the wild side and tried non-whole grain breads like freshly baked sourdoughs, and tried non-lunch meat meats like well seasoned chicken breasts–the result is the same: disgust.

When I say, “hate,” I mean… well, let me walk you through my experience step-by-step:

     Bite 1: Not good, but hey, it’s just a sandwich.

     Bites 2-3: I really don’t like this.  Maybe if I move it in my mouth so it doesn’t touch my taste buds and wash it down like a pill with a big gulp of water…

Bite 4: Throat closing.  Will. Not. Swallow.  Spit it out.

Sandwich in trash can.

(Side note:  if you have served me a sandwich at some point in the last year and right now are thinking, “Geez, I had no idea,” I apologize… I certainly would not expect anyone to cater to this kind of crazy.  ;-))

What it all adds up to is this:  lunch for me requires some creativity.  Here’s what’s in my lunch bag in lieu of a sandwich this week:

Brown Rice (Cooked in the rice-cooker with low sodium chicken broth)

Green Beans (Sauteed in a skillet with a little olive oil & garlic salt)

Chick Peas (Straight from the can)

I make a big batch on Sunday or Monday, and I am set for the week!  Delicious.

For all my fellow sandwich-haters out there, stay tuned for more ideas, as I plan to make this an ongoing series.

It’ll be the best thing since, uh, cooked rice 😉