Do It Yourself "Thin" Bread and Turkey Apple Cranberry Sandwich

When we started paying closer attention to how we "spent" our calories my husband and I found that we ate significantly less bread than we were used to.  In many cases I skipped bread because it would have used up all the food budget for my meal before I even put anything on it.  Additionally by skipping bread I also passed on most of the condiments I would have put on the bread. When we grilled brats or burgers at home I would skip the bun in favor of some multigrain chips or a whole grain side dish.  Similarly our sandwiches turned into low fat / low carb wraps. I usually don't mind giving up bread in favor of using my calories for other food but sometimes, gosh darn, I just want a sandwich.  

About two years ago major bread manufacturers released their "thin" sandwich breads and bagels.  I was skeptical but after trying Thomas' 100 Everything Bagel Thins I fell back in love with bread.  The thin products are a great way to have a sandwich or toast and use most of your calories on the filling.  The small down side to the "thin" products is their limited flavor options.

Around the same time the "thin" bread became widely available, we started to see some bread on our local grocery store shelves with a really catchy package.  Dave's Killer Bread, out of Milwaukie, Oregon, is a delicious product with a fantastic story.  Their vision, according to their website is, "to make the world a better place, one loaf of bread at a time." My husband and I began choosing Killer Bread over sandwich thins for all the reasons I just mentioned.  Problem is we would have to choose a half a sandwich to keep the calories reduced.  They do make a light bread but we really like the full on seed covered version.  So we resumed our life with sandwiches few and far between.

Then one day we got a tip from fellow Weight Watchers bread enthusiasts.  Their tip made me laugh when I heard it because it was so obvious but hadn't ever occurred to me.  Cut the bread in half.  Not to make two small pieces but more like filleting a fish.  The bread should be toasted at least a little and it is important to use a good knife but with a little bit of practice it is not difficult to make any bread "thin."

Last Saturday using homemade Killer Bread "thins" I made some really awesome turkey cranberry sandwiches.  

I began by throwing together a batch of low sugar cranberry sauce.  I went heavy on the orange zest and light on the sugar so it would be really tangy.

While the sauce cooked down, I tossed together a mix of white and dark turkey meat, half an apple, thinly sliced green onion, about 6 large basil leaves, a generous shake of dried dill, and some dry mustard.  I mixed in about 1/3 of a cup of plain non-fat yogurt to make it creamy but not heavy.


I built the sandwiches with the toasted side out and heaped the turkey and apple mixture onto a bed of mixed greens with the cooled cranberry sauce on the opposite side.  The filling was a little bulky for the thin slices of bread but they still did a decent job of holding together.


Served with a few pretzels and the remaining apple I don't think this sandwich will be featured in Gourmet Magazine but for a Saturday afternoon it was just the ticket!

*Major Update! - I was just checking out Dave's Killer Bread's website and saw new light versions of both Good Seed (75 calories a slice) and 21 Grain (65 calories a slice)!!!  The original versions are 130 and 110 calories, respectively.  It is still a little lighter to make them thin but I am very excited about these new versions of their original flavors.  I now *heart* Dave's even more!

When the going gets tough, the tough make soup

Times are tight all over.  Our family, like so many others, is having to take a hard look at our finances and make some uncomfortable choices.  I share this not because I want to get into a discussion of money management but because I want to share that I am struggling with stress and anxiety.  My entire being is urging me to plop down on the couch with a fuzzy blanket and a container of ice cream to medicate and stuff my feelings of discomfort.  I would love to dive into a grande peppermint mocha and swim around in its warm, sweet, cozy, goodness.  I am choosing to do neither of those things.  Both, because we have stopped buying ice cream and lattes (for calorie and financial reasons) but also because I know I won't be helping my situation by stuffing and wallowing.

Changing our financial situation is a long term process not at all different from changing our weight.  I know that my immediate feelings of anxiousness will be much better dealt with by taking some other action.  Everyday I have to make choices that will keep me pointed toward my goals of improved health and lower weight.  It costs me no money to exercise and it makes as big of an impact on my mental health as my physical wellbeing.  I can also play with my son, engage with friends, listen to music, or tackle a creative project around the house.  All of these activities keep my mind and body working in a positive way while crowding out negative feelings.

Today I am going to channel my anxiousness into food, not eating but cooking.  My kitchen is full of beautiful ingredients that I am going to use to transform our remaining turkey into delicious soups.  The activity will allow me to feel productive and provide for our family.  One of the things I love about making soup is using spices.  Even the most basic of ingredients become a fancy meal when they are all spiced up. The smells and colors will delight my senses while I cook and be delicious when we eat them. 

By making soup I can take the food we have in the house and stretch it by freezing what we won't eat right away.  Working in my cozy kitchen is a great way to pass the afternoon and will help us stay on track both physically and fiscally.