Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Sandwiches as Ultimate Baon



Chef Ed Dychauco, RN
June 20, 2013

Classes for the school year 2013 had started. Every family with student or students are once again in a frenzy looking for creative ways to prepare the most fundamental & basic need for their children.. and that is the “baon”.

When we talk of sandwiches, we would always thing of sliced bread with some filling in between, be it margarine or butter with a dash of sugar, mayonnaise, peanut butter or jelly. What about egg sandwiches? Ham & egg, cheese, bacon, hotdog and many other variants available in the market today.

Depending on the budget, one can achieve not only something that would fill the tummy but, something that would be nutritious for the body as well.

Once in a while we can splurge on the “unhealthy” side of the snack item. I am not saying that we are all perfect but then with what we have, we can make use of it, and thereby avoid wastage.

Our body needs carbohydrates, protein, fats, vitamins and minerals. And we can basically have all of these in a meal, provided they are well-balanced in our daily intake.

If one has to go through the food we eat on a daily basis, or maybe a weekly basis, we should have all the necessary items to keep us healthy.

Snacks is just part of our daily consumption of foods. So that means, we have 3 other major meals to work with for the other compulsory or required nutrients to be included.

One might have cheated (if I might use this word) in one of their meals, but it can always be leveled off with the other intakes. Again, always remember the key here is moderation.

For sandwiches as baon, it has gone up several steps from a lowly slice bread to pan de sal, monay, to the fashionable, classy & hi-fiber wheat bread, rye, all grain and the likes. We can also include wraps, subs, cold & hot hero, too

But for the home-based moms & dads, we will always be a sliced-bread or pan de sal baon type. Well, maybe we can also include the burger & hotdog buns which is more readily available now in the market.

Aside from those prepared jams, jellies & butter, we make these sandwiches taste better and make the kids look forward to eating them during break time.

A very basic item we have at home is egg, right? So why not upgrade the eggs instead of the usual sunny-side up or scrambled eggs? What I mean is, do some variations on the eggs. Like, add some sliced tomatoes, onions, maybe some chopped sardines, or even left-over meats  or veggies from last night’s dinner into the egg mixture.

For variations, why not include some lettuce & cucumber (like the store-bought sandwiches) as a fill-in item? Including a few slices or pieces of fruits would be a good idea.

Sometimes, one would like to munch on something crunchy, so why not include a few pieces of carrots? Celery and some other fresh green vegetables might be quite expensive, but worth trying.

I guess, a little salad with the sandwich would go well, hand in hand.

Now there are also commercially prepared meat-filled buns that is well-liked. Saves time & effort, but not necessarily pocket-friendly.

There are instances when I like my bread plain. Meaning just as it is. No filling, no meat, no veggies. And, why not? As long as it filling! As I have mentioned, monay & star bread would be my top choices!

I have tried some really good bread that consists of nuts & raisin in high-fiber dough. A few slices is all what it takes to make me realize that I am already full!

So, whatever it is, just make sure it is delicious, nutritious and well-liked by the children, as well as adults (since we don’t want to throw them out, right?)

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