No More Lunchmeat

Lunch is such a hard meal for me. I prefer to save my splurges for dinnertime so I feel compelled to have simple lunches...and nothing's more simple than a sandwich. A slice of whole wheat bread, some low fat protein and a half of an avocado and I've got a pretty healthy, yet substantial, main lunch item. Over the past several weeks, I've been getting my lunch ingredients from Whole Foods. They roast whole turkey breasts, so getting a convenient and healthy option is pretty easy. It's almost perfect, though I have three complaints:

1) It ranges from $12.99-$14.99 a pound

2) It's not organic

3) The rating of Whole Foods Animal Welfare Standard isn't displayed. I know any meat bought at Whole Foods is probably better than most other places, but I still like to know exactly what I am eating. (I try to stick with Step 3 or higher, when at all possible).

Then the lightbulb turned on...

Before my weekly Whole Foods trip, my good friend, Julia, asked me to pick up a turkey breast from the meat department so she could make sandwiches. (Genius! Why have I never considered this?)

After playing 20 questions with the butcher (thanks, nice guy!), I ended up with a pound of bone in/skin on turkey breast. 

Now, here comes the really complicated part - finding 3 whole minutes of active kitchen time to get things going. 

Here's the method/recipe:

- Preheat oven to 325

- Coat turkey breast with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt, pepper, and dried thyme

- Insert meat thermometer into the thickest portion

- Place in a roasting pan and put in the oven

Now...

- Walk away, and come back in about 1.5 hours or once its reached 175 -180 degrees.  

Here's what you'll get at the end: 

Now, all that's left is carving off the meat, and - Voila - here is my first homemade roasted turkey breast sandwich: 

To make this sandwich, just toast one slice of whole wheat bread and spread the best mustard in all the land onto the bread. Then, slice half an avocado on one side, and add a couple ounces of turkey on the other. Finally, add a beautiful piece of red-leaf lettuce. Serve with a nice piece of fruit and "the best pickle in the whole world" (this is a quote from someone at Whole Foods...and it is completely true). 

Now that I've experienced both store bought lunchmeat, as well as homemade, here are the reasons I'll continue to make my own:

- It wasn't that hard or time consuming...and now I have lunch for a few more days, too. 

- It's organic

- It's rated Step 3, according to Whole Foods

- I know exactly what salt and seasons are on the turkey, because I put them there

- It cost $7.99 per pound - almost half the price of the slightly more convenient stuff

- It was fun! 

Enjoy! :)