Apple Sandwiches

I used to love eating a crunchy apple but these days, it's hard to find them. Most apples have been sitting around in a market for some time. They're still tasty and useful and full of good nutritional value, especially if we don't cook all the vitamins out of them. We use apples in many ways: apple sauce, pie, muffins and baked. This morning I looked at the apple bowl and although I wanted to eat one raw, somehow at eight o'clock AM it didn't feel right. I was having a home-made bread cheese sandwich and suddenly thought, why not put apple slices in, too. I always leave the peel on, not only for the crunch, but also because I hate waste and peel is edible. Often it's where the keenest flavours lie.  I sliced the apple from the top down. You get a nice profile that way and a big slice. If there's some core in the middle, it's easy enough to cut out. I like my oranges cross sliced, too. It simply looks better and food ought to be a treat for the eyes as well as the taste buds. I don't butter my home-made bread because it has butter in it already. I can tell you, the apple/cheese sandwich was delicious and talk about crunch? Oh my! Then, I looked at the broccoli and romaine and thought, why don't I put those into a cheese or meat sandwich, also. With a dollop of my mayo/relish/chili sauce mix, it would be yum. It made me think how much flavour we lose when we cook fruit and vegetables and how easy it is to have sandwiches full of raw, real fruit and vegetables. Easy to do, very tasty and fun to concoct a sandwich salad. Kids lunches could be fun and exciting if kids decide what combinations they like. Natural peanut butter or other nut butters combined with fruits and nuts would make something very nice. Why not cream cheese, grapes and walnuts together? Or perhaps peanut butter, bananas and celery? I find salads boring but put the same things between a couple of thin slices of good home-made bread, and suddenly, it's not boring any more. In fact a well constructed sandwich can make a whole meal if you build it with good sense. Using carbs and proteins along with vegetables can be a creative lunch project for both young and old. Easy to make and true food for your body.