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From infant-hood my oldest son has been a picky eater. When he was diagnosed with type-1 diabetes, getting him to consume healthy foods went from being a priority, to a necessity.
When he was first diagnosed, I clung to low carbohydrate, pre-packaged food as my lifeline. It took me quite a while to feel comfortable giving him portions of homemade dishes because I didn’t have that safety net of knowing exactly how many carbohydrates were in it. Packaged foods come with handy labels that I relied on to calculate my son’s insulin.
A day came where I was smacked in the face with the reality that his diabetes wasn’t going anywhere and that he couldn’t go through the rest of his life eating grilled cheese sandwiches, hot dogs, and 100-calorie pack snacks.
One day, I realized that I was so focused on “carb-counts” that I was sacrificing a lot of nutrition in the process.  From that point on, my husband and I made it a lifestyle priority to transform our family’s eating habits.
We’re still a work in progress, but our family as a whole has come leaps and bounds on the quest to healthier eating. At first this quest was met with resistance by our oldest son, but nowadays he’s the one that is more than happy to point out what is and isn’t a healthy choice.
Although he’s more open to foods than ever before, he still doesn’t eat sandwiches. Who doesn’t like a sandwich?!
In the early months of being a MOMables subscriber, I came across Turkey & Swiss School Sushi on one of their weekly menus. I thought that maybe because it didn’t look like a sandwich, I could trick him into eating it. I tweaked it a tiny bit by choosing my go-to low carbohydrate bread, a different kind of cheese and sliding the pieces onto a popsicle stick to help keep them rolled.
Lucky for me, and thanks to some nifty MOMables tips inside the weekly menus, I found a new way for my son to eat a “sandwich” This low-carbohydrate lunch is now one of his favorites and it now makes a bi-weekly appearance in his lunchbox.
Carbohydrate Breakdown
Turkey & Cheese Sushi on a Stick:
- 1 slice of bread (no crust)= 5
- 2 slices of turkey lunch meat= 0
- 1 slice of American cheese= 2
- 2 tsp. Light Miracle Whip= 1
Sandwich total= 8 carbohydrates
Sides:
- Pineapple, fresh= 5 carbohydrates
- Grapes= 5 carbohydrates
- 4 baby carrots= 2 carbohydrates
- ¼ C. Organic snack mix (baked crackers and pretzels)= 10 carbohydrates
Lunch Total= 30 carbohydrates
*Note: I measured the pineapple, grapes and carrots on my food scale. So the above calculations are for what is pictured. If you do not have a food scale, below is a good rule of thumb for each: Pineapple: 1 oz= 4 carbohydrates. Grapes: 1 average sized grape= 1 carbohydrate. Baby carrots: 1 oz. of baby carrots= 2 carbohydrates
Ingredients
- 2-3 slices of deli turkey
- 1 slice of American cheese
- 1-2 tsp. Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
- 1 slice of bread (your choice)
Directions
- Lay bread on a cutting board and cut off the crust.
- With a rolling pin, roll over bread to thin it out.
- Spread Mayonnaise. Lay turkey and cheese slices over bread.
- Roll sandwich flats from one end to the next.
- Cut "roll" in half. Then cut in 1/2" thick round sections.
- Serve with fresh fruit, veggies, and snack or treat of choice.
Hi there, my kids aren’t big fans of sandwiches, either. This is both a good thing and a bad thing…mostly bad in terms of requiring more thought and effort for packing lunches. I’m curious…do you mind sharing what your “go-to low carbohydrate bread” is? Thanks!
Hi Lorene,
My go-to bread is Sara Lee Delightful 100% Whole Wheat with Honey. There of course are other low-carbohydrate breads, this is just the kind that my son likes best.
Thank you thank you thank you!! My son is type 1 and this is just the kinds of things I need to help battle his picky-ness. I LOVE that you have included the carb count too. I too went from making my meals (healthy options) to the pre-packaged, easy to carb count foods. Now that diabetes is no longer as overwhelming (a year and a half later) I am trying to find new options that are healthier for my son and my family. Although he does not go to school (he is almost 3) we still need good lunch options. This is great! I will have to see if he will eat it.
We are so glad Dana! We have more recipes with carb counts on the way!
My 5 year old is a T1 as well, this is a great idea. But where the heck do you find bread that is only 5 carbs a slice? We buy the sandwich thins a lot from Costco, but even those are 7.5 a slice (if you subtract the fiber, which we do). I’d love 5 carb bread though (assuming it tastes ok)!! Thanks.
Hi Lisa,
Ever since my son was diagnosed my go-to bread has been Sara Lee Delightful 100% Whole Wheat with Honey. One slice of that is 7 carbs. For this recipe, you remove the crust, therefore I calculate it as 5 carbs a slice. I think it tastes great! It is actually the bread my entire family of four eats and no one has ever had any complaints :).