How to Make a Lunch Sandwich More Appetizing

Sandwiches are the staple of lunchtime meals. They're the fallback choice if you don't know what to bring to work because they allow you to buy the necessary ingredients all at once at the beginning of a week and can be made in very little time.

But to avoid trapping yourself in a stale pattern of the same old turkey or (gasp) peanut butter and jelly, there are ways to dress up a sandwich to avoid getting bored with lunch.

The ideas I've listed below are broken down and paired by a common ingredient. That way, if a sandwich calls for something like turkey, I've given two ideas on how to use turkey (so that whatever ingredient I may be talking about doesn't go to waste - presumably you are not buying the food in one-serving increments).

Ingredient: Mayonnaise

Egg Salad: I've always liked recipes that include eggs - always have and always will. All you need to do is hard boil some eggs (10 minutes after the water starts to boil). Once done cooking, mix in mayonnaise, salt, pepper and some onions (just make sure to bring Altoids to work with you for this lunch). If you're concern is cholesterol, take out the yolks, or simply reduce the number of yolks you use in this recipe. Then, to add something a little different, I'll sometimes add a thin slice of roast beef - for some saltiness. You can go to any grocery store's meat counter and get fresh roast beef (or any meat for that matter) thinly sliced. I usually get a pound to a pound-and-a-half, which ends up lasting a whole week.

Cucumber: I know this sounds odd, but it's actually good. Just thinly slice cucumber (thickness depends on your personal taste). Then, add a thin layer of mayonnaise to regular white bread and then a layer of your cucumber slices. With this, I also like to add a thin layer of roast beef.

Tuna: Tuna is as easy as it gets. Just mix mayo with a can of tuna and add salt and pepper. On regular white bread, spread the tuna mixture and add romaine lettuce and tomato slices. I would keep the tomatoes separate from everything else until you're ready to eat, otherwise the juices get everywhere and make the bread soggy.

Ingredient: Turkey

Turkey: Turkey is another meat I like to get from the deli counter (as opposed to the pre-packed stuff). Try Jenni-O's oven roasted turkey (it always seems to go on sale. If you can get it for $4.99, you've scored; usually it's around $6.99 per pound). In any event, layer your turkey slices on a french bread roll, then add some cranberry or strawberry slices for a sweet taste. A kaiser roll is also a good choice.

Traditional: This is a basic sandwich with turkey, lettuce and tomato, but try using a croissant roll instead of regular bread - it makes just about any sandwich filling that much better. Of course, eating croissants every day of the week, is not always the healthiest choice, so pack this sandwich only every now and then.

Ingredient: Hamburger

Meatball: This would obviously best be served hot. Form one-inch balls with your ground beef and cook in the oven. While the meatballs are cooling, mix a jar of regular tomato sauce with a jar of grape jelly for a sauce. For the actual work sandwich, slice the meatballs in half and put 2 to 3 on a french bread roll. With the rest of the meatballs, you can serve with spaghetti for a dinner later that week (plus, the sauce is something different from the regular old tomato sauce taste most are accustomed to).

Meatloaf: This is a similar theory here. Make a meatloaf mixing hamburger, onions, bell peppers and meatloaf seasoning. Serve most of it for a dinner meal later that week and the leftover slices can be used on regular white or wheat bread for a sandwich.