I have been shocked by the rising costs of deli meats. $8 - $11 a pound!! I am also shocked by the sodium levels and all the additives in the meats. Check out the ingredients in“Deli Fresh Oven Roasted Turkey Breast” from Oscar Mayer. INGREDIENTS: Ingredients: Turkey Breast, Water, Modified Corn Starch, contains less than 2% of Sodium Lactate, Salt, Sugar, Sodium Phosphates, Carrageenan, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Diacetate, Sodium Ascorbate, Sodium Nitrite, Caramel Color.
From my research, I have found that several of the ingredients in this deli meat recipe are not good for you and could even be linked with cancer.
If you have kids that go off to school you might be thinking, “I get it, but I still need to make my kids sandwiches everyday.” Here is my suggestion:
All Natural Chicken Breasts
When all natural chicken breasts are on sale I stock up! I put some in the freezer and then I cook some for sandwiches. I found the best way to keep the chicken moist for sandwiches is to cook it this way:
Put it in a large pot. Cover it with water and cook over low/medium heat until it is cooked all the way through.. You do NOT want to overlook or it will get dry. When the chicken is cooked through I rinse it in cold water to stop the cooking and cool it. Slice it thin and it’s ready to be loaded on bread for sandwiches. Won’t you don’t use wrap tightly and store in the fridge.
I typically buy chicken breasts on sale for $1.88/pound. Compare that cost of $9.50/pound for deli meat. The average sandwich has 1/4 pound of meat. If you have 2 kids that’s 10 sandwiches a week for school which adds up to 2.5 pounds of sandwich meat a week.
Cost of chicken breast for sandwiches for the week: $4.70
Cost of Deli Meat Turkey for sandwiches for the week: $23.75
Not only do you save almost $20/week, you also are sending your kids off with a healthier sandwich.
Yes, it takes a few extra minutes to do it this way, but for me it's worth it to save $20 and know my kids are not putting meat into their body that could be harming their health.