A sandwich can easily satisfy your appetite when you’re busy and on the go. It’s easy to add variety by mixing and matching different types of bread, mayo, mustard and other ingredients.

It’s a great way to transform leftovers into tasty sandwich fillings, too.

For example, your basic tuna, chicken or turkey mixed with mayo provides a good start. Jazz up the flavor with items such as pecans, walnuts, grapes, celery, onions or bell peppers.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln suggests freezing sandwiches to help save money and time.

Some common sandwich fillings that “do” freeze well include:

• Peanut butter and other nut butters

• Canned tuna and salmon

• Cooked roast beef, chicken and turkey (especially tasty when the meat is finely chopped and mixed with a salad dressing to add flavor and moistness.)

• Natural or processed hard and semi-hard cheeses, such as Swiss, Cheddar. Note: As frozen cheese may crumble more after thawing, you may be more satisfied with the result if you grate it before freezing it in sandwiches.

Some common sandwich fillings that “do not” freeze well include:

• Hard-cooked egg whites (freezing toughens them).

• Jelly or jam (soaks into bread and makes it soggy).

• Tomatoes, lettuce, pickles, onions, etc., become limp when thawed; they can be added to thawed sandwiches just before eating them.

Here’s an important note: Salad dressings, such as Miracle Whip, work better as a binder in sandwiches than mayonnaise. Mayonnaise tends to separate on thawing.

In comparison to mayonnaise, a Miracle Whip-type salad dressing tends to have a sweeter, tangier flavor, The University of Nebraska-Lincoln reports.

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Make sure you try out the sandwich and see how you like the result before making a large batch for the freezer.
A good sandwich and a bowl of soup make a great meal any time of the year.

Love soup? Have a favorite recipe? The Georgia Mountain Food Bank is collecting recipes for “The Georgia Mountain Food Bank Empty Bowl Cookbook.”

Send recipes to GMFB, P.O. Box 233, Gainesville, GA 30503 or e-mail kay@gamountainfoodbank.org. Deadline is Monday, June 25.

The sixth Annual Empty Bowl Lunch is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 13 at First Baptist Church, 751 Green St. in Gainesville.

Tickets are $25, with proceeds from the event and the cookbook supporting GMFB programs. GMFB, an affiliate of the Atlanta Community Food Bank (member of Feeding America), helps to distribute food to feeding groups in Dawson, Forsyth, Hall, Lumpkin and Union Counties.

If you’re looking for a fun activity for your, club or office, visit Interactive Neighborhood for Kids (INK), 999 Chestnut St. in Gainesville, to paint and donate bowls for the event. For more info, call 770-536-1900 or visit www.inkfun.org.

Sandra Stringer is a nutrition educator with the UGA Cooperative Extension office in Hall County. Contact: 770-535-8290. Her column appears biweekly on Wednesdays and on gainesvilletimes.com/life.