My lunch usually (okay, always) consists of the following items:

- yogurt

- an apple

- a peanut butter and jelly sandwich

Sometimes I’ll throw in some variables, like a granola bar, or string cheese.

Boring, right?   I know.   I can offer no excuse, except for the fact that I usually pack my lunch around 10:00PM.  At 10:00, creativity is not a priority. 

Since my New Year’s Resolution is to spend my time more wisely, I’m hoping that it will eventually trickle down to packing my lunches at a more reasonable hour.   Maybe then, I’ll be more inclined to make healthier, more creative sandwiches.   

Speaking of great sandwiches -  About a month ago, Brian and I checked out Jerry’s, a sandwich shop in the West Loop –  not too far from my beloved Whitney Young. 

The choice of sandwiches at Jerry’s is staggering.   If you aren’t paralyzed in the face of choices, then you’ll love Jerrys.   

The folks at Jerry’s are masters in the art of  what I call “Ingredient Permutation.”   They take about 15 simple ingredients… and from those, create over 100 sandwiches.     I wonder if the people at Jerry’s have every sandwich memorized.    Just looking at the menu is exhausting!

If I worked there, I’d have to devise some elaborate cheat sheet, so I could remember what makes the Uriah H. sandwich different from the Groucho M.  sandwich.  (hint: one has smoked salmon, and one has roasted salmon.)

I don’t think I’ll ever be able to make sandwiches like Jerry’s.   But in the meantime,  Parents magazine has some great sandwich ideas to help me venture outside of PB&J territory:  Let’s Do Lunch.   And the  Land O’ Lakes website has some great sandwich ideas as well:   Best Sandwiches for the Lunch Box

Soundtrack to this post:  The Buckwheat Boyz – Peanut Butter Jelly Time

Coming Soon: The Daily V – In Season:  Clementines