When most people think of sandwiches, their thoughts probably immediately go to packed lunches. That makes sense. The sandwich is the perfect meal to pack in a picnic basket, lunchbox or even briefcase. Sandwiches are portable and can be customized to fit your tastes. Maybe that is why people all over the world eat so many sandwiches each year. But sandwiches are not just for lunch anymore. It is not uncommon to see sandwiches on menus for breakfast and dinner too.

The breakfast sandwiches we see at restaurants usually do not stray from the usual egg, meat and cheese combo but the type of bread does vary somewhat. If you are at the drive through, English muffins, biscuits and croissants are the most common options with a few exceptions. At a sit down restaurant you can be a bit more creative by adding sauces or vegetables to your sandwich. The variety of meats may also be expanded to include ham, steak or even chicken.

For lunch there are too many different types of sandwiches to list. If you are packing a lunch, you will most likely want a cold sandwich, which is what most people think of when you say sandwich. There are many different options for fillings for bread, from tuna salad to turkey to the kids favorite, peanut butter and jelly.

With the exception of peanut butter and jelly, most cold sandwiches become much healthier for you with the addition of vegetables, the most common being lettuce and tomato. Either before or after you decide what fillings you want for your sandwich you must decide what kind of bread you want.

If you crave more than just a cold sandwich for lunch or dinner, then a hot sandwich is what you want. Hot sandwiches come in just as many varieties as cold. As far as fast food goes the most common hot sandwich is the burger.

While fast food burgers are delicious, you might not want all the calories, but still want the burger flavor they offer. If you can swing it, try going to a sit down restaurant that offers a variety of non-beef burgers. Or cook at home and save money and calories. You can put almost anything on a bun and call it a burger including ground turkey, which most resembles beef, or go vegetarian with a bean and rice burger or mushroom burger.

There are many other varieties of hot sandwiches that will make quick preparation of a hot meal. If you like tuna salad but want something a bit different, try a tuna melt. If you really like bread and want to add another slice into your sandwich, grab some toast and make a club sandwich. Panini is another choice for hot sandwich in which the whole sandwich is grilled.

Kids like hot sandwiches too so do not forget about them. Grilled cheese is favorite for the little ones and some adults too. To keep grilled cheese from being boring, try different types of cheeses, or add some veggies for even more nutrition.

Sandwiches are a great food for any meal, so do not be afraid to prepare them for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Remember, as long as you have something between two slices of bread, you can call it a sandwich (and a meal)!