Eating Out Paleo Style

Happy hump day to everyone! I apologize for my absence over the past few days, I've been running around the island a mile a minute.

Today I wanted to touch on my sandwich addiction.

I don't know what it is about biting into a fresh hoagie that keeps pulling at my emotional heart strings, but it has certainly made that aspect of my paleo diet challenging. I find myself looking at all the delicious options on the deli board, lamenting the fact that I no longer eat bread.


Finding an alternative in these situations is the key to our success. And for me, your typical cobb salad just isn't going to cut it when I'm staring at the Italian sub three lines down in the sandwich section of the menu.

So what do I do?

Put in short, I order a sandwich... just no bread Now don't try and cheat by telling yourself 'I'll just put the bread on the side.' I believe you when you say you will! But that's just mean! That's like giving a kid a new set of Legos, but telling them not to build anything. Like giving a dog a Milkbone but yelling at him when he bites into it. Just plain cruel.

Now if you find yourself in a New York City deli... don't do this. The goodfella behind the meat counter might beat you to death with a salami. But when you find yourself in a place like 7a Foods (pictured above) they will surprise you by putting the ingredients on a bed of fresh, locally grown greens.

7a Foods is a unique spot on the island, dedicated to maintaining relationships with local farmers. The 7a refers to the agricultural zoning area on Martha's Vineyard, further playing on the fact that their stuff is the freshest.

My first trip there I ordered the Classic Italian with capicola, salami, mortadella, marinated red peppers, banana peppers, lettuce, tomato with vinaigrette on a sub for a total of $8.95. Now obviously I ordered it without the sub, and I was dumbfounded when they magically turned it into a salad with no hesitation, and even better, no additional charge!

Now that is a paleo sandwich! And trust me there are salad greens below that heap of meat/peppery goodness - a healthy portion too. Needless to say, it only lasted about 5 minutes. However if it had been physically possible, I would have eaten it in less.

I went back the next day, to see what other glorious creations they had in stock. I ordered the pulled pork 'sandwich' equipped with a North Carolina style sauce, a culmination of vinegar and peppers to really get your tastebuds going.

So if your hesitant to order a sandwich without bread, save this picture to your phone. When you find yourself in line, just take a look at my 'sandwich' and try not to drool on yourself.

I had intended to write more about the breadless sandwich, but its 12:45 and I think I'm going to 7a Foods again to try something else!

Enjoy!