An Omnivore Guest Review: Hormel Natural Choice Salami

It is, more or less, time to head back to school, back to work, back to real life. For North Carolina public schools, the first day of school is next Monday (which I'm celebrating with a week-long Healthy Lunchbox Series, so don't forget to check back for that AND don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY). Anyway, with going back to school comes going back to school lunches.

I don't know about you, but school lunches at my public schools? Well, they weren't exactly anything to write home about. My mom packed my lunch most days and, while I always preferred the Nutella sandwich or PB&J, my big sister was a big fan of cold cuts.

Sandwiches like the above (using this review's featured salami) are going to make it into my little sister's lunchbox rotation this fall, for sure!

I guess taste skips a generation, because my little sister is just like my big sis - she's a cold cut girl! In particular, she's a salami fan. The problem with salami is that it can really get a bad reputation (and sometimes that reputation is warranted) for being packed with preservatives, fillers, and funny chemicals like food coloring.

My mom wanted a salami option that would be a healthy lunchmeat for my growing sister (she's seven years old and sooooo cute!) but would still taste good. Because guess what none of us are into? Sacrificing taste for health. Nope, no, not happening.

Hormel Natural Choice Uncured Hard Salami, made of 100% natural ingredients with no preservatives, no artificial ingredients (and it's gluten-free and packaged in a recyclable box!) fit the bill as far as my mom's nutritional concerns were concerned, so she and my little sister gave it a try to see if it would pass their taste requirements, too!

Here's what's in it: Beef and Pork, Salt, Contains 2% or less of Water, Turbinado Sugar, Spices, Seasoning (Natural Flavors, Sea Salt), Natural Flavors (Contains Dried Cane Juice), Garlic Powder, Lactic Acid Starter Culture (not from Milk), Flavoring.

It's good to see beef and pork as the first two ingredients, as they ought to be, and my little sister and mom both liked the color of the salami - and the fact that's it's this color naturally, not thanks to food dye number whatever.

My mom took all of these pictures herself and surprised me with them for my blog - aren't they great? Her parsley sprig is just one of her typical mom touches, she's too cute.

The two of them tried it plain on a slice of her homemade bread (I missed that!) first, so that the salami could shine. They really liked it, it got a big smile and a thumb up from my little sister - the other thumb was preoccupied with the bread. :) My mom really liked it, too, she said it was flavorful and free of that funny plastic-y aftertaste that some salamis have.

Then, because my mom loves her veggies, too, she made sandwiches for their lunch with some pretty lettuce and tomato.

My sister and her really enjoyed this salami and recommend it to any salami fans out there, whether or not you're concerned about health.

If you eat meat, do you like salami?

If you eat meat, what do you look for in a good salami?

For everyone, what's your favorite lunchbox sandwich?