Exact instructions for those, like me, that need/want specific instructions:
- Loaf or loaves of bread--I buy whole wheat bread, on sale. The whole wheat bread gives it a little more everything--flavor, prevents sogginess, healthy. You can use whatever kind you want though.
- Peanut butter (I'm a JIF girl, myself)
- Jelly, any flavor. I personally use Simply Fruit brand by Smuckers. It is a bit more in cost and I can't seem to find it in bulk, but it is healthier/less sugar for kids. Jelly in general works better because it is easier to spread, especially when you are mass producing. Again, if you have jam, you can use that too.
- Butter knife
- Spoon
- Baggies
- Sharpie
Tip: involve the kids!
We wipe down our entire kitchen table as well as have everyone wash their hands. Spread out the bread across the whole table (depending on how many loaves you use). I slap a bit of peanut butter on EACH piece of bread. Layering the PB on each side of the bread helps prevent your jelly from making your bread soggy! My kids then each have a knife and spread the PB "evenly" across each piece of bread. I then use a spoon to put some jelly on one half of each sandwich, again allowing my kids to use the back of a spoon to spread the jelly "evenly." We use the term "evenly" loosely at our house as it really just needs to be "close enough." Now at this point you can top your PB/Jelly piece of bread with a piece of PB only bread and your done. With the kids though, I have found that the Pampered Chef Cut-N-Seal sandwich maker is awesome! It cuts your sandwiches into your very own "Uncrustable" sandwich, without the added cost. The kids don't care for the crust anyway and the PC Cut-N-Seal seals in all the ingredients and you don't have PB&J that leaks everywhere. The kids then label the bags with a Sharpie according to the type of jelly and we stuff them with the sandwiches. Stick in the freezer. If you pack them frozen in the lunches, by lunch they have thawed. My children swear they are not soggy and that they are "perfect."
Start to finish time: took me about 30 minutes to make 3 loaves of sandwiches, with 4 children helping:-)
Cost savings: you do the math, but it is definitely less than buying those pre-packed frozen ones and way healthier--you control how much/quality of ingredients!
Time savings: by spending 30 minutes one day a week or even once every two to three weeks making in bulk you actually save a TON of time versus making sandwiches each morning. Think about it. You have to get the same ingredients out. You have to dirty the same amount of dishes. You have the set-up and clean-up time EACH morning. By doing it all at once, you have one set-up, one clean up.
Did I mention how you can save your sanity for prepping lunches every morning? Simply have the kids grab which type of jelly they want and you just have to pack it.
