Back to school prep will be here before we know it and it’s got me thinking about getting back into the swing of making school lunch for the kids. My oldest, Camilla, could eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich every day if I let her! She loves her some PB&J! In an effort to give her a little variety this school year, I came up with 3 elevated peanut butter + jelly sandwiches to change things up and add a fun surprise to otherwise “blah” sandwiches.
1. PB + Sprinkles
I used a heart-shaped cookie cutter and cut the center out of one slice of bread. On the other slice I spread the peanut butter. I placed the open piece of bread with the heart shape on top of the peanut butter slice and then went to town filling in the heart shape with sprinkles. How fun is that! Once the sprinkles are in place, gently press them down so that they stick the peanut butter! This is really easy and would bring the “wow factor” on the first day of school!
Bonus Hack: If your kid is not into sprinkles, simply cutting out the heart shape is really cute too.
2. PB+J+Fresh Fruit
This next elevated sandwich was pretty simple but, sometimes keeping it simple is best! All it takes is one slice with creamy peanut butter and another with strawberry jelly. Whatever fruit your child likes, add slices on the jelly side. Cami loves strawberries but sliced banana, or blueberries would also be delicious.
3.PB+J Kabobs
For this final elevated peanut butter and jelly sandwich, I took 2 slices of bread and cut them into smaller triangles and slathered on the peanut butter and jelly. On a skewer I added pieces of Cami’s favorite fruit an in between I pierced through the mini sandwiches with the skewer. And just like that, something fun and different from her regular lunch! Pro tip: Wrap the skewer in saran wrap before putting it in your kids’ lunch box.
School lunches can get boring really quickly as the school year progresses. Hopefully these simple ideas will help keep back to school and beyond fun and interesting for your kids and mine!
