Thank You Buzzfeed

I know, I know- Peanut butter is mostly considered the devil these days. It's outlawed pretty much everywhere. Somehow I live in one of the few districts left that it's allowed. But it's not even school- he will eat lunch this school year where he goes after half-day kindergarten, which also isn't nut-free. Luckily he didn't have any kids in his class the past two years with nut allergies.

I won't put up a fight when it eventually goes- as do all good runs come to an end. I have several friends who have kids with severe nut allergies. So I get the deal. I just also happen to have a kid who eats like three things, and one of them is PB&J. He is his mommy's son even if he thinks the sun rises and sets on the back of Daddy.

I LOVE peanut butter. There is nothing more appealing to me for lunch than JIF peanut butter and Dickenson's Seedless Black Raspberry Jelly. Even my since-elementary-school friend's daughter loves MY sandwiches. I took a few good things from my mother and making perfect PB&J was one of them. I'm just carrying on Rita's sandwich legacy.

I think I saw this on Buzzfeed. All I know is that I have THE best tip for school lunch that I feel like my life is actually better. I can't believe after three years of preschool daily lunches, I finally found this out. I wish I knew it years ago but it didn't even occur to me.

I read a blog post or an article or something- wish I could credit this wonder of a smarty-pants. But I can't. However, I CAN tell you to make your life easier.

All you need is:

One loaf of Nature's Harvest whole wheat bread (or whatever flavor you like), but I like that brand or Nature's Own? I always mix them up. In any event, they both make NINE sandwiches.

One giant tub of peanut butter- we like Natural JIF, Maranatha, or Natural Skippy. Creamy. I was going to try Trader Joes but I am not big on the kind you have to really stir and I can't get on board with any peanut butter that has to be refrigerated after opening. I don't have room for that. And I also can't imagine it would be easily spread. I need ease for speed in my assembly line.
Edit: Trader Joe's now makes one that doesn't need to be stirred or refrigerated. Because only psychopaths refrigerate peanut butter.

One giant tub of jelly- we like Crofters Organic. Not because it's organic, though, I guess that's a bonus. It just happens to come in giant jar. In both raspberry and grape.. Maybe one other flavor. It's huge and the jelly is thinner, therefore getting more out of  it. It also is lower in sugar than some others.

All those peanut butters and that particular jelly spread really easy.

Make your nine, or in my case- EIGHTEEN, sandwiches...and FREEZE THEM. Yup. That's what I said. Freeze. Them. Eight fit in a gallon size freezer bag. I bag each individual sandwich in a fold-over baggie. I get those in CVS- the "Basics" brand. The baggies seem to work better than foil for some reason.

Just pull a sandwich out in the morning and by lunch it's thawed and perfect. Soft, too.

Peanut butter and jelly perfection. And partially, because I don't have to make them every night. My husband thinks I'm insane. I don't care. He just likes to quote "Bad Santa"- "No, I don't want any f'ing sandwiches. What's with you and the f'ing sandwiches, Kid??"

Whatever. I'm doing the frozen PB&J sandwich dance. With a freezer packed with sandwiches.