How to Freeze PB&J Sandwiches

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Jif® and Smucker’s®. 

All opinions are mine alone."

  #BetterTogetherPBandJ #WeAreBetterTogether #CollectiveBias

Take a look at how I make Freezeable Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches.

With school in session {or almost in session} this 15 minute prep idea will save your mornings!

I recently tried to sit back and think of how many peanut butter and jelly sandwiches I've eaten in my lifetime.  I might as well have tried to think of how many times I've used the restroom.  It's that many.  For 37 years I've probably whipped one up and had it on the go at least weekly, if not a few times a week {minus those early baby years}.

It has always been my go-to sandwich when in a pitch or just craving that smooth, nutty and sweet flavor.  Once I became a Mom that tradition continued.  If you start your kids on it early, they'll love them the rest of their life!

Here in Iowa, school starts soon {praise Jesus} and with that comes all THE THINGS.  Registering them, buying school supplies, making sure they have shoes that fit, cleaning out dressers and drawers, attending open houses, getting new socks, buying new backpacks and most importantly packing that everyday lunchbox.

I usually let my kids eat hot lunch at their school cafeteria once a week {often Fridays, because let's face it by Friday, I'm done}, but for the remaining days of the week we are packing lunches.  It's much more budget friendly and then I actually know what they are eating!

I recently stocked up on packaged travel snacks {for vacation} at our local Dollar General and also grabbed a 16 oz jar of Jif Creamy Peanut Butter and a 32 oz jar of Smucker's Strawberry Jam.  I set it aside for lunch box prep for when we got back.  

Head here to receive $1.00 OFF when you buy both!

Honestly, I've been holding on to this little trick for traditional PB&J's for years.  I've never talked about how I prep them, I just did my thing and my kids never knew the difference.  But now, after almost 9 years of food blogging I'm sharing my secret.

Right now is the perfect time of year to do this.  My kids love PB&J's and with two in full-time elementary school I could possibly be sending 10 sandwiches out the door a week.  Which basically means dragging out the ingredients each morning while everyone is scrambling to get out the door.

Instead, I prep them all on Sunday and FREEZE THEM.

Yep, I grab a loaf of bread, a container of Jif and a jar of Smucker's and take just 15 minutes on Sunday to make 10 at a time.  Then we are ready for the week ahead.

But, how do I keep them from getting soggy you say?

Great question.

Here's the trick.

You need to sandwich the jam in between two layers of peanut butter.  That way the drippy, sweet jam never touches the bread.  Traditionally, most people, will just spead peanut butter on one slice and jam on the other slice, but by spreading peanut butter on both slices of bread, then topping one of those slices with the jam, it ends up making all the difference between a bad frozen sandwich and a good one.

After that wrap tightly in plastic wrap, label if desired and place in the freezer.

Then, that morning when packing lunches, you simply grab a sandwich out of the freezer and it's thawed come mid-day when ready to eat.

Easy as pie.

Or sandwich.

Moms are always wanting the best lunch options for their kids, but we are ALL short on time.  Just 15 minutes of prep on the weekend will help save time during the busy week. 

This easy solution will help save your morning sanity and keep your kids happy.  Only PB&J's made with Jif and Smucker's allow you to easily provide a homemade taste your kids will love every time.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Jif® and Smucker's®.  All opinions are mine alone.  #BetterTogetherPBandJ #WeAreBetterTogether #CollectiveBias

Yield: 10 sandwichesAuthor: Ally

How to Freeze PB&J Sandwiches

Freezing pre-made PB&J sandwiches is a great time-saver once school is in session. Simply pull one out of the freezer in the morning, put it in their lunchbag and they are thawed by noon!

prep time: 15 minscook time: total time: 15 mins

ingredients

• 1 loaf of sandwhich bread
• 16 oz. jar Jif Creamy Peanut Butter
• 32 oz. jar Smucker's Strawberry Jam
• roll of plastic wrap

instructions

1. On a large cutting board, assemble ingredients/tools - bread, peanut butter, jam and a butter knife.
2. Place two slices of bread on the cutting board.  Spread peanut butter on one side of EACH of the two slices of bread.  This will help to prevent the jam from soaking through and making one side of the sandwich soggy.
3. Spread the jam on top of the peanut butter on one slice of bread.  Place the two slices together to form a sandwich.
4. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, labeling "PB&J" and place in the freezer.  Sandwiches will stay fresh for up to 1 month.
5. When wanting to eat for lunch that day, simply remove a sandwich from the freezer and place in a lunch tote, bag or or the counter and it will be thawed by mid-day.  Thaw time is generally a couple hours.

Created using The Recipes Generator