A Little Craft In Your Day

Even with all of the extravagant recipes out there on the internet for lunches, nothing will beat the good old fashioned PB&J. Whether you are 3 or 103, there is something about it that can make a face light up instantly. Little kids (or kids at heart) don’t need anything special, but we put a little twist on the traditional sandwich while not altering the delicious taste at all. We make ours into a DIY PB&J pouch. They are especially great for packing in a school lunchbox or a cooler for the beach. It is a super simple way to power their day!  Let me show you how we do it. Keep reading cause I share some awesome tips and how I messed up the first time.

You will need:

•  Peanut Butter
• Strawberry Jam
• Bread
• Knife
• Fork

Start your sandwich making off by cutting off the crust. I find this to be better than doing it at the end so that you are not tossing any peanut butter or jam into the trash. After your crust is cut off, apply a thin layer of peanut butter to both pieces of bread.  This is key to prevent the pouch from getting soggy during the time between making it and when it gets eaten at lunch. There is nothing worse than soggy mushy bread.

Next, add your preferred amount of strawberry jam to the center of one piece of bread. I go heavy on the jam, but make it how your kids like it.

Here is the “hard part” but I promise it is not hard at all. Place the piece with just peanut butter on it on top of the piece with jam on it. Using your fingers, pinch around the edges. The two pieces of bread will form together making the pouch.

This last step is more for aesthetics than anything else. Going all the way around the pouch, use the fork to create little press marks. The first time I tried this, I made a big mistake and didn’t pinch it with my fingers first. The fork can’t work that kind of magic; it needs your touch. But after the fork marks, it sure is a cute little DIY PB&J pouch.

Your kids are going to go crazy over these PB&J pockets. It also makes them a lot easier and cleaner to pack and take on the go because nothing oozes out. It is great for those picky ones who don’t like the crust.
I hope you give this easy lunch idea a try and that it makes lunches more fun and less stress. It is a great way to power a kid’s day and give them the energy to learn and explore. Your kids will definitely notice the little bit extra effort that it took. I think they might even taste better because of the extra ounce of love that you put in there by making the average PB&J sandwich into a homemade PB&J pouch. I would love to know what your kids think of them! Leave a comment after you give it a try!