I know what you’re thinking… really Amanda?? Did you have nothing else to write about today? It’s not that, really, I swear! I’m actually quite surprised at how many people are unaware of the magnificent time saver: frozen peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
I have 4 kids. Over the years, I have made more peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and sack lunches for school than I care to count. I learned this little time saving tip probably 7 or 8 years ago and have been doing it ever since.
If you make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for you child’s school lunch, this will save you a considerable amount of time each morning. The first trick to a great PB&J, one that doesn’t end up with jelly seeping through the bread, is this:
On one side of the bread you spread your peanut butter, then on the other side, put a thin layer of peanut butter. On that thin layer, add a layer of jelly. The peanut butter acts as a “raincoat” and the jelly does not soak through the bread.
I buy an extra loaf of bread just for this purpose (please note, the pictures only show half a loaf as I needed to make more and that’s what I had on hand). I do an assembly line of sandwiches, then when they are all made, I slip each one into a plastic sandwich bag. Then you put each sandwich back inside the bread bag. Store the bread bag in the freezer.
When it comes time to make little Johnny’s lunch in the morning, take one sandwich out of the bag and put it into his lunch bag. By the time lunchtime rolls around at school, his sandwich is perfectly thawed and tastes great.
No, they will not be soggy when they thaw out. This is the MOST common question I receive about this method. And yes, they still taste good! This according to my kids. :)
I even appeared on a local news station once and shared this, among several other time saving tips for back to school such as:
- Buy a bag of chips or pretzels dedicated to lunches. Make up individual baggies of snacks (zipper bags are best for this) and place them back into the empty chip bag. Each morning you just reach in and grab one.
- Cut carrots and celery into sticks and store in baggies.
- Buy small fruits such as clementines and grapes, or dried fruits such as dried cranberries and raisins, and make up individual baggies.
- You can also freeze sandwiches with deli meats, such as ham, turkey, bologna and salami. Make baggies of a piece of lettuce and an individually wrapped piece of cheese to toss in the lunch bag with the frozen sandwich. You can also buy mustard and mayonnaise packets from places like Costco, Sam’s Club and restaurant supply stores.
- To keep jelly from oozing out the bottom of the sandwich, after placing everything inside the lunch bag, place sandwich on top laying flat. Standing it up can cause the jelly to leak out the bottom as it thaws.
So there you have it. :) I’m curious, did you already know about the frozen PB&J trick? Or did you learn something new today?
I submitted this to Tip Me Tuesday
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Amanda Formaro
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Jennifer says
How long does the sandwich take to defrost? my daughter is in morning preschool. She takes a sandwich for their 930 am snack. Will it be defrosted ? Any ideas how to make that work. Thanks
Amanda Formaro says
Good question. While i’m not absolutely positive, I would guess it’s less than an hour to defrost. I recommend freezing a sandwich on Friday. Then on Saturday morning take it out and see how long it takes. That way you aren’t worried about it on a school day ;)
Scott says
I tried this this week. They turned out amazing, just like freshly made PBJ. For 2 days. But this 3rd one seems like the taste degraded. :/ If the next one is worse, then I know it’s only good for 3 days max.
Amanda Formaro says
Interesting, I suppose it’s all about personal preference. I don’t make them anymore, but when my kids were going through elementary school we did it all the time and I made enough for a week. They never complained, but kids are too busy chatting while they are at the lunch table to notice things that adults would :)
Tara says
Peanut butter isn’t allowed in any schools or childcares anymore :( obviously due to nut allergies
Amanda Formaro says
Yeah I’ve heard that. it’s not like that everywhere, must be more concentrated in some areas, or perhaps the people on the school board or those that make the decisions have children with allergies. otherwise I would think it would be nationwide.
Sahara says
This method works just as well with allergy-safe Sunbutter (sunflower butter)
Mary says
My mother was making these back when I was in grade school. I’m 65 so that’s quite a while ago. My sandwiches always tasted fresh and not soggy.
Melissa says
This may have just changed my life. Thank you, thank you!!
Tara says
I like the idea of prep and freezing to save time. But this is a crazy amount of plastic baggies! What about skipping all if the plastic and using containers? I love laptop lunches. It might add time to the end of your day with dishes, but it saves money + the environment :)
Amanda Formaro says
Hmm, you could try the containers, but I like that the baggies stay close to the bread, thus less air. I’ve never used the containers though, so if you do I’d love to hear how they work out!
Katie says
You could also just stack them and put them back in the bread bag until needed then put them in the containers in the morning. It still saves time in the morning. Our school allows Sunbutter made from sunflower seeds, it’s delicious! Our school also encourages reusable packaging. I hope this helps.
Amanda Formaro says
The only problem you might have is that the sandwiches may freeze together. But placing a square of waxed paper between the sandwiches could solve that :)
Kate says
It might help if you transferred the sandwich out of the bag and kept the bags for just the freezer? I don’t know how they would degrade over time, though, and leech into food. Maybe a pyrex container with waxed paper between?
Sharla says
Do you know if this works well with peanut butter and honey also? That’s my girl’s favorite. Thank you!
Amanda Formaro says
I have heard of others doing this but I haven’t tried it myself :)
Keshov Sharma says
Gamechanger! Thank you so much for posting this.
Amanda Formaro says
:)
Jennifer says
Hello, I tried this with my son’s lunch today and he said it taste bad, do you have any suggestions on how to improve taste other than not freezing?
Amanda Formaro says
Hi Jennifer. Hmm, I never told my kids that I was freezing the sandwiches, so they didn’t create any preconceived notions about it ;-) Is it possible that’s what happened with your son? Kids generally are very resistant to trying new foods, and even though PB&J may not be new to him, if he knew it was being frozen that could have caused him to think he wouldn’t like it. My other question for you is did you use the same ingredients you always use? Some kids are texture sensitive. So it just may not work for him. My oldest son grew up intolerant of foods touching each other. If his corn touched his potatoes he lost it. LOL! He’s 22 now and grew out of that, but every kid is different and has different quirks. ;)
Jennifer says
Thank you! I’m full time in school and work two jobs, my hand was hovering over the uncrustables last night while grocery shopping but I just couldn’t spend a fortune on what should be cheap food. I am about to go make a ton of sandwiches for school/work. Do you have a suggestion for how long they should sit in the freezer? I want to make as many as I can right now. I am placing them in a plastic box in the freezer instead of back in the bag to make my freezer a little more user friendly.
Thannks again!
Amanda Formaro says
Hi jennifer! Glad these tips helped! As far as how long to leave them in the freezer.. because I had 4 kids I was making lunches for, they never lasted more than a week. I would make a week’s worth at a time. As they got older they would take two sandwiches (as tweens and teen boys) so it was a LOT of sandwiches! I would say three weeks max, but I’m sure toward the end (mine are all older now) I had some sandwiches is their even longer.
Lana says
Hello I make PB and jam or honey or corm syrup sandwiches for hubby when he is working. I also put PB on both sides one thin and the other spread on the thin side and refrigerate the night before. I have also froze on occasion when I know it will be hot the next day so they stay cold longer. As for those of you who don’t like PB try another nut butter like almond butter.
Amanda Formaro says
Yes almond butter, cashew butter and sun butter are all great options!
Skittles says
I’ve heard this trick before, but I don’t like peanut butter :( Do you know a trick for just jam sandwiches (as in how to freeze)? Thanks!!!!
Amanda Formaro says
Hi Skittles. Do you like butter with your jelly? That would be a great alternative. Otherwise, you could just go ahead and spread the jelly and freeze them right away, but without a peanut butter or butter/margarine “jacket” it will seep through once thawed, unless eaten right away.
Jamie Leitschuh says
How do you do your lunchmeat sandwiches? Do you put mayo or mustard on both sides of the bread before you freeze it? Do you put the cheese on there before you freeze it? Great tips!
Amanda Formaro says
Hi Jamie! For lunch meat I put meat on both sides of the bread, a little drizzle of mustard on one side of the meat, then sandwich cheese between the two. I didn’t put mayo on because it doesn’t freeze well and I would include a little baggie of lettuce and/or tomato that my husband could add at lunch time :)