One of the biggest perks to having kids is that you can start to eat things like pizza, corn dogs and PB&J’s without judgment. In fact, it’s expected. You know, because those are the things kids like.
Before having Ellie, lunch was always a bit of a struggle. Coming up with something to eat usually resulted in a Lean Cuisine or meal out. For some reason, I don’t think either of these options will really cut it with the kiddo.
So, I’ve been relying on experts. Recently, I’ve been inspired by Catherine McCord of Weelicious fame. She is a genius at transforming classic “kid” dishes into healthy, tasty meals people of all ages will love. Seriously, I’d recommend her cookbook, Weelicious Lunches, to anyone who packs a lunch. It’s really good.
A few weeks ago, I decided to make a PB&J in the style of a grilled cheese.
I’ve never been much of a cold sandwich eater, preferring mine hot. It may not look like much, but the peanut butter becomes almost dessertlike after being heated between two slices of bread. The whole thing only takes a few minutes to make, and you probably have the ingredients at your house already. So make it for your kiddos (or yourself), I won’t tell anyone.
Grilled PB&J
Ingredients:
- 4 slices of whole wheat bread
- 2-4 tbsp. of natural peanut butter
- 1-3 tbsp. of strawberry or raspberry preserves
- 1-2 tbsp. of butter.
Heat a non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Spread one or two tbsp. of peanut over two pieces of bread. Spread the jam on the remaining two pieces. Place the slices of bread on top of each other with the jam and peanut butter on the inside. Spread a thin layer of butter on one slice of each sandwich. Place the sandwiches butter side down in the skillet. Spread the unbuttered side with butter while the sandwich is in the pan. When the bread is lightly toasted, flip the sandwiches. Using a spatula, press each down lightly. Take them out of the skillet when they’re lightly browned. Slice each into four squares and serve.
Leave a Reply