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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of The J.M. Smucker Company. The opinions and text are all mine.
Your kids will love this Fish Cut-Out Back-to-School Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich at lunchtime. It’s easy to prepare and so fun!
Before staying home with my kids, I was an elementary school teacher. I used to love eating lunch with my students in the cafeteria. I especially enjoyed seeing their reaction when they opened their lunch box and their mom had packed something special. Whether a favorite treat, a note, or their sandwich cut in a special way, I saw time and time again that something as tiny as a note in a lunch box could brighten a kid’s day. I know it sounds silly, but I’ve been eagerly waiting for my own kids to go to school so I can make their day with a special lunch. I love turning their favorite foods, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, into special lunch creations.
There are TONS of wicked cute and creative lunchbox creations out there. While they’re super fun and flat out amazing, I need to be honest, I’m just not that mom. Between being a full-time mom and food blogger, I just don’t have the time to spend oodles of time on making school lunches every day. And that’s where this Fish Cut Out Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich comes in.
I’ve brainstormed a few easy themed lunch box creations so I’m all ready for the new school year. I love this back-to-school themed peanut butter and jelly lunchbox creation that I’m sharing with you today, because it’s super simple and a fun play on words— the little fish eager to rejoin his/her school.
My little guy will be starting full day Pre-K this school year and to ease the transition a bit, I plan on packing easy and fun lunchbox creations for him every day. This summer, he has LOVED playing the card game Go Fish with us—so much that I found him one morning playing Go Fish with 2 of his stuffed animals, it was seriously the cutest thing ever! I know he will just love seeing this PB&J cut out into a fish shape when he opens up his lunch box on the first day of school. I think I’ll tuck a few of his Go Fish cards in with his lunch so that he knows that when he gets home from his first day of school we’ll play his new favorite game.
When it comes to making my kids’ peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, I always reach for Jif® Natural Peanut Butter Spread and Smucker’s® Natural Strawberry Fruit Spread. They go perfectly together and everyone in my family loves PB&J sandwiches made with them! I recently did my back to school grocery shopping at my local Walmart, and Jif & Smucker’s are my go-to brands for making easy sandwich creations for my kids. I love that Walmart carries Jif Natural Peanut Butter Spread in the large 40 ounce jars, because we go through peanut butter quickly at my house!
Now peanut butter and jelly is just one of those classic lunches that will never go out of style! Even when I was teaching I would often pack myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. They’re nostalgic, so easy to make, and just simply good!
Fish Cut-Out Peanut Butter and Jelly
Ingredients
- 2 slices of your favorite sandwich bread
- 2 Tablespoons of Jif Natural Peanut Butter Spread
- 1 Tablespoon of Smucker’s Natural Strawberry Fruit Spread
Instructions
- Using a 3-inch round cookie cutter, cut 2 pieces of bread into 2 circles.
- Spread peanut butter on one circle, and strawberry fruit spread on the other.
- Place the 2 circles together to form a sandwich, and cut a small triangle out of the sandwich.
- Place the triangle piece after the circle to form the fish tail.
- Finally, arrange the sandwich into a lunchbox container.
Sues says
Aw you are such a good mom! What a seriously fun lunch… Definitely filing this away for some day 🙂
Jillian says
You’re so sweet, thank you! 🙂
Karen says
What a special surprise for your children. My children are all grown but when I go to babysit my grandchildren while their parents are out of town next month. I am going to make this for my seven year old grandson. Can’t wait to surprise him.
Allison - Celebrating Sweets says
This is adorable! I should surprise my daughter with this for lunch – she would LOVE it!
georgie says
this is so cute! I don’t have children but am so excited actually for the day I get to pack their lunches ( I say this now, but I probably won’t be after 12 years of school lunches ha ha!) You’re children are lucky to have such a creative and fun Mum!
Sonal says
All the best to your little boy for starting his preK. Loved reading your post. And that PBJ fish is
Jillian says
Awww, thank you! 🙂
Dayna says
The BEST school lunch ever! So cute!