Uncrustables!

My kids are cuckoo for Smuckers Uncrustables!

They love PB & J but they won't eat the crusts.

The problem: Uncrustables cost $6 for 10 sandwiches!

(even Aldi's brand costs $8 for 4 sandwiches)

So what do I do in a case like this? MAKE MY OWN!!

You got it, DIY Smuckers Uncrustables!

You'll need...you guessed it...peanut butter, jelly, and bread.

I also invested in this handy little tool but you don't have to. You could easily cut the crusts off using a cookie cutter, and pinch the edges together, but I love this tool that I ordered from Amazon. there are several on the market so pick your favorite, or just use your own method.

After spreading the PB&J, I individually wrapped them in plastic wrap, put them in ziploc freezer bags, and placed them in the freezer...in the original Uncrustable box so the kids know exactly where to find them when they're looking for them. I'm not fooling them at all - they know these are made by Mom but they eat them anyway.

They are perfect for school lunches and after-school snacks!

And because there's no such thing as too healthy, I have taken it a step further and decided to add my own secret healthy punches to these snacks. Have you heard of the Sneaky Chef line of cookbooks by Missy Levine? I love this idea of pureeing fruits, veggies, beans, etc and "sneaking" them into all sorts of foods to get extra nutrition into your kids' diets. I have been adding the orange puree to our pasta sauce, the purple puree to our brownies, and the white bean puree to our cookies and muffins for years. She also suggests adding white bean puree to peanut butter to add more nutrition. So I did! In case you were wondering about the white dollop on top of the peanut butter in the pictures above, its the puree.

All you need to make white bean purée:

Drain and rinse the beans, then purée them with 1-2tbsp water in your food processor. I portion them out using ice cube trays, let them freeze, then pop the cubes into a ziplock freezer bag. Then I pull 1-2cubes out each time I am ready to add some to some of my recipes.

And the kids still loved them! Now, I'm not sure exactly how much healthier mine are compared to the name brand, but if you use whole wheat bread, natural peanut butter, and reduced sugar jelly, you are already doing your family a favor. I love being able to control how much nutrition goes into these. You can use your favorite bread (white or whole wheat), use whatever peanut butter you prefer (omega 3 or organic) and whatever jelly you prefer (you could even make your own jelly).

my Uncrustables:

Total Cost:

3 loaves bread...$3

1 jar peanut butter...$4 (I used 1/2 tbsp for each sandwich and still have 1/2 jar left)

1 jar jelly...$2 (I used 1/2 tbsp for each sandwich and still have 1/2 jar left)

So let's break this down.

Since I only used 1/2 jars, my $6 made 30 sandwiches, compared to $6 for 10 for store-bought sandwiches.

That's TRIPLE the savings!!!

So if you are buying Uncrustables, do yourself a favor and try this out to save a little $$.

Or if you just make a lot of PBJs, do your family a favor and see how healthy you can make this, while saving yourself some time in the kitchen each day!