So, I’ve shared lots of really simple, no-brainer tips here over the years, but I think this might qualify as just about the most basic of ideas I’ve ever shared.
In fact, I doubt I even need to do a post about it, since I could probably just put a picture and say, “I made peanut butter & jelly sandwiches for the freezer today. The end.”
And that would about sum it up. But that would also probably be the most boring post I’ve ever written, too. So I’ll try to expand a bit on this basic of basic ideas, for those who would like a few more details. 🙂
I first happened upon the idea of freezing peanut butter and jelly sandwiches when Jesse was in law school and we were eating a LOT of PB&J. I usually packed one or two sandwiches in his lunch each day and since he often had to leave for school early in the morning, I’d try to have as much stuff prepped ahead of time so that I could just take 20 seconds to pull it all out and put it in the lunch pail.
While it doesn’t really take long to make PB&J, when your time is really crunched in the morning, it can help speed things up a little bit. Plus, I’ve also found it’s so nice to have sandwiches at the ready if you end up needing to leave to go somewhere unexpectedly and no one has eaten any lunch yet.
I listened to The Little Big Things today while making PB&J in an assembly-line fashion. {The audiobook has some good things in it, but the crass language is driving me batty! Honestly, that’s a “little big thing” to me!}
I ended up having to break out a new jar of jelly and peanut butter about halfway through. And Jesse got home about this time and he sat at the kitchen table and told me about his day while I finished up the sandwiches. Multi-tasking at its finest! 🙂
The end result: A big pile of sandwiches! I cut the sandwiches in halves, put them in individual baggies, and then put the baggies in large ziptop bags.
Freezer-Friendly Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches
- Bread
- Peanut Butter
- Jelly
Make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
To freeze: Cut and put in baggies (if desired) and store in airtight freezer ziptop bags in the freezer for 4-6 weeks.
To thaw: Stick frozen sandwiches in sack lunches in the morning and they will be thawed by lunch time. Or, you can be weird like me and eat them straight from the freezer. 🙂 You can also warm them in the oven or microwave if you like your sandwiches warmed.
Linda says
I make my frozen PBJ’s from a loaf of bread that I freeze prior to making them. Makes it go so much faster when you are trying to spread peanut butter. Also easier when making sandwiches using mayo. It doesn’t soak into the bread.
Kate says
I started freezing PBJ’s when my kids were little and I was teaching them to make their own lunches. They wanted me to buy them “uncrustables” like their friends got. So, I helped them along when they were early elementary by pre-making the sandwiches, cutting with a pampered chef cutter, and also pre-bagging fruit. They were a hit! My takeaway hint: put a thin layer of peanut butter on both sides of the bread, and then spread the jam/jelly. It prevents the jelly from soaking in to the bread and the PBJ becoming soggy in the lunch bag/box.
June Rostad says
I’m going to experiment to see if this works with soy butter and nutella, as alas, we have a peanut butter allergy in this house. 🙂 Thank you for the idea.
Kelly says
I love this post! I too would be weird and enjoy them straight out of the freezer. Thank you for sharing something so simple and basic (as I tend to forget about the basic meals that are cheap and still yummy).
K. Ann Guinn says
Why didn’t I think of that?
I freeze most everything and did not try to freeze PB & J’s! It’s like cheaper and healthier version of Uncrustables!
I’ve decided to include some of these “no-brainer” ideas in my blog posts, as you never know which ideas people have heard of or not. My sister and I came to the realization that those”obvious” ideas we either figured out or learned from our parents or grandparents are not the same ones everyone else was taught.
Enjoy your PB & J’s!
Petra says
Thank you for the great tip.
Cheri Weit says
When i worked outside the home I did this all the time, but never with PBJ. I did leftover meatloaf, or ham or whatever. I didn’t like how the bread got soggy when it defrosted so I wrapped a paper towel around it each morning and then used the napkin when I ate.
Jujubeemama says
I got a press from pampered chef and assembly line large amounts of “uncrustables” SO much cheaper and tastier. Great post!!!
BJ Marley says
I don’t make PBJs unless they are going to be consumed right away. My family thinks the jelly side makes the bread soggy. Do you put peanut butter on both sides of the bread or does having the bread frozen keep the jelly from affecting the bread?
Cheri Weit says
I put p-nut butter on both sides for my hubby in general. I’m sure freezing it that way would be fine. N
Sue says
Two happy thoughts:
1) I make six sandwiches every morning (drag!) and it takes me forever…which is sad and frustrating when you’re rushing to get a husband and five sons out the door. This is GENIUS! I never once thought of freezing them…and it will help in my endeavor to teach my boys to pack their own lunches. YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!
2) Someone commented on using honey…my boys LOVE LOVE LOVE honey and this will make them happy to eat PB&H. They’re not big fans of PB&J. Side note: I have two allergic to PB so I hope soy butter and/or sunflower seed butter freeze and thaw well.
Stephanie says
Awesome idea! I would have never thought to do this. In fact I just made up some for our long road trip we are about to make. This is perfect and will work great so excited to find something that will please my 3 year old and is super quick.
Mary says
I’ve been making homemade uncrustables for years. My kids LOVE Smuckers Uncrustables, but I couldn’t see spending that much on PB&J sandwiches just because they were round. In a stroke of genius, I used a wide mouthed drinking glass to cut out my sandwich. It sealed the edges perfectly and our homemade uncrustables were born.
Merri says
I do the uncrustables and make bread crumbs with the left over crust.
Ann says
For an extra special treat, these are DELICIOUS, when buttered on the outside and grilled, just the same way you make a grilled cheese sandwich. After someone told us to try this, we’ve never had a “regular”
PB & J sandwich again! 🙂
Lindsay m says
Silly question, i’m new to this… can you freeze a turkey and cheese sandwich? When you pull it out to thaw, does it taste okay? I have a little boy who has never eaten PB&J… :/ How that works is beyond me, lol. But he is a huge turkey/cheese lover. Also- I’ve heard you can make “home made” lunch-ables? Any tips ladies? Thanks in advance!
Jackie says
You can freeze most any sandwich if you put butter on the bread before adding filling, even cheese.
Lisa says
Was so inspired by how simple and sanity saving this was! I went to the local brownberry outlet and bought several loaves of bread for a great deal of $1.39 and bought several pkgs of bologna and salami that was on sale this week for $1 a package and made 40 sandwiches for my husband with a slice of cheese on them. I freeze my extra stock of bread, cheese and lunch meat pkgs individually so it made perfect and efficient sense to freeze them already put together for my husband to pull out in the morning and he will be thrilled I saved him a couple of extra minutes! Thanks for the obvious and great tip.
Angie says
Thanks for posting this idea. I was able to make both soy butter and peanut butter sandwiches. While I was in the kitchen, I decide to make a double batch of chocolate granola bars and freeze half. The freezer cooking spirit carried me away and I even made breakfast pockets. I’m tired but so happy to have some yummy easy foods ready when I need them. 🙂
Rhoda says
Never heard of freezing PBJ’s. What at great idea. We’ll be trying this at our house–only difference–we use almond butter as I am allergic to peanuts.
Melinda says
Perhaps a silly Q… but I see honey in your picture, and I have a MAJOR PB&H fan in my household. Does a PB&H freeze just as well… or thaw, I should say! =0)
Crystal says
Yes, it does!
Michelle Zielicke Murphy says
I did Mac N Cheese soup Kits for the challenge. If your children like Mac N Cheese they will like this recipe. We eat soup all year, even in the summer. Simple and easy to put together and throw in the crock pot on a busy day.
Samantha says
I made these today! My hubby eats alot of PB&Js for lunches – and about 2-3 days of the week, I forget to make my sons lunch until about 15 minutes before we have to leave for school – so this will be perfect for me! I ended up making 15 sandwiches.
I also got into the freezer food making frame of mind and also came up with some meatball things. I made pizza dough in the breadmaker. Divided the dough into 16 chunks. Then my son and I flattened each chunk – each one got topped with some shredded cheese and a meatball. We sealed them up and popped them into the oven. These will be great for some son to take in his lunch to school – all I’ll need to add is some pizza sauce for dipping!
Now I’m racking my brain for other easy snack/breakfast/lunch ideas. I love making muffins and freezing them too.
Steph (The Cheapskate Cook) says
Love this idea! So simple and delicious. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve forgotten to pack my husband’s lunch before he’s about to run out the door. Problem solved.
Brandi says
My kids always come back from visiting their cousins house talking about how much they love the smuckers uncrustables. These are not my favorite thing for them to eat and I love that I can give them the same basic food in a much healthier and much less expensive version by making my own and freezing them. Many times I do just freeze the sandwich whole but if I have a few minutes of extra time I use cookie cutters to do fancy shapes. My 4 year old son thinks that his toy story sandwiches are much neater than the round ones! 🙂
coupon woman says
Whenever I make muffins, I put them in individual ziploc baggies and throw them in the freezer. They are easy to throw in, my kids love them in their lunches, and they defrost by lunchtime.
Danna says
I freeze PB&J’s as well, I also freeze Bologna and cheese sandwiches with no condiments. My husband keeps Mayo and mustard in the fridge at work and adds them when they defrost at lunchtime. We live in Phoenix and frozen sandwiches are GREAT in the summer for the working commuter. After I make and bag my sandwiches, I put them in individual sandwich bags and then back into the plastic bag the bread came in. Then I have tubes of sandwiches for the freezer. I have an extra freezer in the garage so often the under the fridge freezer in the kitchen is just filled with frozen homemade sandwiches, waffles and pancakes for easy breakfasts and lunches. The garage freezer holds everything else. I spend about 90 minutes one sat. a month (my husband, 3 yr old and 5 yr old help) making 10 loaves of bread worth of sandwiches for the freezer and then I’m set for weeks.
Diana says
You can also add granola into the sandwich–it adds a yummy crunch!
And another way to thaw the sandwich is to butter both sides and toast in a medium-hot pan, just like grilled cheese. The pb gets all melty and gooey and it’s messy but delicious!
Crystal says
Oh, I love your ideas! Thanks for sharing!
Betsy says
I will dare say among all these frugal ladies that even if it saves time and money, thawed pb & j just does not sound appetizing to me! I like pb & j, but I definitely prefer it fresh.
Dana says
If you ever have an Uncrustable you will see that they are delicious! I am not sure why but they taste so good still a little cold.
Deborah says
I notice you use lots of zip-top bags (and aluminum foil, too?) when freezing food. Are they always bargain finds you stock up on with coupons, or do you consider them worth whatever they cost (unlike paper towels)?
Just curious! 🙂
Crystal says
I re-use them over and over again, so they last quite awhile. You can get a box of them very economically at the dollar store.
Rachel says
I just did this! Like everyone else, I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before! Sometimes, it really is the simple things 🙂
Tammy says
I love love love it! I never thought of making some PB and J sandwiches and freezing them, will do! I need to start taking pictures. My family loved your Banana bread. I’ve gotten some many useful tips and recipes since I started following you. You have a great site!
pam says
I made sugarless, flour less, egg less, oatmeal/banana mini muffins at 9 p.m. last night. Left some out and froze the rest.
I am thinking they will make a quick breakfast for the diabetic in the house (me) or a healthy grab and go snack for the grandkids.
I have tried some bad tasting sugar free recipes but this one wasn’t bad at all.
Tina says
This is simple genius at it’s best! I don’t know how many days we have run late because I have had to make PB & J sandwiches. My boys eat PB & J for lunch at school! They each like different fruit spreads, so when I do this, I’ll just label the bags with their names & maybe a cute little message. 🙂
Carrie says
Genius! Can’t believe this never crossed my mind before. Thanks!
Rebecca spotts says
I like this idea. my bread always expires before i get to use it all but now i can just make frozen PBJ’s and not waste bread.
Sarah says
I almost always buy my bread on the discount/almost expiring shelf, and just pop it in the freezer when I get home. When we’re ready to need a new loaf, I just get the next one out of the freezer, and the quality is great. If you can’t make it through a whole loaf before it gets stale, you could always take out half the loaf and leave the other half in the freezer till you’re ready to use that.
Emily @ Our Frugal Happy Life says
We buy markdown bread for my husband all the time and freeze it. Then he just pulls out slices as he needs them. Works great for him!
Tammy says
I love this! I agree with you about always wasting bread. Waste no more in my house. This was something we struggled with all of the time, we are only 3 people and never used a whole loaf of bread before it goes stale. But now, with these PB and J sandwiches will do the trick of no waste.
Shannon B says
If you mix the PB&J together beforehand and then spread it, it cuts down on the soggy issue. We prefer it because jelly doesn’t squish out either!
Dina says
We use these when we travel to NC to our beach vacation. Take out the whole loaf and put sandwiches right back in the bag then freeze. They are great on the long 12 hour car trip. When we get to the beach house we freeze them there-we usually have to make more. We pack them in our cooler to go to the beach for the day. By the time we get to lunch they are thawed out and we avoid the expensive vendors on the beach.
Jessica says
I’ve been thinking of doing this for awhile or maybe meat/cheese with butter. I like to use homemade whole wheat bread and unsweetened pb. I wonder how that would work. Maybe I’ll have to experiment! 🙂
Abra says
We are traveling this week, so I am not freezer cooking, but I still love following this series. I think the lunch ideas are great and I cannot wait to try them.
My husband takes PB & honey sandwiches to work every day, too! I think he will be open to me trying this. Sometimes I forget to make them until he is ready to walk out the door. This would definitely help. It is also a great way to use up a few slices of bread before they go bad.
Jen says
Going to do this for my kids today! Thanks! Just wanted to share I pack my husband’s lunch every night (he leaves super early) and I do freeze his sandwiches ahead of time. I usually use hamburger buns and do it assembly line with lunch meat and cheese (no mayo) and then put in baggies. I pull one out around dinner time to thaw a little, then put on mayo and/or lettuce and put back in the baggie and into his lunch bag. Sometimes I forget to take one out so I just throw one of the those free sample mayo packets in the lunchbox. 🙂
I also use the little colored snack cups (with lids) from the baby section at the dollar store to portion out applesauce and pudding and keep them in the freezer… so I just have to pull those out to stick in… they have all night and morning to thaw. Love that they’re reusable!
I’ll have 2 kids in full day school next year so I”ll be packing for them too– pbj will be just great! 🙂
Lisa says
Does it work well to freeze the pudding and thaw-does it seperate at all? I can see the applesauce which is a great idea because we buy the huge less expensive jar and then it sometimes goes bad before we use it up and this would be great-plus it would stay cooler in my husband’s lunch box that he keeps in his work truck in the summer. Thanks for the idea!!
Jen says
My husband says after it’s been sitting in the freezer awhile, they aren’t as good (start to separate) so I don’t make tons in advance. I usually do one large box of pudding-the instant mix with milk kind–and then use those little cups–it’s about 1/3 c each I’d say and makes between 6-8 depending how full I make them… I tried making two boxes worth once and he said those separated so this works. I actually buy the huge #5 cans of applesauce now and portion some in the cups and then the rest is quart size containers-and pull out one of those as needed, for the family or to make more cups for lunches. I’ve tried doing fruit cup, diced peaches, pears, etc and they work great–my hubby is picky though and applesauce is as good as I can get. My kids have loved the fruit though and I’ll probably do it next year and buy the big cans. Let me know if it works for you! 🙂
Rachael Waller says
My husband likes his pb& j fresh in the morning, but this idea is too good not to try!
Heidi says
I highly recommend the Krust Buster to make your own Uncrustables….
http://www.amazon.com/Krustbuster-Multi-Crust-Remover-Sealer/dp/B001W6Q53W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1336567497&sr=8-1
This device will pay for itself in NO time. I have 6 children, and make about 15 or 20 Uncrustables on Sunday nights to freeze for the week. They thaw perfectly and make packing lunches super fast and easy for the week! I tried the wonder bread maker and I have found the Krust Buster works MUCH better!
Katie says
I started doing freezing PB&J sandwiches when I had leftover bread that was going to go stale. It’s just my husband and I, so we don’t always use up a whole loaf of bread before it goes bad. I just take the leftover slices, make sandwiches, and pop them in the freezer for another time. Saves time and money!
Jenni / Life from the Roof says
This is one of those ideas that I’ve heard about but just need to start doing. My 4 1/2 year old is really into making his own sandwiches, so it would actually be a good activity for us to do together, and would hopefully save time in the end.
I liked your comment on how you had a conversation with your husband while you worked. It made me want to think about how to make freezer cooking more family-oriented instead of being something where mom is confined to the kitchen while everyone else stays out :).
Katie says
I was wondering if you could freeze bologna and cheese with mayonnaise? My kids love these!
Thanks
Katie
Crystal says
I’ve never tried. Has anyone else tried? I’d love to hear! I’ve heard that mayo doesn’t freeze too well.
Jenni / Life from the Roof says
I’ve heard that you can freeze turkey and cheese sandwiches, so I don’t see why bologna and cheese would be any different.
Jen says
I just commented about this… I guess you can but my husband doesn’t like it… I do make them sandwiches with turkey/ham and cheese but no mayo and freeze individually. I pull out and let thaw a few minutes while I’m getting the other lunch parts together and then put the mayo on and then back in the baggie… it still saves time. I also buy the little individual packets of mayo to throw in the lunch box when I’m really short on time. 🙂
Karole Hernandez says
Another way to warm them is to let them sit on a incandescent lamp for about 5 – 7 min per side, that way you don’t have to warm the oven.
Kimber says
I have read that if you lightly spread peanut butter on both sides of the bread, then add the jelly, the peanut butter prevents the bread from getting soggy – apparently the jelly is the culprit. I don’t eat jelly myself but I made my preschooler’s sandwiches this way and had no complaints about yucky sandwiches.
Jan says
If you lightly PB the second slice of bread, the jelly stays between two layers of PB and the bread doesn’t get soggy. My son makes his sandwiches this way all the time.
michelle says
I’m curious why you have honey out? Did you make some with honey instead of the jam?
Crystal says
I was going to do PB& honey, too, but I ended up doing all of them with jelly. PB&honey also freezes well.
Amber says
My girls LOVE pb and honey!
Jenn says
I’ve never tried PB and honey. Since we love both, I must try it!
Jen S. says
Love this idea! There are many times that we leave before anyone has eaten lunch and that usually ends us up in the drive-thru somewhere (which I try to avoid at all costs!). This is the perfect solution and will come in handy once the kids are home for the summer and start their infamous “I’m hungry’s”! Thanks for all you do…this busy mom sure appreciates it! 🙂
Tricia says
does the bread get soggy when it defrosts??
Crystal says
I’ve never had it get soggy before. We do use wheat bread and don’t spread on lots and lots of jelly — but I’ve heard that white bread works, too.
Jen says
What type of wheat bread do you use? I’m always looking for a good deal on whole wheat bread (that also tastes good!) Thanks! I love the idea of freezing the PB&J sandwiches–I never would have thought of that!
Crystal says
Usually either Nature’s Own (we get it at the Dollar Store for $1/loaf) or whatever I can get at the health food store marked down to $1/loaf.
Gina says
Don’t these end up soggy? I’m not even much of a fan of PB&J made that morning to eat at noon… I find that the bread gets soggy. If it tastes OK, this is a fabulous idea. Even if I make 10 sandwiches on Sunday, I’m set for the week and that is a valuable extra 5 minutes every weekday morning!
RuthS says
I’ve been wondering about the soggy too. I don’t like pbj after it’s been refrigerated.
Amber says
By the time I was in 8th grade my mom was single and raising 3 kids. She had to go back to work and try to make things as simple as possible. At the beginning of every month she would freeze lots of pb&j sandwiches as well as lunch meat and cheese sandwiches. This made our morning time rush go so much smoother.
I remember loving those sandwiches and don’t recall them being soggy. However I do not know if my mom put peanut butter on both sides or not, I will have to ask her. 🙂
Sarah says
I’m not usually a fan of PB sandwiches made in the morning and eaten at lunch (I usually prefer PB with banana or honey over PB&J). I find that the PB dries out a little over the course of the day and just doesn’t have the same taste of a freshly made PB sandwich. But I’m a huge texture freak.
My soluiton is to have a jar of peanut butter in my desk and just bring two slices of bread in a sandwich bag and make my sandwich up at work right at my desk, usually adding a banana which I also bring along that morning. (I put the disposable knife with PB on it in the discarded sandwich bag along with the banana peel, so it doesn’t smell up my cube or bother my coworkers.)
melissaC says
i see you have honey out….whats that for? My son likes honey and penut butter and isnt a fan for the jelly…
shannon says
I froze a bunch of pb&j when the kids headed back to school and it made packing lunches a breeze, especially with morning sickness at its height. My oldest started making her own lunch but my first grader is still perfectly happy with sandwiches this way.
I love having the prep work and dishes out of the way with any type of freezer cooking!
Kara says
I have to admit at first I was wondering why you were posting about freezing PB&J sandwiches, but after thinking on it for a bit, this is actually a brilliant idea. Especially since I’m almost always running late out the door to work in the morning. It would be much more convenient and cost effective to be able to just quickly pull a sandwich out of the freezer and go instead of having to worry to buy lunch and waste the money. Great idea, thanks for sharing!
Kerry D. says
I, too, was wondering if the jelly soaks in? If you do something special, like smear pb on both sides to insulate the bread? (But that sounds like double the work…) Or not bad?
Nicki says
That’s what we do…little pb on both sides!
Ashley says
A bit unrelated, but my husband made me a toasted peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwich a few weeks ago. When I was commenting on how it was the best PB&J I ever had (and I meant it, too), he grinned and told me that he added a dash of hot sauce to the jelly side after toasting. He’s the chemist in the kitchen (I’m the Rachel Ray “just throw it in the bowl” cook) and he was experimenting with flavors.
Sara says
Oh YUM!!!!!!
Victoria @Snail Pace Transformations says
So the peanut butter and jelly don’t soak into the bread? Peanut butter and jelly are my favorite type of sandwich, in fact I will make the whole family deli meat sandwiches and serve myself a PB and Jelly! I prefer them.
Samantha says
I’ve seen on another blog that the trick is to put peanut butter on both sides of the bread – and all the way to the crust. Then jelly inside. This way the bread doesn’t get soggy.
Emily @ Our Frugal Happy Life says
Yes, I’d probably recommend putting PB on both sides of the bread, with the jelly in the middle. I would do that when you make a regular PB&J sandwich too! Nobody likes soggy bread. 😉
Melanie says
I put up 3 quarts of sugar packed strawberries in the freezer which we use to top pound cake or ice cream. I also made 8 jars of strawberry freezer jam. I got 4 pounds of strawberries (with a raincheck) for $4.99 so I bought 2. We’re eating some of them fresh. The pectin was free with coupons last fall.
Alicia says
I can’t believe I never thought to freeze a batch of pb & j. During the summer my daughter and I head to the beach often and our staple is to pack a couple pb & j sandwiches for each of us. We also do this when me make it to any of the SoCal amusement parks, combined with our own water, drinks and snacks we save a ton of money that way. I’ll be making a giant batch of these at the beginning of the Summer! Thanks for the idea.
Amanda says
I must admit I had raised eyebrows when I read freezer cooking for PB&Js. WHY DIDN’T I THINK OF THIS?! My husband eats one every. single. day. He was very intrigued by the idea as well. Come to think of it, he eats pb & banana sandwiches a lot too, I bet that could work. Thank you so much for this awesome idea! I’m pumped!
jessica says
I think the banana might get mushy and watery when it thaws….I don’t mean it to be rude. I would hate to see you make a bunch of things and have it get ruined.
Crystal says
Yes, I wouldn’t recommended putting banana on it because they do tend to get mushy and watery when thawing.
Amanda says
Good to know, not rude at all Jessica! I would hate to go through with it and make a ton of mushy sandwiches! PB&J it is!
Emily @ Our Frugal Happy Life says
You could make frozen peanut butter sandwiches for him and then he could slice fresh banana pieces onto the sandwich at lunchtime!
Shelly @ Frugal Family Home says
This was my first time freezing peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I never thought of doing this before but we do eat peanut butter and jelly often. I also made some strawberry freezer jam with some strawberries I got at the local close out store. My husband is already looking forward to the jam as it is his favorite.
Whitney says
My dad used to make PB&J for my brother and I when I was a kid and my mom was in nursing school. Now I use his PB&J method to save time….mix peanut butter with jelly in a bowl first, then spread!
Sarah says
Home-made caramels and mashed potatoes this pm.
Anne says
I’ve been prepping for surgery next week so I took advantage of the time dinner was in the oven to make some seasoned taco meat to put in the freezer (already cooked-pull out & heat up or thaw to eat) & I cooked the meat for the lasagna I’m making later this week. Dinner made more than I thought, so I stuck the 2nd ham, cheese & spinach quiche in the freezer. Hopefully it will thaw & taste as good as the one we had tonight!
Amanda@SavingMyselfSilly says
I freeze ham and broccoli quiche all the time, and it’s delicious. I usually just let them thaw in the fridge and then pop a slice in the microwave.
Anne says
Thanks, Amanda! It hadn’t crossed my mind to heat up just a slice at a time. Duh on my part! 4 of the 6 in our family really liked it so it’d be a great pull out & serve to supplement leftovers one day. Thanks, again!
Lori @ Simple Couponing says
Love this idea! I have never thought about freezing PB&J sandwiches. Will definitely add this to my list of things to freeze ahead of time. Thanks!
Sheila says
I got caught up on baking today. I made the oatmeal & cinnamon rolls. I used a recipe I found from one of your links to another site. I baked a small pan & they were delish! I froze the rest. Plus I cooked the chicken for tonight’s casserole & the bbq chicken pockets I’m making later in the week.
I’m enjoying this series. I may not do all of the recipes, but it’s giving me some great ideas!
Marishannon @ My Spirited Adventure says
Sometimes it is the simplest things that we don’t even think about! My “cooking” for today was even simpler than that – I made up cornbread mixes to keep in the freezer.
Kim P says
Crystal, I’ve seen you use peanut butter frequently but don’t recall seeing it in your shopping trips. Do you have a suggestion for a way to get the best price on peanut butter right now? My family goes through a lot of the stuff, and with prices going up, I’m having a hard time finding good deals on it. (I fondly recall when Dillons used to have occasional sales for $1 a jar!) Any ideas? By the way, I really enjoy reading your blog and plan to do some freezer cooking of my own this week and next! 🙂
Crystal says
We usually buy it at Aldi (ever since they started carrying the natural brand). However, in the last few months, I’ve been getting it from Vitacost since I have quite a bit of free credit there through their referral program.
If you don’t care about the brand or ingredients, I’d recommend checking the dollar store and/or Aldi. Maybe someone else here has other ideas, too. I’ve not priced it at Sam’s Club in quite awhile. Anyone know the current price per ounce at Sam’s Club and/or Costco?
Anne says
I checked samsclub.com and I found in our area (Las Vegas) 2 jars-40 oz each Jif PB goes for $10.98 which is 14 cents an oz. Check out the website to find out the price where you live!
Sara@Save Money, Live Joyfully says
While Costco switches brands every once in a while (Skippy to Jif and back to Skippy in the last year), whatever major brand PB they carry is currently about $0.10/oz here. I’m not sure about the natural Kirkland label PB they recently started carrying, though…which reminds me I need to update my Costco price lists!
Andrea C says
My Sam’s is $8.88 for two 40 oz jars of Skippy Natural, so about .11/oz
Marishannon @ My Spirited Adventure says
My Costco price per oz on their brand natural pb is 12.5 cents right now.
Shelly @ Frugal Family Home says
Our Costco here in Oregon, has Skippy 40 oz jars two for $10.98. They also have Adams brand one large jar for $9.99 sorry I don’t remember the size. I did not see the Kirkland brand natural peanut butter this trip. But in the recent past it was $9.99 for two jars.
Desirae says
I used to buy it at Aldi, but we constantly ran out of the little jars halfway through the week. I’ve been buying the 6lb Peter Pan tub at Walmart for @ $8. It’s in the bulk item area (salad dressing aisle at ours). Haven’t had to make any extra trips yet. It’s also SUPER easy to make your own if you can find a good deal on peanuts! 🙂
Johanna @ My Home Tableau says
I get it at Trader Joes and it isn’t bad. It is cheaper than the smuckers all natural in the regular grocery. Since I only ever get peanut butter without sugar TJ’s has the best deal.
Dina says
My husband is a brand “snob” so PB must be Skippy. I’ve found using the subscribe and save from amazon.com to give the best price for Skippy. We just wait for a sale, order subscribe and save and usually after 2 orders we cancel delivery. Last time we ordered it was a case of six 16.3 oz jars. They came out to around $1.79 a jar.
Andrea says
We also used Subscribe & Save last fall before peanut butter prices went up.
Matti says
My Aldi here in Upstate NY doesn’t sell this natural kind yet, can someone tell me what brand it is, the price, and ingredients so I can compare w/ the brands I usually buy. Then I can tell if it’s worth the trouble to try and get my store to carry it 🙂 I just bought a bunch off Vitacost, Arrowhead Mills Organic Valencia for $3.48 and that is a good deal for organic peanut butter in my area. But I would LOVE to pay less!
SimplyFOuRus - Christine says
I have been doing this for years and love having pre made PB&Js on hand all of the time. Before freezing, I love using large Wilton cookie cutters to make fun shapes and also cut their initials or names out of the sandwich for my kids lunch boxes!
Shannon says
I use a pampered chef cut-n-seal and make “uncrustables and freeze them. My kids LOVE them!!
Crystal says
I tried making homemade uncrustables once (without the cut-n-seal) and wasn’t too successful with it:
https://moneysavingmom.com/2011/09/freezer-cooking-in-an-hour-homemade-uncrustables-homemade-croutons.html
I decided I think I’ll just stick with regular PB&J — but my hat’s off to those of you who make yours all fancy! 🙂
Momx4 says
The cut-n-seal makes it super easy. You just get to look all fancy 🙂 Then you can use the extra bread to make bread crumbs and freeze those too!
Donna says
I love PB&J! What a convenient way to keep them- talk about grab and go!
Amanda@SavingMyselfSilly says
I made a big pot of chicken noodle soup today and frozen 6 more meals after we ate tonight (didn’t see the linky up there): http://www.savingmyselfsilly.com/2012/05/4-weeks-to-fill-your-freezer-day-6.html
I’ve tried freezing the bread before for the sandwiches and my daughters didn’t care for it, but i found a recipe that uses biscuit dough and you bake it in a pouch with the PB&J inside. I’m going to try that tomorrow while I’m making biscuits to go with my breakfast dinner. =)
Amanda@SavingMyselfSilly says
ah….now I see the linky! =)