It's peanut butter jelly time....

Are you anything like me and just stare into your pantry when it is time to pack your kid's lunch?

With all of the restrictions around school lunches I end up begging my son to just eat whatever the school lunch has today. Otherwise you are stuck trying to figure out what will stay cold by the time they have lunch and what is ok to send.  My son LOVES peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and is constantly asking if he can take one to school.  I would stare longingly at the peanut butter just wishing I could make one and send it to school!   

Then, came grocery shopping day and let me admit I use Walmart's grocery delivery (and i am in love, look for my next post on how amazing it is!) .  I put peanut butter into the search field and this amazing product came up!!!  Wowbutter and then name says it all! 

"Safe for schools! Tastes like peanut butter"  oh but its not peanut butter, but it really does taste like peanut butter.   Pssh, I was sceptical, but intrigued so I bought it.  Then I had my son try it and it really does taste like peanut butter!

Now, let me give you a little hint - if you send your son to school with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and tell him to tell the teachers it's not really peanut butter..... they totally won't believe him.  Then, they will make him go sit at a "not safe food table."  Yep, did you know those exist now? Well at my kid's school I guess they do.  I guess I should be glad they didn't just throw it away and make him buy a lunch.

The next day I knew better and then I also learned that the behind the label are these awesome stickers.  So, when my son was getting in trouble for bringing a "non-safe" food to school again, he just turned the container over and they let him eat his sandwich.  :)  Win.  

Now, I just have to get him to eat the veggies I send with him to school and we will really be winning. I hope this makes your lunch packing adventures even easier!

DIY Reusable Cleaning Wipes

Recently, I quit my full time plus job and went back to part time ***breathing a sigh of relief*** which is seriously the best decision I have ever made.  Even though it has been absolutely amazing, we have had to cut back and save anywhere we can.  One of the easiest places to start is on cleaning supplies.  I hate cleaning with a passion and clorox wipes have always been so handy and wonderful but the cost can add up when you have a house full of gross and messy boys!

So I saved an old clorox wipe bottle and took off the label.

 You could totally leave the container plain but my husband is a total crazy person about things being labeled so for the short term I just wrote on the container with a paint pen.  When I get more time I think I will make a cute label and attach it with contact paper so that it is water tight. 

Next, is the best part because you can finally found a use for all of the baby washcloths that I had laying around the house.  Were you more proactive than me and actually got rid of your baby washcloths? Find some at a consignment store, on varagesale or use a cut up t-shirt as super cheap options.  I just saw a pack of 24 on Varagesale for $1! I think I will be making another one to keep upstairs at that price!

  Fill the container as much as you can with the washcloths (or t-shirts, etc) 

Grab a jug of vinegar and fill the container up with the vinegar.  My husband really dislikes the smell of vinegar so I add a few drops of essential oils into the mix to help with the smell.  I have also found that squeezing a lemon into it gives a great smell too!  It's a great use for those lemons that are about to go bad.

You can close it up and leave it until you are ready to start cleaning.

When you are ready to start cleaning, grab the cloth on top and squeeze out the excess vinegar.

I always keep a small bucket or another container on hand to put the dirty wipes into as I am cleaning.  Then toss them in the washing machine and once they are clean, put them right back into the container!  I use a $2 jug of vinegar about once every other month. Way better than $10 a month! 

Make ahead Strawberry Smores

Are your kids anything like mine? The minute my son comes home from school he wants to eat everything in sight and I have spent way too much time staring into my pantry for something to give him.  While camping last year I thought to myself that Smores would be the perfect after school snack! But how can I keep them on hand and keep my costs down? In comes my awesome idea.

First grab all of your items together, 

1. Graham Crackers

2. Strawberries sliced

3. Marshmallows

4. Bananas are a great addition as well!

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Place rows of graham crackers on the cookie sheet and place one marshmallow on top of the graham crackers.

I found that it worked best to cook the bottom layer of graham cracker and the marshmallow for ten minutes. After ten minutes, take the cut strawberries and place them on the marshmallows.  Next, place the graham cracker on top and push in so the marshmallow sticks to the graham crackers.

Next, take a large container and place all the smores in the container.  If you are stacking 2 smores on top of each other I would put a sheet of foil in between so the 2 smores don't freeze together. 

Then you can toss it in the freezer.  I personally love them frozen, the marshmallows are perfect and squishy- so I eat them straight from the freezer.  My son on the other hand, dislikes them frozen so I pop them into the microwave for a couple of seconds. 

Enjoy!