It’s that time of year again: BACK TO SCHOOL! If you’re a parent who is looking for simple but fun ways to keep your kiddo nourished, this series of MB recipes is for you. We’ve put together Mother Butter snacks that are low stress, no mess, and even interactive to make you and your little ones feel ready to pack those lunchboxes.
We are kicking off our BTS series with a lunchbox standard—the Mother Butter sammy. It’s a fast, nutritious, easy win, adding protein, healthy fats and fiber to your child’s lunchbox. If you’re looking to spice up this classic a bit, you came to the right place!
All you’ll need is bread of your choice, Mother Butter (measure with your heart), and something to spread it with. Instead of a recipe, here we share some ways to add jazz to this afternoon classic.
BREAD: Mother Butter works well on basically anything! The pictured sandwiches were made with 21 grain and cinnamon raisin breads, but whatever your child likes will work just fine. The cinnamon raisin added a fun level of warmth and novelty. Other options could be pita pockets, tortillas, or English muffins.
Aside from a different bread, cooking method is another opportunity to mix it up! Use toasted bread for added texture, griddle the sandwich in a little butter as you would a grilled cheese, or - if you have one, putting Mother Butter sandwiches in a waffle iron are AMAZING.
Food label tip: There are so many options lately—whole grain, multigrain, whole wheat, etc- what’s the difference?! According to The Whole Foods Diet* if the wheat kernel or another grain like barley or oats hasn’t been refined and is used in its entirety (bran, endosperm, and germ: fiber, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals) to make the bread or bread product, it is a whole grain product, which naturally contains more nutrition. If it’s whole wheat, then wheat was the main or only grain used. Multigrain means that more than one grain is used, but they may be refined in some way, meaning that some of the fiber has been removed. If your kiddo only likes a certain kind, no problemo! Mother Butter is an awesome source of fiber too :)
FRUIT: Jam isn’t the only way to add something sweet. Sliced bananas, strawberries, blueberries, apples, raisins, or dried cranberries are a delicious way to boost interest, vitamins and minerals.
COOKIE CUTTERS: Can we all agree that a star or heart shaped sandwich is much more fun? This takes an extra minute but it will make a simple sandwich more inviting and exciting for your little one AND, they can get involved and cut the bread themselves into the shapes that they love (if you’ve got time for that).
And don’t toss those crusts! Grind up the plainer bread options into homemade breadcrumbs, toast into croutons for salad, or stick it in your rock-solid brown sugar container to resoften the granules. Cinnamon raisin scraps baked with some eggs, milk, and vanilla extract could be an amazing breakfast-y bread pudding!
So there’s some inspiration as you begin diving into those lunches. Cheers to you for making them the best you can!
*Source: John Mackey, Alona Pulde, MD, Matthew Lederman, MD. The Whole Foods Diet. Grand Central Publishing, 2017.
About The Author: Olivia Portelli
Olivia is a Certified Master Level Nutrition Consultant through American Fitness Professionals & Associates. A graduate of the Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College and former Philadelphia pastry chef for Starr Restaurant Group, she decided to help people with health and wellness after spending a decade working in professional kitchens preventing her own burnout through lifestyle, nutrition and movement. She is passionate about the fact that healthy food can taste great and loves to blend her cooking and nutrition knowledge!
