The Simplicity of the PB & J

In an effort to spend less money, I've been brown-bagging my work-day lunch lately.  Earlier this week, I poached a couple of boneless, skinless chicken breasts just to make chicken salad (inspired by last weekend's quick visit to Greenwich, New York).  I let the chicken breasts simmer (in just plain water, lightly salted) for about 20 minutes, took them out of the pot, and let them cool for another 20 minutes.  I kind of chopped, pulled the meat apart and added the following to make a GREAT chicken salad:  chopped walnuts, Craisins, red grapes sliced in half, mayo, salt and pepper.  It made a lot and I took it for lunch three days in a row - just put it in a container and ate it like that, with a fork, no bread.  It didn't need it.  I didn't add much in the way of seasoning, but that's just personal preference, anyway.  You can certainly make chicken salad your own by adding your favorite things -- celery, dill, seasoned salt -- and enjoy it any way you please!

When it came time to make today's lunch, I opted for the simplicity of that old childhood classic, peanut butter and jelly.  My mom always made it with Peter Pan peanut butter and Welch's grape jelly.  Maybe Jiff now and then, but always one of those two.  No jelly other than Welch's grape.  Ever.  And she made it on Sunbeam white bread, because in the 1960s and 70s, it seemed everyone ate white bread.  My peanut butter and jelly sandwich has evolved a bit from the one in my 1960s lunchbox.  Today, I use 12-grain bread and strawberry jam.  I do use Peter Pan peanut butter, though, and it is as good today as it was in my 5th grade lunch room!

One day at work, I had a craving for a PB&J, so I bought one from the sandwich case in the cafeteria.  It had about 4x the thickness of peanut butter than what I (or my mother) ever used, and I actually couldn't eat it!  My mom used to make 7 sandwiches in one fell-swoop, and if she ever used that much peanut butter, she'd be buying quarts of it every week.  No, I like a thinner smathering of PB to compliment my J.  I used a generous tablespoon (maybe a bit more) and it was plenty.  And since I ran out of sandwich bags, I even wrapped it up old-school style with a length of wax paper.  Rounding out today's retro lunch were red grapes and a handful of Cheez-its.  I must admit to a Cheez-it addiction.  I'm not proud.  Maybe I can stop, but why?  Life is too short not to enjoy Cheez-its with a PB&J!

Here are a few shots of my lunch as it was prepared this morning.  Notice my cute little lunch bag with its own retro vibe.  I think I bought it at Ocean State Job Lots for next-to-nothing, but I'm not sure.  Lunch bag/box collecting is something I could quickly become way too interested in if I let myself!