Make Peanut Butter Lunch Box, Recipe, Ingredients

$4.57 RECIPE / $1.14 PER SERVING

The Peanut Butter Lunch Box is the next installment in my series of no-cook lunch boxes.

Even though it’s the simplest of all the lunch boxes I’ve made so far, I enjoyed it the most.

I’m not sure if it was the sweet-salty combination or simply nostalgia (I ate peanut butter apple sandwiches for lunch for nearly two years straight in elementary school), but I looked forward to this lunch box every day!

If you like peanut butter sandwiches but want to try something different, try this peanut butter lunch box!

WHAT’S IN THE PEANUT BUTTER LUNCH BOX

The focus of this lunch box is peanut butter, with sweet and savory side foods that are all great when dipped in creamy peanut butter.

Pretzels, apple slices, celery, and dates were included in my peanut butter lunch box. If you can’t consume peanut butter, any other nut butter will suffice (almond, cashew, sunflower, etc.).

ABOUT THOSE TIMES

Prepare to have your mind blown if you’ve never eaten dates with peanut butter before! Medjool dates are rich, sweet, sticky, and have a hint of caramel flavor, so they taste like caramel with peanut butter! It’s a naturally sweet and rich dish.

Medjool dates can be found in the produce section of most supermarkets (scroll down to the photos below the recipe card to see what type of container they come in).

They usually have a small pit inside, but you can easily pluck it out with your fingertips before smearing that creamy peanut butter all over the date.

HOW DO YOU KEEP APPLE SLICES FRESH?

Apples, as most people are aware, begin to brown after being cut as a result of exposure to oxygen. This dark color is the result of a simple chemical reaction, and it does not mean the apple has gone rotten.

Keep the apple slices close together to decrease oxygen exposure on the sliced surfaces to aid delay browning (see photos).

You can drizzle a little lemon juice over your apple slices to help them colorless quickly. After four days without lemon juice, my apple slices only caramelized a minor amount in the refrigerator.

WHAT TYPES OF CONTAINS DO YOU USE?

I bought a set of separated glass containers on Amazon for this lunch box (linked below at the bottom of the recipe card).

The dividers don’t go all the way up to the lid, so liquids aren’t kept separate, but they’re fine for solids or really thick stuff like peanut butter.

THE PEANUT BUTTER LUNCH BOX

1. Wash the celery and cut it into sticks. Each apple should be cut in half, with the core removed, and then cut into slices. If desired, drizzle lemon juice over the apple slices to prevent browning.
2. To each container, add 3 teaspoons of peanut butter. 15 pretzels, 1/2 apple, celery sticks, and two dates should be placed in each container. Enjoy right away or keep refrigerated for up to five days.

NOTES

I used natural-style peanut butter, but you can use whatever type you choose or different nut butter.

NUTRITION

• Serving: 1 lunch box
• Calories: 572.68 kcal
• Carbohydrates: 80.15 g
• Protein: 14.53 g
• Fat: 25.65 g
• Sodium: 517.13 mg
• Fiber: 9.93 g

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR THE PEANUT BUTTER LUNCH BOX

1. For my lunch box, I used Granny Smith apples, but any apple type will do. Each box came with 1/2 apple in it. Remove the core from the apples and cut them in half (I used a sharp measuring spoon, but you could use something like a melon baller as well). Make slices out of each apple half. The slices should be kept close together to avoid oxygen exposure, which slows the browning process. To assist reduce the browning of the slices, a little lemon juice can be sprinkled on top.
2. Medjool dates are normally sold in containers like this, although I’ve seen them sold loose by the pound before, which is great if you only need a few! They’re now readily available since I’ve seen them at nearly every grocery store. They’re normally not refrigerated and are found in the produce section.
3. Simply use your hands to open the dates and consume them. They easily pull open since they are soft and sticky. In the center, there’s a little bit (you can see the pit on the left side). The pit should be removed.
4. Spread a dollop of peanut butter on either half of the date and dig in! You’ll only need one or two of them because it’s so rich and delicious. Enjoy!