Anyway, I am involved in a thing called Bzz Agents. From time to time, I get invited to join campaigns to try out new things and tell people about them. The most recent one has been the Smuckers Uncrustables. Now, I had seen these before, and thought it seemed really handy, but wasn't sure it it was convenient enough for the price tag and the amount per box. Well, when the invite for this campaign came along, I thought it would be a great time to try it out.
So Bzz Agents sent me a coupon for one free box, plus some coupons for .75 cents off. I also got a uncrustables shaped container for using in a lunch box or for other travel purposes. Awesome! So on my next shopping trip, I got a couple boxes. I picked the Grape and Peanut Butter variety for the kids, and the whole wheat PB and Honey for myself, and maybe the kids too, if they will eat it.
First impressions before tasting: the regular size comes with 4 to a box, which seems almost useless. With two kids, I will go through that in two days if I am using them daily. But, I see they also offer a larger box now, so that could be a little more useful. The Uncrustables come in frozen, and need to be left out at room temperature for about a half hour to thaw before eating. I found that they seem to need a tad bit more time than that to be fully thawed in the middle. However, this means they would be great for packing in school lunches since it would stay nice and fresh, and could also help keep other lunch items cool at the same time.
For the first taste taste, I took out one and once thawed cut it in half for my kids to eat as a snack. It was great that I was able to instantly produce a snack for my daughter after picking her up from kindergarten and that I had ZERO mess to clean up. Both my k-gartner and her (almost) 2 year old sister gobbled it up - no complaints. This worked out well for me since I need to try and give her a snack asap on our arrival home to ensure she is still somewhat hungry for dinner later, but without making her starve until then. I used the other 3 sandwiches within the next few days.
I also did a taste test myself and was pleasantly surprised. The bread was soft and smooth, but not at all soggy. The peanut butter was creamy, the jelly still jelly-like; neither were watered down as a result of having been previously frozen. It was as delicious as a fresh made PB and J would be.
Now, here's the nutrition and ingredients for the Grape PB and J:
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I am impressed that the calorie count and fat is relatively low considering how fatty Peanut Butter can be. I was also impressed with the amount of fiber - something that is tough to get into picky eater kids. It would be nice if they had enriched their bread with a little more calcium and vitamins. But, serve it with a glass of milk and maybe a fruit of some kind, and you've got a well balanced meal.
Since the response for the Grape PB and J was so good, I was anxious to try out the grilled cheese ones they have, which were also pretty darn good. They come with a microwave toasting sleeve, so no thawing required here. The bread is 'pre-toasted' and the sleeve just crisps it back up. It was a little soggier than a regular grilled cheese, but still had the toasty flavor. The cheese was that processed imitation-y tasting stuff you'd expect from any american cheese slice product, but, the kids ate it up.
Nutrition-wise, Grilled Cheese Uncrustables, the calcium level goes up, but the fiber content goes down. If you want the full nutrition of those visit Smuckers website: http://www.smuckers.com/fg/otg/uncrustables/prod-cheese.asp?groupid=3&catid=46&prodid=455
I have to admit, that I have yet to try the honey and PB on whole wheat. Its on my list. But, after trying the other two, I have gotten an overall opinion. If I have something that applies specifically to those to mention after I try it, I will update this :) Or do a new post.
Pros and Cons in conclusion:
Pros
-Taste
-Convenience
-Kids love the shape and flavor
-I thought they were pretty tasty, too!
-Good source of fiber (for PB& Grape)
-Good source of calcium (for grilled cheese)
-Great for quick lunches
-Good protein value in both Cheese and PB & J varieties
Cons
-Few to a box
-Lots of High Fructose corn syrup in the PB & J version; also part of the bread ingredients for grilled cheese version
-Cost is a bit high per sandwich
-PB and J, you have to plan at least a half hour in advance for thaw time
For me, I will probably buy a box maybe once every couple weeks or so to have on hand for those days where convenience is a higher than usual priority: running late, sick, needing to study, or just feeling plain old lazy! Since the cost for a box of 4 was around 2.99-3.50+, if memory serves, and that is almost a dollar a sandwich, which obviously can be done for much cheaper at home, so I can't see making this a weekly regular item. Plus, there really isn't a whole lot of time or mess involved in making a homemade PB and J, especially if you have one of those sandwich cutters that remove the crust for you. Still, I know I have some days when even that feels too time consuming, so having this option is great. However, it may be possible that one could make some PB and J's, wrap them well, freeze them and have their own version of a pre-made Uncrustable. I know I don't have time to do that, so I will stick to the Uncrustables for my moments when I can't be bothered with hand making a PB and J instead.
Though when I have to start packing lunches regularly for my daughter in school next year, I might just change my mind!
1 comment:
I love uncrustables! So delish!
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