WE LOVE PEANUT BUTTER AND CHOCOLATE SANDWICHES.
Yes, you read that right. CHOCOLATE. Go ahead and cringe, but then go compare the sugar content on your jelly jar and your chocolate syrup bottle and I think you might be pleasantly surprised. 🙂
So it happened one day when Princess asked, “Mommy, can I put chocolate syrup on my peanut butter sandwich instead of jelly?” (I think she was about 5 at the time.)
“No,” I replied (I mean, of course I did – what kind of mother am I?)
“Please?”
“No, I’m sorry, honey. You probably won’t like it and I don’t want to waste a sandwich, and it just doesn’t seem right anyway.”
And then Big Daddy adds: “Why not? You just don’t want to let her try it because YOU don’t think it will taste good. She might like it.”
Grrr, well when you put it that way… And then, between gritted teeth. “Okay, then, fine.” Besides, I rationalized to myself, it probably has less sugar anyway. (And in most cases, it does, since you don’t have to use very much.)
So about five minutes later I heard, “Mommy this is delicious!” And it’s been a favorite ever since. And for a girl who didn’t initially like peanut butter at all (or most other sources of protein besides chicken), well, hey – she’s eating peanut butter!
So now we have peanut butter and chocolate sandwiches quite often! And hey, guess what? … They’re REALLY good. 😀
Note: To add the chocolate, squirt about a tablespoon of syrup on the slice of bread and slowly smooth it around with a butter knife. If you add too much too fast or spread too fast it will spill over the sides and that’s just a waste of perfectly good chocolate. 😛 The bread does soak it up to some extent so you could add too much chocolate if you aren’t careful. Unless you want yours extra chocolately, in which case, go right ahead. 🙂
2nd Note: Yes, they do make a chocolate spread, Nutella, which we heard about after we started making these. However, for some reason, my kids didn’t like it. I will say this, it was thicker and harder to spread and much, much sweeter. I prefer the syrup too.
So I know that isn’t all that incredible but if you need your kids to eat more protein, it’s worth a shot! I’ve also used chocolate syrup to get my kids to drink more milk (just don’t add TOO much), eat more fruit (dip apple or banana slices in it – just limit the amount) and as an alternative to syrup on waffles – okay there is absolutely NOTHING healthy about that, but hey we were out of syrup! (My mom is cringing.) I’ve used peanut butter and chocolate mixed together on graham crackers, again to dip fruit in and shucks, I think the kids have even licked it off the spoon. My favorite? Chocolate syrup in my coffee. 😀
So there it is. The power of chocolate. It works for me!
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Good for you! A little chocolate goes along way. As we say in our house, chocolate is good for the soul. 🙂 My hubby loves a bit of chocolate in his coffee too, I just like the smell. Good chocolate is hard to come by in Thailand, at least for a decent price, so we dole it out slowly, mostly to the adults. shhhh don’t tell the kids we have been sneaking the chocolate chips Grandma brought from the states after they go to bed! 🙂
Around here we have to HIDE the Nutella!! My kids LOVE peanut butter & chocolate sandwiches, but the chocolate they are talking about is actually Nutella. I don’t buy it very often, but then I hardly EVER buy chocolate syrup…
I love this idea. I cannot get my boys to eat PB&J sandwiches–they might try this. I am ashamed to say how much chocolate syrup we go through in our house. My boys like the chocolate and strawberry mixed together in milk (yuck)! We’ll have to give this a try, it can’t be worse than “pink and chocolate” milk.
When I was in highschool my French teacher taught us to eat a Hershey bar between to slices of bread. Voila!! A chocolate sandwich. PB would make that better. MMMMmmmmm…
Love it, isn’t chocolate just the greatest thing. ever.
Okay, you’ll think I’m strange, but you know what else is good? Peanut butter pizza! I mean you put down a layer of pb, cover it with tomato sauce and cheese like usual, and bake. MMMMMMMMM! Even though it sounds strange…. (((((HUGS))))) sandi
Oh my goodness, thanks for another reason to eat chocolate! LOL
Have not had it in awhile but I used to like PB and Peppermint Pattie Sandwiches.
YUM!
Delicious!! Mmmmm… justification for having chocolate for lunch and not just for dessert!
My daughter loves Nutella, but I have to agree with your kids…there’s something about it I don’t care for. Maybe the hazelnut undertaste?
Oh, and they say chocolate is good for you. Okay, the dark kind…but I think if you get your kids to love milk chocolate now, they’ll love the dark kind when they grow up.
I wonder…if you made a PB sandwich and put a candybar on it…and then put butter on the outside…and then fried it like a grilled cheese sandwich…
Okay, maybe that’s pushing it. But chocolate and peanut butter rules!
My little girl doesn’t like PB and J, she only likes PB. But she would probably eat this in heartbeat … and chocolate does have fiber in it 🙂 !!
Oooh… with as big a hit as reeces are in this family, I sooo have to try this at lunch today!
We love chocolate and peanut butter too, but use an organic chocolate hazelnut spread that is much better than the Nutella – it is creamy and delicious! My girls love it as much as PB&J! Plus I feel good about it because it is another nut butter with some protein! The brand we use is Rapunzel Organic Chocolate Hazelnut Butter – http://www.rapunzel.com.
I bet my little chocoholic will love this!
Ok, this is a little secret of mine that I have never shared with anyone before but I have been known to spread a piece of bread with PB, sprinkle it with chocolate chips and then put it in the toaster oven till it’s all melty. Don’t tell anyone where you heard that.
If you’re eating pancakes don’t forget the PB before you pour on the hot syrup. And then there’s the one my sister taught me. Oreos dipped in PB. Do you see a pattern here?
I’ll have to try this when the kids get finicky over just peanut butter again or maybe just as a treat. Actually the shock value of just telling them they could put chocolate on their peanut butter sandwich would probably be priceless.
Yum! Chocolate and peanut butter are classic combinations. I guess I would want to know what kind of bread you use. If it was a hearty loaf with some texture then certainly Nutella would work. 🙂 Dh LOVES Nutella.
Please do NOT tell my children you let your kiddos eat chocolate/peanut butter sandwiches. My daughter has still not completely forgiven me for making the switch to organic (ie no sugar) peanut butter. Ha!
Fun tip. Yummy.
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An alternative would be honey, natural, no sweeteners.
Another favorite in our home is toast with a “film” of honey and a spread of tahini (wholegrain is fuller tasting).It is great with green tea and to me, a soothing treat.Bon Appetit.
I hear you. A small amount of peanut butter and chocolate syrup is how I get some of my kids to eat oatmeal in the morning. Even then, it is still better for you than most dry cereal.
I know this is an old post, but for people like me who read old posts , here goes 🙂 At my superwalmart they have an all natural peanut butter that has cocoa in it. It tastes like a reese cup and it has no artificial junk. I think it’s brand is Peanut Butter Sandwich Company. It comes in Dark Choc, White choc, and Cinnamon Raisin.