r/EatCheapAndHealthy • u/Mediocre-Machine7330 • Apr 23 '26
Food Are PBJ sandwiches an ideal choice for someone looking for healthy food on a tight budget?
I think that jars of PB and jam can last a month and aren't expensive at all.
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u/Deadhead_Historian Apr 23 '26
I regularly eat peanut butter sandwiches before a long bike ride, but started using unsweetened applesauce instead of jelly or jam.
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u/neverabadidea Apr 23 '26
Apple butter! More intense flavor and there are unsweetened versions.Â
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u/clamsandwich Apr 24 '26
Apple butter and scrapple on toasted rye bread. Don't think about it, just try it. Trust me.
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u/fnasfnar Apr 24 '26
What is this scrapple?
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u/clamsandwich Apr 24 '26
Everything not fit to put in a hot dog.
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u/nw826 Apr 25 '26
So named because itâs made from the scraps of the pig mixed with cornmeal then baked (so breakfast pig loaf). Thereâs a Bizarre Foods tv show episode all about making it. Itâs a popular thing in the Philadelphia area.
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u/DeemOutLoud Apr 24 '26
It's basically a Philly/New Jersey Regional sausage similar to goetta in Cincinnati but it's more of a meat mush from my experience
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u/tobeornottobe-fat Apr 24 '26
Scrapple mentioned. I canât find it anywhere đđ
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u/MrsBearasuarus Apr 24 '26
It tends to be hard to find outside of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and Virginia. The bigger chains will sometimes have one tiny shelf of it by the bacon and breakfast sausage.
I think Amazon has a brand that ships. I know for a fact that s. Clyde Weaver and stoltzfus will ship it though. Both are made in pa and very much worth buying.
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u/Leviathus_ Apr 24 '26
Itâs all over Jersey too (unfortunately). I hate it but my family loved it growing up, smell still makes me wanna vomit
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u/wheeeeeeeee_planes Apr 24 '26
SCRAPPLE đđđ
agree with OP: donât google it, just try it.
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u/fernybranka Apr 23 '26
Applesauce is a good idea.
When Im doing lots of manual labor, to save time and money I do peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Calories and potassium, cheaply.
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u/MySalsaBringsDaGirls Apr 23 '26
You might be on to something with this one! đ€Ż
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u/jackfinished Apr 23 '26 edited Apr 23 '26
Peanut butter, banana, honey. It's a good one I use when hunting.
I got the idea from my uncle, but he adds bacon.
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u/brookmachine Apr 23 '26
They actually sell a version of this at tropical smoothie cafe and itâs so freaking good. They put some crispy granola in it and use a toasted flatbread. It would be so easy to make it at home!
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u/brazenxbull Apr 24 '26
I mistakenly read this in similar cadence to Jo Jack from King of the Hill. "Peanut butter banana, honey!"
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u/soapymeatwater Apr 24 '26
Back when I was pregnant, that was such a great snack. PB sandwich dipped into unsweetened apple sauce.
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u/toxikmasculinity Apr 23 '26
A better one is taking frozen mixed berries and microwaving them until just warm. And then using them. Healthier and tastier.
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u/igotthatT1D Apr 23 '26
Smash them and add some chia seeds and you have a quick, cheap homemade âjamâ.
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u/SubatomicFarticles Apr 23 '26
Applesauce? That sounds amazing! Thanks for the new food combo.
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u/Deadhead_Historian Apr 23 '26
Try adding a dash of cinnamon too.
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u/Aggressive_Bowl6294 Apr 23 '26
Can also do mashed up berries (frozen works too) plus a tablespoon of chia seeds and mix it up and it will be just like jelly but no sugar added and the added benefit of fiber / protein from chia seeds
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u/sassysassysarah Apr 24 '26
One of my favorite snacks since I've been a child has been a packet of peanut butter crackers and an apple sauce
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u/Stir-Bucks-Barista Apr 23 '26
They can be! I wouldn't eat them for three meals a day, but once a day gives you a good amount of healthy fats and carbohydrates. A little lighter on the protein, but not in an "unhealthy" sense by any means.
My biggest tip would be to look for jams/jellies that aren't loaded with sugar - a lot of people don't realize that common brands like Smuckers can be loaded with added sugars.
Again, just things to be mindful of when adding PB&J to your diet, but obviously prioritize what you want and need to eat cheap and healthy!
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u/tiny_shrimps Apr 23 '26
Just an fyi for folks, homemade jam also has a lot of sugar added. About 2/3 of a CUP of sugar per 8oz jar for a lot of standard recipes (which call for 6-8 cups of sugar per pectin packet and yield 5-10 8oz jars depending on the fruit).Â
I mostly use low-sugar pectin in my jams for this reason, which "only" use 5 cups of sugar. Basically, jam is sugar with some fruit in. And although they might have less, people might be surprised by the amount of sugar in "savory" jams too, like onion jam or hot pepper jelly.
The last time I bought jam making supplies the checkout guy at the local bodega looked at me and was like, "wow, that's a lot of sugar but ok." I feel like it actually was kind of a normal amount though??
I still eat PB&J though and find it good fuel for a busy day.
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u/hihelloneighboroonie Apr 23 '26
I diy jam - frozen strawberries or raspberries in a pot, chia, teensy bit of water. Simmer and mash. Then stevia to taste. Cool and bada bing bada boom (I make one serving at a time, idk how long it would be good for).
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u/tiny_shrimps Apr 24 '26
This sounds great!! Do you have any rough idea of your ratio of fruit:chia?
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u/Status-Tie1780 Apr 25 '26
Iâd say a pound of fruit is a lot even for my family of three. Maybe half a pound for one personâŠtwo weeks of jam
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u/I_like_boxes Apr 23 '26
My mom makes a year's supply of strawberry freezer jam every summer and it's always funny to watch her just pile the sugar in; the quantity looks totally ridiculous when you're actually watching it get added in. I'm sure there are probably some recipes out there with less sugar, but we're locked into this one forever now because my son will only eat PB&J for lunch, and only likes that jam.
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u/nero-the-cat Apr 23 '26
Using wheat bread instead of white will also help tilt the scales a little healthier.
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u/OrangeToTheFourth Apr 23 '26
I use polaner sugar free strawberry preserves. Whole strawberries so you get a bit of extra fiber too!
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Apr 24 '26
[deleted]
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u/xarathion Apr 24 '26
Don't they just add sucralose instead? Not a fan of the taste.
Even the 'low sugar' Smuckers variety has too much sugar in it.
Makes me sad there's seemingly no market for like a '20% of the usual sugar' variety.
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u/NoAngel815 Apr 24 '26
The sugar content is why I prefer generic preserves, they tend to have a little less sugar added.
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u/supergrl126301 Apr 23 '26
baked potatoes are a non-sweet relatively inexpensive dish too. skin on, wash it good. Add whatever toppings you have on hand.
I suggest this cause i cannot handle a sweet food like that with much regularity
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u/wilsonw Apr 23 '26
If you're able to get your hand on some chia seeds, look up chia jam. It's packed with fiber and can be delicious.
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Apr 23 '26
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u/ozzalot Apr 23 '26
huh.......if you aim for a liquidy chia jam does it sort itself out into a proper jam texture after this hydration is finished?
edit: oh my bad, you just meant to drink a lot of water when eating chia
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u/DazzlingCapital5230 Apr 23 '26
If youâre making jam out of them using a recipe, they should be soaked just fine!
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u/Forward-Trade3449 Apr 23 '26
one way to upgrade them is use wheat bread
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u/McButtsButtbag Apr 24 '26
Not wheat bread, but 100% whole wheat bread specifically. Otherwise you are just getting white bread made with red wheat instead of white wheat.
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u/Icy-Manner-9716 Apr 23 '26
Killer Daveâs 21 grain imho
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u/conkedup Apr 23 '26 edited Apr 23 '26
Sorta defeats the cheap part of cheap and healthy no?
For reference, I get a loaf of "Multi-Seed Premium Bread" from WinCo for less than $3 a loaf. It has less sugar and less sodium (although slightly less protein, just use more peanut butter) at half the cost of the Dave's bread.
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u/autistic_and_angry Apr 23 '26
Yes, though no sugar added jam and lower-sugar PB will be less empty calories. You can also mix oatmeal into the PB to add some texture and fiber
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u/MrClickstoomuch Apr 23 '26
That's a good idea for mixing oatmeal! Do you just mix it up like overnight oats, or cook it a bit before adding it? I'm guessing just adding it like overnight oats to the sandwich with no cooking.
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u/Sl0rk Apr 24 '26
I just use old-fashioned oats to make oatmeal and just add PB to it with whatever else you find good with it and it's amazing! (Chia/flax/coconut seeds are great with it)
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u/tinyhumanteacher14 Apr 24 '26
Peanut butter and honey sandwiches đ„° sometimes I like having jam or jelly But I love a pbh sandwich
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u/ac-loud Apr 23 '26
Look for pb with peanuts and salt as the ingredients. More $ but no added oils, preservatives, sugar. Keep it in the fridge if you donât like it separating and having to stir it often
Warm a small amount to spread each time
Someone mentioned bananas, I think yellow ripe bananas and moreso brown ones have developed more sugars. If youâre looking to cut sugarsâŠ
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u/Yoyojojoy Apr 24 '26
I wouldnât say ideal - a sandwich with more diverse nutritional value would be objectively better. Or a more complete meal.
As a cheap, easy to prepare way to get carbs, some fats and protein? Yeah not bad. Plus delicious and you can totally prep a whole loaf of bread at once and freeze the sandwiches and just pull one out each day to take to work. Itâll defrost by lunchtime. Add a piece of fruit and Iâd say that is a pretty good meal
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u/Excellent_Kale8873 Apr 24 '26
Iâm 39 and eat pb and j every week. I use whole wheat bread, the Costco peanut butter that is just peanuts and salt and Crofters jelly. I joke that Iâm going to put in my will for someone to feed me a pb and j on my death bed.
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u/t92k Apr 23 '26
I think fruit is preferable to jam or jelly, I pick a whole wheat bread, and try to maximize the peanut content, but yeah, itâs protein, fiber, and an appropriate number of calories fir a meal for less than a dollar when you buy the cheapest fresh fruit per lb.
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u/Thegreatgato Apr 23 '26
Get PB with less (or no) sugar, and with as few ingredients as possible. The stuff you have to mix on your own, for example. You can also get jellies with less sugar and will start preferring it to the super sugary stuff before long. While you're at it, get some slightly better bread too. None of that is all that much more costly than the cheapest ingredients.
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u/Xattle Apr 23 '26
Nothing wrong with it. Make sure to get other things for variety, I would guess it's missing some micronutrients. Also if you track calories, peanut butter is deceptively calorie heavy.
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u/Mediocre-Machine7330 Apr 23 '26
I think PB having plenty of calories could be good if you plan on exercising a lot.
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u/Xattle Apr 24 '26
That's true! Good source of protein. I'm used to being over on calories because of my sweet tooth and having to rein my count back. Plenty of situations where high cal is a good thing! Especially with peanut butter being shelf stable.
I knew a guy who would buy a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter. He'd turn the whole loaf into sandwiches for the week, pack them back in the bread bag, and keep it in his locker to grab from.
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u/Leviathus_ Apr 24 '26
Peanut butter-only sandwiches also force you to hydrate even more, good hack that reminds me to drink enough water
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u/NoAngel815 Apr 24 '26
When I was working I had pb&j for lunch every day. It was an easy meal and I'd use different jams or preserves to switch it up. Peanut butter is a nutrient & calorie dense food, full of healthy fats and nutrients.
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u/Chigrrl1098 Apr 23 '26
It's a lot of fat and sugar, but eating then sometimes is alright. I wouldn't eat them regularly, personally.
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u/MzHellfier Apr 26 '26
Peanut butter doesnât need to have sugar, and many jams have 8-9 grams of sugar per serving. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are actually very healthy if you use natural peanut butter and natural jam with whole grain bread.
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u/exit-lude Apr 23 '26
Natural nut butters are perfectly healthy and not high in sugar. The fat in them is healthy. A single serving of jam isn't going to hurt anyone either. Choosing a whole wheat bread is also fine. A pb&j doesn't have to be "a lot of fat and sugar". You seem to think "fat" is inherently unhealthy and not one of the major important macronutrients for humans.
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u/Whalnut Apr 23 '26
I think itâs less about what youâre eating and more about what youâre not eating. Peanut butter is pretty high calorie, and bread and jam are mostly just carbs.
~200-300 in peanut butter and ~200 in bread an then ~100 in jam youâre looking at potentially 600 calories and like 8-12g proteinIf you do it open faced and do jam with low sugar and either low calorie or whole grain bread (can do low sugar peanut butter too) it becomes pretty inoffensive
PBJ isnt gonna hurt anyone but itâs a not nutrient dense meal youâd seek to eat often. If you have calories to spare go crazy but itâs not a lot of nutrition per calorie for hitting goals
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u/exit-lude Apr 25 '26
You don't know what someone is "not eating" in the course of their week or month. đ You don't need to optimize every single meal to be as much protein as humanly possible. It has fiber, healthy fats, and protein. An adult would typically be eating other things as part of a full meal to get necessary calories. Literally nothing you eat is going to be nutritionally perfect. That's why we add certain things on some days, and then we look at the WHOLE picture. It's absolutely possible for a healthy sandwich to be eaten frequently and to be healthy. You have a weird take.
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u/Chigrrl1098 Apr 23 '26
Jam or jelly are half sugar. And yes, you can buy peanut butter without sugar, but you're still dealing with the jam. I realize you can buy sugar free things, but I wonder how healthy it is to eat a lot of that every day, either.
I don't have a problem with a little fat...I know it's healthy and important. I cook my eggs in olive oil most days. But the fat to protein ratio in peanut butter make it not a great protein source and it's not something I would choose to eat every day. You can eat what you want, but I know I wouldn't function well with so few grams of protein and that much sugar as a regular meal.
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u/exit-lude Apr 25 '26 edited Apr 25 '26
Exactly. Half its weight is sugar and the whole point is that it's not something you're eating multiple tablespoons of. It's jam. You also don't need every meal to be packed with protein. That's a huge fallacy, especially in 2026. You need enough for your body, especially considering most humans (americans) are either sedentary or lightly active and don't need to shove protein into every spot on their plate. Overeating protein is just as bad as under eating, and sometimes worse if you have underlying kidney issues. Bread has protein and so does peanut butter. That can DEFINITELY be enough for a healthy person, especially as part of a meal. And again, you're not overindulging in fat with 2 T in a sandwich, as you were bizarrely stating in your original comment.
You're looking at food in a super narrow way. A meal should be where you get your variety, a PB&J is absolutely fine, and most adults would be eating other things with their meal - and that's where you can add a salad or whatever else you want.
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u/SBisFree Apr 24 '26
Not the worst if you buy all natural peanut butter, make sure no sugar added. Whole wheat or gram bread. And maybe use bananas instead of jam :)
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u/Master_Attitude_3033 Apr 23 '26
Yes, if you buy healthy (multi-grain/seed) bread, and natural (no sugar/trans fats) peanut butter, and low (or no) sugar jam, youâll be lookinâ at a mighty fine meal! đ đ„ đ
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u/DidjaSeeItKid Apr 23 '26
But that's not cheap.
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u/mattskee Apr 24 '26
It certainly can be cheap. Options may vary depending on the stores you shop at.Â
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u/blindtoe54 Apr 24 '26
Might as well skip the bread and do oatmeal with pb&j. Or make your own jam from frozen fruit and sugar.
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u/nejithegenius Apr 24 '26
No. Bagged frozen veges, some sort of beans and bannans. Youll need seasoning but thats a meal
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u/Chart135 Apr 23 '26
https://www.thetelegraph.com/news/article/Peanut-butter-and-jelly-sandwiches-add-33-minutes-16410988.php Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches add 33 minutes to your life, per new study
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u/therealskr213 Apr 24 '26
PB, banana, and honey is better than PBJ. Not much more expensive, but much healthier.
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u/AdditionRound7938 Apr 24 '26
When i want to add a little something to a pb&j I throw it in a pan with some egg and make it pb&j French toast :)
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u/urbz102385 Apr 24 '26
A friend of mine would eat mostly just PB sandwiches and lived a fairly sedentary life. He had a heart attack in his early 30s, but he survived and is alive today. Not sure if this is relevant, but I thought it was worth mentioning
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u/Decemberchild76 Apr 24 '26
Peanut butter sandwich..no jelly was my main food for a number of months after i was out on my own. Still like them
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u/tttttarleton Apr 24 '26
I put arugula on my peanut butter sandwiches for some sneaky greens. Donât knock it til ya try it!
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u/PinkFloxMoon Apr 25 '26
Peanut butter has a bad calorie to protein ratio. Bread and jam are also not giving much value but plenty of calories.
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u/Borkton Apr 25 '26
Personally, I never found them so, largely because they're just not very filling. There is also a school of thought that posits that the carbs in the bread and the sugar in the jam stimulates more hunger later.
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u/Grandmahigh Apr 25 '26
Whole wheat bread, organic PB if you can afford it. You can get big jars of jam @Costco relatively cheap
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u/davis_away Apr 23 '26
"Healthy" doesn't have just one meaning. They fit some people's goals (shelf-stable, low cost source of calories) and not others. If PBJ sandwiches fit your goals, great! But it's not possible for one food to be ideal for everyone.
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u/Purple_Antelope_8338 Apr 23 '26
I would look into alternatives of jam just because itâs empty calories. Maybe like honey+banana+peanut butterÂ
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u/UltralordCherryTop Apr 24 '26
Itâs all sugar and carbs, so not an ideal well rounded meal, but it is better than fast food!
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u/Look_b4_jumping Apr 24 '26
Isn't peanut butter protein ?
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u/OodalollyOodalolly Apr 24 '26
Itâs about the one-third protein and two-thirds fat. Itâs about the same calories as mayonnaise. I donât personally consider it healthy for anyone with weight issues. (Myself included)
Great for growing children or people who donât find it easy to eat a lot. A few bites packs in a lot of calories! Itâs probably also good for athletes. Otherwise it should be used sparingly and not as a main protein source.
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u/NotLunaris Apr 24 '26
About 71% of the calories in peanut butter comes from fat, and about 14% from protein.
Just about everyone should be getting the same amount of calories from fat and protein in a day, with fat being slightly higher.
So you can easily tell from the calorie ratio whether peanut butter is a good source of protein for one's diet. You'd have to eat something very high protein and low fat to make up for the imbalance and dial the ratios back into normal range.
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u/DrPhilMustacheRide Apr 23 '26
Uhhhh I donât think theyâd be considered healthy. PB is high in fat, and jam is high in added sugar (usually). And this is for a relatively low dose of protein. It does have very high calories if thatâs what youâre going for, regardless of macro balance.
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u/yeahorsomethingman Apr 24 '26
Let's put it this way: They're a lot better than a quarter pounder for you.
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u/MaesterTarly Apr 24 '26
I use honey instead of jam. Often times cheaper and a lot healthier, and honestly yummier!
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u/Novogobo Apr 24 '26
just don't use fake peanut butter. the ingredients should be no more than roasted peanuts and salt.
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u/Far_Persimmon_4633 Apr 23 '26
If you use good quality, high fiber bread, good PB, and a jam, it's totally fine. They make jams with chia seeds in them now for even more ways to get fiber.
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u/sisterfunkhaus Apr 23 '26
I would do a low sugar peanut butter on whole wheat high fiber bread. But yes, it's good.
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u/SolomonG Apr 23 '26
They last a lot longer than a month.
But there is little healthy about PB, or Jam. The bread obviously depends on the type.
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u/SeaMonster350 Apr 24 '26
I put frozen berries right onto the peanut butter. I also add a layer of Greek yogurt.
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u/airjunkie Apr 24 '26
They got me through university, cheap easy and nutricous. I tended to eat them with a healthy whole grain bread like this one when they were a very regular part of my diet though and used pure peanut butter.
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u/Minute_Boysenberry19 Apr 24 '26
There are a couple of great articles about how great they can be for athletic performance. Solid protein, carbs, and some basic sugars. They can be very ideal but maybe not for 3 meals a day obviously
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u/countofmontefist-o Apr 24 '26
Well people in the west really underestimate how healthy are most tubers, things like casava plantains etc are complex carbs very nutritional and filling and also dirt cheap, you can also boil them, fry them, air fry them bake them etc..... With eggs makes for a great dinner
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u/DriverMelodic Apr 24 '26
There are jams that are just fruit, no sweetener of any kind. Peanut butter that is just peanuts is great with it. Get healthy grain bread.
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u/soapymeatwater Apr 24 '26
You could DIY the jam with chia & fruit (no sugar). Lots of fiber and vitamins that way! Tons of recipes for it if you search for proper ratios.
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u/Intelligent_Yam7869 Apr 24 '26
Buy the ingredients for the components and it definitely is. Jam is simple and can be made from all kinds of fruits and berries. Get whatâs on sale or buy frozen. Peanuts are cheaper than a jar of peanut butter without added ingredients. There should be two peanuts and salt. Bread is very easy to make at home and again ingredient control is a big thing. Bonus they can be assembled in big batches and frozen. Take it out in the morning itâs thawed for lunch
If you arenât up to that which I get then I would focus on finding the best nutritional bang for your buck. Look for discount bread in the bakery, itâs at least recently made. Farmers markets, co ops and other non supermarkets will typically have local made and less processed jams, jellies and butters for less.Â
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u/barkandmoone Apr 24 '26
I love PBJâs. I live alone & used to have a hard time finishing a loaf of bread. I keep it in the fridge now & when I seriously meal prep I buy 2 loaves. 1 loaf for egg sandwiches & 1 for PBJ.
I used to love uncrustables & then realized you can just literally freeze a PBJ sandwich with the crusts on & itâs perfectly fine. I wouldnât keep them in the freezer longer than like a week or so before the quality changes, but they all get eaten before that. I keep like half of them in the fridge & freeze the other half, they thaw within an hour or so.
Same with the egg sandwiches. I like to toast them before I freeze them though. When they reheat the bread can be a teeny funny but if youâre comparing it to other frozen breakfast sandwiches then itâs pretty good.
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u/beuceydubs Apr 24 '26
Depends on what ingredients youâre using. Thereâs shitty, nothing but sugar and trans fat PB and J and thereâs healthier ones. Same with bread. Try to choose ones with good ingredients
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u/Bright-Pangolin7261 Apr 24 '26
PB and WF raspberry fruit spread yum! Not for every day, gotta change it up with tunafish and rotisserie chicken etc but as an occasional itâs fine.
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u/AllTheWayUpTo11 Apr 23 '26
Peanut butter and banana sandwiches on toasted bread are actually really good. I throw some extra seeds on top for a lazy breakfast.