The Old Standby: PB&J at Panera Bread

The eternal kid question: What’s for lunch? Lunch is hard. Most kids just aren’t down with a Gorgonzola Salad. No matter how much you try to change a child’s palate, the old standbys just seem to work the best. Take the lowly peanut butter and jelly sandwich or as it is known to the kid set: PB&J.

There’s not much you can do to dress it up. You can try crunchy peanut butter and you can replace grape jelly with raspberry preserve but in the end, it’s still a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It's a meal that, while not fancy or flashy, is relatively healthy, easy and very filling. Packed between whole grain bread, the peanut butter and jelly is also not a very messy meal, unless of course your child decides to open it up and eat it one side at a time. Then, you'll need a good supply of wet naps.

Unlike adults, when you take them out, many kids like to eat the same things they eat at home. That’s why it’s great when you can find a place that puts the things kids really like on the menu that are also good for them too. is one of those places.

The Dish: Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich ($3.49)

What’s Inside: Whole grain white bread with peanut butter and concord grape jelly.

How’s It Taste: “It was delicious,” said four-year old Hannah, Port Jefferson Patch’s official Dish Junior taste tester. It’s a classic PB&J on a perfectly square piece of bread. Although Hannah didn’t eat the crusts, that seemed to be a personal preference and not a commentary on the quality of the crust itself.

Sides: All of the kids meal sandwiches come with a squeezable organic yogurt. We suggest the strawberry. “The push up yogurt was good too,” said Hannah. You may also want to get an organic apple juice ($1.69) to wash it all down with.