First things first – YES – I found that amazing bread that makes the Starbucks egg and cheese protein box the amazingness that it is.
I know I’m not the first mom to pinch a few pennies and dupe this yummy snack box on the cheap. Like many others, I found that the closest thing is cinnamon raisin English muffin or even sliced raisin bread… nothing quite replicated the pillowy nugget of bread that Starbucks Coffee gives you in their 460 calorie, five-dollar and seventy-five-cent snack box.
Until one day, I walked into my local Texas chain grocery store, H-E-B. “Here, Everything’s Better,” because Texas. I hadn’t been there in a while, because I normally get our groceries schlepped and delivered to our house using Shipt delivery service. (Get $10) I needed to pick up a few items, and there it was in the Deli department! Snuggled up with the pita breads, Ozery Bakery Snacking Rounds! These are also available at Sprouts grocery stores and they’re the perfect replacement for the bux’s “mini pita” and if you can’t find them at your grocery store, you can get the larger version of these on amazon. Ozery’s Morning Rounds are English muffin sized so you can cut them down for the kids or leave whole and put your favorite hazelnut spread on them and #treatyoself! TIP: They freeze well, so stock up! I knew I just HAD to share this game changer with everyone!
Both of my kids absolutely love the snack boxes from the coffee shop, after all, I had been walking to Starbucks every day with my son since he was born. Now, that I have two kids with growing appetites in tow, and I’m drinking just as much coffee (if not more!) and definitely need ways to stretch our coffee shop budget. This is how I dupe the snack box, perfect for preschool lunch boxes or park play dates! Totally toddler approved! I like to use reusable stainless steel bento trays to minimize the number of containers we would throw away, and the kids like fun food storage.
What you’ll need:
- Bento container hard cooked egg
- red seedless grapes
- Ozery Bakery fruit and grain snacking round
- aged white cheddar cheese
- Justin’s honey peanut butter spread (we prefer honeyed almond butter)
- (optional) salt and pepper packetsSliced apple – OMG I forgot the apple! #mombrain #badblogger Oh well, you know how to slice an apple so I don’t need to show you that. Here’s a picture of the forgotten apple so you’ll remember!
First, I cooked our eggs using the InstantPot, following the 5-minute quick pressure release method from epicurious.com. I cook ours just a minute short of the recommended 5 minute cook time, because I like my eggs a little less done. You can also do this the night before if you want to fully chill your eggs overnight. Having a bunch of hard cooked eggs on hand is great – quick and healthy snack for the whole family!
Pour the water into the Instant Pot and place a steamer basket or the trivet into the pot. Gently place up to 12 eggs into the basket or on top of the trivet, taking care not to crack the eggs as you add them. Secure the lid and set the Pressure Release to Sealing. Select the Manual setting and set the cooking time for 5 minutes at high pressure.
While the eggs are cooking, prepare an ice bath. When the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, then move the Pressure Release to Venting to release the remaining steam. Open the pot and transfer the eggs to the ice bath to cool. Peel when ready to serve.
Then, while the Instant Pot does its thing, I wash the grapes (half them if you prefer to for younger children), slice or cube the cheese, and slice the apple. I prefer small, “lunchbox size” apples. They’re perfect for little hands.
Simply arrange the items, throw in a packet of honey butter of your choice and pop a little snack round of bread in there and you’re done!
Sometimes I pack an extra box for myself, because the kids can eat he whole box and then some!!! In my box, I add those little salt and pepper packets that find their way into my kitchen drawer from numerous takeout deliveries. 😏 #frugalmom
Most of the time, I pack my own snack box in the kid’s containers too. If I’m wanting something more adult, then I use glass meal prep storage or these space-saving stackablefood storage containers that we use for our leftovers.
What I absolutely love about packing our own snack boxes is that you can customize each box for any picky kid or adult with dietary restrictions.
Vegan cheese? Check.
Nitrate-free lunchmeat? Sure!
Gluten-free bread? Absolutely!
HOLD ON. At this point, I know what you’re thinking… who has time to do this?? Me, and I’m definitely not one of those perfect moms. I made the eggs while the baby was napping. Of course, baby Maya woke up before I finished prepping the other ingredients, but I was able to finish by babywearing. I promise, it’s easy. The best part is being able to use ingredients I prefer AND save money.
Before I leave you, shoutout to our local farm-fresh eggs! Kenz Henz is just twenty-something miles down the road from us. It’s a small operation in Santa Fe, TX that’s available in local Houston stores. They’re not heavily distributed eggs marketed as “cage free” but eggs from chickens with space to roam. Happy chickens in local pastures make my heart happy.
We’re out and about all the time, especially during summertime. I’m always looking for on-the-go snacks! Comment below and tell me, what do you pack for your kids?
Semi Crunchy, Always Extra 
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