Pumpkin Bread Sandwiches - updated with recipe!

I made up this packed lunch idea out of my own head, not out of Pinterest, which sometimes seems remarkable these days.

I simply put cream cheese between 2 slices of pumpkin bread, wrap tidily in waxed paper, tuck in a plastic bag, and freeze.  Don't freeze bread in waxed paper alone as it would get too dried out.

When I pack a lunch in the morning, I just pull out a frozen waxed-paper wrapped sandwich and put it in the bag.  By lunchtime, it's nicely thawed.

My pumpkin bread recipe has whole wheat flour, raisins and nuts in it, but I usually fill out the lunch with crunchy vegetables, fruits, and protein.  Here are three menus for a child-sized lunch:

Menu 1:
pumpkin bread/cream cheese sandwich
roasted chickpeas
apple

Menu 2:
pumpkin bread/cream cheese sandwich
popcorn
carrot coins & celery sticks

Menu 3:
pumpkin bread/cream cheese sandwich
hard-boiled egg
pretzels

 

****updated with recipe (I don't mind at all posting it, but I didn't know if you wanted the recipe because there are a million out there! So please, anytime you want a recipe, just ask.  I don't believe in secret recipes.)

 

Pumpkin Bread - modified from Simply in Season

 

In a mixing bowl, mix together and make a well in the center:

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup wheat germ or oat bran

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

3/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

 

Separately, lightly beat 4 eggs.  Then add to the well in the flour mixture.

 

Also, to the well, add:

2 1/2 cups cooked, pureed winter squash such as butternut, liquid drained off

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup chopped nuts

3/4 cup raisins

 

Use a large spoon to gently mix the liquids and flour mixture.  Mix together until just combined; a few streaks of flour is preferable to overmixed, tough bread!  Pour batter into 2 well-greased 9x5 loaf pans. 

Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes.  At 45 minutes, stick a toothpick or cake tester in the very center of a loaf; it must come out clean for the loaves to be done baking.  Keep baking and checking in 5 minute increments until the tester is clean.  Quick breads must be perfectly baked to be good! 

 

Cool in the pan for 10 minutes when done baking.  Loosen the edges of the loaves with a knife, and then turn out onto wire racks to finish cooling.  Slice when cool. 

 

Serve with cheese, cream cheese, or apple butter.

 

A note about the flours in this recipe: 

I would keep the all-purpose flour at 1 cup, but you can use white whole wheat flour for the rest; or, if you don't have WW pastry flour, you can use half all-purpose and half regular WW flour.  If you don't have WW pastry flour, I highly recommend trying it; it's a great way to get whole grains in baked goods with the chemical leaveners (baking soda and baking powder) because it keeps a light texture.  Don't use WW pastry flour with yeast, however; white whole wheat flour is great for that.