A Shaped Sandwich Makes a GREAT Kids Sandwich!

Learn how to use sandwich cutters for lunch and teatime fun! Do you want to make something a little more inspiring for your kids' lunchboxes than limp, soggy sandwiches? Do you have trouble getting them to eat their sarnies at all, no matter how yummy you try to make them? Or perhaps they love sandwiches already, but you simply want to have some fun!

Shaped food of any kind is always a hit with kids. While shaped pre-packaged food is not always that healthy, making your own shaped sandwiches is easy and you have full control over the content, so can make them as healthy as you want! All you need is a selection of cookie cutters or sandwich cutters.

The trend of Bento is also growing in popularity, where the food in a lunchbox is turned into a wonderful miniature scene, so if you're inspired to try this, a shaped sandwich is a great place to start. Shaped sandwiches are also ideal for children's parties and other events!

Photo Credit: Heart Shaped Sandwich Lunch by anotherlunch.com via Flickr Creative Commons

Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License

1. Use your cookie cutter to cut out the shape from two slices of bread. Do this before filling the sandwich, so there is no waste. Some cutters are made with two-in-one shapes, so you can cut both halves of the sandwich from one slice of bread.

2. Butter the bread and add your filling!

3. You can also decorate the top of your sandwich - for example, use raisins for eyes, slither of carrot for a mouth and so on.

4. Waste not want not - save the leftover bread and whizz it in a food mixer to make breadcrumbs. You can freeze batches if you're not going to use them right away. Or take them out and feed the ducks!

Photo Credit: Star Sandwich by PrettyKiku via Flickr Creative Commons

The sky's the limit when it comes to the choice of cookie cutters these days. So whatever your child is into, you'll probably be able to find a cutter relating to it - from popular themed characters, animals and themed objects, to seasons, shapes, letters, party themes and more!

1. General shapes - hearts, stars, flowers, squares, circles, ovals, hexagons, clouds
2. Animals, birds and insects
3. Princess shapes - crowns, tiaras, dress, Disney Princess cutters
4. Fairy shapes - stars, wands, wings, butterflies, treasure chest
5. Pirate shapes - skull, pirate ship, pirate hat, large coins, treasure chest, parrot, flag
6. Party shapes - cake, cupcake, balloon, candle, present
7. Movie and TV shapes - be creative here! If there are no cookie cutters available from the show or film, use shapes associated with it. For example, alien, planet or star for Doctor Who; apple, wolf or chess piece for the Twilight Saga; playing card, rose, heart, club, spade, diamond, cat for Alice in Wonderland
8. Seasonal shapes - change the shapes in your child's lunchbox month by month! Strawberry for July, pumpkin for October, Christmas Tree for December, egg for March or April, snowman for January, sun for August and so on!

The easiest place to start is with a simple shape. A heart shape is lovely for little girls! You could carry on the theme with a red filling, such as jam, and top with half a strawberry.

Or go for a ham and tomato filling and top with half a tomato - the more heart-shaped the better!

Other great shapes include circles and ovals (make them into funny faces), triangles or diamonds (make patterns with them), flowers (make a garden scene with a bed of veggies and salad for grass, leaves and so on) and stars (combine with a circle to make a moon and stars platter).

Photo Credit: Heart Shaped Sandwich by Melissa via Flickr Creative Commons

Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License

Here are some more great ideas for shaped sandwich designs.

Photo Credit: Dinosaur Sandwich by Kilrothi via Flickr Creative Commons

Dinosaurs are great for boys or girls, and especially helpful in getting kids to eat their sarnies! There is a great dinosaur sandwich cutter available as well as other tools, so you can theme a whole meal or party if you wanted to, with dinosaur cookies and chocolates as well as the healthy stuff!

Speaking of which, you have the perfect excuse to add in lots of extra salad and veg, making up the "undergrowth" that the dinosaur lives in!

Of course, it's not just dinosaurs that will get your kids tucking into their lunch - all kinds of animals are available as cutters! Whether you are catering for lunch for one, or a party for a whole class, there is something ideal for you - the cutters come as singles or in packs of various designs!

Try a zoo lunch, farmyard tea, ocean picnic or dinosaur party - team with delicious fillings, sit back, and wait for your creations to be devoured!

Have sandwich fun with your kids' favourite character from books, films and TV! Look for themed cookie cutters, such as Disney and other cartoons.

This Winnie the Pooh sandwich would be great with yummy honey spread inside!

Popular characters like Hello Kitty, Thomas the Tank Engine and Mickey Mouse have plenty of cookie and sandwich cutters available with their faces or shapes.

But if you can't find an actual cookie cutter of your child's favourite, you could look for shaped cutters of objects that are relevant to the theme, such as a wand for a fairy or an alien shape for Ben 10.

Don't just think about cartoon characters - what about favourite themes? Princesses, pirates, fairies, teddy bears - all available in cutter form!

Photo Credit: Winnie the Pooh Sandwich by Dale Lane, via Flickr Creative Commons

Photo Credit: Bento Lunch by Sakurako Kitsa via Flickr Creative Commons

Bento is a boxed meal, that is art as well as a healthy meal. Originating in Japan, it consists of a healthy lunch in a box, made to resemble cute characters in a cute setting.

Make faces, characters, people, animals and anything else that grabs your imagination out of a sandwich, and build an entire lunchbox around them! For example, use fruit and vegetables as rocks, bushes and other landscape features to accompany an animal sandwich.

You can buy Bento boxes to put the lunch in, which have divided sections in which to put the different elements of your Bento meal.

Are you into shaped sandwiches? Are they hot or not? Tell us why!

Shaped sandwich or normal sandwich?

Fun with Toast!

You can also have fun with toasted sandwiches too, so you can experiment with hot fillings as well as cold! Think melted cheese and ham, roasted vegetables... yum!

These grilled chocolate hazelnut heart sandwiches with strawberries look delicious. They don't just have to be for the kids - these would be perfect for Valentine's Day!

You can even buy special toasters that brown words, pictures or the face of a character onto your child's toast - imagine the fun you can have with these! There are several designs available but my favourite has to be the Hello Kitty one below.

Photo Credit: Toasted heart sandwiches by Dharmabumx via Flickr Creative Commons