Sandwich Kid Fun Made Easy

By Sherrie Le Masurier

Sandwiches are just sandwiches unless you put on your ‘sandwich kid fun’ thinking cap. The key is to think like a child and be creative. If you were a child, what type of sandwich would really fire you up? And, what kind of sandwich fillings would be guaranteed to end up in your belly instead of in your classroom trash can?

Sandwich kid fun is all about putting the excitement and the nutrition back into your child’s school lunch experience.

It begins with the basic principles of a nutritious sandwich. The creativity comes in the filling, from bread selected and from how it’s presented in your child’s lunch box.

Sandwich kid fun is also about thinking outside the bread box and coming up with fun ideas that will put a smile on your child’s face day after day. When I say day after day, I’m not suggesting you pack your child the same sandwich everyday. Instead come up with a collection of favored sandwiches and offer up a fresh variety each day of the week.

Be creative when using basic sandwich staples. Think chicken and corn, ham and avocado, cheese and carrots or cream cheese and jam.

Sandwich kid fun also involves a little experimentation to come up with recipes and menus that your kids will enjoy. Ask your children about what food combinations they like. What about a salad of diced apples, raisins and grated carrots inside a pita and topped with a favorite dressing?

Or consider a fruit filling such as a mashed banana with a couple of pineapple slices. (Mix a little honey and lemon juice in with the banana and pat the pineapple slices with a paper towel before putting inside a pita or on a slice of bread.)

Take note that some of the most popular school sandwiches now favor dressings and salsa over or in addition to mayonnaise.

Following are some more sandwich kid fun pointers:

Vary Both the Bread & Fillings

Add in some sandwich kid fun by sandwiching a variety of fillings between everything from crackers and rice cakes to buns and bagels. Routinely alter between traditional loaf bread and bread varieties such as pitas, flat breads and soft tortillas.

Think complex carbohydrates over ordinary white bread. True, if given the choice most kids will pick white bread over ‘whole grain’ wheat or multi-grain but just think of the added nutritional value. Even if your child eats whole grain bread every other day she’ll hopefully acquire a taste for the heartier more nutritious options over time. 

Sandwich Roll Ups

Sandwich roll ups can take on many forms. For instance a sandwich kid fun lunch could include deli rolls made by spreading thin slices of salami (or another favorite lunch meat) with a little mustard. Then adding a strip of cheese and a pickle spear and rolling the whole thing up. Finish by securing with toothpicks.

Add a little sandwich kid fun to the lunch of a peanut lover by spreading peanut butter on a soft tortilla. Then place a peeled banana (or half of one sliced lengthwise) in the middle and roll up.

Wrap ‘N Go Ideas

Other wrap ‘n go ideas can be as basic as chicken Caesar salad tossed and wrapped or you can add cream cheese, red peppers, black olives and a little minced garlic to the mix. Vary the flavor of wrap and change the overall taste.

Make Fun Sandwich Shapes & Spirals

Use cookie cutters to cut sandwiches into fun shapes. For more sandwich kid fun make spirals by removing the crusts from the bread and flattening the slice with a rolling pin. Spread peanut butter and jelly, cream cheese and jam or ham (or any other favorite filling) and tightly roll up. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. In the morning slice into spirals and pack in lunch containers.

Mini Subs

Turn a hot dog bun into a miniature submarine sandwich. Use pepperoni slices and other deli meats your child favors. Slice regular sized deli meat into thin strips. Add cheese and shredded lettuce. Pack a small container of salad dressing to pour on top at lunchtime.

Sandwich Fingers

Sometimes the difference between an ordinary sandwich and a sandwich kid fun lunch is all in the way you slice it. Make tasty sandwich fingers using a variety of breads and fillings like cream cheese or peanut butter. What about spreading a little peanut butter on a slice of homemade banana bread and topping with a second layer? Or blend together a 50/50 combination of cream cheese and apple sauce and sandwich between two slices of cinnamon raisin bread. Cut into fingers.

Sandwich kid fun is all about making the ordinary extraordinary. Happy sandwich making!