Mixing up mealtime with fun recipes kids can make can turn ordinary foods into fun and exciting food kids want to eat. Getting creative for school lunches and snacks at home can be fun, especially when you let your little ones help in the kitchen. My kids love helping, especially when they know they get to share their creations with others. They are super proud of their accomplishments!
I browsed Pinterest and pulled a few recipes together for my kids to create a couple new fun recipes: Smiley Fruit Face Sandwich and an Loaded Apple Sandwich.
Smiley Fruit Face Sandwich
My daughter doesn’t eat much bread, most of her ‘sandwiches’ for lunch just include wrapped lunch meats, cut out shaped cheeses, and crackers – unless it is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on white bread. She just refuses to eat the bread on anything else. I decided to try giving her the job of making this Smiley Fruit Face Sandwich to see if she’d eat it.
I received Jif butters and a promotional item to facilitate this post.
First, she spread a generous amount of the new Jif Cashew Butter – creamy version on the whole wheat sandwich thin. Next, she ate a spoonful of the cashew butter as you can see in the spoon photo below. If you haven’t tried the new Jif Cashew Butter – you have to because it is amazing!
I sliced pears, apples, and kiwi for the smiley face. I cut them quite thin. She placed 2 pear slices on first, then two kiwi ‘eyes’ on top with one apple slice for the mouth.
This is a cute and fun way to mix up mealtime with something fun your kids will enjoy at lunchtime or for a healthy snack. If you want to load more fruit up, go for it! This fruit combination goes really well with the cashew butter, especially the pears – which contain a lot of fiber that is good for everyone.
Mission accomplished! Elizabeth loved making this Smiley Face Sandwich and ate it all – the whole wheat bread included! I like that it includes whole wheat bread, cashew butter, and plenty of fruit! Now, I send this to school with her for part of her lunch. Her and her friends think it is super cute! I know she is eating healthy and will have a full tummy too.
Loaded Apple Sandwich
My kids both love apples, especially my 8 year old son. I normally send an apple to school every day either for their snacks or as part of their lunches. Finding creative ways to mix up mealtime always makes good food even better. For this Loaded Apple Sandwich, I cut the core out with a veggie cutter in the shape of a star after I cut two slices of apples width-wise.
Next, my son spread on the new creamy Jif Almond butter, which is also delicious like the new cashew butter!
*Rainbow loom rubber bands not required for this recipe! ha! My kids can’t stay away from them even to make a snack!
Next, load on the toppings! We used mini chocolate chips, almond slices, and granola.
Eat it open face or as a sandwich as pictured below. If you aren’t going to consume immediately, sprinkle lemon juice on the apples or give the apples a lemon juice wash before assembling. Below is a kid-size Loaded Apple Sandwich. This size is great for adding to your kid’s school lunch, as an after-school snack, or treat during movie night!
Below is a really Loaded Apple Sandwich that my husband made! Elijah thought it was the greatest!!
I hope you’ll try these recipes with your kids and mix up mealtime at your home this week! Be sure to check out the new Jif creamy and chunky Almond and Cashew Butters too!
This was a sponsored post. My own opinions were used based on my perceptions and experience.
