Sandwich Spree: Day One

Knit sandwich (and pattern!) found here

I like the look on the face of the sandwich to the left.  The slightly crossed eyes, the lettuce sticking out like a tongue...it's very similar to the face #3 gives me whenever I offer a new food.

So, I thought I would try something different.  On the quest for a sandwich that more than one child will like, that is NOT soynut butter and jelly, I'm going to try a couple of different strategies.

Strategy One:  Make Cute Food

The idea here is that the kids will be so excited by how adorable their sandwich is, they'll try eating it no matter what I put in it.

Strategy Two: Disguise sandwich as some other food they like

Strategy three: Normal looking sandwich, but experiment with different ingredients

For the first day of my sandwich spree, I made sandwiches for lunch and dinner, and tried out strategies one and two.

Lunch:  LadyBug Sandwich  (idea found here)

Using a circular cookie cutter, I cut the bread and a slice of cheese in to circles.  Cut the cheese in half, use the cookie cutter to cut a semi-circle out of the top of the cheese, and a straw to poke the holes for ladybug spots.
I used pepperoni for antennae and legs, and a marshmallow/raisin combo for the eyes.

You could fill the sandwich with anything.  A friend told me the other day that her daughter loves hummus sandwiches.  I happen to have a large tub of Costco hummus in my fridge, and it is a good source of protein, so I thought it was worth a try.
#2 also loves pepperoni, and since I was cutting it up for the legs, I went ahead and put some in her sandwich too.



Here is the final look:

And the verdict:

#2 LOVED her sandwich.  She loved the ladybug, she loved the hummus and pepperoni, and she was even excited about the marshmallow eyes.  #3 and #4 both liked the ladybug...but only ate the cheese.


Dinner:  Waffle Iron Grilled Cheese  (idea found here)

I haven't had much luck with #3 and #4 eating grilled cheese.  I don't know why.  It's warm, toasty, grilled yumminess with melted cheese inside...what's not to love???  For whatever reason, they just don't go for it, but they like waffles.  So when I saw this idea, I thought, "Why not?"

These are super simple.  Warm up waffle iron, spray thoroughly with cooking spray, put sandwich in, close, and open again in about 2 mins, or when you hear cheese sizzling.

I served the grilled (waffled?) cheese with carrots and hummus.  The carrots and hummus were a big hit, but the sandwich?

Pretty much the same as lunch. #2 loved it, # 3 and 4 wouldn't eat it. In fact, #3 was very upset with me for giving her something that looked like a waffle, but wasn't.

Another observation:  #2 is the lead culprit in the anti-crust routine, but she ate every bite of the waffle sandwich!

Tomorrow:  More sandwiches!  More experiments!  More thumbs!