I'm still trying to figure out the right quantity of food to send this year. I have had days where they eat every bite, and days where there is a lot left. I read an article many years ago about how kids will eat more when there is less food put in front of them. I have found this to be true for my kids. It's like maybe they get a little overwhelmed when it just looks like too much. So the goal is to pack enough that they get a full tummy, but not so much that they think it's just too much and don't know where to start. It takes us a few weeks to figure out what everybody's lunch time appetite is at school, and get the portions right.

The Lunch Idea:

Sometimes all you have to do to make lunch a little more interesting is to take an ordinary food and rearrange it. All I did here was trim the crusts off the sandwiches (which they don't eat anyway), and cut them in quarters, and shoved them on little bamboo sticks. .It was quick and easy. But doesn't it look so much more appealing than just a boring old sandwich?

What's in the Lunch:

Sandwiches: two have ham and cheddar with mayo, two have cheddar with butter. All on multi-grain bread.
Veggies: three have carrots, one has a sweet red pepper.
Fruit: green & purple grapes
Extra: a handful of pirate's booty (cheesy corn puffs)

Questions and tips:

I make these all the day before. These were actually made the afternoon before. No, the sandwiches do not get soggy. I get that question a lot actually, and I don't really understand it. I have never had a sandwich get soggy unless it had tomatoes or wet lettuce on it, which I wouldn't put on a sandwich I am making ahead of time.
I find that kids eat better and faster if you cut the sandwich into smaller, more manageable pieces. And if you're doing that, you might as well make it a little more fun by putting it on a stick!
People ask a lot about what I do with the scraps when I trim the sandwiches or cut them in shapes. Answer: it depends. If kids are around when I am making the lunch, they will often eat it. Sometimes I snack on it. If there are scraps or meat or cheese left, those go in a bag and get served for an after school snack, or scrambled in eggs for breakfast, or put in a quesadilla. Bread scraps usually just go in the compost.

Products I used:

I can't find a link to the exact bamboo forks that I used here, but really any kind of small skewer or stick would work. You want one about 3-4 inches long to fit in the box.