School house sandwich (filling of choice) with red bell pepper trimmed roof, white cheddar cheese windows and bell, cucumber peel door and cucumber spear grass/flower stems; contrasting color cheese flowers; mini carrot sticks with A-B-C cucumber cut-outs; Apple slices topped with red bell pepper apple shape & cucumber stem.
Tools needed: Sharp knife, straw, toothpick(s)
Optional tools: 1 inch Alphabet cutters, flower-shaped cutter (1/2-1 inch)
ABC’s Lunch Box Instructions:
1) Old School House: Begin with two slices of bread filled with sandwich filling of your choice. Cut into square shape by removing crust. Save one strip of bread crust that was removed and cut into a 1-inch wide rectangle for bell tower. Place at top of sandwich [you can use cream cheese or other sticky filling to attach the two together if needed, or just position in container so the building/tower/cucumber grass (when put in place), hold structure together]. Cut out three small squares from cheese for windows and one bell-shape (without the “ringer” or clapper portion) with a sharp knife. Using a straw, cut out a circle from the same cheese to use as the “ringer” of the bell. Dab a small bit of cream cheese or other sticky food of choice (eg, sunflower seed butter) to tooth pick and apply to the cheese windows and bell/ringer – arrange on bread to stick. Peel a 1-2 inch section of peel off a cucumber and cut into door shape/size as desired. Apply the same was as windows/bell. Rest sandwich above cucumber spears. Cut out two thin, cucumber spears with peel to make flower stems/leaves and top with cheese flowers (see below), if desired.
2) Cheese Flower: Use flower cutters or a sharp knife to cut out flowers from one color cheese (used white cheddar). In center of flower, cut out hole with straw and remove. With contrasting color cheese (used chedder cheese, regular) cut out hole with same straw. Remove circle of cheese from straw and plug into hole in flower. Arrange on top of cucumber flower stems or as desired.
3) Apple: With a sharp knife, cut out apple shape from red bell pepper strip. Cut small, triangle shape from cucumber and place on top of apple with sticky food of choice and place on top of apple slices.
4) A-B-Cs – Slice three, thin rounds of cucumber (about ¼ inch thick). Using small alphabet cutters (1 inch) or a sharp knife cut out letters and place on top of carrot sticks.
Please note: Although the “sticky food of choice” will help to affix windows and other trim/décor for this project, the contents of the lunch box will likely shift during transport by your toddler.
