Hamster-and-Cheese Sandwich!

 

A simple lunch made appealing using the CuteZCute Cuddle Palz cutter set and the colorful Pink Yumbox Panino! My First Grader wants a pet hamster soooo bad (or a mouse, or a lizard, or a fluffy white baby kitten...) So I almost always make her sandwich hamster-shaped when using the Cuddle Palz!

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Hamster-and-Cheese Sandwich

GF ham and goat cheese sandwich, organic grapes and carrots, petroleum-free Trujoy Choco Chews

 

The silicone trivet that I cut to fit the large compartment of our EasyLunchboxes fits perfectly in the large compartment of the Yumbox Panino tray as well! It helps fill the space, plus helps keep the sandwich from sliding around when there isn't other stuff tucked in there to hold it in place.

Since Tootsie Rolls have artificial Vanillin flavoring, which is most often derived from petroleum, I found these Choco Chews which are just like them, but safe! They also make dye-free square fruity chews which are just like Starburst! These Choco Chews fit perfectly in the little treat/dip compartment of the Panino!

How to Make Cute Cut-Out Sandwiches with Gluten-Free Bread

Gluten-free bread is very difficult to work with, since it doesn't have that pliable stretchy squishy gluten in it! It tends to be crumbly and dry. Making imprints is difficult, and when cutting smaller shapes out of the bread, the whole thing tends to fall apart. But through a lot of trial and error, I've found a way to make it work! Not always 100% successful, but I'm definitely getting intact sandwiches 8 times out of 10!

You can see in the first photo that I'm using the Cuddle Palz body cutter to push the face cutter far enough into the outer cutter to punch through. I find that when I remove the bread from the outer cutter first, the inner shapes are more likely to push and stretch the bread enough to make it tear. Keeping the outer cutter on holds the bread together better. Yay!

Where I fail is usually during Step 3. I go too fast or push too far on one side before loosening the other sides. You have to be very careful and just move a smidge at a time, then loosen the rest that same smidge, then back around again and again until it's all off safely.

Toddler Tiger

GF ham sandwich; organic green beans, carrots, grapes, apples

Since I only have one Yumbox, Little Sis got her tiger-iffic lunch in an EasyLunchbox! Because I only had heels left, I attempted an imprint for hers. Bzzzt! Fail! The bottom half of the tiger's face fell off, and a bunch of the bread between the whiskers flaked away! I managed to make it look decent enough by putting the face back together on the sandwich, but that's just for looks. It didn't hold up when eaten. Not that she eats her bread usually anyway.

Tools of the Trade