(it's okay to) play with your food

This is something I like to call bento on a plate. It probably doesn't even qualify as 'real' bento but whatever. (This is just a grape jam 'hedgehog' sandwich with a raisin eye, teddy grahams, clementine sections, salami, edamame, and cut-up string cheese.)

And in case you're wondering what I do with the rest of the bread (no, I don't throw it away!) I usually end up eating my own sandwich, which looks something like this. Ha.

Lately, my most-used cookie cutter set is this one from IKEA. The wilderness edition, I guess. Forest friends? It's pretty cute.

 Sometimes we eat quesadilla dinosaurs who walk on raisin rocks underneath a colby-jack sun.

 Or have a edamame/peanut butter cracker flower with a fruit leather squirrel for a snack.

But all that matters is that she eats it. :) I've been playing with cute lunches for a couple of years, since Lo is stuck in that picky-eater phase. I definitely make more of them now that the weather is sunny and we're heading out on picnics and playdates more often. And I love reading bento blogs; my very favorite is written by my pal Wendy, so if you like this kind of stuff, you should def check out Wendolonia.