Boredom Solution: Make Food Fun with Cookie Cutters

Turkey Burger Stars

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Approaches Some Salami Berries

Snowy Tree with Cheese, Mashed Avocado and Tomato (my daughter decorated this one)

Cheese-Topped Tortilla Angel

Tortilla Tree with Cucumbers, Cream Cheese, and Tomatoes

Star-Topped Pot Pie

Skillet Toasted Ham and Avocado Pitas with Pepper Jack Cheese

This variety-loving mom of three has been getting mighty bored with our typical lunch options. Although sandwiches are easy, they leave me feeling blase and wishing for something more exciting, less ho-hum. Macaroni & Cheese is, of course, a faithful standby, but the blue box still lacks the panache that I was seeking.

When my daughter would come home for lunch last year, she regaled me with detailed accounts of the amazing snacks she got to create in her preschool class... faces, fire trucks, ladybugs and so on. I thought I could never go to such extreme lengths as a mom. Yet my daughter truly loved making them! A few month ago I finally took a peek at lunchbox limbo for inspiration, and inspire me it did! After seeing the simple but creatively designed lunches in living color, I finally decided to take a stab at crafting some edibles myself.

In years prior, my collection of cookie cutters had become a depressing symbol of all the optional tasks that I never get around to doing. Now I've been liberated from cookie cutter guilt, realizing that I can cut and shape my way out of boredom--no added sugar or oven required. And I don't just do the fun stuff for my kids. It works for me as a way to challenge myself and create one-of-a-kind lunches, snacks and even dinners. Food has become something we create, admire, and then savor.