Last month, just before BlogHer, I had a once in a lifetime opportunity to visit the Sara Lee headquarters, take a tour of the entire facility and taste some yummy new things that Sara Lee had in the workings. I loved them before the summit, but I adore them even more as a company!

While I was there, we learned so many fun things about how to spice up my kids’ lunches with fun, while making sure they are still getting the nutrition that they need.

One of the recipes that my group tried out (and we WON, judged by kids!) was an “Inside Out Lunch”. Thanks to Stacy who helped come up with this fabulous idea!

What we did, was we took 2 slices of bread, flattened them out to be really thin, we took some lunchmeat and other tasty thinks like avocados, honey mustard, turkey and ham, and we rolled the lunch meat on the bottom, insides, then the bread on the inside, then we rolled and stuck a pretzel through to hold it all together. Talk about a lot of fun! I have made this for my kids and they love it!!

There are so many fun things you can do to liven up a lunch for your kids.

Shape Up
Make a sandwich exciting by using cookie cutters to create different shapes. Use their favorite hobby or pastime as a guideline: for sports fans, make a football; for dog lovers, try a dog bone shape.

Stock Up on Favorites
Keep your family happy by having different deli meats on hand. Your kids will all be able to choose their favorite while getting the protein they need. Sara Lee® Fresh Ideas™ pre-sliced deli meats come in 14 different varieties in a convenient, pre-packaged container.

Keep it Cool
If you need to keep your lunch cool, try freezing juice boxes or reusable bottled waters instead of adding bulky ice packs. The boxes or bottles will thaw to provide a refreshing beverage and keep the sandwich fresh.

Get the Kids Involved
Instead of making lunch ahead of time, pack deli meats along with some cheese and crackers. Kids are more likely to eat what they help prepare, and they’ll have a great time stacking the ingredients to their liking during lunch time.

Here is another recipe that I saw that would be a lot of fun not only to eat, but to let your kids help make. Kids Sushi!

Sara Lee Deli Kid Sushi

Ingredients
2 slices Sara Lee® Fresh Ideas pre-sliced Honey Ham
2 strips Sara Lee® Swiss Cheese, thinly sliced, cut 2” x ¼”
2 slices Sara Lee® Soft and Smooth™ Made with Whole Grain White Bread
1 teaspoon ranch dressing
1 tablespoon thinly shredded carrots
2 sweet baby pickles

Method
Place two slices of white bread with the crusts cut off on a flat surface side-by-side. Using a rolling pin, or glass, gently flatten and fuse the bread slices together. Spread the ranch dressing over the inside middle of the flat bread slices. Place two slices of the ham on top of the ranch dressing. Place the shredded carrots and Swiss cheese on top of the ham. Place the two pickles horizontally and end-to-end at the bread edge closest to you. Starting at the bottom, roll the bread upwards to make a tight cigar-shaped roll. Using a bread knife, cut the roll into sushi-sized pieces approx one inch in length.

Option: Serve on a bed of mixed field greens with chop sticks and extra ranch dressing for dipping.

How fun are these ideas?!?!

You can also check out the Sara Lee Deli page on Facebook