Simple Summer: Zoo Party

Simple Summer: Zoo Party.  It's inevitable.  As a dad or mom you have to throw at least one birthday party a year.  One event with screaming boys and girls who don't say thank you and spill juice on the carpet.  And that's just the other parents!  If you have to have food for a birthday party, why not make it fun and easy?  This is the actual meal I made for my son's birthday this year.  It was a combo party with a friend of his.  the party turned out great and the food was so easy.  This meal works for parties, sleepovers, playdates or anytime.  It is so easy to replicate for multiple meals (I made 10!).  It has a few more treats than I normally put in, but for a special occasion it was okay.  You will need some tools, but you can use them over and over.  The first one is the CuteZCute Cutter from BentoUSA.  It cuts sandwiches, cookies, etc. into fun animal shapes (like the panda).  I also used a rabbit shaped vegetable/fruit cutter.  You could use a regular cookie cutter as well.  The other tools are animal food picks.  I got these from Daiso, but you can find them on Amazon or from BentoUSA as well.

Ingredients: 

--2 slices of bread

--1 serving of peanut butter and jelly, ham and cheese, etc.

--1 banana

--2 strawberries

--half an apple

--1 slice of cheese

--Black food coloring

--4 jungle animal cookies

Directions:

--Use the CuteZCute cutter to slice the bread into panda shapes.  It is very easy if you follow the instructions.  Fill sandwich depending on what your kids like.  I used blackberry jam and peanut butter to create the panda.

--Slice banana and strawberries into thin slices.  Slide them onto food picks alternating the fruit as shown.

--Use rabbit fruit slicer or cookie cutter to make rabbit shapes in both the apple and cheese.  Place the cheese on top of the apple.  Use black food coloring and toothpick to draw the rabbit face as shown in the picture.

--Place jungle cookies in muffin cup wrapper or similar container.  Arrange all the food items on a plate and serve to your family or guests.

I hope you are having a great summer.  Remember to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.  Also, check back later in the week as we are having a great giveaway that you won't want to miss!  Thanks for reading Lunchbox Dad!

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