They think they’re having a picnic party with mama’s cool platter.
I think
- they’re eating lots of fresh fruits and veggies
- I’m not heating up the kitchen
- lunch is simple and fun again
Preparing a snack lunch tray works for me! Included in this tray is
- fresh veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers, carrots)
- fresh fruit (peaches and plums)
- cheese cubes
- crackers
- ranch dressing (on the side, please)
Other items I like to include
- raisins
- mini muffins
- chunks of chicken or turkey
- any other fresh fruit or veggie that’s handy
- mini sandwiches
- tuna or chicken salad as a “dip”
Do you prepare a snack lunch tray? What foods do you include?
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What a great idea. It looks all so good : )
This is a great idea for lunch with little ones. we’ve actually been doing this for Sunday lunch for a few weeks now. It makes Sunday so much more relaxing and really makes the day restful. I prepare the tray on Saturday night, wrap it and place it in the fridge. I also set plates and cups for lunch at the end of the table. Then, when we come home from church it takes less than 2 minutes to get lunch on the table and only about 5 minutes to wash the few dishes. I need to start doing this more often, but we’ll do it for dinner since that’s when Daddy’s at work.
We do this all the time…and for supper, too! Works great for picky eaters! Pick what you like…stress free for kids and moms!!
What an awesome idea!!!
You can do this with a muffin tin, too, for individual goody trays.
Great idea! Thanks for sharing!
(Amy, homeschool dad’s wife) I think this is a great idea, thanks for sharing it! We do something like this about once a week, called “hodge podge by the lodge” which is basically all the fruit and veggies I know will go bad soon, along with some other sides, like leftover popcorn, crackers, cheese, etc. Thanks for sharing!
Great, quick lunch idea! Thanks for sharing!
~Liz
We used to do that, but haven’t in forever. I had completely forgotten about it. I’m putting that on my meal plan for next week! The kids will love it!
This is genius!
We eat lunch like this a lot in the summer, too. Once I realized how healthy it was to eat what my toddlers were eating, basically “healthy hors d’ouvres,” we all started doing it. And I love making something fast and cold.
Found you through WFMW. Thanks for sharing!
Brilliant, my dear, as usual. BTW, I used your menu plan thing for serving fresh fruit as a side at dinner time instead of a starch. What a hit! I just sat awed as my family didn’t eat, but INHALED an entire fresh cut pineapple. There were no complaints at the lack of mashed potatoes! You’re a blessing!
This is a great idea! I was thinking that I wish I had known about this when my kids were little, but then I bet this would work for teenagers, too!
Jane
Great idea! It gives everyone a choice to have what they like.
I have not done this, but I will be very soon! Wonderful idea.
Love this! My mother used to do something similar.
We did this for dinner one night because it was so hot. We stuck pretzel sticks in our cheese cubes and also had popcorn. Great ideas!
What a great idea!!!! My daughter would love to do this…. not too sure on my son, but it’s worth a try
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What a terrific idea!! I will have to try that will my two little ones!
My kids love it when I make a “tray” as they call it. They ask for it all the time.
Very nice idea! back to basics! I am going to try it this week!
I think this would be fun at our outdoor table – my three little people would love it.
Thanks!
Jamie
great idea and good trick!
I don’t know why I didn’t think of this first!! What a great idea when you have several kids that won’t eat the same thing!! And sometimes~they want what the OTHER one is having! LOL!!
xoxo
Jane
I do the same thing, but I use a muffin pan that has six cups. My boys always think it is fun!
I love these sorts of meals. When I was childminding I used to add little sandwiches that I’d made using shaped cutters e.g. dinosaurs! If you do food this way you can get kids to try all sorts of things they wouldn’t normally look at. A great thing to add is cottage cheese or natural yoghurt to dip the fruit and veg in.
Another thing you can do for fun is to get 2 dice (or 1, depending on how many compartments of food you have) and take turns seeing what you get to eat. I occasionally put a few chocolate chips (or a similar small treat) in the center and if you roll doubles, you get one chocolate chip. It’s a fun game, and get them excited about eating healthy things!
Great idea!!!