The Snack Tray

There are some days and evenings when the idea of cooking a meal just isn't in the cards. Today, our routine was slightly out of whack so instead of making dinner, I made a snack tray for the kids to munch on while playing and watching a movie. I took my snack tray- an egg carton that I'd rinsed and wiped out- and filled it with their favorite small snacks. Pepperoni, blueberries, cheddar cheese, and grapes.

They wolfed down the cheese and grapes before settling into individual favorites.

For Zach, the pepperoni was a hit.

For Teagan, nothing is better than blueberries.

I'd first heard this idea in a Dr. Sears book (I forget which one, honestly). My mom has mentioned it, too. Both recommended using a muffin tin... but a muffin tin is a lot harder to clean out than my little egg carton! Plus, if there are leftovers in the egg carton, I just close it up and pop it in the fridge until later!

From what I understand, there are plenty of picky eaters and too-busy-toddlers who eat well with this method. It avoids table time fights and battles and still gets healthy stuff into their little bodies. It's a grazing type of feeding- and it works perfectly for days like today!