Simplifying Snacks on School Days

This week, I wanted to share a simple trick that has been changing the way our homeschool day goes.

Snack Platters

This was the platter that started it all. I used up some leftover EASTER candy, yikes, and fresh garden cucumbers!

I have created these snack platters in the past, but this school year I have made a habit of preparing one of these each day. Around mid-morning, a pull out whatever fruits and vegetables need to be used up from our refrigerator and add a few pantry items to create a fairly balanced board. The kids enjoy when I add a little something sweet (chocolate, anyone?) or a treat item we don’t enjoy every day (like seaweed, for example).

Adding a few squares of chocolate delighted my kids on this particular day. And I personally enjoyed the tzatziki dip with veggies and chips!

The best part about these boards is that the kids can pick throughout the morning and occasionally the board replaces lunch altogether. Plus, when my boys are looking for another snack mid-afternoon, I can redirect them to the board until all the snacks are gone.

I was scraping the bottom of the barrel on this day. The last of the summer watermelon (this one was a bit mealy and soft), one last yogurt cup – I stretched it by using it as a “dip” for graham crackers and pretzels, etc.

I find that my mom joins in and enjoys some of the fruits and vegetables as well, which is awesome since she tends not to eat much fresh or raw food prior to dinner.

Have you created a fun snack platter like this one? Share your experience below!