Muffin Tin Monday

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I've been following these posts for quite some time. Occasionally I do one, but my kids just don't seem to "get it" all that often. (Yikes, that previous post is almost a year old! Time to get more muffin tins going around here!)

However, I do babysit a two-year-old little girl who likes to graze. She wants a little bit of this & a little bit of that. Muffin tins work great for her.

This is what she ate today - well, most of it. Banana, chocolate chip granola bar (which she didn't touch amazingly), 1/2 a cheese stick, chocolate chip Teddy Grahams, and some cheddar cheese mini-rice cakes. I even let her have the privilege of eating in the living room on a blanket with the boys.

This was thrown together rather fast. Tomorrow we'll try more fruit.

I didn't take a photo of it, but today I used "the green plates" for my boys. They have four sections to them, one large & three small. My youngest son had the most variety since he'll typically eat it - although it took him almost all afternoon. He had 1/2 a PB&J sandwich cut diagonally, some cheddar cheese rice cakes, chocolate chip Teddy Grahams, and some carrot sticks.

Muffin Tin Monday

top: goldfish crackers, PB&J sandwich

middle: red grapes

bottom: PB&J sandwich, sour cream & onion chips

When B was young I had read somewhere about offering food to your toddler in a muffin tin. Put a large variety of different items in & allow them to graze. It allows them to eat more & allows them choices. I always thought it a good idea, but I never did it.

In my blog reading over the past month or so I came across a blog that actually hosts a "Muffin Tin Monday" & I knew I had to try it with my guys - even though they are not toddlers anymore. I wanted to try it with at least N & J but I only have one muffin tin with six spots. I didn't want to do the 12 spot ones as I didn't want to have to think up that many variants.

I finally hit upon the above solution...muffin tin liners. Five of them fit on the plates I like to use for them. This is the 3rd time I've done this & they are really enjoying it. The best part...N is a very picky eater, but he is more willing to try new foods for me this way. In fact, one day I had apple slices & pears cut up in two different liners. He ate all the pears & didn't realize it was a fruit and best of all...he liked it! Yeah!

The Muffin Tin Monday photos are hosted over at Her Cup Overfloweth. Check it out for more ideas. Some weeks have themes - this week was "Favorite Foods" & some weeks (like next week) you can submit anything you'd like. Enjoy & bon appetit!