Isn’t it so much for fun to eat something when it looks pretty?! Charcuterie boards are obviously all the range and I think they’re so beautiful! Being honest though, I am just a recipe-rule follower that the mix and match freedom of making a charcuterie board is mind-blowing to me. I could research what types of meats and cheese to get and what fruits pair best with each other but once I get to the store and I see the overwhelming amount of cheese in front of me- my mind goes b l a n k. Give me an exact recipe to follow any day of the week! So, when I went to the store to get things to make a fall themed charcuterie board and stared at the overwhelming cheese department for about 10 minutes I decided to take this a different direction, kids board(adults welcome too)!

There is nothing more that my daughter loves than a snack tray. I love hearing her say “mama, will you make me a snack tray?!” When you have a little picky eater I feel like it’s the perfect way to feed a toddler. A little bit of this and a little bit of that, and she loves when it has a little theme to it too. Makes it more fun to eat! 

There were a few things I wanted to make sure to have on my board. Also, this size was made to share and her and daddy loved snacking on it and saved for later too. I’ve also just used one of her plates but this new board was calling my name!

Things to use on your board: 

1. Some sort of protein: I used salami on the board pictured because it was what I had in the fridge. You could use turkey, pepperoni, ham.. just fold in half and half again to create a fan look. 
2. Cheese: I used cheddar cubes and string cheese for this. I drew a ghost face to make it fun on the string cheese. If your kids like other cheeses, go for it! But most kids will like these two. 
3. Fruit: grapes are always a win, and we always cut them too! You could do clementines, apple slices, strawberries! I should have thrown a few apple slices on mine as well.
4. Something crunchy: whatever cracker your kids like! I know my daughter loves kettle chips and Ritz crackers. You could use club crackers, goldfish, veggie sticks!
5. Veggie: I had just run out of the veggies she would like on this board but normally I would put a few cucumbers or carrots on. 
6. A sweet treat: as you see I threw on some candy corn in a cute bowl and a few kisses. Also found a maple leaf cookie from Trader Joe’s in my pantry so I tossed that on (I think daddy snagged that!) 

The best part about this to me was that I had everything I used in my fridge! You can totally customize it to what your kids enjoy. Once I made it she sat at the counter and played with beads and snacked away. It was a sweet quality time that we all shared around our kitchen island. I have a feeling I’ll be making these for her even when she isn’t a “kid”.

Also, if you want to keep going with a theme you can incorporate some cookie cutters in the mix too. You could use a leaf cookie cutter to cut out the cheese pieces, or a pumpkin for baguette bites! I always feel like if I make eating fun for her with shapes she gets more excited. Hope you enjoy!