Revamp your sandwich game with a charcuterie board! Not only does it provide lots of easy options for picky eaters, it can be as complex or simple as you’d like it to be. Let’s call it what it can be…a fancy-looking, easy to assemble, do-it-yourself meal!
Ready for dinner?
Sometimes heating up the stove after a long day at work is too much work… especially on those days when the chicken did not make it out of the freezer in time to defrost and making a new decision is beyond my ability at the moment.
When my girls were little, we often had little plates of food that weren’t particularly fancy. The fun part came in allowing them to choose what they wanted to put on those little plates. At the time, we thought of them as little sample platters full of tiny cut veggies and fruits (pre-cut at the time of purchase) and little rolls of meat and cheese that served as some protein and fat. Sure, we might throw some crackers on the side, but we might not! Whatever ended up on those plates was kid-chosen and approved, so not eating it was not going to work.
Later on, we added spinach dip or some type of dressing for a side. Sometimes it was ranch, and sometimes it was peanut butter depending on the other items they chose. Regardless, we were into self-serve charcuterie boards long before Pinterest gave them a special name!
Exactly what is a charcuterie board?
The trendy alternative to a do-it-yourself deli tray? Fruit tray? Vegetable tray? Cheese and cracker tray? YES! The beauty of the idea is that it can be as beautiful or ordinary as you want it to be. You also choose the ingredients to feature that please your palate or the choices of the picky eaters who are residents around the dinner table.
Familiar foods and ingredients for dosing and taste give you an immediate advantage for daily meals as well as potluck events or holiday parties. Choosing ingredients that make tastebuds and blood sugar levels happy is a wonderful way to work towards a good day or evening.
Start with simple foods that are easy to eat and well-loved by your family. We always have deli ham, turkey, cheddar cheese, mozzarella sticks, and pepperoni in our refrigerator. Almonds and walnuts live in our pantry. Putting these simple ingredients together on one plate is the start to a “lunch-able” meal based on protein and fats.
Because we try to incorporate fruits and vegetables that are easy for Milly’s levels into each meal, cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices, apple slices, and carrot sticks often make easy sides and a pretty, colorful plate alongside our proteins.
Simple crackers can add some crunch, and the low-carb or no-carb versions work just as well if your family enjoys them. Use one plate dedicated to each type of food or mix and match. The beauty of the idea is that any way you plate things is perfect!
What do you want to include?
Since the imagination truly is the limit, take your family on a culinary adventure. My kids learned to eat certain types of cheese and sausages because of dear friends from Romania that served them for lunch and actually inspired the whole idea of our “small plates.”
A trip through the deli department can be a trip around the world, so prepare for adventure! Watch for sales on things you might be interested to try and include them in small servings on your charcuterie boards. Who knows? Your family might find new food favorites in the process!
Pronunciation questions? https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/charcuterie
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