Muffin Tin Monday
Have you ever heard of Muffin Tin Monday? It’s just simply putting different foods into muffin tins for a unique presentation. This works especially well for kids and helps introduce them to new foods in a fun way. I made muffin tin meals for my kids when they were really young. I didn't know that they were called that and I certainly never imagined that someday the internet would be filled with photos of such things. I just started a Pinterest board for Muffin Tin snack and meal ideas so be sure to follow it for some inspiration!
I used to serve meals in muffin tins just to get my son to eat. His autism gave him some real textural issues and he was very nervous about trying new foods. His occupational therapist suggested that we use a muffin tin and fill each cup with something different. Then he would get a little reward (like a sticker or a chart move) if he tried something from each section. I have to say that this was a great plan that really helped.
He still has a few textural issues as an adult. He hates milk, ice cream, or anything creamy in general, which turned out to be a good thing since we later found out he has a dairy allergy.. He uses sauces now and even loves sushi! He is probably one of the better eaters I know now. He really likes healthy foods. The muffin tin meal is brilliant for young kids and picky eaters. You can follow a theme, or just load it up with lots of different offerings. You can use small muffin tins or large ones and they can be for one person or for a few to share from the same tin.
Both of my kids loved doing muffin tin meals and we have so many great memories of them. We even used these meals to go along with some of our homeschool lessons, which made it extra fun. I thought it would be helpful to share some of our older muffin tin meals from 2009 & 2010 if you want to see some of our ideas.
Theme - Ocean
butter toffee cashews (rocks on beach), swedish fish, cinnamon life (beach), blue m&ms (ocean), teddy grahams in life saver gummy preservers, pretzel fish. We even put in a little umbrella!
Theme - Italian Night
Cheese ravioli, rigatoni, homemade breadsticks, grilled chicken, pepperoni. Served with various dipping sauces. My daughter made the flag.
Theme - Children's Literature. We chose Mother Goose Rhymes.
Humpty Dumpty cracked egg, Little Jack Horner's pie (Hostess), 5 little speckled frogs (gummy frogs and pretzel rods), Hot Cross Buns, Peter Piper's peppers, and Little Bo Peep's lost sheep (marshmallow, gumdrop, and pretzels). Clever, no?
Theme - Scooby Doo
We made mini sandwiches that looked like giant scooby and shaggy sandwiches. We used a baguette and several lunch meats and cheeses. We also had Scooby Snack cookies and potato chips. We decided to add some grapes in the mix also. I think Scooby would be cool with that.
These days, I don’t do muffin tin meals, but I do love charcuterie and cheese boards and I think those are just grown up versions of the same thing! I also have a Pinterest board for those as well. I’ll have to do another post about those someday. Basically, I just love fun food ideas!