How to Create a Healthier, Family-Friendly Charcuterie Board

The holidays are here, and with it comes a whole lot of BUSY!  Did you know that the average person spends a whopping TWO WEEKS worth of time getting ready for the holidays???  With gifts to buy, dinners to prep and parties to attend, let’s face it, time is of the essence (isn’t it always when you have kids?).  It’s the time of  year when people let nutrition slip bit by bit (or shall I say bite by bite?).

While some holiday indulgences are to be expected, it’s good to have some tricks up your sleeve that help you incorporate healthy options for your family in a pinch.  And why not start with that holiday party?

Charcuterie boards have been a holiday staple at EVERY party that I can remember.  But they are always filled with foods that aren’t exactly kid friendly.  What a miss!  Kids love snacking, so why not build a healthier charcuterie board that even the kids can enjoy!?  People often make separate dishes for the kids, but I’m a big fan of dishes that the whole family can dig into (translation: less work).

I put together a list of 30 ideas for kid-friendly foods to incorporate into your board below, including Burnbrae Farms’ EGGS2go! who I partnered with to create this post.  I love the idea of adding various healthy proteins to the board, and these eggs are not only high in protein, but also have 13 essential vitamins and minerals. Available in a number of different flavours (dill, teriyaki, hot sauce, salt and pepper and the original omega-3), they have all the same nutrition as a shell egg you boil yourself, but with so much more flavour!  AND they are already boiled and flavoured which is one less thing for you to do with no nutrition compromise: my kind of shortcut.  You can just slice up the eggs or even get creative and make snowmen or other characters out of the eggs in seconds using carrots and peppercorns (see below). On second thought, why not get the kids to make them: fun for them and one more thing to stroke off of your to-do list!? Sneaky mommy!

On that note, kids are ALWAYS more likely to eat something if they think it was their idea (remind you of anyone… ahem, hubby).  Charcuterie boards are one of those things that look better when they are slightly deconstructed, so if you’re feeling up to it why not involve the kids in putting it together?  They will love the variety and independence!

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Here are some nutritious ideas to incorporate into your next family-style charcuterie board:

 

1. Burnbrae Farms’ EGGS2go!
2. Hummus
3. Whole grain crackers
4. Mini Carrot Sticks
5. Banana Chips
6. Dried Figs
7. Pomegranate (kids love these, so much fun to eat!)
8. Nuts (cashews, almonds etc.)
9. Broccoli florets (with or without dip)
10. Mandarin oranges
11. Sliced apples
12. Cubed cheese
13. Bread sticks
14. Grapes
15. Shredded roast chicken
16. Dried apricots
17. Organic cheddar crackers/bunnies
18. Trail mix
19. Energy balls
20. Raspberries or blackberries
21. Cherry Tomatoes
22. Whole mini peppers
23. Pretzels
24. Sliced cucumber
25. Tzatziki
26. Pita bread
27. Mini cheese or cheese strings
28. Strawberries
29. Deviled eggs using Burnbrae Farms’ EGGS2go!
30. Sliced pear

What are your favourite charcuterie board foods? Please share below. I know that everyone appreciates the ideas, including me!

 

Happy Holidays my friends!

XO

Tori

 

Thank you Burnbrae Farms for sponsoring this post! All opinions are my own.