I generally enjoy cooking, but there are many days where life happens and I either lack motivation, groceries, or time. On top of that, my kids are picky eaters who love to snack and graze; just like their momma! The other day I went rummaging through the refrigerator and pantry and ended up throwing together a platter of goodies that my kiddos devoured in no time. I thought I’d share in case you find yourself in my shoes and need a quick, kid friendly solution for any meal or snack time.

The great thing about a charcuterie or cheese board is that the food combinations are endless. I’ll show you mine and share several other combinations you can try along the way.

Pick a Platter.

You can really pick out any platter or cutting board that you have stashed in your cabinet or pantry. There’s no science to it-just pick something large enough to fit the foods you’ve picked out. I also grabbed a pair of ramekins. You’ll need these for any dips, sauces, spreads, or tiny finger foods that are best kept contained.

I put hummus and trail mix in mine. In hindsight, I should have just used M&M’s as that’s the only thing that got eaten out of the bowl of trail mix. Duh, mom! You could also include veggie and fruit dips or nuts.

Cheese Please.

Next you want to add the cheese. I already had on hand a block of both, pepper jack and colby jack cheese, as well as a package of mozzarella string cheese. I just cut it all into bite size pieces and then spread each kind out across the platter in some fun designs. You could also include little Baby Bell cheese discs, or already cubed cheese. My kids love both!

Add the Meat.

Try to pick at least two or three different meats so that you have a nice variety. Each of my kids have a different go-to meat so I made sure to include those. Pepperoni, summer sausage, and beef meat sticks (cut in bite sized pieces) for the win! You might also try salami and rolling up some ham or turkey slices.

Let’s Get Crackin’

Let’s start filling in the gaps with different crackers, cookies, or the like. It seems like half of my pantry is filled with this type of food so it was easy to come up with a tasty variety. I used goldfish, chocolate covered pretzels, Ritz crackers, and Wheat Thins. You could also include Cheese Its, graham crackers, or animal crackers.

Fruits and Veggies.

Last but not least, add in whichever fruits and veggies that your kiddos like to eat. To be honest, veggies don’t get much love in our house. It’s the fruits that steal the show around here. I added in grapes and blackberries but you could also include mandarin oranges, raspberries, or apple slices. For the veggie eaters, I’m thinking carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, or baby tomatoes would be perfect.

Ta da! A quick and fuss-free solution to feeding the busy kids in your house. I hope you enjoy and I’d love to hear about any other combinations you’ve tried.