Healthy Easter Toddler Snack Board

It's inevitable that our kids will be filled with chocolate and jelly beans on Easter day so why not make them a Healthy Easter Toddler Snack Board to go along with it? 

Healthy Easter Toddler Snack Board

Whether you plan to host family for Easter dinner, or spend the day at home opening Easter baskets, this Healthy Easter Toddler Snack Board needs to be on the menu! Snack boards are my absolute favorite way to serve the twins snack or lunch no matter the occasion. If the twins have friends over for a playdate, even better.

I make a large snack board and put it out for all of the kids to munch on. It creates less work for me and I don't get asked repeatedly for more snacks. Note: If you need help with toddler snack ideas, I wrote an entire post with our favorites, here.

This snack board could serve as a pre-dinner nosh for little ones or as their Easter Dinner meal depending on how large you make it. Add in sliced ham and call it a meal! I like to think of snack boards as cheese boards for kids and who wouldn't want that for dinner? Easy to make, completely customizable and something you can leave out for grazers. Here's what the twins and I included on ours...

Toddler Snack Board Shopping List

Of course, you can include your kid's favorite snacks but here are some spring-inspired ideas that my twins (either one or both) enjoy! Also, don't underestimate your kids taste buds. Give them color, variety and a few new things to try. You never know what they will like until you try it.

Fruits & Veggies:

• red carrots, cut in half
• strawberries, cut in half
• purple cauliflower, in small florets
• red bell pepper cut for "bowls"

Protein:

• hard boiled eggs, cut in half and sprinkled with "Everything But the Bagel Seasoning"
• colby jack cheese cubes
  note: if this board is serving as a meal, I would definitely add in a bit more protein like sliced ham or turkey.

Crackers & Crisps:

• Garden Veggie Chips, Bunnies (found these at Target)
• Annie's Organic Honey Bunny Grahams
• Harvest Snaps Pea Crisps

Other: (and completely optional)

• jelly beans
• white chocolate bunny centerpiece
  *note: if you are leaving this board "unattended" you may want to skip the candy! Just saying.

Getting Kids to Eat Their Veggies

Have you read the book, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie? It goes something like this..."If you give a mouse a cookie, he's going to ask for a glass of milk." My version is, if you give a toddler vegetables, he's going to ask for some Ranch Dressing. Getting kids to eat their veggies can be a serious challenge! I've found that ranch, hummus and guacamole are the trick.

Honestly, do you care how much ranch that piece of cauliflower is dunked in so long as the cauliflower is eaten? I know I don't! To create my ranch "bowl" I sliced off the bottom portion of a bell pepper and filled it to the top. Instant and edible bowl!

Purple Cauliflower

Of all the vegetables in the world, I never thought to serve my twins raw cauliflower. I'm not sure why, it's mild and crunchy and way more palatable than broccoli! Just last week I volunteered in the twin's preschool classroom and was in charge of preparing snack. Their teacher's brought in a basket of purple cauliflower that the kids had grown and harvested from the school garden and ask me to cut it up and serve it with little cups of ranch.

I was skeptical to say the least but I prepared the cauliflower all the same. I couldn't believe how many kids actually tried it! Did they all love it, not so much, but Millie certainly did and this was a vegetable I'd never served her before. She's actually requested it for snack since then and I learned my lesson to never underestimate my kids taste buds again...or the power of ranch dressing as a vehicle for vegetables.

I hope you will try a few of these spring inspired healthy toddler snacks with your kids and see how they like them. Don't forget, never underestimate the power or Ranch Dressing, a colorful snack board, or your kid's willingness to eat a few healthy snacks if jelly beans happen to be for dessert. Happy snacking!