Muffin Tin Monday

A while back I did Muffin Tin Mondays with my daughters who liked the idea of having their food in tiny bits and served in a muffin tin.  There's a website that has a different Muffin Tin Monday theme each Monday, and participants can post pictures of what they created each week. 

The first tin I made for Muffin Tin Monday back in 2008

Michelle, who coordinates the Muffin Tin Mondays, and has a place to post your creations, has an admirable goal for 2011: "Getting my kids to eat healthier is not just a New Year's resolution for me, it's a lifestyle goal. I am daily challenging myself to think outside the box when it comes to feeding them and I think encouraging a love for healthy food is the cornerstone to building healthy eaters."  She plans to have that be part of the focus for MTMs in 2011.

Today's focus is on Muffin Tin Liners and Cups.  The goal is to use only muffin tin liners and cups (rather than the actual muffin tin itself as the serving dish). 

The side dishes for tonight's dinner were served in

flower-shaped muffin tin liners

The plate above is the one that I made for today's theme. This one holds the side dishes for dinner (the girls each had a hot dog that was sliced into "coins" that they ate with a skewer and dipped into ketchup).

The flower-shaped muffin tin liners included:
- pretzels
- blackberries
- homemade applesauce that I canned during the fall
- wheat crackers
- coleslaw
- sliced bananas

In the center of the plate, are pink carnations that are in a baby food jar.

Mondays are busy days here - and a bit hectic. In addition to "regular" homeschooling, the girls also take classes and piano lessons at a homeschool co-op for about half the day. When I get home, it seems like I'm always scrambling to put something together quickly.

I knew I was going to do the Muffin Tin Meal for dinner tonight and looked forward to finding things in the refrigerator and cupboard that would fill the muffin liners.  The girls were curious as to what I was making, but I told them it was going to be a surprise. 

When I brought the plate to the table, Olivia immediately commented, "Oh! How pretty!"  They were excited about having a choice of different fruits, salads, and snacks.  My only suggestion to them was that they take at least one item or a spoonful from each muffin tin liner.  They were both receptive to this...probably because I don't present their food like this every night.

Looking down at the plate of fruits, snacks, and salads.  

I'm plan on doing Muffin Tin Mondays this year as a way to simplify meal planning and ensure that the girls are getting a variety of fruits and vegetables.  Here are the different themes for January and early-February:

01/17/11 - No Theme - participants can do whatever they want to do
01/24/11 - Big and Little, Short and Tall
01/31/11 - Favorite Foods
02/07/11 - No Theme - participants can do whatever they want to do
02/14/11 - Red/Valentine's Day

February will start Muffin Tin Monday's annual Colors of the Rainbow Series.  But for now...I have a week to think about what I'd like to do next Monday.  Maybe I'll try to tie it into what the girls are studying right now.  Both are studying about oceans in science; and are enjoying learning about the unusual fish, animals, and plants in the deepest part of the sea, in particular.  Perhaps next week I'll do an ocean theme. 

Snack box I made for Easter 2009

using the Muffin Tin Monday concept