A Muffin "Tin" Meal

Between Munch's habit of stretching out mealtimes to intolerable lengths (she chews and chews and chews, but takes forever to swallow her food) and her recent lack of appetite because of her cold, I was desperate to change up the dinner table vibe. Last week, we had a picnic at her play table. Everyone used animal chopsticks and I put her campanelle pasta in a parfait glass.
This week I discovered Muffin Tin Meals on the blog, Her Cup Overfloweth. It's a cute idea- we know how kids love having their food in separate compartments. And I just finished reading Bento Box in the Heartland by Linda Furiya, whose columns I enjoyed in the food section of the SF Chronicle, so I'm already inspired by the whole bento idea- thank goodness we're headed to the Pacific East Mall again so I can find some cute mealtime accessories (particularly some safer food picks!). And, for her birthday, Munch received an adorable cupcake making set which just happens to have a mini-muffin pan- the perfect size for her lunch. It just was meant to be...
So without further ado, my first muffin tin meal-

I repeated several components just because the portions were so tiny. Basically it's matchstick-cut carrots, raspberry yogurt, cubed apples, green peas, and rolled turkey slices.

I'm pleased to say, the Munchkin loved it. It also helped that I filled several compartments with her beloved green peas-those were the first to get gobbled up, with requests for more! Gotta love that girl!