I’ll let you in on a little secret of mine…I was able to add in a healthy habit for my family without them realizing it. Now, we all know the word diet comes from the Greek word diaita meaning “way of life, mode of living,” We all shudder involuntarily at that word…or is that just me? We are creatures of habit, often unwilling to change our preferences even when we know it is good for us. Sometimes we think diets or habits are hard or only for food we eat. I like to think it also applies to everything you do. For example we want to get the latest gadget, home decor item or clothing that we see on our social media feeds but we also want to have a big savings account. We want what we want but changing our lifestyle plus still have a our creature comforts and healthy bodies is hard work and most people don’t want to do that. Obviously if we don’t change what we are doing we won’t magically get the results we want. This is where habits come in and my super sneaky one has really become popular at my house.

The easiest way to eat healthy is to keep it simple with whole foods and lots of fruits and veggies. Food should be enjoyable, you should be eating what you like to eat and want to eat. With that in mind, be mindful of what you’re eating, and don’t force yourself to eat things you don’t like, or deprive yourself of foods or things you love. I like to tell my kids – Keep it in moderation.

I have to admit that most of the time I feel like I was born in the wrong time so I like to borrow from things that aren’t popular anymore and still do them because I enjoy them. I was able to slip in something so innocent but healthy and my family hasn’t realized what I’ve done for them. The simple relish tray has fallen out of popularity but I really think it compliments the meal well, it provides fresh vegetables, fruits and mine also has meats, cheeses, crackers, etc., and it makes the table look more complete to me. I personally like to call it a tidbit tray instead of a relish tray because it has more than pickled items on it so, that’s what we call it at our house. It’s kind of like a cross between an old fashioned relish tray, a charcuterie board and a vegetable/fruit tray mixed together. My young kids LOVE having access to a tidbit tray as they like being able to serve themselves, they like the variety since I change what is served based on the meal, it helps me use up any small amounts of leftovers or produce, and the biggest win is they are happily eating and trying new vegetables when they are ready and not being forced. That last part is worth it’s weight in gold! Mama’s, ya’ll should give it a try one night to see and I bet your family will like the extra “effort” you took (even though it’s super simple and easy) and will absolutely try things from it. You may even get a request to serve it more!

Always serve a minimum of 3 items but no more than 5-6 as I think anything more than that is just too much since this isn’t an appetizer – just an accompaniment or accent to the meal. I base the amount on what my serving dish is (more on that in a minute) but I don’t go overboard either because I don’t want food waste. For example there are 4 of us, so on a typical night I’ll take 2 pickle spears and quarter them, use a bell pepper cut into strips then halved, cheese cut into cube size bites and slice 2 radishes. That’s it. A super simple tidbit tray that comes together in just a few minutes, especially if you chop the veggies while you are preparing dinner. Things I like to serve are: Dill or bread and butter Pickles (sliced into chips or spears quartered), Gherkins or sweet pickles, different varieties of olives, different cheeses, salami, pepperoni, little smokies, hardboiled or deviled eggs, crackers (usually with soup), salad tomatoes (stuffed or not), radishes, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms (stuffed or not), celery (stuffed or not), carrots, sliced jalapenos, bell peppers, cucumber, baby corn, beets, pepperoncini, squash, apples, Asian and Bartlett pears, peaches, exotic fruits like star fruit, citrus slices, grapes, whole berries, etc. The list could go on and on, but I have some simple criteria that I stick to when selecting things for the tidbit tray:

1. It must be bite sized or cut into bite sized pieces.

2. It must have minimal liquid or juice i.e. not messy.

3. It must compliment the meal.

For serving, I use lots of things to put it together such as small old dishes received from grandparents that I wasn’t quite sure what to do with – I’m looking at you small glass tray with a handle, entertaining dishes, wooden cutting boards, small single serving size dishes grouped together on a bigger tray, small salad plates, and more! The possibilities on how to serve this are endless! It can be dressed up in a crystal dish for a holiday meal like Thanksgiving or simply placed on a small plate for a family dinner on a Sunday night.

While this may not be popular, I hope you do try this with your family one night and if you do, please share how it went and what you served.

JennyCup