Beauty on a board! Food as an art medium opens all kinds of doors for kids (and families) to be creative and explore real ingredients. Creating a charcuterie board is a great way to do that.
Using a baking tray for charcuterie play provides a boundary to work within, which can be helpful for young minds.
There are endless possibilities when it comes to charcuterie boards, but in our family the criteria extends beyond meat and cheese. We always include veggies and fruit.

I like using little 1/4 sized baking sheets for a small family snack, or a lunch for my boys to share. When the whole family is looking for a meal, or we have guests, we pull out the 1/2 sized sheet and get to work filling it up.
Transform your blank canvas into a work of art.
- Start with your meat: Cured salamis, prosciutto, rolled deli meat, grass-fed pepperoni, leftover sliced chicken or steak, etc.
- Add cheese: Choose one or two cheeses for your tray.
- Choose your fresh veggies and fruits: have fun with color!
- Add your extras: plantain chips, nut or seed crackers, nuts or seeds, nut or seed butters, hummus, pickles, olives, etc.

Try different charcuterie trays as a healthy after school snack, or make it a lunch on the go! We love a little charcuterie fun on most Saturdays for a family lunch that we can sit around the table and enjoy together, OR pack up for a day of sporting events and eat picnic style.

Use your favorite bento boxes to creatively fill the sections with a taste of this and a taste of that. Add a lid, an ice pack, and bring your taste buds along for the ride.
Got leftover fruit? Try making Watermelon Pizza or Berries & Cream.


Charcuterie Board To-Go with Meat, Cheese, Pickles, & Fruit
- Yield: Serves 2 1x
Ingredients
- 4 oz sliced cheddar cheese
- Peppered uncured salami (no nitrates/nitrites added, no antibiotics, minimally processed)
- 2 celery ribs, cut in 3 inch sticks
- 1 apple, sliced
- 1 pear, sliced
- Handful of blueberries
- 1/4 cup almond butter
- Plantain chips
- Bubbies bread and butter pickles
Instructions
- Creatively spread the meat and cheese on a 1/4 sized baking tray.
- Add celery, apple, blueberries, and pear.
- Squeeze in the extras (almond butter, plantain chips, pickles)
- Enjoy with your favorite people, or pack it up and take it to go.