Lisa, a mother of two to Harper, nine, and Taylor, six, said: “I saw the hack on Facebook and a mum had shared it in a parenting group.
Talking to kidspot Exclusively, she shared, “I wanted to try it because I thought it looked fun and I knew my girls would love it, but it’s also a great hack when you don’t have a proper meal planned.”
Want to join the family? Register with us Kidspot Newsletter For more stories like this.
RELATED: Mom’s hack for making snack-sized ziplock bags
Genius dinner hack in a muffin tray
Its genius lies in its simplicity, so hacking is really straightforward. Grab a muffin tin, put whatever you have in the fridge or pantry into each muffin cup and serve it to your kids for dinner. there he is!
You can use any variety of things; Leftovers from the night before, cheese, fruits, veggies, popcorn, chocolate – you name it.
Remember, it’s okay if your meal isn’t perfectly balanced – it’s not an everyday thing. The key is to keep it simple and give yourself a much-needed break.
An additional advantage is that the cleaning process is easy. Simply place the tins in the bottom rack of the dishwasher, or better yet, save yourself the mess altogether and use muffin liners.
RELATED: Sydney woman goes into mother mode against Magpies
“My little daughter is keen on satisfying her food taste, but she loves everything new.”
“The first time I did this was Friday, it was movie night, so I had them close their eyes and took out the trays,” Lisa said. “They were so excited — mostly because they got to finally see the dessert they ate.”
Lisa filled the trays with things like chicken nuggets (with sauce in one of the other sections), leftover pasta, cheese and crackers, toast, fruit slices, carrot sticks, and some chocolate and lollipops.
“My youngest daughter, Taylor, is a really picky eater, so it was really hard to fill her drawer with 12 different things,” Lisa explained. “But the bite-sized portions and the newness of it all definitely meant she was excited for dinner time.”
Her kids now ask her randomly throughout the week if they can have a “tray dinner night.” But Lisa assures them that it is a special and enjoyable night.
“Sitting down to eat a meal at the dinner table with the whole family is important, but this is a great option when you don’t have anything organized or if you want something different to eat for your kids. It’s also a good way to get rid of everything you have in the fridge,” she concluded. Lisa.
So, whether it’s a Friday movie night or just a day where you’re running out of meal ideas or unable to get to the shops, why not try Lisa’s creative muffin pan trick?
Because sometimes the simplest ideas can bring your children the most happiness.
It’s a win-win for everyone involved!