(Family Features)

A beautifully designed charcuterie board may feel more like a grown-up treat, but with the right ingredients, delicious grazing boards can provide fun and nutrition for the whole family. No matter what you call it, charcuterie boards, grazing boards and snack platters are all basically the same thing. The boards make a trendy addition to an entertaining menu, but a platter or kid friendly board can be equally pleasing. What you serve on a grazing board is entirely up to you. Most include a selection of meats and cheeses, and many incorporate nuts, crackers, dips and jams. Some also incorporate fresh fruits and vegetables. Creating your own board means there really are no rules; you can add just about anything you want. To build a successful board, keep these tips in mind:

Choose ingredients and elements that don’t require temperature control. The idea of a grazing board is that it sits out for a while. Avoid anything that needs refrigeration, heat or will lose its shape or flavour if it rests for an extended amount of time.

Select a surface large enough to hold a variety of food. It can be a simple cutting board or a cute platter. There’s no specific size requirement but err on the side of bigger; spacing out your goodies can be more attractive and less messy.

Build your board around a theme to add an extra element of fun. Use mini cookie cutters to make fun, kid-friendly shapes out of cheese and meats. Be mindful of colours; a rainbow platter is vibrant and appealing, and colourful fruits and veggies offer a strong mix of nutrients.

Remember it doesn’t have to be elaborate. Classic favourites are all you need. Even kid favourites like sections of mandarin oranges, carrot sticks and chocolate chips are fair game for a family friendly board.

Weekend Breakfast Grazing Board

Recipe courtesy of Healthy Family Project’s “Come Graze With Us” e-cookbook

Hard-boiled eggs

Cooked sausage links

Mini frozen waffles, toasted

Mini frozen pancakes, toasted

Mini muffins

Yogurt

Fresh fruit

Syrup

Jelly

On grazing board or platter, arrange eggs, sausage links, toasted waffles, toasted pancakes, muffins, yogurt, fruit, syrup and jelly.

Taco Tuesday Board

Recipe courtesy of Healthy Family Project’s “Come Graze With Us” e-cookbook

Guacamole

Salsa

Queso

Hard and soft taco shells

Ground turkey, seasoned and browned

Lettuce

Diced tomatoes

Shredded cheese

Chopped onions

Chopped peppers

Sour cream

Cilantro

Lime wedges

On grazing board or platter, arrange guacamole, salsa, queso, taco shells, ground turkey, lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheese, onions, peppers, sour cream, cilantro and lime wedges.

Find more ideas for creating family friendly treats at healthyfamilyproject.com