Eye-Healthy Charcuterie

“I am not eating that guacamole, it looks like barf,” says my youngest so... “It makes my throat itch when I swallow it,” my oldest son chimes in. Sigh, these are the joys of preparing dinner in a household with children, while at the same time trying to make meals that provide nutrients to their growing bodies.

Learning healthy eating habits early in life

I genuinely love to cook! I see cooking as a form of art and expression and I use it to challenge myself. My enjoyment is twofold: I delight in creating meals for my family to relish, but mostly I try to provide their bodies with the nutrients they need to stay well.

My goal is to teach my kids healthy eating habits early on in their lives so they’re not trying to figure it all out as an adult like I had to. Since macular degeneration is hereditary, who knows if they’ll battle it in the future? Teaching my sons how to eat for the health of their eyes and bodies gives me a sense of control over the uncertainty of this disease.

Family dinners are important to me

Not only is it important for me to nourish my loved one’s bodies with healthy and delicious food, but dinner time is also extremely important to my family’s mental and emotional health. If you’ve read some of my previous articles, you know that until fairly recently, we spent some time living in chaos just trying to survive our days. I still made dinner for the kids each night obviously, but we rarely sat down at the table altogether to eat.

Either I was too sad, anxious, or overwhelmed to be hungry, or I was too busy running an entire household solo and working 2 jobs to take the time to sit and eat. Now that life has changed drastically for us, I make dinner a huge priority in our house. We sit down as a family and talk about the best and worst parts of our days; roses and thorns as we call it. This gives us a chance to check in with each other and just be together.

Sometimes I’m just too busy to cook

During the busy work week, I prefer to cook meals that I can prepare in advance, either on Sunday or in the mornings before I leave for work. Then, I simply have to cook it in order to to be ready for a 6:00 pm family dinner when Eric gets home. If you watched my weekday morning routine, you’d find me up early to exercise, preparing everyone’s lunches for the day, and chopping veggies for whatever we are having for dinner that evening.

Dinner almost always includes veggies of some sort whether they’re dumped into an egg casserole, stir fried with a lean protein, or tossed into a side salad. I’m a busy, working mom. That means that occasionally I just don’t have time to cook dinner. I may find myself too tired, too lazy, or too overwhelmed to do it... that’s just how it is sometimes.

Snack dinners

On days like this, I like to prepare charcuterie! The word charcuterie literally translates to "the products of a fancy pork butcher" in French. Charcuterie boards used to contain mostly sliced meats for people to grab and eat.

Over time, the idea of a charcuterie has morphed into trays, plates, or boards covered in a variety of finger foods. These charcuterie boards still often include meats as well as cheeses, dips, fruits, veggies, and even small treats or desserts.

My kids call charcuterie a "snack dinner", which I love because they think it’s a break from a regular dinner. Though I’m working hard to teach my kids how to live a healthier lifestyle, that doesn’t mean they like dinnertime any more than other children their age. They’ll generally eat what I make, but it doesn’t come without the tug of war parents see at the dinner table... complaints. Salad again, Mom? You put tomatoes in mine?

There’s so much to love about charcuterie

I really love charcuterie for a few reasons. First, I like that they are easily prepared. I can cut everything up in advance and just literally throw it on a big plate for the fastest dinner ever. It takes less time to do that than to run to the nearest fast food joint. Easy peasy.

Cater to your unique needs

I absolutely love how charcuterie boards can be catered to everyone’s wants and needs. I can include healthy foods that everyone will enjoy. My youngest doesn’t eat meat, so he isn’t going to grab any of that. Nor will he choose to take cherry tomatoes, but I know he will eat and enjoy those bell peppers and carrots.

My oldest knows he needs to try to eat more protein, so he reaches for the cheese or the turkey slices - in addition to his favorite fruits and veggies. I’m the only one in my family who eats olives, so I know to only throw enough of those on there for me to eat.

Specific nutrition goals

Eric and I also have specific nutrition goals for ourselves. I focus on eating low calorie, eye-healthy foods. He focuses on low calorie foods and protein intake - while at the same time trying not to eat much animal product. So, for him, I’ll add new protein items to try like chickpeas and a small measured portion of nut butter to keep calorie intake where we both want it to be.

A charcuterie is an easy way to be sure each of us gets what we want and need - with fewer complaints. And let’s be honest, fewer complaints means better mental health for those of us who prepare the meals! Thank you, charcuterie!

What are your favorite charcuterie spreads? Let us know in the comments!