Guest Blogger Jen B is here to introduce us to Muffin Tin Monday

3 Jewels is excited to welcome back the fabulous Jen B as today's guest blogger. 

Today she is introducing us to the very popular concept, "Muffin Tin Monday" and I'm hoping to take away some pointers from this very informative post.    Take it away Jen....

For moms{and dads}everywhere, this one little question can cause a lot of stress! Whether you are at home, on the road or packing a lunch for a school or daycare, it’s an age old problem.

An ideal lunch is nutritious-but nowadays it has to be more than that.  Heck, everything nowadays has to be entertaining in order to get kids to comply.  

Here is an entertaining idea. Serve your meal in a muffin tin. 

Yes, a muffin tin.

1. It's fun!
2. You can separate food so it's not touching.
3. You can sneak in new foods; in small amounts.
4. Variety is the spice of life! It's like a little buffet.
5. It's portable. {You can stack them or make them on the fly}
6. Usually no utensils needed. Who doesn't love finger foods?
7. Fun for toddlers, kids and adults.
8. Only one dish to wash!
9.You can follow the themes...no need to think about what you are cooking for dinner!
10. Kids will love to eat it-- nutritional or not!

What more could you ask for? 

O.k., there are lots of photos and examples and places for inspiration if you scroll down.

My fondness with Muffin Tin Meals started about a year ago. I was attempting to win a contest. The challenge~"find an interesting and inexpensive way to spice up a summer day”.

Here is my winning submission!

After thinking of many craft ideas and searching blog after blog, I found Muffin Tin Mom 

I fell in love with the idea of presenting a meal in a muffin tin, even though my little one was not even old enough to eat solids yet!

What is better than a mini-buffet for your mini-me? A chance to try new things in a small portion, the food is appealing when it is presented in a fun way, your little one can eat in any order that his/her little heart desires, and it’s a nice variety. And yes, you can make these portable. You could make this into a weekly ritual. Have your kids help you think of things, shop {o.k. maybe not}and prepare the meal.

The possibilities are endless. In fact, you’ll find tons of ideas on several blogs. Muffin Tin Mom actually has a theme each week- this way, it’s a "no brainer". Just check out this week's theme for ideas.  Follow if you want~or get a bit more creative. There are lots of blog followers who have photos for you to peruse. You can use your old muffin tins or order some fancy new ones. 

There are some really clever ways to make food into art! 

Simply search for "Muffin Tin Meals" and you will come up with lots of ideas, tutorials and recipes.

Ok, enough writing already. Bring on the photos!

                                                                       Farm Theme:

                                                                    Ocean Theme:

Counting Numbers:

Hickory Dickory Dock:

Harvest Theme:

Shapes: