When It’s This Hot Out, Eat Like a Toddler

Summertime fries the part of my brain that likes to cook. It is currently 94 degrees outside, and the thought of turning on my stove even to simply scramble an egg makes me sweat. As such, I have pretty much given up on the idea of meal planning in the traditional sense and have fully given in to the idea of eating like a toddler.

Back when I was a nanny in my early 20s, I spent countless hours arranging cubed cheese, apple slices, and Goldfish crackers onto tiny plates for tiny humans, and I suspect that’s why I find the idea of a snack plate for lunch so appealing. It is an exceedingly easy way to eat, one that merely requires rooting around in your refrigerator and pantry for a few minutes before you can nourish your body. It’s perfect for those situations where you’ve dilly-dallied long enough to end up hangry, and even better for those days when your executive dysfunction is at its worst and the thought of lighting a burner or washing a dish is enough to send you spiraling. (Or is that just me?)

There is, of course, some strategy inherent to assembling the perfect toddler-style snack plate, and a good one does involve at least a little work. I usually start with a protein, maybe a hard boiled egg (which I prep in bulk on Sunday afternoons) or a pile of thin-sliced deli ham, then I add some cubed cheese or a Babybel wheel. My snack plates also generally involve a fruit of some kind, usually sliced apples or a handful of cherries, and some type of spread like hummus or peanut butter. Ideally, some of these components work together — like the apple slices and cubes of sharp cheddar, or hummus with a handful of pita chips. For me, pickles are also an essential element of a good snack plate. Whether it’s plain ol’ dill spears or a few spoonfuls of spicy radish kimchi, a little briny bite is the perfect addition to pretty much any assortment of snacks.

The final crucial element is cutting your snacks into bite-sized pieces, making them easy to pick up and eat. It requires a little bit of extra work, sure, but there’s something incredibly satisfying about eating perfect cubes of apple and cheese even when you’ve been an adult for [redacted] years. And to really drive home the toddler vibe, I always have a snack plate on one of these divided plates, the virtues of which I have already extolled on this very website.

But aside from these basic strategic guidelines, anything can be a legitimate part of a snack plate. Maybe you’ll throw in a leftover slice of pizza, cut into grab-ready tiny triangles, or a few random broccoli florets you didn’t use in last night’s dinner. As long as it doesn’t require more than truly minimal effort, the snack plate’s possibilities are endless.

Additional photo illustration credits: plate photo by Shutterstock; background photo by Getty Images