My Plate-Mate helps kids scoop food off their plates without spills

My Plate-Mate is simple product with a big payoff. This little plastic shield snaps on to any plate and creates a "lip" kids can use to push food onto their forks (or fingers if they're just learning to use utensils). Think of the hundreds of peas that would be kept from rolling on the floor!

My Plate-Mate is lead-free and contains no PVC, phthalates, polycarbonates, or Bisphenol-a. It's also dishwasher-safe and easy to stash in the tote bag for restaurant visits.

Win it! One randomly-chosen Parenthacker will have his or her very own Plate-Mate (in his or her choice of color!) delivered to his or her very own door. Get in the running by answering this question in the comments:

Tell us your favorite quick-grab snack that's also real food. I'm thinking healthy, portable, but quick and easy to get on the table.

I'll pick a winner tomorrow (5/22, my husband's 40th birthday!) at 5pm PST. Good luck!

Comments

[Matilda]

Blueberries! I have washed and ready-to-go orgamic blueberries in the fridge for no-fail snacks. A sweet superfood...

[Carrie]

Our go-to snack is unsweetened organic dried fruit. We have a huge jar of it on the counter - a mix of 2 types of raisins, cranberries, blueberries and cherries. It's a sweet satisfying snack that all of us, not just the toddler, love. I toss a handful on her high chair try while I'm getting dinner ready. I also carry a small bag of it with me when we go out - mixed with Annie's Cheddar and Graham Bunnies it's a great toddler trail mix. My hubby and I put the fruit in our oatmeal, on top of plain yogurt, or just grab a handful when we are craving something sweet.

[Courtney]

Black beans. They've got tons of protein. They're low in fat. They don't go bad if left out of the refrigerator. And my one-year-old eats them like they're candy.

[Jass]

My 2 1/2 yr old daughter loves frozen peas and carrots. The carrots are already cut in tiny bite-sized pieces, and the peas are obviously the perfect size. My daughter eats them right out of the freezer now, but I will be steaming them for my son soon, just as I did for my daughter when she was a baby. These really set her off on the right track; she loves her vegetables!!

[Caitlin]

Shelled edamame, pita wedges/baby carrots & hummus and for my 4 month old the ultimate healthy, portable food, breastmilk.

[Corey Parkhill]

It doesn't get more basic than this, but at age 26 I have rediscovered apples. The Galas at my grocery store are so crisp and delicious right now.

Those plate things look awesome!

[Shelley]

We grab mini bagels and single serve peanut butter. The little one can put the peanut butter on the bagel. Or what usually ends up happening, is eating the bagel, then scooping the peanut butter out with her fingers and licking them. Don't forget the wipes.

[Kathy R]

Organic fig newtons. My son adores them.

[Jay]

Not entirely portable, as you need something to cut it with, but my little guy LOVES avocados. Just keep one with us wherever we go, and he's got his favorite thing to eat. :)

[Shannon]

Nothing wrong with good, old fashioned, plain Cheerios.

[Julie Anne]

Oh the choices are endless. carrots, apples, dry cereal, crackers and cheese.

I agree, frozen peas are a great snack for my kids.

[Beckie]

Baggies of cereal! They are our go to snack when we are going to baseball, karate, playgroup or anywhere!!

[Lisa]

My son is a grazer, so he practically lives on finger foods. We do cereal, trail mix (Teddy Grahams recently started making a mix already in a box or we make our own), raisins, and he now thinks it's cool to eat a banana "like a big boy" i.e. not cut up with the peel still attached.

[marci]

strips of flour tortilla are great for eating in the car - not sticky and very few crumbs!

[Mommyprof]

A whole-grain roll.
Trader Joe's fruit leathers.

[Mary L Murphy]

An orange. My 15-month old loves them!

[Elizabeth]

Our fancy grocery store sells dehydrated veggies and fruit. My son thinks the peas are candy and they're pretty tasty for grownups, too.

[Anissa]

My son loves fruit so an orange is a great to go snack. He also loves pita so we cut it into wedges, and any "sauce" will make him happy if we provide it:)

[Kate in Iowa]

We love sweet things here, so we always keep grapes washed and de-stemmed in the fridge. It's easy to grab-n-go when it's already in baggies!

We also love cherry/grape tomatoes.

[catherine]

Sugar snap peas -- my 3-year-old and I can demolish a huge bowl in minutes.

[Lisa]

We love homemade granola bars!

[Rachel G]

We love the Just Tomatoes snacks. My 2.5- and my 1-year-old will devour fruit and veggies alike!

[Jessica]

I make dried fruit leather and it is easy to store and bring out on the go. We also do a lot of fruit salad. Add a little lemon juice and it is great on the go.

[Reiza]

Carrots and apples are my favorites. They can be thrown in the bag with little to no fuss.

[Amanda]

Gotta love dry cereal. So portable and not sticky either. We also love fresh pears although they aren't quite as easy as I peal them for my 2 year old.

[Mark D]

We have apples cut up and ready to go in the fridge (add a bit of fruit fresh to keep them from browning).

Craisans (dried cranberries) are another favorite.

Oh, and then there's the new Chocolate Chex -- our son cannot come anywhere close to getting enough of these.

[Amy]

Robert's American Gourmet Veggie Booty

[Hilary S]

cheese is always a go to snack for us cause it's a good source of calcium, and paired with fruit, it's a really tasty snack.

[Natalie]

For my almost two year old, we do dried fruit, waffle pretzels, boxes of raisins, -- the boxes themselves become a form of entertainment, and our recent favorite, Trader Joes Organic String Cheese. She loves peeling it apart or sometimes she just munches on it like a carrot; easy to hold, no crumbs, and a good source of calcium and protein. Plus delicious for grown ups too!

[RobMonroe]

We always have cheerios with us. Always. It quiets down and keeps our 11 month old daughters attention in a snap.

She's also become a huge fan of grapes. We do have to do a little cutting so she does not choke, but that's just like ice cream for an adult to her!

[Misty]

Animal crackers!

[Jeni]

We use fruit & cereal bars. My toddler girlie LOVES them, and they're easy to grab & go.

[Christy Pair]

Rice Cakes!! Our one year old loves to munch on the low salt variety.

[Eva]

Cheese sticks. I know, not so portable as some others, but they are loved by my kids.

[Rob O.]

Our little guy loves yogurt, so that's always a safe bet for a no-brainer snack. If I have an extra few minutes, I pop the little 6oz container in the freezer for about 5-10 minutes ahead of time and it's almost like ice cream when he eats it.

Also, raisins are a surefire quicky snack that double as a "learning to count" tool.

[Eric]

The best one we have is Cheerios. Simple, easy to clean up, not a problem if left in the car or stroller and our son loves them.

[Jennifer L.]

Cheerios and pretzels work for my daughter.

[Aussiebeaut]

Cheerios and Raisins. Sometimes we make mini sandwiches by putting a raisin between 2 cheerios, this is a great snack if you need to pass some time - like the waiting room at the Dr.

[zobars]

Fruit leather and fruit and cereal bars.

[Richelle F]

Baggie of cereal!

[Kim]

Cheerios in those little plastic containers that Gerber first foods come in. No more bags of smashed Cheerios in the bottom of my purse!

[Dana]

Chickpeas right from the can. They even come in smaller pop tops for trips.

[Sarah]

Raisins, dried cranberries, and Cheerios mixed together for a toddler trail mix.

[monica]

Has nobody mentioned bananas yet? We bring a banana everywhere we go lately.
Shelled edamame is also a great snack- my 2 y/o can practically eat her weight in soy.

[Deirdre]

We keep grapes in the freezer. Love these, especially since the coldness of them makes my boys slow down a bit and they last longer.

We also keep a mix of cheddar bunnies, cashews, and raisins in tupperware and pour that into snaptrap cups for trips to the park, etc.

[BRash]

I love to fill up a SnackTrap with peas & corn. The kid eats it like its candy! And he loves Fig Newmans and blueberries, and you would think raisins were in fact crack cocaine, the way he hovers next to me when I am holding a box, grabs handfuls, and shoves them into his mouth. I also found a papaya/pineapple/guava mix where they're cut up raisin-sized and in the handy raisin-style box, and he loves that too.

[CJ]

For myself and my 4-yr-old, GORP goes with us on every trip (Good Old Raisins and Peanuts).

For something the 1-yr-old can eat too, there is always an apple in the backpack.

[Marsha]

We employ a few different options as grab-and-go snacks:
--A snack trap filled with a combination of Cascadian Farms' Purely O's and Kashi's Mighty Bites. I keep a loaded snack trap (sealed in a ziploc bag) in our pantry.
--Mini ziploc bags (one of those half-size ones) filled with freeze-dried apples or peas from the Just Tomatoes folks.
--Fruit leathers from Trader Joe's. These 100% fruit bars can sit in a bag for weeks or months without getting crushed or going bad, ready to be whipped out at a moment's notice to stave off a toddler meltdown! I refer to this as "emergency rations."

[Heather]

My 2 1/2 year old has constipation issues so our favorite quick pack snack is Raisin Bran. Just sweet enough to keep her happy and the bran flakes keep her regular.

[Amy]

unshelled edamame. fun to pop out of their shells, full of protein. plus my husband and i find it irresistible to eat it too.

[Amy]

Ak-mak crackers! Or as my daughter calls them, "Cack-EYE!" Whole grain and delicious.

[Susan]

Our favorite on the go snack is string cheese. Has its own wrapper, stays cold long enough and fun to eat!

[Bittermelon]

Pistachios in their shells. My 3-year old son loves to shell them himself. And when they were in season, clementines, he could pull the pieces apart, and even peel the skin off it if I started it for him, and they have so few seeds.

[Thien-Kim]

I'm a big fan of granola bars, and buy the frozen preshelled edamame. Just pack them frozen in plastic container and by the time they defrost, they're yummy!

[adrienne]

Grapes snipped into little bunches.

[Beth]

I love to give my son dried fruit-he loves dried Mangos!!

[Shilo Beedy]

My son and daughter eat bananas and apples a lot.

[warillever]

Bananas and apples.

Doesn't get any simpler than that.

[Julie Mead]

Trader Joe FRUIT LEATHERS! Kids think they are getting a treat but I count it as a serving of fruit. Quick, cheap, easy and doesn't melt or need refrigeration.

[cheryl kelly]

nuts and cheese. we love cheese.

[Heather G.]

We do lots of bananas! They are quick, easy and oh so portable! We also do raisins alot!

[Nodins Nest]

My son's favorite is Lifeway Organic Blueberry Kefir. I just fill a no-spill straw cup and off we go, as much calcium as milk and as much protein as a meal.

[Mary @ Adventures in Mommyland]

I love kashi mountain medley granola. it has almonds, raisins, cranberries, sunflower seeds, etc. yum. Great giveaway, thanks!

[Niki]

My little one loves the tortillas we get from the natural foods store. We always seem to have some on hand and they're not only extremely portable, but you can load them with a variety of spreads (nut butter and jelly, or even cream cheese or avocado). I love that they are virtually crumb-free.

[Amy]

I'm a big fan of nachos - with chicken, sour cream, peppers, cilantro, lime... But that's not really portable - just snacky and meal worthy... I do love fruit leather for a quick and healthy snack...

[Marcie]

Goldfish crackers and pretzel sticks. We bring baggies to church and all the kids share. keeps them quite the entire service.

[Dara]

Hummus with anything and everything - carrots, broccoli, crackers, chips, bread, cheese, etc. The possibilities are endless.

[jennifer bowen]

wow how cool i would love to try and win one and well any color will do but if i have to pick ok i go with blue thanks

[amy]

I love the frozen bags of organic fruits and veggies for my daughter who is new to solids. They are perfect for healthy bite sized meals and are tiding us over until we are overloaded with the good fresh stuff (come on, any day now)

[Kristinia]

My son likes the mini graham crackers , they have new ones , for example in the shapes of "Bees" , also Animal crackers, I believe they are pretty healthy for a cookie and cracker! Myself I'd store raisins or grapes!

[hannah]

Baggies of cereal and string cheese are perfect for on the go.

[Melissa]

little boxes of raisins in the car, homemade hummus and Kashi TLC Crackers at home.

[Kirsten]

My kids love to shell their own edemame. String cheese, is nice and quick, and for a treat, my kids love vienna sausages.

[Megret]

Carrot sticks and apple slices! Can't go wrong here! Thanks for the giveaway.
Megret
meg.wilson@gmail.com

[Ashley]

My little one LOVES cheese. We also try to keep a bagel handy too. Not super portable, but we keep an easy mac in the diaper bag for dire emergencies. Thankfully we don't have to use it too much.

[holly f]

thanks for the chance to win and also the list of great ideas of things to give my son.

we are big on yogurt and bananas here.

[Patti]

It sounds like a lot of work, but it takes 5 minutes or less...smoothies! I put everything in them. Carrots, Squash, Wheat grass, tofu, flax seed, wheat germ, you name it, it goes in, so long as it tastes like berries in the end, and blueberries seem to cover everything up!

[Cecily T]

I'm with the banana eaters...lately my 10 month old has been eating an entire one all by herself!

here's a dumb question about the edamame: are you guys buying some kind of pre-cooked or dried ones to eat on the road? The only kind I've found are the ones in the freezer that need a quick steam before eating.

[DramaMama]

"Pepper fries" or "apple fries". We just slice them thin! They disappear in no time.

[Valerie]

Our daughter's favorite snack is cooked asparagus. She will eat it warm or cold, fresh, frozen or canned. We try to at least keep canned on hand, and we rinse it to get rid of as much salt as possible. If we don't have that, she will settle for something else green like broccoli or zucchini

[Amanda]

My 9-month-old can't get enough American cheese. He squeals with delight every time I open a slice!!

[Mike Wills]

My kids both love Cheerios.

[PsychMamma]

My daughter LOVES hard boiled eggs. I just boil a bunch at a time and whip them out at snack or dinner time. Second in line would be pre-packaged cheese "crumbles." They're the perfect size for tiny fingers, and even though it's a bit more expensive packaged this way, the convenience is worth it.

[Kisha]

My daughter adores shredded cheese. It's so fast and easy!

[Nanda E.]

Oh! There are sooo many, but our #1's:

- String Cheese

- Heart to Heart Kashi cereal w/ Kix, w/ raisins, w/ Cheerios, w/ a handful of yogurt covered raisins and pretzel sticks... All mixed together.... yum!

- Frozen organic blueberries.

[Kristie]

I like taking apples with me, if I know I'm going to need a little something to snack on.

[Shannon]

Raw organic nuts for my 9 year old twins. Almonds, Walnuts, Pecans, Cashews, Brazil, and dried cranberries. They are great for the whole family.

Happy Birthday to your husband. The 22nd is my birthday too!!

[Tara R]

Apples or cheerios for us!

[Lindsay]

Bananas and goldfish crackers!

The banana is perfect to throw in my bag with the skin on and then I break it apart as needed for my one year old daughter.

I stick the goldfish in a washed Heinz baby food container (the plastic ones) and it's the perfect size too!

[Jessica]

Apples. A quick swipe with the apple slicer/corer, into a baggie w/ Sprite. We're on the road.

Also, I keep peanut butter in the van, w/ a plastic knife.

[Laura GF]

definitely the tried and true box of raisins.

[nathalie]

Breastmilk & Breakfast O's

[Kate Etue]

green juice and cinnamon graham sticks

[Jennifer H]

Fruit is a great snack!

[Michelle T]

Pretzel sticks from TJ's. They're the best!

[Jean]

Baby carrots! Good for mommy and baby!

[Stacy C]

Our favorite quick-go snack is snow peas. My son loves 'em raw and will munch on a handful anytime. We also like raw bell pepper, but that has to be cut up, so it's not quite as "quick".

[Bhavana]

Dan Active and Carrot sticks.
The yogurt is the perfect size and a quick drink...my daughter prefers it to the eating kind.
Carrots are aways a favorite snack.

[Lea]

We love pirate booty, kind of like puffed popcorn. So yummy!

[Kayla]

Multigrain Cheerios and dried blueberries. My kiddos love them in their "Snack-Traps."