Mom shares genius trick to get kids to finish their fruits and vegetables: ‘Serving it right back to [them]’

This story was written by Wes Stenzel and originally appeared on The Cool Down.

A mom on TikTok shared her genius trick to get your kids to finish their fruits and veggies. 

The scoop

In a recent video, the TikToker @yummytoddlerfood shared her best tips for using leftover fruit by adding it to her kids’ snacks. Her tricks are especially helpful for pickier kids who might try avoiding whole pieces of fruit.

“Reduce food waste by saving the leftover fruit and serving it right back to the kids,” the TikToker says.

Her tips are clever and simple. One of the easiest is to “dice leftover fruit, put into jars, cover with coconut water or lemonade, and pop into the fridge for DIY fruit cups.”

Another smart fruit hack: blending purees for yummy sweet treats. 

“Thicken the leftover fruit until soft, and then blend for the easiest puree that you can put in a little jar or a pouch with leftover fruit to add to any smoothie or popsicle,” she says. “Or add to an ice pop sleeve. The novelty of this always works for my kids.”

Another suggestion for a sweet breakfast? “Freeze half-eaten apples and then pop into the freezer and use to make the yummiest cinnamon apples, or stir into oatmeal,” @yummytoddlerfood says. “Or you can bake it into baked oatmeal for the yummiest make-ahead breakfast.”

How it’s helping

If your kids pick around their fruits or veggies, these hacks are a smart way to sneak the fruit they avoid back into their diet — often without the kids even knowing it. Fruits have a number of health benefits that make them an essential part of any kid’s diet.

By giving leftover fruit a second chance, you can save money on your next trip to the grocery store. Additionally, you avoid generating more food waste — Americans generate 40 million tons of it every year, so cutting down on a few pieces of trashed fruit could go a long way. 

What everyone’s saying

Users expressed their enthusiasm about the fruit hacks in the comments.

“Coconut water or lemonade over fruits!?!?! WHERE HAS THAT KNOWLEDGE BEEN!?!?!?!,” one user wrote.

“Yes! We have our banana graveyard in the freezer with bananas my toddler started but didn’t finish. It will be made into banana bread eventually,” another added.

This story was written by Wes Stenzel and originally appeared on The Cool Down.