10 Sneaky Ways to Turn Fruit Into Treats

If you hand a kid a banana or a whole apple for a snack, you’ll usually find it under the sofa later; after they’ve eaten the bag of Cheetos. Make fruit fun and delicious, instead of boring. Fruit is the ultimate snack food. It’s sweet, full of great flavor, and mostly portable. No matter what fruit you have on hand, there is always a way to make it into a tasty, fun snack your kids will love.

1. Bananas – Bananas are a very flexible fruit. The variety of ways to serve them is practically never ending. Frozen bananas dipped in chocolate are a fun Summer treat. Bananas and peanut butter are always a favorite. Banana splits, banana and raisins, even banana and Cheerios are all kid-friendly ways of increasing potassium levels.
2. Apples – Caramel and candied apples are a Fall staple. Stewed apples, sweetened with honey or just a touch of sugar and cinnamon are sure to warm tummies on a cold Winter evening. Apples with peanut butter and raisins, cut into ‘fries’, or dipped in chocolate are all delicious. Homemade apple sauce is easy to make, and the kids can help. Apples are full of vitamins and fiber.
3. Oranges – The ultimate portable snack, oranges last forever in the crisper and are mess-free in lunch kits. Tangerines are especially easy for kids to peel. Best of all, the orange skin is full of naturally skin-softening oils and pleasantly scented. Tangerines also have the advantage in being completely segmented, so kids get a perfect bite-sized section every time. Little boys love to ‘dissect’ their oranges, and every kid loves playing with their food. Full of vitamin C, oranges are great for preventing rickets. Canned mandarin oranges go great in salads and stir-fry, naturally sweetening it for picky eaters.
4. Grapes – Every try a frozen grape? All the fun of grape popsicles with none of the mess, frozen grapes are easy to eat and taste great. You can also have ‘iced’ grapes by dampening them and sprinkling them lightly with sugar. The sugar sticks like ice crystals and makes for a beautiful, healthy snack. Try ‘mini-grapes’ or champagne grapes for a change. Kids love to eat the teeny tiny grapes and they have the same great nutrition as the larger ones.
5. Kiwi – The ‘fuzzy’ fruit, kids love this surprising fruit import. It’s sweet but sour, just like kids love. Plus, it’s got more vitamin C than even oranges and every part is edible, though I wouldn’t recommend snacking on the furry skin. The bright green color can liven up any dish, and if you mix it with sliced apples and bananas, the high acid content will keep them from turning brown.
6. Melons – Watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew are all sweet fiber sources. Watermelon is a low-calorie treat that can be eaten at room temperature or cold. It’s full of water, hence the name, so it is great for hydration. It also has lost of fiber and vitamins without high sugar content. Cantaloupe and honeydew have distinctive flavors that not all kids will love, but they’re full of vitamins and are soft enough for even little ones to happily gum. Turn it into melon balls and watch the kids munch away.
7. Berries – Berries are a huge Summer hit, and they are best during that season. Kids can eat berries and cherries by the handful, and they’re full of all kinds of vitamins that are hard to find elsewhere. They’re also full of antioxidants. During the off-season, buy frozen berries and mix them in with the oatmeal in the mornings for a healthy breakfast kids will love. Berry milkshakes and berries with yogurt are also great ways to get kids into fruit.
8. Mixed fruit – Make a fruit salad with a few mini-marshmallows and a little coconut thrown in and you’ve got yourself a great, healthy dessert. Canned pineapple bits and sweet peaches added to the mix and left to sit for an hour or so make the salad even better. The longer you let the flavors ‘gel’, the better they’ll taste. And it’s much better for kids than syrupy canned fruit cocktail.
9. Dried fruit – Dried banana chips are a sweet alternative to candy. Dried apple rings make for a fun and chewy treat. Dried grapes, or raisins, and currents sweeten up any snack. Dried kiwi chips are colorful and surprisingly sweet. Dried peaches smell terrible but taste great, as do dried apricots. Prunes, or dried plums, are great for digestion and sweet to eat. Grab a bag of mixed dried fruit on your next car trip and pass them out instead of chips and candy. It’ll keep the kids full longer and give them some nutrition with their snack.
10. Fruit rolls – There are all kinds of fruit rolls. Fruit by the Foot, Fruit Roll-ups, and Fruit Leather are just a few brand names. Try to find ones with more fruit than corn syrup. The Whole Foods store usually carries some great-tasting varieties that kids will choose over candy bars or Cheetos. Best of all, they’re individually wrapped so you can pack them in lunches or backpacks for healthy snacking.

There are all kinds of ways to disguise fruit, but the best way to keep your kids healthy in the long term is to make them aware of the benefits. If you can make fruit taste great without making it a punishment or hiding what it is, your kids will grow up with a respect for healthy snacking. Start them out eating healthy when they’re young and they’ll stick with it as adults. Remember that eating habits are formed from the start, so watch what they eat and make healthy snacking fun!

Taken From Find a Nanny