Do You Make Fruit and Veggie Trays Daily for Your Family?

No, not cut up fruit and veggies, but I do keep washed fruits on the counter at all times. My rule has become: Hungry? Drink some water. Still hungry? Eat a piece of fruit. No, you don't want fruit? Ok, I guess you're not really that hungry, then. I'll see you at lunch/dinner.

Well I never went that far but good for her! It's a pretty well known fact that the more appealing you make food look the more likely people are to eat it.
It's like when my kids were little, they wouldn't touch whole apples, but the minute I sliced them they were gone.
Same with carrots.
I hope her family appreciates her effort :-)
ETA: even if you don't decide to do this, as the mom you are still in charge of eating habits: if you don't buy it they can't eat it!!!

I don't make a pretty tray.

I just chop a few veggies, chop big fruits, and toss them in a container in the fridge. When my dd or I need a snack, it's right there ready to go.

No I don't.
But it sounds like a great New Years resolution idea!

I don't, but good for her! It's funny to see what little things will make a difference. I have a fruit platter on our kitchen table that is just there - sure there's always something in it, but it can be the place where fruit goes to die. However over the summer I had too much produce from people's gardens so I took out a crystal bowl and put it on the counter with cucumbers, tomatoes, and some stone fruits and everyone nibbled on that. My kids will also devour skewered fruit like it's candy. When I notice that produce is just not moving, I've learned to put it in a prettier container and move it to a different spot to attract attention.

I will set out berries or grapes and sometimes mellon. I am surprised at times how they disappear. I'm not supper elaborate about it with fancy trays and what not. The only raw veggie my kids eat are carrots so I pretty much stick to fruit. I do however maintain a delicious looking fruit bowl and my kids much from that as well. and yes, partially eaten apples are a problem.

I clean and cut fresh fruits and veggies every morning and put them on a plastic tray on the kitchen table. The kids and I graze on them throughout the day. It definitely increases the amount that we eat since it is so readily available and in our sight.

I work FT so I don't but this reminds me of how mom kind of did this. Not a tray but she'd have some things out and also often just appear with cut up fruit for us to eat. She still does it to me as an adult when I visit. And it does get me to eat more of it. It's like at a party when there's a fruit or veggie tray. We all think it's so great and eat it. So I think your SIL is on to something. Sometimes room temp fruit is easier on teeth or something too. Maybe start kind of small so it doesn't go to waste. I do sometimes like my mother just put fruit in front of my kids to eat but I think the tray thing probably keeps everyone e from getting too hungry and craving junk. We don't have real junk in the house but my kids always want carbs. Leaving fruit and veggies and nuts nicely set out might be a good idea...

We've got bowls of fruit all over the place. Pretty and yummy. Veggies in the fridge and on the table at most meals. Why not?

In the old days it used to be a treat to eat that stuff so I try to make it so any chance I get.

ADDED: I just remembered that Grandma used to call it a RELISH PLATE. Loved that, I think when it comes to food the more simple, the better.

That's kind of sweet, kind of funny (the crystal platter)---I can see that she's trying to make it more appealing, but I wouldn't want my guys around my crystal with their grubby paws. :)
I have a ziploc bag with washed and cut carrot and celery sticks, right next to the hummus, and a bowl of washed grapes, where the kids can reach them if they want to snack anytime. For an afternoon snack, on the counter is a fruit bowl which at the moment has green pears, brown pears, apples, and tangelos. I don't peel, and only slice the apples into basic wedges that my 4 year old can eat easily. No other fruits need to be messed with: the skin is good for them, and they can bite just fine. And on the banana hook on another counter, next to the canisters we keep cereal in, are bananas for breakfast or a toasted peanut butter and banana sandwich. I don't mind the kids having a piece of candy here and there, but it's in a big bowl on top of the fridge and they usually forget to ask. Out of sight out of mind, generally. If they ask, I usually offer them a tangelo and then a candy afterwards if they still want it. It's not a big deal.

Daily? Hell no. I have fruit and vegetables in the fridge for anyone who wants to help themselves.

No way. I don't have time for all of that - or money to put it out daily.

What I do is wash, cut, and bag everything into snack bags when I get home from the grocery store. My kids can go into the veggie/fruit drawers in the refrigerator and grab whatever they want from those drawers. They also have a snack bucket in the pantry that they can take from if they ask. That has fruit snacks, pretzels, popcorn, etc.

So it's VERY easy for my kids to go grab a healthy snack and it's what they have been doing for years now.

I don't leave food out on the counters like that but I keep things available for the kids to grab. If I left it out on the counters the cats would eat it, or at least play with it, or it would possibly attract ants or other bugs.
But it's an inventive way to get everyone eating healthier.

I always have a hanging basket of fruit...apples...pears...bananas (and other seasonal fruits).

My kiddos have always reached for fruit for a snack...perhaps because there were NO OTHER OPTIONS!!

I am just relieved I no longer have to peel and cut.

No fancy tray (except for holidays and guests)

just a basket of fruit.

best

I don't make a platter of it but I basically make it so it's the only thing I allow them to snack on.

If chips and soda aren't in the house they never ask for it.

I don't do a tray of them, but that's the first thing offered when I hear "I'm hungry". I regularly cook a variety of veggies for dinner --I cannot eat raw veggie due to food sensitivities, so I eat them as homemade soup most days for lunch and then as a part of dinner. Kiddo gets a few options raw on his plate at dinner because that's how he likes them, and that's usually available about a half-hour before the meal. He is offered them at snacktime, too, but I don't sweat it if he wants a couple crackers and some cheese or lox. Variety is the spice of life. He eats a ton of fruit, too.

No, but I do have washed grapes in the frig they can help themselves too, as well as cut up cantaloupe. I also usually have apples, oranges, bananas and pears, and they are old enough they can get what they want themselves. I then have more seasonal stuff, berries, etc.

My kids aren't big on raw veggies, so we eat a lot of soup at dinner, or lasagna, etc.

We also have junk in the house, and I'm fine with them having daily treats of candy. It's about good choices, and some sugar is good for the spirit and taste buds :-)

In the unschooling crowd, they call trays of cut of veggies and fruit monkey plates.

I don't put out a tray but I do have fresh fruits and veggies readily available daily. I keep freshly cut veggies with ranch dip and fresh fruits around 24/7 easy access.

My daughter, who turns 19 tomorrow, has been raised on healthy eating habits but with moderation. Even as a young kid, if you offered her candy vs apple she'd pick apple because it's just the way we are.

She lives on her own right now. She came to visit for the holiday and brought her favorite yogurt and granola! She only lives 20 minutes away and I have yogurt and granola. She's particular to favorite brands.

We just don't do much junk food in our house and never have. It's not against any household rule, still, we follow moderation and 9 times out of 10.... We go for the healthier choice.

Of course, there is an occasional bite of dessert. The pecan pie I bought for Christmas has 1 piece missing and it was one daughter and I shared. We're not big on sweets or junk.

We value our health and staying healthy and fit.

No but I used to wash all of the fruit and place it where our daughter could get to it. Usually in a large bowl in the kitchen.

Grapes, peaches, plums, apples oranges bananas.

I would prchase celery, carrots, cucumbers, jicama , wash and slice or cut them and keep them in ziploc bags in the fridge so we could eat them at any moment. Cherry tomatoes were washed and left on the counter also.

But not a platter.

We only have fruit/veggies to snack on.

But it's not on a tray.

No. I purchase produce through a food co-op and also at Costco, so we usually have a large variety of fruits and veggies around. I have learned that produce stays fresher longer if it is not washed and if it is stored properly, so we do not wash and cut produce until we are eating it. Anyway, if the kids say they are hungry, I just direct them to the fruit bowl or the apple bin.

I make a salad about 3 - 4 times a week. There is always a salad in the frige. I am the only one that eats it. My dog eats the carrots.

Not a tray, but I make sure there are veggies with every meal and available for snacking. Just having bowls of them around for snacking is fine.

We have been watching a lot of Dr Oz episodes lately and becoming more curious about non healthy foods. My husband ordered me a book one of his guests had written and it tells a lot about what foods are dangerous for our health. Fructose syrup is a really bad one (its in sugar, honey, sweeteners, sweets etc). We need to cut the chips and sweets out of our diets. My biggest one is soda. It will be hard for me but I have to do it for myself. Fish twice a week is recommended also and less beef. Apples are good too. I bought some organic fruit. It was expensive but if you can afford it it's worth it. I found several pieces of fruit that were moldy or mushy and the stocker said its because it doesn't sell as fast. Go figure.

I guess if you have money to toss in the trash every day that would be a great thing to do. I would imagine it could take months for the kids to get in the habit of eating this food. My kids eat totally different. He'd eat all the broccoli, cauliflower, and apples but he wouldn't eat anything else. She'd not eat any of it.

So if I went to all the trouble to do this I'd be throwing food away every single day. I can't afford to waste money hoping it would make a difference to their eating habits.

If your kids love this food if it's out then by all means. Do this. I would have to put a small amount out each day and perhaps increase it as they started eating more.

People eat what's convenient, so I see how that would work with a busy family. It's a nice idea, too, to make it special.

We don't put fruits and veg out on a tray, but almost always have some in the fridge, and few chips, cookies and sweets. My SD commented that DD has Halloween candy left and that's because she gets a piece or two a day, not the whole bag. SD has a huge sweet tooth and it caused her many hours in the dentist chair. I'd like to avoid that again.

Nope I do not do that. It does seem like a lot of work. But if it works for her, then that's good :) If my kids are hungry between meals, then they have yogurt, or fruit that's ready to grab in the fridge.

It wouldn't hurt to try it and it does make sense. I always have a salad I've made in the fridge in a big Tupperware container and we almost always have some with dinner, moreso in summer when it's hell hot here, but my kids will always eat a bowl or two. I also have a fancy painted fruit bowl that sits on my island and is always filled with bananas, apples, oranges and grapes. The kids can eat them anytime.

I set out a bowl of cut up melon or pineapple or some grapes on the corner of the counter that everyone walks by when going through the kitchen. We've always kept a basket of fruit on the table but I find the cut fruit seems to go much quicker. The kids, my husband & I all reach for a handful of grapes or whatever as we walk by. It's really reduced our snacking on junk.

It's not a great deal of work, it's not beautifully arranged but it works. I don't find I throw much out either. Give it a whirl!

We don't do that because from the start I've kept a healthy assortment of food in the house that's always available, and I don't keep junk around. It's not an issue for us.

If that's what it takes for your sister and even your household, and it works, then I see nothing wrong with it.

No one probably does this lol. Sounds like a lot of work but hey, worth a try right.

Ditto Wild Woman. Exactly.

Also, I don't "serve" my kids food except for dinner. Part of parenting is teaching our kids to choose, make, and eat healthy meals on their own. They're perfectly capable of making eggs and toast for breakfast, having fruit or veggies for a snack, and making soup, salad, sandwiches, etc. for lunch without me. I think it's rather annoying when moms do for kids what kids should be doing for themselves. Whiny kid walks into a room and says, "Mommy, I'm HUNGRY!" Well, child, your arms aren't broken....go make a snack!

Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, he'll eat for a lifetime.

I wash it and have it clean and ready in the fridge. Both veg and fruit...

We don't buy junk food...so the kids can have pretty much what they want off the counter, in the fridge, or in the pantry.

It sounds really nice what she is doing to make a change. Good for her!!

If it helps you make changes...go for it!!

I always have cut up veggies in the fridge and yes I pull them out for snacks and meals. If you don't start that early they will not eat them.