Avoid food waste with porridge and mash
When you make too much porridge or purée.
At first, the small child doesn't finish their food. That's okay, their stomachs aren't very big. They need to learn to eat porridge and purée. Much research shows that children need to taste things 42 times before they get used to the taste and consistency. So don't give up!
However, we hear of mothers or fathers who make too much porridge or purée. But, you absolutely must not throw out the rest of the portion.
Oatmeal, millet porridge, buckwheat porridge, rice porridge, etc. can advantageously be used for delicious homemade buns, bread, and baguettes. In fact, porridge has the property of keeping your baked goods moister for longer. The porridge adds flavor and consistency, making it more filling and for a longer time.
The mentioned porridge leftovers are also good in pancakes/fritters, Blinis pancakes, and waffles. Here, porridge adds flavor and good consistency. And it allows for using pancakes and waffles for purposes other than the traditional ones with sugar and jam. The porridge also has a good function here, it fills you up for longer.
Vegetable purée or fruit purée can also be used for other purposes.
Vegetable purée can be used as extra filling if you are making meatballs, frikadeller, or similar. It provides a really good taste and consistency. Vegetable purée is also really good in a meat sauce or other stew.
Vegetable purée with various root vegetables can also be put into muffin tins and baked in the oven for approx. 15-20 minutes at 180-200 degrees. Root vegetable purée is good for binding the other vegetable purée, so the finished result looks like a muffin. I've been told by other parents that they mix a little flour into the purée and put small balls/fritters in an air fryer or on a pan.
When you use the leftovers from your vegetable purée in one of the tips above, you avoid food waste. It's good for the environment and for your economy. But, it's also a good way to get more vegetables into slightly older children. We eat with both our mouths and our eyes - especially our children. Sometimes things just need to be packaged in a different but inviting way. This is especially true for food - it needs to be inviting and exciting. And you are welcome to be creative.
Fruit purée, e.g., apple, pear, and banana, has plenty of wonderful uses. Put the purée in the batter for pancakes, fritters, waffles, cake batter, bread, and buns. Fruit purée is a really good alternative to sugar in cakes. And again, you get a delicious consistency and a cake base that doesn't dry out as quickly. Fruit purée adds both flavor and consistency to baked goods together with porridge or separately. Remember to add a little flour or oatmeal, as fruit purée contains liquid.
You can also freeze your porridge and purée. But there are also limits to how many small containers you have. And your freezer also has its limitations regarding space. My experience and what other parents say is that the porridge and purée that are frozen are forgotten - and end up being thrown out.