Deceptively Delicious

Sometimes, a little deception is just what you need......
I do mean this innocently and only with getting tots to eat more vegetables...or any vegetables in some cases. I came across this book while looking for a different one. I am so glad I did. It's wonderful. I never thought I would be making veggie purees each week and labeling and freezing baggies, but here I am. To top it off, I am using the blender I received as a gift at my wedding shower, that I am most sure has never been used! The purees don't take long at all either. I spent an hour today making enough for probably the next two weeks. I figure I can just make a few here and there when I have a free ten minutes and keep the freezer stocked!

Tonight I made spaghetti and meatballs. Tim was confused when I brought dinner out because he knew we didn't have any tomato or pizza sauce. I made him eat it first before telling him what was in it. He thought it was really good, and Gavin cleaned his plate and wanted more. I wish I could have gotten some pictures of him signing more. He knows how to sign more, all done, and milk. He also blows kisses now:)

Usually, Gavin eats everything but the veggies. This didn't used to be the case. He used to love his vegetables. Now they get picked up and tossed over the side of the highchair, or he just stares at them and cries. Eventually with much coaxing and a long time at the dinner table, he will eat SOME of them.

Back to the spaghetti and meatballs. I made the sauce with CARROTS! Yes, a carrot puree and whole canned tomatoes and a few spices, etc. The meatballs were ground beef, because that is what we had on hand, otherwise I would have used turkey, and a BUTTERNUT SQUASH puree. Simply AMAZING! I was excited that it turned out so good, and even more excited that Gavin AND Tim cleaned their plates for more. Tim was astonished at the secret:)

I'm looking forward to making many more dishes with the secret ingredients! Did you know you could hide beets in chocolate cake, and chickpeas in chocolate chip cookies??!! When I get around to making those sweet treats I'll let you know how they turn out. (and if in fact they are good)

This book is wonderful because it not only has several dishes to create for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, etc, but it also explains how to puree the different vegetables and prepare them. Otherwise I would not have had a clue. It also helps to set up a good pantry of staple items. This is helpful to me because we are always running to the store for that one missing ingredient.

If you have a picky eater, than I would recommend this book tremendously. It's called Deceptively Delicious, by Jessica Seinfeld. Maybe you all have already heard of it, as she was on Oprah with it a couple years ago. It was a great find for me and my kitchen!

Happy Cooking!