Deceptively Delicious

by Jessica Seinfeld

As I ease my way into the mid-thirties, my waistline is easing its way into the lower 40's.  So, my wife and I decided it was time to start eating healthy and exercising.  After eating the rest of the cookies in the house, we were on our way to the grocery store to buy fresh produce.  The only problem is vegetables taste horrible.

My wife heard that Deceptively Delicious was supposed to be a great guide on how to get your kids to eat their veggies.   I wasn't about to waste my money on a vegetable-based cookbook, so we ran out to the library and picked up a copy just to try it out.  So far it's been an amazing book.

The main idea of the book is simple, purée fruit and veggies and stick 'em in foods you already eat.  We've only tried a few recipes, but so far, this technique has worked wonders on our kids.

The only fruit I get into our son is the "frosted" variety found in Pop-Tarts.  Thanks to Seinfeld's Applesauce muffins, he ate both apples and carrots (which you can't even taste) for breakfast.  First meal of the day and the kid already had two servings of fruit and veggies.  Sucker.

Three different fruits in one convenient box. Plus, they last longer than fresh fruit.

For lunch we tried the macaroni and cheese recipe.  It's like any other mac 'n' cheese except it has cauliflower in it.  Before you puke all over your computer screen, let me tell you how awesome it was.  If I put any type of vegetable on our kids' plates, the negotiating begins.

The Boy: "Daddy, I don't want to eat this, I'll just eat my hamburger."

Me (wiping a tear from eye, because he finally wants to eat meat): "You need to take a few bites before you are done."

The Boy:  "How about I take three bites?"

Me:  "You can start with three bites, but then you need to take some more."

The Boy:  "How about I take five bites?"

Me: "You can take five bites and then we'll talk."

The Boy:  "I have to go poop."

It's amazing how kids will use emptying their digestive system to get out of filling them.  Amazingly, we didn't have any problems getting him to eat his cauliflower-laden macaroni.  In fact, he asked for a second helping.  Unfortunately, he didn't want to touch the chicken I just grilled (sigh), but, I was so happy he was eating his cauliflower, I let it go and gave him some more.

She ate caulifloweroni AND meat

Two for two on sneaking healthy food into our kids (and ourselves) so far.  With our recent successes, we'll be trying more recipes out for sure and once our library loan is done, we'll have to figure something out.  I'm sure we'll be buying this book before I buy any size 34 jeans.

Deceptively Delicious : Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food