Sneaky Chef

One of my goals for 2010 is to eat healthier.  That means me and my family.  For Jeff (who prefers to be called Mr. Sub 3:00) and I, that just means making some better choices.  Eating out less, at home more.

But for the 4 yr old and the 2 yr old, this requires some serious sneaky work.  

I grew up eating whole wheat bread, home-made every thing, and no sugary treats or soda.  Except for the occasional "big deal".   How then, did I morph into the mom that feeds my kids dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets, hot dogs on a stick (corn-dog), and fruit snacks?

Because it's easy.

But those days are gooooonnnnnnnne.

I found this awesome book called "Deceptively Delicious".  Heard of it?  Very sneaky I must say.

It's by Jessica Seinfeild (Yep, Jerry's wife).  I would of thought she had a personal chef and a nanny.  But apparently she is making food for her family, the in-laws, and the neighborhood kids.  And all of it has vegetables hidden inside.  

The basic gist of it is this:

All vegetables are steamed or baked, and then pureed so that you can sneak them into recipes and no one will be any wiser.

The trick is to prepare them ahead of time.  So that is what I worked on today.

Soon to be future mac and cheese, quesadillas, pancakes, brownies and more!

Mmmm. Zucchinis steaming away.

hmmm....  good thing this butter nut squash tastes good.  Because it doesn't look that way.

And here we are!  Ready to eat healthy no matter what!

So the 4 yr old comes up to me in the middle of my baking, steaming, pureeing, pouring process, and says, "What are you making?"

"Vegetables."

"EEEWWWW.  I HATE VEGETABLES!!"

ahahaha....  thank you 4 yr old for validating my day's work.