Sunday, January 24, 2010

The Sneaky Chef


I recently wrote a post about hiding certain veggies in Hubby's food because he doesn't like cooked veggies. He loves salads of any kind and he'll eat any raw vegetable (except for kohlrabi), but he just does not like cooked veggies.

I've been "hiding" extra veggies in my dishes for years, just because I always want to try to sneak in more veggies into our meals. We eat a lot of vegetables, but I always feel like we can eat more. Now that we have a child, I'm even more mindful of getting enough veggies into our meals.

Since that post, I have received a few e-mails from readers asking for recipes for their kids. Many parents have said that they are having a hard time getting their kids to eat vegetables. Luckily for me, my friend Gadget Girl gave me The Sneaky Chef cookbook for Christmas! Thanks, Gadget Girl!
The Sneaky Chef does things a little differently than I do. I do the extra veggies pureed into soups or sauces, but she goes a step beyond that! She gives recipes for different vegetable purees and recipes for what kinds of dishes to use each of those purees in.

For example, her Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies have white bean hidden in them! The Stove Top Lasagna has sweet peas, broccoli, and spinach hidden in it AND has 16% less calories, 41% less fat, 31% less cholesterol, 25% less sodium, and 201% more fiber. Brainy Brownies have spinach and blueberries hidden in them! The recipe uses the Sneaky Chef's "purple puree". The brownies are still really chocolate-filled, but your kids will never know that they're healthier for them!

Included in the book are healthier recipes for homemade chicken strips, mac and cheese, burgers...and all of your kids' favourite recipes!

I absolutely LOVE this cookbook! Check out the Sneaky Chef website and peruse the free recipes. You may be tempted to get a copy of the book for yourself!

9 comments:

BusyMamma said...

I also like Jessica Seinfield's book Deceptively Delicious. She has lots of good ideas-things that sound gross but that are actually great!
what sneaks we have become!!!

hotmommy said...

thanks for sharing this..even if i don't cook! good to know there are healthy alternatives to give my kids besides the homemade froma box food i give them! i don't know if i can do this though. looks pretty labor intensive and with three kids it's hard to have time to cook. i like the website though and will maybe try a few of the free recipes if i get a chance. thanks chris

J said...

I'm more a fan of trying to teach my kids to love veggies in their honest form, rather than sneaking them into brownies, etc. Having said that, if you can slip in some extra nutrition to any dish, it's worth doing, and I'm for it.

I'm not a fan of sweet potatoes, but sometimes I'll make our mashed potatoes with half Yukon gold, half sweet, and I like it OK, and it's more nutritious.

Unknown said...

Dina:
Ohhh! I'm going to have to check that one out! I think I've heard of that book (on TV or the radio...or something).

Do M and E like veggies? Little One LOVES veggies! She seems to like veggies more than fruit and meat!

Unknown said...

HM:
:) Let me know if you try some of the recipes...and let me know what you think! More importantly...what your KIDS think!

Unknown said...

J:
Once again, I agree with you wholeheartedly!!! I can't say that I try to teach Little One to love veggies, because I don't. I actually just give them to her and she eats them! I've been pretty lucky to have a baby who just LOVES veggies!! Ever since she started eating solid food, she's been a total veggie monster! She prefers squash, peas, carrots, sweet potato, broccoli (and basically any veggie) over fruit and meat!! Funny kid, eh?

I started making all her baby food from scratch right from the get go, so she's only known "homemade veggie and fruit purees". She's totally not a fussy eater and I'm happy that she loves her veggies.

Both Hubby and I eat lots and lots of veggies, but Hubby doesn't like cooked veggies. The sneaking in cooked veggies into food is more for my husband than for my child! LOL!!! Crazy, eh?

Oh, you know that I don't give Little One any sugar, right? Well, we were at a birthday party on the weekend, and I tried giving her a few bites of birthday cake. I was THRILLED that she does not like sugary/sweet things!! LOL! She took two bites of birthday cake and wasn't interested! That's my girlie!!! :)

caninecologne said...

hi c - sounds like a fun cookbook. lucky for me though, tc likes most vegetables and i don't have to 'sneak' anything to her. :)

word ver:

begut!

btw - bert will be calling you sometime this week about our upcoming trip. he's free in the mornings but i have work so it's easier if he calls you. he will have tentative dates and make sure you guys are available. okay?

hotmommy said...

i like to call what i "cook" homemade from a box or half made homemade! i have no issues with enlisting the help of already made canned, boxed or frozen foods! pizza, fish sticks, chicken strips are staples in our house, chef boyardee too.

Ed & Jeanne said...

Ha! You're one of those! I too don't like veggies cooked (other than corn and green beans). I'm going to be watching from now on...

Oh, hey, you haven't stopped by and commented this year. I'd still like to put you on my blog roll this year...

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City girl moves to the country, falls in love, and marries a farmer. She tries to incorporate her city ways with her new country lifestyle and blogs to keep in touch with friends, family & students who live far, far away :) Can this city girl go country? Watch as she learns all sorts of exciting things about life on the farm and in a small rural community. *UPDATE* We are now parents! Our baby girl was born on Nov. 11, 2008 (at 28 weeks gestation- 12 weeks premature, but she's quite the trooper)!!!
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