MomCat Reviews: Deceptively Delicious

While I'm admitting strange things like my office supply fetishes this week, I will throw another big one out there:

I am not much of a veggie eater.

With that said, in comparison to the rest of my family, I am a regular veg-o-matic. My daughter will not TOUCH a vegetable currently. Not one. Not a carrot, not a green bean. No, nothing gets past her 3-year-old lips aside from tomato sauce. But, my husband and I are not very good examples either, so I can't really judge her. Hubs will go to his grave saying he is NOT a picky eater, but he does not eat a lot of the green stuff, other than salad.

So, when the folks at MotherTalk, approached me to review Jessica Seinfeld's book, Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food, I thought--the heck with the kids! We ALL need to eat better!



Before you ask, Jessica is the wife of comedian, Jerry Seinfeld. And, yes, that did pique my curiosity even more as Seinfeld remains one of the most quoted shows in my home a full decade after it went off the air.

As a fairly newly diagnosed Type II diabetic, I have been well educated in the sort of "roughage" I should be eating. And, I've tried to shift to that and less of the processed foods. But, it is hard.

I remember all too well as a child requesting my mother make little green peas because that was a vegetable I knew I could wash down with swigs of milk. (Years later, I attribute these years of pea practice to my ability to effortlessly swallow the horse pills I have to take today!) So, I wondered...could this kid-focused book actually convince my OWN taste buds and those of my family's that veggies don't have to taste bad?

Seinfeld's book is a quick-and-easy read, and very entertaining. The retro design with cute tidbits scattered throughout from her own children is fun. I love that the book starts with the basics on veggies, specifying just how nutritionally important certain ones are, and follows with how to puree.

And puree, I have my friends. I am now most adamantly "pro-puree." I can say that proudly without fear of retaliation from anti-puree extremists. Because, honestly, these recipes are GREAT!

I love the fact that the recipes are not foofy foods that adults would like with pretty pictures, being touted as kid-friendly. These ARE pure kid foods--from chicken nuggets, to pizza, to brownies. The only difference is, in each of those recipes includes a secret amount of broccoli, spinach, and carrots, among other veggies that somehow miss the veggie detector in all our kids.
I was skeptical. Could you really not taste cauliflower or squash mixed in with the cheese of a quesadilla? So, with my husband out of town traveling for a week, I decided to give it a whirl. The Quesadillas were a big hit, even with my hugely picky 3-year-old, as was the refreshing Guacamole Dip on the side. Later, I made the whole family the Mashed Potatoes and they were promptly gobbled down without question.

Since that time, I've tried several Deceptively Delicious recipes all with great success. Tonight was twice-baked potatoes. Since Seinfeld was featured on Oprah today, I decided to break down and let my veggie-shy hubby in on my little secret. He later ate the potatoes and proudly proclaimed, "I think this one is a definite hit." I knew then that Seinfeld was definitely on to something.

This week I plan to try a few of her breakfast recipes, including oatmeal made with sweet potato puree, eggs with cauliflower puree (I'm a die-hard egg eater, so I'm anxious to see if this one turned out good!), french toast and banana bread. I feel optimistic that I can find a few of these recipes that I can substitute in for my kids normal waffles and french toast sticks, which are loaded with fat and sugars. And, that really makes me feel like a better mom, to be honest.

I don't want to forget to try the desserts either, which Oprah touts as the best part of the book. I hope to give the oatmeal cookies a whirl first, but I am also intrigued by the brownies laced with spinach or broccoli. If I can get chocolate-covered broccoli down my pie-hole without so much as a gag reflex, well I just might be able to tackle world peace, my friends!

I highly recommend Seinfeld's book, and applaud her attempts to find healthy foods for kids without forcing them to resort to washing down the peas. And, if a little deception is necessary(even for those of us grown-ups who still haven't grown up when it comes to our tastes), then so be it!

Now, while we're on the topic, share in comments how you get your kids (or yourself) to eat more veggies--or your favorite kid-friendly veggie recipe!

This book was sponsored by MotherTalk . I received a copy of the book and an Amazon gift card for agreeing to review the book.