deceptively delicious

I've made it through several of the books on my reading list. The first I devoured in two days, Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld. This cookbook details the art of hiding fruit and vegetable purees in specific recipes (for example, cauliflower within your burgers and squash within your macaroni and cheese). These additions supposedly go unnoticed all the while adding extra nutritional value to the meal. Hmm... could this lead to trouble?

I was skeptical about this premise after hearing mixed reviews. Is it really a good idea to be tricking my children into thinking that meals could be healthy without acknowledging the nutritional essentials? To my delight, however, I discovered what most people overlooked with this book... Seinfeld stresses the importance of also serving fruits and vegetables to your family in their original form. Sure, everyone needs to eat well, but they also need to understand the responsibility of what that means. Serving brownies frequently just because they contain carrot and spinach puree doesn't cut it.

I also enjoyed the sidebars and personal reflections from Seinfeld about the importance of mealtime as a family, tips on healthy snacks, getting your kids invested in the cooking and eating, and especially Seinfeld's guidelines about saying "no" artfully:

...When my kids complain to me that their friends get to eat what I consider "junk", I try to answer honestly yet firmly and sympathetically. For example, "I see that you're disappointed about the cereal in our house, but eating cereal that is made of a lot of sugar is not good for your teeth or body."

1. I try not to be ambivalent or apologetic about my rules.

2. I always explain my reasons.

3. I point out that all families eat differently, and that every household has different rules. Some make kids happy, some mad; but rules are made to keep kids safe and healthy.

4. I empathize with their feelings, but I don't give in. I find that this re-assures them, and it confirms my credibility and consistency.

All in all, a good read with some great recipes to consider for future use. And something to ponder... if you can't taste the difference, why aren't these healthy inclusions in all our recipes to begin with?