the Sneaky Chef

This could go in Book Reviews, or maybe even debates, but I'm putting it here. If the powers-that-be wanna move it :nana: .

Anway ... I've just learned about The Sneaky Chef today. My friend got the book, and I had a brownie from it -- and it was GREAT (imagine Tony the Tiger). http://www.thesneakychef.com/blog/ The general idea is to sneak veggies into your kids' food and improve the nutritional value of things they're already eating.

Apparently there is another book called Deceptively Delicious - this one is by Jessica Seinfeld. My first thought was that she's Jerry Seinfeld's wife, and they need NO MORE money. One strike against her. Another mom at the playdate had this book, and her opinon is that most of the things she's tried are still too "earthy" and her kids wouldn't eat them. Although she did say that a "mozzerella stick" that was actually breaded cauliflower puree was a huge hit. :huh: People are also complaining that Ms. Seinfeld is copying the Sneaky Chef (Missy Chase Lapine), which I don't really care about either way. I just want my kids to eat healither stuff.

Now for the debate portion. I have some issues w/sneaking the veggies in, and not insisting that they learn to eat what is presented to them. Not enough issue not to do it ... but some. I figure I'll still try to make them eat the veggies -- but if I'm honest with myself I tend to wimp out on enforcing that issue -- so doing this will ensure that they are eating healthier overall.

Has anyone tried either of these?? I've ordered my copy from B&N online (do NOT buy it at the store -- so much cheaper online!).

[poky]

Re: the Sneaky Chef

This is where I admit my DH has threatened to buy this book and make me things from it.

I'm...not really one to weigh in on getting kids to eat things they don't want to.

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Well, part of my interest stems from the fact that I'm not the best veggie eater, and not the greatest example for them. I could use a little hidden cauliflower as well.

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Now for the debate portion. I have some issues w/sneaking the veggies in, and not insisting that they learn to eat what is presented to them. Not enough issue not to do it ... but some.

I don't think I would go to those lengths to sneak. I figure if I can throw berries in a smoothie or some veggies cooked in soup broth (broth eaten not veggies), it's a start.

One kid eats just about any veggie the other doesn't. :huh: I hope she will come around. I put them on her plate but she doesn't have to eat them.

[migirl]

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I saw Jessica Seinfeld discussing her book on Oprah a little while ago, and she addressed the "sneaking" aspect of it by always including some of the whole vegetable on the plate as well. So, for example, if she gave her kids chicken nuggets with hidden broccoli, she would also put some cooked broccoli on the plate so they wouldn't get the idea that they were totally excused from eating vegetables. FWIW, Oprah was absolutely raving about how good the food was.

I like the idea of the book, but we're still at the stage w/ DS where he refuses to try any new foods and relies A LOT on the packaging of the food to decide whether he's going to eat it ( :huh: ), so I may have to put these ideas off until a later time.

[Vanquisher]

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Now for the debate portion. I have some issues w/sneaking the veggies in, and not insisting that they learn to eat what is presented to them. Not enough issue not to do it ... but some.

I don't think I would go to those lengths to sneak. I figure if I can throw berries in a smoothie or some veggies cooked in soup broth (broth eaten not veggies), it's a start.

I am not going to be working that hard at this. I am not great at eating veggies either, but I really don't want to go to that length of effort to do this. I am not going to be pureeing or worrying about what recipes I can work with. Way too much hassle. I do make my kids eat veggies and fruit though.

Also, V-8 fusion is great! Tastes good, and my kids like it. That's as sneaky as I get. Pre-packaged sneaky.

http://www.v8juice.com/fusion.aspx

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From what I've read, the "lengths" (or hard work portion) is pretty minimal. You make your purees, and then they keep in the fridge or freezer, so you just add them to the meal. We all know I'm pretty lazy, so I'll report back on how much effort it actually takes.

I think I might be hyper-sensitive to the issue b/c I feel like this is an area where my mom made some mistakes when I was growing up. She didn't like veggies, and figured she couldn't force me to eat something she didn't like. So I never even TRIED most veggies until adulthood. Come to find I either like / don't mind several veggies as long as they're not overcooked! And I love black beans -- which I would have NEVER gotten from my mom -- I just had to get brave one day. I can tell Jacob leans more towards my metabolism, and Quinn more to the Indian side, so I really, really am trying to make healthy, balanced meals. I know the torture of growing up the chubby kid - and I don't want that for mine, but don't want to give him a food complex either. Hence the sneaking.

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If the flavor is masked, does it really help to develop an appreciation of veggies? If my kids eat chocolate zucchini cake will they like sauteed zucchini 10 years later because of the cake? The cake is awesome but I don't think it helps in the veggie appreciation department. It seems like a way to address nutrition and/or fiber concerns.

We do eat a fair amount of veggies so my kids see it a lot. I hope that makes it seem like a common thing to eat.

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That is true and it probably brings down overall fat and calories. I'm not as concerned about the nutrient angle as the fiber angle for Anna.

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Yeah - I don't think it's about helping them develop an appreciation for them. That can come later. And in our house, doing this might even help b/c eventually I can say "you've been eating spinach all this time!". DH ate lots of veggies growing up (his parents are vegetarian) but they were fried, doused in butters, creams, etc.

In the interim, at least I know they'll be getting more of a balanced diet.

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Okay ... the CHEF has to pay attention when cooking. I got a little overly ambitious this afternoon and decided to make the granola bars and the brownies. While I was chatting with Quinn's future MIL I realized I neglected to ADD THE SUGAR!

Actually, I'm glad I figured it out before trying it. I would have thought "WTH? These recipes SUCK!" and given up entirely. I'll try to make the recipe ... correctly ... tonight.

[poky]

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And in our house, doing this might even help b/c eventually I can say "you've been eating spinach all this time!".

Hee! And my answer to that would be "So? I couldn't *taste* it, when it was in stuff like that!"

It's not the actual vegetable, per se, that I object to, it's usually the flavor. If it's masked sufficiently (and that does take some doing!), I'm more than happy to eat healthier!

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Some part of this sneaky chefing has been bothering me and I finally figured it out ( ). I think that eating a well-balanced diet is important and that you can't just make up for fruits and vegetables with vitamins (though I try to do that with a certain someone). I had only heard about the Seinfeld book. I was thinking that her book just sort of adds to the pile of parent guilt and comes from someone who likely has plenty of time and resources to make all her deceptive additions whereas most people do not. So....harumph. If I were to do this and buy a book, I would buy the non-Seinfeld one for that reason.

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I agree on both counts Nellie. That's part of the reason I bought Missy's book (can't remember her last name) -- the other reason is that moms who've had / seen both say that Missy's recipes are better.

But I also struggled with "I shouldn't teach my kids they can get vitamins through brownies." (I had a similar struggle with all of the "candy" vitamins). But even people who are avid veggie eaters RARELY get the daily recs, and we're FAR from avid veggie eaters. So I figured I can supplement where it works, and still work on improving our modeling at home.

FWIW - they're both having a Peanut Butter and Jelly muffin for breakfast, and say "they're deLISHous!" They have carrot/yam puree in them, as well as equal parts white flour, wheat flour, and wheat germ.

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I sneaky chefed EVERY meal yesterday. I added the "orange puree" to the pizza sauce for Quinn's lunch pizza, I added the "white puree" to mashed potatoes for dinner (even I couldn't taste it), and they had brownies made with "purple puree" for dessert. Then I made pumpkin muffins for Quinn's school snack today, and took out 1/2 the oil, substituting it w/"orange puree", and took 1/2 c of the sugar out, plus used 1 c of the "flour mixture -- equal pts whole wheat flour, white flour and wheat germ" for the flour (there were 3 c total, so I still used 2 c white flour). They're quite yummy.

I'm a woman possessed and I haven't even gotten the book yet!