I love this book. It has great ways to sneak healthy stuff in to regular foods. Some of the recipes can seem like a pain in the butt having to puree all different fruits and vegtables, but to speed things up, I check the babyfood aisle instead. You can find most of the purees there! There is a similar author who wrote cookbooks called "The Sneaky Chef" who I think is a little more in depth with this concept and is also worthwhile. I love to cook, and this is like a new style for me--sneaky. Totally love it if you're into cooking and eating but can't get your family eat all their greens (or sweet potatos!)
I really loved the ideas of when and how to add veggies to common foods the kids eat all the time. And there are a TON of recipes, much more than the Sneaky Chef, and many different types of recipes too... however... many of the recipes require a lot of ingredients. I made one recipe and it seemed to take awhile, even though I pureed the veggies ahead of time. I did make the quesadillas though and they turned out AWESOME and my kids loved them. It's just that when I see a recipe with 20 ingredients, some of which I've never even purchased before (like flaxseed meal) it's a bit daunting. I'd definitely buy again, and will continue to try the recipes. Great for getting out of a cooking rut!
I have a very picky eater in the family, and all of us could afford to eat better. A friend recommended this book. There were lots of great ideas, different purees that can be added to foods that kids will actually eat. I did not have great luck with my kids eating HER recipes, but I was able to use her secret ingredients in MY recipes. I had much more success this way. I would recommend this book to anyone who would like their kids to eat healthier. It is a good way to add 1-2 servings of veggies without any fighting.
I love the ideas in this book... I did try to keep the purees on hand for a while but really it just wasn't something that I had the time to maintain. There are some good recipes and the brownies are fabulous and the kids didn't have a clue that they were healthy! I will use the book from time to time but unfortunately it just isn't something I plan to do regularly. It just seems easier to feed the kids healthy options. I do think that if my kids were picky eaters that this book would definately be a big help though. Thank goodness for me, they will eat just about anything that is on their plate.
I find the set-up is much easier to work with than The Sneaky Chef but I like both of the books equally. There is a little less "reading" in Deceptively Delicious and is easier to get started and this has so many color photos. I like to know what it should turn out like in the end. I showed my daughter both books and she picked this one due to time constraints and just being so busy with the children. The tools needed are discussed and preparation as well. A list of food items used in the recipes is listed for ease in preparation. Then the puree how-to section is listed. The fruits and vegie section tells what vitamins are in them and what they do for your body. 12 breakfast recipes include many common foods kids eat but they are so much better for them. French toast, pancakes, eggs, muffins, bread and cereal all have the wonderful healthy purees mixed in. 39 mealtime recipes such as Pita Pizzas which have hidden spinach puree, 2 versions of Mac and Cheese with either a squash or light colored beans, soups, sandwiches, and mashed potatoes with cauliflower puree. Tips are scattered throughout from family and the nutrition guru. The dessert section has 26 recipes and the brownies have carrot and spinach hidden in them. The chocolate fondue has carrot and avocado puree so let them dunk all the fruit they want in this one. The chocolate chip cookies have chickpeas in them. Like cheesecake? You'll love the Blueberry Cheesecake Cupcakes filled with yellow squash puree, and the cupcake batter with blueberry and spinach puree. The best thing is they'll never know they are eating healthier. Hot Cocoa with sweet potato puree, and Fruit Punch has pineapple, raspberry and carrot puree. Chocolate Cake with beet puree, Banana Pudding Pie with cantaloupe and yellow squash puree, and Oatmeal Raisin Cookies with banana and zucchini puree. She doesn't seem to change the flours like in The Sneaky Chef but I don't see why you can't change them yourself. I've started going through my recipes to think how I can change them. This is a great book to have around if you bake and make any meals for children or adults who don't eat enough fruits and vegies. I highly recommend this book.Read full review
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