Spinach Brownies, Anyone?

You may have heard of the cookbook, "Deceptively Delicious," at some point in the last couple of years. I received it last Christmas from my sister-in-law, Whitney, but since "Baby Akin" was still baking and not eating solids yet, haha, I had only perused it and not tried any recipes. Lailey is now expanding her tastes and eating more "normal" food (not just the mashed-up-real-good kind), and I'm becoming more aware of the fact that I don't have a clue about feeding a toddler, especially the picky kind, and I hear they can be pretty common. But hey, I didn't know anything about homemade baby food until I tried either, so it will be a fun adventure. Back to the book. I think I still have a point here somewhere. Oh yeah, so it's written by Jessica Seinfeld (Jerry's wife), and it's very interesting. All the recipes are pretty normal kid-friendly foods, but each one has at least one added vegetable or fruit, in the form of a puree. She started developing these recipes to sneak in added veggies and fruits into her kids' food, making it easier for them to get what they needed nutritionally, especially when they wouldn't eat the veggies or fruits plain. Of course, her recommendation is to still offer at least one vegetable at meals, because kids still need to learn to eat them, but at least you'll know they're getting more of the good stuff no matter what they eat on their plates.

So, with Grandpa Jim keeping Lailey busy this evening (or is it the other way around?), my kitchen became a frenzy of vegetable washing, cutting, roasting, steaming, and food-processing. I prepared 4 vegetables - broccoli, cauliflower, butternut squash, and sweet potatoes - and this is the end result...
I've never photographed the inside of a freezer before, but it felt odd. Back to the veggies- these are 1/2 cup servings of each puree, labeled and ready to go. When a recipe calls for 1/2 cup of broccoli puree, you just thaw it in warm water, cut the corner off the bag, and squeeze it out into whatever you're making. Now your chicken nuggets can pack a punch with vitamin C and calcium, and your kids won't know the difference. Apparently the author's daughter, the oldest of three with two younger brothers, is extremely picky and all the recipes have passed her kids' taste tests, and Jerry's too. If you're a Seinfeld fan, then this means something to you. And I'm sure I've heard this at some point in my life, but this book also made me aware that broccoli is a great nondairy source of calcium and better absorbed that it's calcium-rich neighbor, spinach. (To Amy: am I making my almost-registered-dietician-sister proud?) One suggestion that I just happened to read in a couple of places recently is to help get picky kids to eat more veggies, you should let them help with the planning of meals and choosing of ingredients and such so as to give them some ownership in the whole process. I won't lie: this works on husbands too. Actually, he's not really that picky, but I thought it would be fun to let him pick a recipe from the book to get us started. On the menu for tomorrow morning? Pancakes, with sweet potato. In fact, I already mixed the batter and it's ready to tango with a hot sizzling pan in the morning.

So, if this all sounds like a lot of work and too much for busy parents, then you're right...sort of. It does take some work, but once you get good at it, you can spend about an hour or so a week (according to the author) prepping your purees, and then you're done. Just thaw and use in her recipes, which I must say are not just for kids. Spaghetti and meatballs, burgers, beef stew, lasagna, and Italian meatloaf, to name just a few, are all great family meals. However, for some strange reason I am vehemently opposed to eating anything in a "loaf" except bread, so the last one's out for me. Don't ask why. Anyway, I think the work is worth it because I know that I will be getting more vegetables and so will my family. It just takes a little prioritizing.

Eventually I will blog about how the pancakes turn out. My first pick, after Davey's, is the mac 'n' cheese recipe (with butternut squash or cauliflower). The one I'm most intrigued by? Yep, you guessed it...brownies with carrot and spinach. She says they fool everyone. Can't wait to try! If I show up at your house with brownies, beware! Well, truthfully, they won't make it to your house because I'm sure I'll eat them first.