Foodie Obsessed

Deceptiviely Delicious

by Tracey Thompson on October 16th, 2007

In case you have not heard the buzz, Jessica Seinfeld (wife of comedian Jerry) has just written a book.  A book my mother repeatedly says she wished she had when we were young, stubborn and whiny.

Deceptively Delicious is probably a parent’s best friend.  If you are having a hard time getting your children to eat the fruits and veggies, Jessica has the solution…purees.

She purees a variety of fruits and vegetables than places them in their meals.  This is not actually a new idea, but Jessica has a few things going for her and her book, one is Oprah.

She debuted the book and her recipes on Oprah and Oprah talked about how she and Stedman are even trying them all out.  There are forwards along with stamps of approval from Dr. Oz and Joy Bauer.

The recipes not only use the purees, but Jessica has also incorporated healthy items like egg whites and wheat pasta.  One of my sons doesn’t eat a lot of protein and so there are even some chicken purees to help-out.

My mom bought me the book and I tried three recipes within the first day.  I even had an adult get together and tried out some of the recipes on them.  One of the moms screamed with delight.  She was wanting to get the cookbook and was thrilled to find out that the food is good.

Tip #1:  Get the egg beaters, or egg whites in a carton.  3 tablespoons equals one white.  Pouring them from the carton just makes life a little more simple.

Tip #2:  Plan your menu and pick-a day to do all your purees.  It gets to be a pain to have to puree as you are preparing the meal.  Often more than one puree is being utilized.  Jessica and Jerry take advantage of Sunday nights.  After the kids are in bed, he takes a seat in the kitchen, she pulls out all the stuff she needs to puree for the week and they spend the night chopping, steaming, pureeing, and talking.  She said it is actually a nice time for them to just have some time to talk if they have missed-out during the week.

Tip #3:  The baked goods you may want to experiment with a little.  She substitutes butter with trans-fat free margarine, which is not good to bake with.  I made the cookies and donuts and they came out ok.  Everyone did eat them, but after a couple of days they just didn’t store well, they became mushy and dry.  It was not a complete disaster, but next time I will use butter.  Baking…good baking…needs real butter, you really can’t successfully substitute it.

Tip #4:  Read the book, not just the recipes.  Jessica, Dr. Oz and Joy have some helpful information and tips.  For example, when you serve the brownies with spinach, wait until they are completely cooled before you serve them, otherwise you can taste the spinach.

Tip #5:  Experiment.  Try using the purees in your own recipes.  Maybe connect with some othe moms and see what did or did not work for them.

The book is filled with advice, tips and stories.  Jessica has a list of all the essential tools and pantry supplies.  The cookbook is put together perfectly and you will be happy with the outcomes.

For those of you that think this is a cop out, either you have children that will eat anything, or meal time is like a war zone in your house.  Jessica is quick to point out that you should still put veggies out on the plate with the meals.  The point is not to say to you kids “don’t bother”, but to make sure that they are getting the nutrition they need and helping mealtime be a pleasant family experience.  My mom remembers the fights that used to occur during meals when we were younger, how annoyed dad would get and how stubborn my sister would be about eating what was in front of her (there is always one in every family).  My husband’s father used to set the timer and when the timer went off, your plate better be clean.  Eventually kids grow-up and do change their ways.  I never ate vegetables until I was 18.  In the mean time, you know they are getting some nutrients in their tummies.

I think Dr. Oz, put it in perspective.  Children actually have more taste buds than adults.  That is why they tend to be more picky about taste and texture.  Read his forward in the book along with Joy Bauer…a nutritionist and dietitian.  If they are putting their stamp of approval on the cookbook, I think you can feel confident that this is not a bad idea.

Deceptively Delicious is at all the bookstores and on Amazon.

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