Dionne25's Full Review: Jessica Seinfeld - Deceptively Delicious: Simple S...
For the longest while, I thought I had it made. When I made meals for my oldest son, he seemed to eat them without too much debating or quarreling. I felt so happy. Having hearing all the horror stories of moms who are in a constant battle with their children to eat their veggies or just to eat, I really thought I was fortunate.
That was, until my oldest turned two. Once he found his voice, he made it very clear what he wanted and didn't want to eat. And, so the mother/child battle began in my house.
I remember the first time I saw Jessica Seinfeld on Oprah, back in 2007, promoting her new book, Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food. I thought, "Wow, is that really possible?" While I didn't immediately go out and purchase the book, I decided to just try doing it on my own. I started with carrots because I had them in the house. It seemed easy, my son was none the wiser and I thought I was in the clear, I really didn't need this book.
Unfortunately, the food wars continued. What is a mother to do?!?!?!?!
After my second son was born in 2008, I made the decision to make my own baby food. I heard so many horror stories about contaminants in the store-bought foods that I didn't want to take any chances. Last summer, I happened to catch a repeat of the Jessica Seinfeld segment on Oprah and decided to go out and get the book. What could it hurt?
The Book
When I brought the book home, I literally read it from cover to cover that morning. If I was going to win the food battle against my children, I wanted to be prepared. Immediately upon looking at the book, it has a youthful appeal to it with its lively pink and green color scheme. The cover has a cartoon character of Jessica Seinfeld, almost with a 1950's appeal to it, but with a modern-looking mom. She's holding a plate of brownies and at her work station, you see flour, carrots and spinach, some of the ingredients that were used in the brownie mix.
The concept of Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food came about from Jessica Seinfeld, mother of three children and husband to comedian/actor Jerry Seinfeld. In the book, she discusses her horror stories of getting her children to eat healthy. While making purees for her youngest, she accidentally mixed some in the dinner she was making. She decided to continue with the meal to see if the kids would notice. She served up the meal and watched to her delight as her children ate up the meal and were none the wiser. That was the beginning of her deception.
Deceptively Delicious is a very informative, hands-on cookbook that is filled with useful information. It features a forward from Dr. Roxanna Mehran and Dr. Mehmet Oz (the famous Dr. Oz featured on Oprah.) The entire book has an animated feel to it, as most of the pictures are cartoon drawings, with the exception of the photos of the finished recipes. As I read through the book, it is unlike any other cookbook I've ever read. For the most part, we have all the ingredients in our homes, it is just a different way of looking at and using these ingredients. We really aren't drastically changing any of our menus, we are just adding ingredients that are not only good for our families, but will keep them healthy.
Before you even get to the actual recipes, you are provided with the necessary tools you need to equip yourself with to make the transition. It includes the basic foods you should have in your pantry, the necessary appliances you'll need, a how-to guide on pureeing the vegetables and fruits, and how to store them. There is also information provided by nutritionist Joy Bauer on the nutritional make-up of all those fruits and vegetables.
The Recipes
You've got a stocked pantry, you've got all the appliances ready, your refrigerator/freezer are stocked with all the purees and you are up on your nutritional know-how. Now, it is time to get to cooking. The recipes are broken into three sections; breakfast, mealtime and dessert recipes. Throughout each section, there are little blurbs included, along with other tips from fellow moms just like us. The recipes themselves are fairly simple - you have probably made 90% of the recipes included in the cookbook. You have everyday staples including pancakes, scrambled eggs, muffins, french toast, chicken nuggets, meatball soup, tuna salad and even yellow cake. The difference is the purees that are added and more nutritious ingredients are being used - whole-wheat flour, brown rice, flax seed. All you are doing is substituting some of your favorites for ones that are better for you.
Okay, so the recipes are fairly simple, but how do they TASTE?!?!?!? They taste delicious. You cannot even tell the purees are included in the recipes unless your child is helping you make the meal or you tell them. What's also great about these recipes is not only getting your children to eat better, to get your whole family eating better. After including some of these recipes in your daily meals, you find yourself getting creative. I am one of the pickiest eaters you will ever meet and I have found myself taking chances with other veggies that I would usually shy away from. Some work and others are a work in progress. But that is the beauty of cooking - sometimes you can follow the rules and there are times when you can just think outside the box.
My Experiences
I have briefly touched upon my experiences with these recipes and in the beginning, I was very apprehensive. My oldest son was becoming so rebellious, there were days I thought he would wither away to nothing. Lately, he has been quite the helper in the kitchen and to be honest, that makes mealtime even more enjoyable. The times when he helps to make our meals, the more likely he is to eat what is given to him. He also has a sense of pride and is not afraid to say, "I helped make that," when we sit down to eat.
Initially making the purees are time consuming and a little messy, but after a while, it becomes second nature and if you plan out your puree days (or nights,) the preparation goes a lot smoother. I have used the purees in some of the meals I grew up on as a kid and they taste just the same. I have been inspired to play around with all different types of ingredients to see how they turn out. Nine times out of 10, everyone is happy with the meals. There are times when my son will rebel and not eat a particular meal, but his eating habits have improved for the better. He eats more fruits, he like certain vegetables and now that Baby #3 is on the way, he is constantly looking at my nutritional chart to see what foods from the color pyramid we're going to have for the day. As for my youngest son, he is a gem - he eats EVERYTHING and is willing to try anything once. I attribute this to the fact that I started the purees early with him and he's become accustomed to the foods.
I do not always have purees on hand and I have included the actual vegetables on the plate, just so the kids are aware of what they look like in their natural state. Once again, there are days when they will eat them, and days when they avoid them. As long as I continue to introduce and present them to my boys, they are being made aware of what is out there.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I am very happy with Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food. It has been a Godsend in my home and has helped open the door to ways of creating nutritious, tasty foods that are good for my family and help keep them healthy. The cookbook retails for $24.95 in the U.S. and $25.95 in Canada. I have found the $25.95 to be a great investment and the book has more than paid for itself.
If you have a picky eater in your home, be it your child or the young at heart, give Deceptively Delicious a try. You might be pleasantly surprised with the results.
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