I'm considering trying out the Sneaky Chef cookbook, but a little hesitant since it initially seems to be a lot of preparation. Is it going to be something I stick with? Are most of the recipes actually good? Is there something else out there that is better, easier but similar?
I love this one, as well as Deceptively Delicious from Jessica Seinfeld. I think the recipes are great, but I just don't have time to cook right now. My son is a VERY picky eater though so it didn't help him....but that's just my son. I recommend paging through it and Jessica's book and see what you think, but I really liked them.
I have not used this cookbook, but I have tried sneaking nutritious foods into what I make and it so far has been successful.
I add veggies and a jar of spaghetti sauce into my blender and serve all of my pasta dishes this way. I typically use squash, zucchini (sp?) spinach and carrots for this. My kids don't even know the difference. I even make homemade pizza with this sauce!
When I make casseroles that don't call for veggies, I puree the veggies in the blender and add them to the casserole.
I make waffles and pancakes from scratch, using whole wheat flour, flaxseed meal or wheat germ. This adds a little bit more nutrition and once again the kids don't even know it's there. I sometimes puree bananas and add that to my waffles.
We also make juice in a juicer to add more fruits and veggies to our diet. I hope this helps. I would say to go ahead and buy the cookbook, but look through it first to make sure the recipes are something that your kids will eat. My method is pretty easy, as it doesn't take much planning and I usually just use what I have in my fridge at the time.
The prep work isn't really all that much work. It's about steaming or boiling veggies, then pureeing them, then putting them in ice cube trays in the freezer. W/ one batch, you can do soooo many recipes and they last a long time. So far I have taken the purees and put them into my own recipes, because her recipes are a little lacking. I think for me, the problem w/ her recipes is a texture thing. I like my brownie recipe (but i will add her puree) or my spaghetti sauce (but add her carrot/sweet potato puree) for example.
I personally like the Deceptively Delicious cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld. I looked at the Sneaky Chef and it seemed like a lot more prep work. While there are recipes that I know my 17 month old won't eat yet, there are several that he does and just loves. One of his favorites is a blueberry lemon muffin that has yellow squash hidden in it. I even make some of the recipes for my husband and I to eat as well. I would suggest checking both the books out from the library and trying them out to see which you like best!
