To say that the Sneaky Chef has revolutionized how I feed my family would be an understatement. To say that everyone I know, now knows about her books, is an understatement. To say that my freezer is stocked full with mini glass jars, full of green, purple, orange, and white purees, is an understatement.
I came across the "kid's favorites" book right around the holidays. I was looking for a cookbook to add something new and healthy to my repertoire, and figured I'd find a recipe or two. So often a cookbook has one or two decent recipes, and lots of filler. I was excited to try the recipes, and stunned at how we loved each and every one. Although we are frequent consumers of fruits and vegetables, I never expected to add them to brownies, mac and cheese, or stuffed potatoes! I have "sneaked" the recipes onto my two daughters (1 yr and 4 yrs), my meat-loving husband, my picky dad, and my skeptical mom. I've shared recipes with my friends, and urged everyone I know to try this ingenious new way of cooking. One friend recently thanked me repeatedly, saying, "My kids ate four vegetables tonight. I can't thank you enough for showing me this book!" I'm a psychologist with a specialization in eating disorders, and know how important it is to minimize the dinnertime battles. The concept of beefing up nutritional values, while minimizing conflict, is incredible.
I received "To the Rescue" from Amazon last night, and couldn't help it- I had to try a recipe immediately. We started with the fudge scones, and boy, were they amazing. Reading through the reader blurbs and blog quotes in the book, I'm astounded (yet not surprised) at how many others are inspired by her ways. It's as if this new way of feeding our families is changing more than just how we cook- it's changing how we look at food, how we interact, and how we think. I truly do grocery shop based on what "sneaky" recipes I'm making next. I can't wait to make each and every batch of puree, wondering what I'll use it in next. I even scoop some purees into our everyday foods.
I am fortunate in that my family loves the concept. My four-yr-old daughter loves to say "Daddy, guess which sneaky ingredients are in this dinner?" and everyone takes turns guessing once they've tried it. No one ever guesses correctly the first time, which just goes to show how well they are hidden!
I love that this new book has slow-cooker recipes, and uses pumpkin purees. Also, I wanted to share what we do to store purees. I ask my friends who use glass baby food jars to save me their empty jars. They're the perfect size for storing 1/4 cups of puree, freeze well, and you don't end up storing in plastic, which so many of us are getting away from these days due to health reasons. Even Ball makes small glass canning jars that work well (4 oz) but babyfood jars are free and freeze well, so why not!
With the Sneaky Chef by my side, I feel like a Super Hero. Ms. Chapin should sell "Sneaky Chef, Super Mom" capes on her website!
