Customer Reviews

The Sneaky Chef

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

OK-I'm not a big fan of most veggies....and the types of food I like best; burgers, wings and doughnuts aren't considered particularly healthy but taste great!
So I was surprised to learn that my wife had been preparing some of my favorite meals with a slight twist with recipes from LaPine's new book. These recipes use less salt, sugar and contain less fat not to mention the added nutrition of fresh fruit and vegetables so it's great for me and the kids too. If anything, the food actually tastes better. Thanks and keep the recipes coming!

First off, truth be told, I'm not a man at all. I just happen to be a very picky adult woman who can't stomach eating whole vegetables. Health issues spurred me to make some changes in my diet, namely to include more vegetables and fiber. This was a tall order for me, but I'd been hearing rave reviews for books like these and Jessica Seinfeld's "Deceptively Delicious" which make a point of including disguised vegetables pureed seamlessly into the foods I happen to love--which also tend, very often, to be incredibly bad for you. This was a strategy I could live with. If it worked, so much the better; if it didn't, at worst it would be a failed experiment in cooking (to add to my always-growing pile of such experiments).

I looked into the original Sneaky Chef, this book, and several others of the same type before settling on this "men's health" edition, not only because it addressed my own problems but also because I probably eat more of what Lapine calls "man food" than most men I know. The introduction, where she talks about the different emphases men and women place on food and the tastes, sights and textures that appeal to them, I swear could've been written about me.

This was what sold me on the book: though there seems to be little love lost between Lapine and the eating habits of what she calls the "typical man", she writes not without understanding. In fact, simply trying a few of the recipes proves that she does, in fact, have a consummate understanding of what makes foods delicious to men AND women as well as what would make them healthier. The blueberry muffins include no butter and are sweetened with only vanilla extract, cinnamon and 1/4 cup sugar in addition to the blueberries, and are loaded with white beans, whole wheat flour, and oat bran, but amazingly, to eat these muffins is to make no sacrifice of flavor. They smell heavenly in the oven and taste just as good out of it. Ditto the Bolognese sauce: while it simmered, I couldn't stop tasting it while adding involuntary "mmm"s. One serving of the sauce over whole wheat pasta makes for a delicious, filling and healthy meal that will give you energy for hours. I've also tried the sesame noodles, pesto pizza and quick stovetop popcorn, all of which were astounding successes!

Lapine is batting a thousand in my book. Now I can feel good about the food I'm eating without feeling deprived by a "diet", and all these recipes have the convenient feature of broadening the taste horizons of the picky man in my own life, who's as committed as I am to changing our habits and living more healthfully. To give us more recipes for healthy treats, I've got the original Sneaky Chef on the way to my house. If the original is half as helpful as its sequel, we'll be pleased.

Bravo to Missy Chase Lapine! Your recipes have achieved what years' worth of my doctors and nutritionists, not to mention my parents, dismissed as a pipe dream: made me eat vegetables... and like them! This is a system that works for more than just the men in your life--it'll work for you too.

I'm opting for a family lifestyle change & this book is a fantastic tool! My 12-year-old son doesn't like food simply because he doesn't think he likes it. So for testing week at school, I sprung the chocolate french toast on him! He saw me pureeing blueberries the night before so he asked if the toast had blueberries in it. I just ignored the question by asking, "Do you not like blueberries?" He answered "no" and then continued to shove the breakfast down. I had to hide under a blanket to keep from laughing - he was eating not only blueberries, but spinach and whole wheat bread too! After school, he asked if I could make it for him the next day because it was the BEST FRENCH TOAST EVER! I even found out he was comparing his breakfast to his friends' breakfasts at school! What a hoot! I think I'll pass this recipe on to their moms!

I am a big fan of Missy's first book - we make the Cocoa Choc Chip pancakes (featuring spinach and blueberries) every week. I didn't think she could possibly surpass the original - she has. There are so many amazing recipes in this book that I can't wait to try! She has come up with a version of every "manly" favorite out there! Boosted Buffalo Wings - Top Banana Waffles - Slaw & Potato Salads - Onion Rings - Grilled Chicken Satay w/Peanut sauce - Chili - Burgers - Halftime Snacks - even Molten Choc. Cake! I'm off to make a grocery list so I can start cooking some new sneaky favorites!

I have never written a review for my wife's books, or anyone else's for that matter, but in this case, and for this book, I simply have to.
Having lived through the development of her first book, The Sneaky Chef For Kids, I was proud but defiant that her brilliant disguises for foods that I simply am still not interested in 50 years later were not going to get me!
And as I watched the hard work she put into the second book, the one she said was critical for my health and well being, I knew that although I was still to be completely independent minded, I was a goner when it came to resisting amazingly delicious meals that Missy had prepared for all of us, even though I knew very well what was going on inside.
To this day I cannot be around when someone opens a can or eats sardines, yet I am fully aware that I am eating them in many of the foods Missy prepares, and that they are good for me, even though I detest even the concept of them.
If you have already bought and read this amazing second work that my wife put every piece of her heart into, I urge you to share your comments and impressions with others. If you have not yet read this book, and even though I have every reason to be prejudiced about it, I cannot urge you enough to try it out on the people you really care about.

On the evening that the new book arrived, my picky five year old daughter was disappointed when I didn't make something for dinner using the new cookbook. She loved the recipes in the first book and couldn't wait to try some of the new ones. So far we've tried both waffle recipes, stuffed french toast, manicotti, marinated beef, the bacon and cheese mashed potatoes, and the chocolate volcano cake. They are all easy and taste great.

Exceptionally planned, researched well, and with greater breadth, this book is definitely as good (if not better) than the first book. My husband even gave the nod for the french toast and manicotti which contains tofu (which he normally detests). Although aimed at the man of the household, my kids have already tagged some meals for me to try. Lots of new suggestions, including a lengthy section on snacks. I can't wait to try more!

My man has never been the problem in the veggie-eating department; it's *me* who's the problem. I have such a powerful aversion to veggies that I just *can't* eat them. Even when they taste exactly like the dish that they're in, my illogical aversion makes it impossible for me to choke them down. But tonight, I ate chili that had cauliflower, zucchini, broccoli, spinach, and peas in it--and it looked and tasted just like any "normal" chili I'd ever eaten. Not only did I eat it, I *enjoyed* it, which is just as important. There's only so long one can keep eating things one doesn't enjoy, but if they taste good . . .

If the rest of the recipes in this book are as good as that one, then this book could be literally a life-saver for me. (I didn't know how I was going to get my cholesterol level down when I couldn't eat veggies!)

My husband and I are obsessed with food--the worse for us the better. So when a friend told me about this book, I was skeptical... until I opened it! The food looked delicious, the concept--simple, yet brilliant. I tried out a recipe that night--and my husband and I both LOVED it! We have abandoned our restaurant fast food binges (talk about sneaky chefs... who knows what McDonald's and Taco Bell are really putting in that slop!) and we anticipate making dinner together at home now! My husband actually looks forward to cooking with me, and the results really are amazing--you have to try it to believe it. I don't see myself going back to life before this book. My favorite foods are just as, if not more delicious, minus all the guilt!

And get this! My husband and I have lost some weight, and we generally feel a lot better! More energy, more happiness! Give it a try!

The sneaky chef has done it again, this book is just as good if not better than the last. The reasons are it has more recipes. lots more photo's and Missy has also added some extra super foods such as green tea and oatbran. Again there is lots of information on shopping lists, what to buy and healthy eating at the front. But when you get to the recipes you are pleasantly surprised these are great for all the family. A few we have tried so far are the waffles, beefed up onion soup (yum), satay chicken (double yum), romano chicken and chocolate dipped strawberries. No one in the family noticed any sneaky additions and devoured it all. The hardest bit is keeping quiet about what additions you have made to the meal. I have basically only being cooking out of these books in recent weeks and my husband and I have lost a little weight. My son's digestion has improved, and he has not had one stomache ache(must be all the fibre). I don't understand it when people ask how are you going to wean everyone off this food. Why would you it contains much less fat, sugar and salt than normal recipes. As far as I am concerned these recipes are here to stay and of course we will still eat vegies and fruit in their original form. I just love knowing that I am providing great tasting food that is chock full of health giving ingredients.

What's not to like about it? Funny, great ideas, dealing with "real life" situations that are sometimes almost impossible to fix otherwise! The basic concept is brilliant. I only wish it would become understood in our public schools or other large institutions, that the food quality can be enhanced by such small modifications! Great work, Missy!