I Am A Sneaky Chef

Do you fight with your kids to eat healthy? Yeah...me too.

Okay. Be honest here. Do you fight with your husband to eat healthy? Be really honest with me. I won't tell. Yeah....well, me too.

So, what am I going to do? Live the next 15 years fighting with the boys to eat healthy? Um, no thanks. I vividly remember my sister sitting for hours in front of a plate of green beans refusing to eat them. Yum. Nothing better than cold green beans. And, she sat there. And sat there. And sat there. Someone finally gave in because she lives in Virginia now. LOL.

Oh man. I don't want to do that. Meaning, having my kids sit there for hours watching their veggies petrify and turn into a science project right in front of them.

So...time to figure out something else. After all...I am at war. At least that's what it feels like at night when they eat dinner. I have broken them down about as far as possible without having a complete revolt on my hands. Let's review:

• They only eat wheat bread. They eat only apple sauce (and anything else that I can find) without sugar added.


• I give them bran cereal with vanilla soy milk. It takes like frosted flakes. Sure it does. Trust me. (It's actually very good.)


• I changed their peanut butter to natural p-nut butter without sugar added. Oh...they resisted. But, since they don't make their lunches, they don't have a choice. They've accepted that.


• I use whole wheat flour when I bake cookies for them.


• I rarely use red meat. They haven't had tacos with red meat in 4-evar.

I'm so mean. And, I'm about to get meaner. But, in a nice way. :)

They beg to eat at Goolricks because they know that they'll get real cheese (not the veggie cheese that I've started using*) on white bread. White bread. Live it up, boys.

So...I'm in the trenches. I found the book a "Sneaky Chef" that has opened my options. She is brilliant. She purees healthy food (veggies, fruits and whole grains) and incorporates them into recipes. She is a warrior. She won the battle. And shared her war plan. It's freaking brilliant.




I made the chocolate chip cookies last night. My kids loved the dough. Hurdle #1 - check.














Shane licked the beater clean. That should tell you something. :)






















Here's the cookies after they were baked. They are a cross between an oatmeal cookie and a chocolate chip cookie. My kids loved them. If your kids aren't used to whole wheat flour, they may not like them so easily.










And, just what the heck are in them, you ask? So glad that you asked. You're not seeing wrong. Navy beans, wheat germ and whole wheat flour are the basic sneaky ingredients. :)















Both boys gave the cookies a thumbs up.













And for dinner tomorrow night? Pasta and meatballs. I made the meatballs tonight and the boys tried one, loved it and asked for more. They are yummy. And, the best part? They have peas, carrots and wheat germ in them. :)

Yay me!






Lastly, can I say that my friend Emily has been at war with her family's eating too. Her husband asks her the same question that Ken does to me when she asks if he liked a new recipe. "Why? What did you put in it?" LOL. It's nice to have someone to share the fight with. Thanks, Em for the field trips to the stores!


*Oh and if you're wondering, they have no idea that I make their grilled cheese sandwiches with veggie cheese. They eat it and say thank you. And I say "you're welcome" with a smile on my face.