Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food by Jessica Seinfeld Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food
Book Review: Husbands, be an idol and get it
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this book for my wife after over hearing it on Oprah as I was in the kitchen, this is a great book and it's hard to find because every female is looking for it to help eat better foods that you would never think of eating. I bought two because of the demand. This is a great addition to her recipe book shelve...yes this book we use the most.Book Review: not the best cookbook, but a great concept
Summary: 3 Stars
I have both DD and TSC. I use both. I like the flavors in TSC better, as do my kids. I like the ingredients used in TSC better (butter instead of margarine, less focus on low fat), so does my family. But DD definately has better methods for purees. For a kitchen novice, DD is probably the better book because of some of the hints and "chattiness" that run throughout the book. As an experienced cook, I found the tone of the book a bit annoying... I don't need to be talked down to.
For either DD or TSC, I find the concept of deceiving and hiding a bit of a concern. When Jessica brags about leaving the "blue box" on the counter while she makes her own version of mac and cheese (and lets her kids make erroneous assumptions), I really am troubled. I don't want to lie to my kids. And I have a problem with encouraging others to do so. So I don't. My preschooler helps put the purees into food as he helps me cook. We don't focus on the veggies, and if they don't ask I don't bring it up.
I'd tried everything else. I've made broccoli trees, used cute cookie cutter shapes, made smiley faces using veggies... you name it. I've sent them to bed (relatively) hungry. I bribed, I threatened, I prayed. At a certain age, nothing seems to work. With a willful child, they figure out that you can't force food into their mouths and make them swallow (trust me, i was tempted). If you don't have a strong-willed child, you are blessed to not understand. And if you ever leave your child in the care of others (daycare, church, friends, family) then they get exposed to stuff you don't want. They learn about french fries and chocolate and you lost the battle. I turned to TSC and DD to change that. It isn't a battle now. I don't fight with my kids over food. It isn't a "control" issue in the house (and with a 2 and 3 year old, that's a rare thing!). As a family, we're working together to eat the same healthy foods. Over time, that's including more undisguised healthy foods going into my kids on their own accord.
I'm not worried about who was first. There are already countless brownie recipes out there... some of which include broccoli or spinach. Neither author originated the idea of hiding vegetables, or substituting fat for purees in baking (applesauce is just pureed apples!) Both authors have put together a package of old ideas and wrapped them in a fresh marketing campaign. That's fine, because what they are marketing works.
I'm giving this mixed reviews. As much as I love the concept, I don't care for the recipes in DD. They aren't what I want to eat. Maybe for your family they taste great. If we all liked exactly the same flavors the world would be a pretty boring place.
Book Review: not as bad as some say
Summary: 4 Stars
i have to disagree with the reviewer who stated that the dd version of mac-n-cheese had too many ingredients and was expensive. i thought the opposite. i'm not sure what version was made (dd has two) but i thought version one was very easy and quick. almost too quick. it was finished before i was done making the rest of our meal. my son loved it.
i also made the chicken nuggets. they were not spicy at all. i think they taste better with the broccoli puree than the spinach but both my kids ate the spinach ones up and asked that i pack it for them for lunch the next day.
i do agree on the brownies. the flavor was fine (not bitter to my kids) but it was a little too moist.
i'm not comparing books. i don't have the other one. i am just stating what my family experienced with this book.
all in all, i think the book is well done. there are many helpful and educational tidbits and visually, this book is easy on the eyes. nice use of fonts, illustrations, color and lots of pics.
i gave this four stars because i think i should cook more items out of it so it can truly earn the 5 star rating.
Book Review: Hmmmm..I thought this was going to be easier!
Summary: 3 Stars
I also was so excited for this cookbook to arrive. I immediately rushed to the grocery store to get $50.00 worth of vegetables and other baking ingredients.
My first attempt was the brownies, and my victims were all adults. The look on their faces was priceless. Not so good because of the very weird texture to them.
Next, eggs with cauliflower for my 3 year old. Hmmm, he was wondering whey the eggs that have always been yellow, have now turned white. Add a little cheddar, and bam, they are yellow again.
The blueberry cupakces with cream cheese filling, total disaster. They looked horrible, and tasted even worse. I didn't even attempt to try to get anyone in the house to eat them
Hamburgers....you would have thought I was feeding my husband horse meat. They were NASTY! Very slimy with a funky aftertase.
What I learned is that you don't need this cookbook for recipes. Puree some veggies and slip them in the everyday food you make. Don't go overboard, and chances are your kids won't know the difference!
Book Review: Cookbook
Summary: 5 Stars
What an excellent way to make eating healthy. Good for the kids, but also everyone else.