Honey I tricked the kids
Picky eaters are the worst. I should know, I used to be one.
As a kid I hated all things edible, except one. Back in the day I would have traded my baby brother for a bowl of frozen strawberries (ok, I would have traded him for a black eye, but that’s a different story.) And when I say frozen strawberries, I’m not talking about the good wholesome Whole Foods type of berries. I’m talking old school, the kind that came soaked in sugared syrup and frozen in a cardboard box with a tin roof. It was my preferred form of sustenance and I was a blissful child, until one day, while eagerly awaiting dessert, this: Imagine, the bubbling hot defrosted berries were en route to the table when suddenly, out of nowhere, my mean ole ma grinned and said:
Oh, these? Nope these are most definitely not strawberries. Sure, they look like strawberries. They smell like strawberries. They even taste exactly like strawberries. But it’s rhubarb. Yes, rhubarb. Go on, try some.
I struggled. I sniffed the bowl. I swear I wanted to taste, but I couldn’t do it. Thanks to Mom’s trickery (and a stubborn streak that multiplies with each subsequent generation) I refused to eat my favorite dessert. But hey, no hard feelings ma. You did what you had to do, right?
As a parent now myself to a couple of stubborn, non-eaters, I too have succumbed to tricking my kids. But here’s the thing: I try to trick them INTO eating; and I will do whatever it takes.
Apparently, hiding veggies from children is controversial, especially since Jessica Seinfeld released Deceptively Delicious, a cookbook for parents of picky eaters. With it, the line in the sand was drawn between parents who believe children should be forced to fork their foliage in full awareness, and those of us who rub our evil hands together as we gleefully watch the kiddies consume hidden veggies and try not to scream, “Ah-hah! Gotcha!” with each green that sneaks stealthily down an unwilling throat.
I have not seen Seinfeld’s cookbook, but I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve.
Check out these Zebra Fries my kids gobbled down. Shhhh, want to know a secret? They’re really beets. Really. Beets. Aren’t they beautiful? Sliced into fry-shapes, they’re not even scary.
Hey, while we’re at it, anyone up for a Confetti Cookie?
What’s in the world is a Confetti Cookie? Simple, it’s a chocolate chip cookie with pretty green streamers running through it. (Off the record? Those tiny green stripes are shredded zucchini, but I won’t tell if you don’t.) I borrowed the recipe from Barbara Kingsolver’s book (and my bible) Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.
Vegetables? What vegetables? Just smile, and have another cookie my dear. You can trust me, I’m not hiding any greens up my sleeves.
9 Replies to “Honey I tricked the kids”
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I saw Sienfeld on an Oprah episode pitching her book one day and I have to say it was quite ingenious the way she was slipping in the veggies into the “every day” food her kids would eat. Mom’s gotta do what a mom’s gotta do! Hooray for zebra fries!!
Speaking of beets — I have a great recipe for Chocolate Beet Cake … http://fiveflowermomsrecipes.blogspot.com/
I do hide things and then I tell my kids after they eat them. I always finely chop carrots and other veggies into spaghetti sauce, they never know!
I have been hiding the neccessities since birth! Luckily, they will eat them too, so they get the hidden ones and the plain sight ones all at once now. I do laugh to myself every time they have ever eaten them unknowingly, is that so wrong?
Damn, you are a clever mama.
But I still won’t eat beets – no, not even zebra fries.
I am blessed with a toddler who begs for more vegetables and doesn’t know to ask for cookies. While I would like to take all the credit for his healthy eating, I know it really comes down to the kid. That being said, I still “hid” zucchini in his turkey meatballs last night and put a ton of chopped veggies in the tomato sauce. I figure, if I can make everything he’s eating even healthier, all the better!
Those beet/fries look amazing!
so clever! I just crossed the great beet divide myself! Mmm!
You tricked me with the delicious rhubarb crisp!!! Honestly, I had never had it, and hidden in the strawberries, I thought it was great.
I bought DD, and enjoy hiding veggies in the mac & cheese I bring to family dinners. It irks my brothers when I tell them afterwards that they ate cauliflower or whatever.
I have Seinfeld’s book. Nothing earth shattering, but I think it’s kinda fun for some things.
I’ll have to try those zebra fries! DS loves sweet potato fries. I have been making them for him since he started eating.
My daughter(14) was (and still is) disgusted by the garbanzo bean cookies she cooked with her mentor last fall. “Why ruin perfectly good cookies?” is her question. Of course, she is a teenager . . .