A few weeks ago, I got the oil changed in the van. The 'waiting room' at the service department is not kid friendly by any stretch of the word, so we usually pack the kids into the stroller(s) and head over to Arby's for a quick snack and then stroll over to the strip mall that is next door - it's mainly small businesses (a Curves, some hair/nail shops, insurance, etc) with a grocery store and a Staples (or is it Office Depot?).
So, we usually opt for the Staples... who doesn't like drooling over office supplies? There's just something about being there that gets you inspired to *finally* get your life organized! We're still working on the organization part, but I did give in to my pen obsession and bought several packages of pens - enough to make up for a few year's worth of being a 'good girl.' I also bought two cookbooks that were on clearance: one about recipes that are sugar and flour free (I haven't looked at it yet) and another that I remember as being fairly popular a few years ago and, from a quick scan of the cover, that I *thought* was just healthy, yummy kid-friendly recipes. Last night, I finally got around to diving into the kid-friendly one and realized it's not just kid-friendly, but it's sneaky (which is good!). I suppose the title should have given it away: Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld (yes, she's married to Jerry). I'd seen this book in the bookstore before, but had never actually looked in it to discover just how much good it could do in my own kitchen! I wish I'd explored it sooner!
The entire cookbook incorporates some sort of pureed vegetable(s) or fruit(s) into traditional meals. I told you it was sneaky! For instance, last night I made Pita Pizzas. The recipe called for a layer of pureed spinach beneath the tomato sauce. I actually had to modify the recipe by using spaghetti sauce because I didn't have tomato sauce. In all honesty, I think it was better with the spaghetti sauce because the herbs and spices helped cover up the spinach flavor. If I had just used tomato sauce, it would have been more bland and the spinach might have stood out more. The kids DEVOURED this pizza. Our most picky eater, Lorelai, asked for seconds and THIRDS. My super-picky 14-year old sister (she has survived on macaroni and cheese pretty much from birth) even gave me the thumbs-up, which, coming from her, is *always* good to see! Even Shane, who is very anti-vegetables, thought it was delicious and asked if he could take *two* to work for lunch!
Some of you may already be very familiar with this book - after all, it was a best seller. But, it's new to me... and since I just 'discovered' this cookbook last night, I haven't had a chance to do meal planning and shopping. I need to find a recipe for dinner tonight that is quick and doesn't involve me heading to the store to buy lots of ingredients. I'll keep you updated on the outcome. :-)
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