You might just get hooked on these little tricks. It's downright fun to get away with a little something, and when the "little something" is sneaking in some veggies into your kid's (or your!) meals, give yourself a high five and keep on reading.
Endless choices of how to blend in at least five servings per day.
Try on these active verbs: mashed, pureed, minced, squashed, and squeezed. Got it?
Now combine some colors: green, yellow, red, orange, white.
Tap into your inner Rachael Ray, Emeril, or Martha. It's easy!
Jerry Seinfeld's wife Jessica got a lot of attention a few years back for reinventing the wheel. No, she didn't steal anyone's ideas (as she was accused of doing, geesh!). She just wrote a fantastic little cookbook that involved an age-old cooking technique. When you puree a food, you can put small, medium, or large amounts into freezer bags and pull them out when they match what you are making.
Match?
Yes!
Scroll back into your memory. What were the last five meals you made? What colors were they?
Spaghetti sauce and pasta?
Pull out a pureed bag of red peppers and add it to the sauce. You can add a lot to tomato sauce, actually, and no one will ever know.
A healthy version of mac and cheese?
Pureed cauliflower, onion, pumpkin, carrots, winter squash, or orange peppers, please. (Shortcut: You can find winter squash all pureed for you in the freezer section at your market.)
Lasagna?
Have at it! You can blend ANYthing into lasagna, and they'll never know the difference! Mash up some zucchini, carrots, spinach, broccoli, or even beets.
Will they eat mashed potatoes?
Oh, go on, just add in some pureed cauliflower, too. Hold the smirk, and enjoy.
Soup?
Whether it's a healthier version of canned soup or your own homemade, go for it; find the freezer bag that best matches the color. And add it.
Any and every casserole?
Another freebie. The world is your oyster here!
Start the day with some fruits -- AND veggies!
Many families start the day with a smoothie.
Some low-sugar fruit juice, a couple of handfuls of frozen or fresh berries, a banana, some yogurt -- and some pureed veggies?! You bet. Match and go.
Could this be any simpler?
One savvy mom even added pureed beets to her brownies, and no one was the wiser!
So grab your big LL Bean tote, head to your local Farmer's Market, and come home to some loud tunes and kitchen time. Dancing IS allowed! Saute, steam, broil, and bake. Let the veggies cool, and then toss them into the food processor. You can make an afternoon of it, or for the next couple of weeks, when you do make a vegetable, cook a bunch extra. When the kids are tucked into bed, rev up that food processor.
Match 'em up, and then throw and go.
This can become a great habit! Increase your family's veggie intake, and make the entire crew -- including yourself -- healthier.
It's really, really easy. It's a little sneaky, and it's downright fun.
Shhhhhh. It'll be our little secret!
Valerie J. Wilson is a freelance writer for many companies, organizations, and individuals like Steve Wynn.
Endless choices of how to blend in at least five servings per day.
Try on these active verbs: mashed, pureed, minced, squashed, and squeezed. Got it?
Now combine some colors: green, yellow, red, orange, white.
Tap into your inner Rachael Ray, Emeril, or Martha. It's easy!
Jerry Seinfeld's wife Jessica got a lot of attention a few years back for reinventing the wheel. No, she didn't steal anyone's ideas (as she was accused of doing, geesh!). She just wrote a fantastic little cookbook that involved an age-old cooking technique. When you puree a food, you can put small, medium, or large amounts into freezer bags and pull them out when they match what you are making.
Match?
Yes!
Scroll back into your memory. What were the last five meals you made? What colors were they?
Spaghetti sauce and pasta?
Pull out a pureed bag of red peppers and add it to the sauce. You can add a lot to tomato sauce, actually, and no one will ever know.
A healthy version of mac and cheese?
Pureed cauliflower, onion, pumpkin, carrots, winter squash, or orange peppers, please. (Shortcut: You can find winter squash all pureed for you in the freezer section at your market.)
Lasagna?
Have at it! You can blend ANYthing into lasagna, and they'll never know the difference! Mash up some zucchini, carrots, spinach, broccoli, or even beets.
Will they eat mashed potatoes?
Oh, go on, just add in some pureed cauliflower, too. Hold the smirk, and enjoy.
Soup?
Whether it's a healthier version of canned soup or your own homemade, go for it; find the freezer bag that best matches the color. And add it.
Any and every casserole?
Another freebie. The world is your oyster here!
Start the day with some fruits -- AND veggies!
Many families start the day with a smoothie.
Some low-sugar fruit juice, a couple of handfuls of frozen or fresh berries, a banana, some yogurt -- and some pureed veggies?! You bet. Match and go.
Could this be any simpler?
One savvy mom even added pureed beets to her brownies, and no one was the wiser!
So grab your big LL Bean tote, head to your local Farmer's Market, and come home to some loud tunes and kitchen time. Dancing IS allowed! Saute, steam, broil, and bake. Let the veggies cool, and then toss them into the food processor. You can make an afternoon of it, or for the next couple of weeks, when you do make a vegetable, cook a bunch extra. When the kids are tucked into bed, rev up that food processor.
Match 'em up, and then throw and go.
This can become a great habit! Increase your family's veggie intake, and make the entire crew -- including yourself -- healthier.
It's really, really easy. It's a little sneaky, and it's downright fun.
Shhhhhh. It'll be our little secret!
Valerie J. Wilson is a freelance writer for many companies, organizations, and individuals like Steve Wynn.
have a strict diet of organic foods, very little processed anything, and meat only a few times a week. I put a lot of veggies in the stew. You may have to make them so small that it's not worth picking them out in mind.
ReplyDeleteMake a stew with stewing steak, carrots, celery, onion, peas, beans etc.
ReplyDeleteServe with mashed potatoes and gravy.