My New Favorite Books for Picky Eaters

I am interrupting my vacation photos to tell you about these new great books that I got to help with my extremely picky eaters.  They have totally revolutionized the way I cook -- I am serious. First one: Feeding the Kids by Pamela Gould and Eleanor P. Taylor.  This is a very practical book that teaches you how to plan your meals so that you are giving your kids enough, fruits, vegetables, fiber, protein, and dairy.  You spend one week focusing on each category.  They teach you these easy calculations so that when you are looking at food labels, you know whether it is a smart, in-between, or empty choice.  It's not rocket science, but it has really helped me in planning my meals (and shopping at the grocery store) when I think, "Okay, for breakfast I need a whole grain, fruit, and dairy."  It is as simple as adding a banana with their Cheerios and milk. 

My other two favorite books are: The Sneaky Chef by Missy Chase Lapine and Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfield.  I like the first one better, but they are both good.  The philosophy of these books is this: dinner is often a battle between parents trying to get their children to eat healthy and kids refusing to eat what is being served, so by secretly adding pureed fruits and vegetables to the foods that they like -- even desserts -- both children and Moms are happy and healthy.  I have seen a few articles that say this approach is dishonest, that it is not teaching kids to eat healthy, and how much nutrition are they really getting when you had a 1/2 C. of puree to a whole dish -- i.e. you should serve your kids green beans 100 times and they'll eventually eat and like them.  These authors don't advocate forgoing the serving of vegetables by themselves, but rather making sure that they are getting the health benefits while you wait for them to mature enough to choose foods because they are healthy, and not just because they are pleasing.  And pureed vegetables are really concentrated -- 3 cups of spinach only makes 1 C. puree.  I particularly like the first book because it talks about how by adding in a certain puree, you are helping the body absorb more of the nutrients like iron and calcium, or how by replacing some of the quick-releasing carbs like potatoes, with slow carbs like white beans, you help mitigate spike-and-crash energy/mood levels, etc.  Anyway, I actually look forward to seeing what I can stealthily sneak into their food  -- I can't tell them, because once I do, they stop eating it, even though they can't taste it.  They know I'm doing it, though.  Maybe this is where I feel a little dishonest, because I do frequently hear, "So what ingredient did you add from your secret cookbook?"  and I mention lots of other healthy things they would expect and leave out "spinach" or "cauliflower."  You really don't taste or see them, and often they taste better than the normal way of cooking the meal.  Okay, I've gone on way too long, but it has been amazingly satisfying watching my kids down things like French toast, knowing that they are happily eating carrots and sweet potatoes too! (Check them out from your library and try it.)