Pureed!

It feels like I have been pureeing for days! In an effort to take charge over my picky toddler's diet, I'm diving fully into the Deceptively Delicious cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld, kindly given to me by my lovely sister. This is a departure for me, since I usually cook by...uh...guess and improvisation rather than by recipe (baking excluded), but I needed some inspiration and this book is providing it!

My kind husband was so good and fulfilled my birthday wish for an IMMENSE food processor. It is already much loved and well-used, and played perfect sous-chef in this pureeing project. Perhaps it even deserves a name? Art the Cuisinart? Art was tireless in whipping into submission butternut squash, broccoli, spinach, carrots, and sweet potatoes. I even pureed some cooked turkey--gross, I know, but he needs some protein and the only meat he will eat is chicken nuggets and elk (but just a few bites and simply for the novelty factor of eating what Daddy hunts).

Ever so stealthily, I have included these lovely purees in spaghetti, pita pizza, quesadillas, and tortilla roll-ups. It is working! He still averages 2-5 minutes of chewing per bite at each meal, but so does my Grammy and she's fit as a fiddle and about to turn 90, so it's gotta be a healthy habit! The best part is that we have even enjoyed a meal or two where we have ALL EATEN THE SAME THING! Someday I hope to ditch the practice of cooking separate kid and grown-up meals, and it can't hurt to sneak some extra nutrients into our grown-up diets.

The baked goods recipes look pretty good, too. In fact, today I enjoyed a lovely morning snack--a peanut butter/banana/carrot puree/whole wheat muffin. Yes, it sounds like crazy-person food, but both the kid and I find them delicious. I'm pretty sure that Grammy would, too.