Okay, so the Deceptively Delicious lasagna was a hit with 3 out of 4 of us again... I've decided Ian is just going to eat what he wants to eat, WHEN he wants to eat it.  He's 3.  Eventually, we'll have more influence on him.  Last night, I put spinach and red pepper purees in the spaghetti sauce, and it was DELICIOUS.  Ian took one bite of his beloved spaghetti and hated it. I would be inclined to think he knew about it because he's overheard us talking about it or seeing it go in, but no... he was sleeping as I cooked.  So no way.  The kid just has hypersensitive taste buds... hey, he comes by it honestly!  I could identify olive purees in spaghetti sauce back in the day!  :p

So we're back to square one... I'll sneak veggies in where I can, when I can... otherwise, I'm not going to worry about it.  We didn't eat too poorly before Deceptively Delicious came into our lives... committing to COOKING rather than eating out is half the battle, I think... and that's definitely something I can do.  I made Splenda/applesauce brownies that were a hit, so I can still sneak 'em healthy stuff.

We'll try this again... on tap for dinner tonight?  Deceptively Delicious Lasagna.  I've done all the prep... looks and smells fantastic.  We'll see how it tastes tonight!  Be on the lookout for the verdict!

Well, that didn't take long.

This afternoon, with all the gusto & positivity I could muster, made "Deceptively Delicious" brownies (that contain spinach & carrot purees) & peanut butter/banana muffins (which contain pureed cauliflower).  I served the brownies for an after-school snack today. I nibbled mine in private, so the kids couldn't get their cues from me, & thought, "Crap. They're gross." Ian smelled his & wouldn't take a bite.  Hannah ate half of hers, declared it tasty, begged for Ian's, then decided she didn't like 'em either.  The muffins look promising (I had a crumb, & they were OKAY, but the cauliflower was still discernible... I thought the idea was to HIDE the vegetable, Jessica! BOO!

I did the "Deceptively Delicious" chicken nuggets (with broccoli puree) & mozzarella (with cauliflower puree) sticks (along with another side dish that wasn't DD) for dinner tonight... the chicken nuggets were OKAY, but the prep was a lot messier & time-consuming than I allotted for, so I wound up putting them in the oven.  They were a hit with Hannah, JC, & me, but Ian wouldn't eat them.  The cheesesticks would've been better had they not gotten soggy while waiting for the chicken to finish cooking, & cool cheesesticks that contain cauliflower taste like cold cheese wrapped in cauliflower.  Again, boo.

Either the Seinfeld children aren't as bright as my children, or they have more forgiving taste buds... either way, my kids were having no part of it.  I'm wholly disappointed, but glad I didn't pay full-price for the cookbook (thanks, Amazon!)...

I decided I will try a few more recipes out of it, if for no other reason than to use up some of the purees I have, but then I will not be going there.  I will continue just being smart about how I'm cooking... and maybe my children will eat veggies when they come back in their next life... as cattle.

My family has a problem... we eat out too much, choose the wrong things to eat, & suffer the consequences! I'm quite overweight (though it's not just habits that cause this... I do have a genetic predisposition for obesity, but I'm not helping myself overcome that predisposition!!), Hannah's following in my footsteps, and while the boys are lucky to have quicker metabolisms, they don't eat very well either.  So, I'm on a mission.  I'm on a mission to get us healthier, to improve our eating habits, & get us back on track as a whole!

I have an issue with staying motivated in the kitchen... it's so easy to get bogged down with the same old things, lose sight of the ultimate goal, and throw your hands up, shouting "McDonald's, anyone?"  I am determined to get rid of that possibility!

Perhaps the biggest hurdle thus far has been trying to get the kids to eat vegetables.  Hannah likes potatoes (but, really, do they count, since they're so high in carbs??) & green beans... she can be bribed into eating salad if it has enough tomatoes in it... but that's about it.  And Ian?  Forget about it!  "You mean mac-n-cheese isn't a vegetable, Mommy??"

Years ago, I purchased Jessica Seinfeld's "Deceptively Delicious" cookbook, wherein she offers tips & tricks to get your kids to eat their veggies by sneaking them via purees into delicious recipes.  I'd never tried any of the recipes, but am starting now!  I spent a few hours this last weekend steaming & roasting fresh veggies, then pureeing them for the freezer... Hannah got in on part of it, which I dreaded... I don't need her turning her nose up at stuff, saying, "So what did you sneak into THIS!?!" I decided to come clean with her a bit, telling her I was going to start trying to sneak Ian some veggies... she giggled, declared me "sneaky!" then asked if she could help!  I put her to work, & though the help didn't last long, by making her a confidante & co-conspirator, I thought maybe I could get around it with her.

So, I'm armed for the next two weeks... groceries are purchased, meal plans are set in dry erase board (ha!), & the kids are pumped about the menu.  I currently have brownies (with pureed spinach & carrot) in the oven.  I can't wait to make this step!

Stay tuned for pictures & verdicts for each of our meals.  These guys & their subsequent levels of health are totally worth all the hard work!

My hellish existence post-tonsillectomy is getting less and less... hellish.  But only teensy bits at a time.  I feel like my tongue is swollen (even though it's not)... it's sexy.

But, it is giving me lots of time to do more and more and more digital scrapbooking while I'm laid up in bed...see?

Also, I'm sad to announce that we had to find Heidi a new home... we couldn't hack her nipping problem (she got Ian in the face a few times), so we found her a better-suited family to take her in... she seems to be very happy there, as they keep in touch with us!  It's been very nice... I just don't think we're a dog family, despite our love for them as a whole...

The kids had a great time trick-or-treating... Ian was the "black suit Spiderman" and Hannah, who was supposed to be Cleopatra, wound up being a rockstar after we couldn't find her Cleo dress.  I panicked, I'm not going to lie, because I didn't feel like leaving the house to find her a new costume... we threw together her rock star look in a matter of minutes, and she won 3rd place in the community contest!  :p  Here they are:

We remain here, healing and being and rockin' out as hard as we can!