Now that I've used this book for about a week, I'm really loving it. Not to say that there aren't other excellent cookbooks around (I have a huge collection, myself), but this is the first one in awhile that has made me eager to cook and try something new. My husband usually takes over the cooking by the weekend (he's pretty great at it!), but with every recipe I tried, I was excited to try another one. Here's a run down on our responses to the recipes so far:

Meatball Soup: Big hit with my husband, five year old, and 18 month old (as well as myself). Downside was that the prep time took about 40 minutes rather than the 20 advertised due making the meatballs.

Italian Meatloaf: This one got the big thumbs up from my 5 year old. My husband said this recipe is a definite keeper. Due to one of the other reviews that I read, I did add 1 beaten egg to the mixture, but otherwise prepped just as directed.

Mashed Potatoes: Another thumbs up from my five year old! She loves mashed potatoes and had no idea there was cauliflower bulking it up. I let her have seconds with no qualms. My eighteen month old didn't care for them, but she doesn't like regular mashed potatoes, either.

Peanut Butter and Banana Muffins: So-so with a thumbs down from my five year old. They tasted "stale" even when they were right out of the oven. Could have been the bananas from the freezer, but I think it was just the combination of ingredients. We'll try another muffin (pb and j) next time.

Baked Egg Puffs: My youngest and I give them a wonderful, though my five year old didn't care for them. I thought they were awesome, and the presentation was pretty enough that I can see making them for a holiday breakfast when we have guests over. Lots of butternut squash in the mix gave them a sweet flavor. My eighteen month old scarfed them down.

Chocolate Pudding: This is made with avocado puree, I kid you not. It's actually a really rich, extremely chocalately dessert and you should believe the portion size (which looks small at first). It's delicious and packs a powerful punch. And, no, you truly don't taste the avocado. I'd make this one again, but not on a regular basis because it's so rich.

Chocolate Chip Cookies: If for no other reason, you should buy this book for this recipe. The cookies are made with chickpeas (whole, not pureed -- they are added with the chocolate chips) and I will make this recipe instead of my former favorite Toll House recipe. I added both of the optional ingredients (chopped walnuts and raisins) and also added an additional ingredient -- 1/2 cup sweet potato puree. The recipe made so many cookies (about 50) that the amount of butter and sugar per each cookie was approximately 1/2 tsp. My husband, daughters, a friend, and her four year old daughter could not get enough of these cookies.

Pancakes: Wonderful, though I have to say I altered the recipe. I didn't have pancake mix on hand, so I substuted 1 cup whole wheat flour, a scant TB baking powder, a heaping TB sugar, and 2TB canola oil for the 1 cup of mix the recipe called for. I also added in 1 egg. Both of my girls loved them and I also thought they were pretty excellent.

As just an added note for cookbook lovers, this is a really enjoyable book to peruse with beautiful photos of food, fun drawings, and a 50's retro feel. This book will be a pleasure to use.

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OK, I got a stupendous coupon from B&N and decided to take the plunge to buy this book. Essentially, she's promoting adding vegetable and fruit purees to recipes in order to add fruits and veggies to your children's diets.

Now, this concept is not new, and I looked over the recipes and they seem OK. But the thing that makes me a little annoyed is that, for all the promotion of adding nutrition by adding the purees, there is no nutritional information in this book, such as comparisons between the standard recipe and her doctored one. I'd think that if we were really adding that much improvement that it would be substantiated with a few hard facts.

Call me unimpressed.

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I love this book! I have spent the last four years in constant battle with my son, trying to get him to eat his veggies. This book has recipies that I can use to "sneak" veggies his meals. Now I can enjoy dinnertime because if he refuses to eat his spinach, I know that he is getting veggies somewhere else. If you have a picky eater in the family (kid or hubby) this book is worth a look.

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I love the concept of sneaking in pureed veggies into dishes in order to get your kids (and husband...) to eat vegetables. There were a few good recipes. Oatmeal with sweet potatoes? Yum! Mac and Cheese with pureed squash? You coud tell a difference, but it was still edible. Brownies with spinach. ICK! My 2 year old did actually like them I will have to admit. He was the only one! I stuck with recipes that you could use baby food in. Actually steaming veggies and pureeing them myself just seems too time-consuming.

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This book has literally changed my sister's life. I am very fortunate to have a child who got the "veggie gene". He will eat literally any veggie you put in front of him except onions and potatoes. My sister, however, was not so lucky. Her child is literally the pickiest eater I have ever met. At one point when he was two he would starve before eating anything but bread or frozen waffles. I had this book and let her borrow it to give it a try. She has already made four recipes in the book and every one has been a success! If that isn't a ringing endorsement, I don't know one. Vegetables that her child would look at and promptly throw on the floor are now being eaten and enjoyed by him. I have heard critics who say that you need to just "incorporate vegetables so kids just learn to like them". I would have said the same thing before dealing w. my nephew. Now I understand the frustrated parents who deal w. their picky child. Do you want them to eat their veggies and get the nutrients or do you want to make a big issue over it when they are two?! Thanks, Jessica Seinfeld for helping my frustrated sister (who also happens to be a single mom and that's hard enough).
ps. I originally got the book for my hubby who does NOT have the "veggie gene".
We love the PB and J muffins!

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Got this for Christmas it has some winners & losers just like every other cookbook I own. Love the recipes for oatmeal, & buttered noodles & ice cream sandwiches.
The cake recipe had the wrong cook time posted so be warned.

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Great book. I used it quite often for muffins, cookies, sandwiches, etc. It is easy to follow, full of good advice, and not hard to make the stuff.

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The only thing true about this book is the word "Deceptive." The recipes are NOT simple -- the process of fixing the purees takes a LOT of time and effort. The food is not delicious or good -- we couldn't find one recipe that any of us liked. And the idea of hiding vegetables and deceiving your kids about what they're eating absolutely defeats the purpose. How is that teaching them to eat properly? Plus, so little vegetable puree actually goes into each recipe that I can't believe it truly provides extra "hidden" nutrition.

Instead of deceiving our boys (7 and 5 years old), we have a rule that you must try what is put on your plate. In doing so, they've discovered that they like broccoli, carrots, corn, green beans, edamame, and a whole host of foods unrelated to chicken nuggets. Best of all, it takes a lot less time than grinding up vegetables to hide them in chocolate pudding.

Oprah described this as "FABULOUS!!!" Sorry Oprah, it's anything but.

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Can honestly say was VERY disappointed in this book. wasn't too much at all I would even consider.

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This is a fairly good cookbook for families - or anyone who isn't a fan of eating plain veggies. I'm not about being deceptive and my kids still eat veggies on the side, but I do like packing full of veggies anything I can. This book gives good recipes and great ideas.

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I'm a health nut mom who was excited to see a book that would provide some sneaky ways to help kids eat vegetables. What I discovered once attempting these recipes was twofold: First this is a lot of work and while there are veggies not all the recipes are healthy since other things are used to mask flavors and not all the portions balance well overall. Second, hiding the veggies defeats the battle. We want our children to want to eat healthy if they are deceived into doing so they do not learn to WANT to eat veggies nor do they learn to like them. They still think they have the upper hand in eating what they want. The Toddler Café by Jennifer Conden and Favorite Family Meals by Annabel Karmel are two much better options for eating healthy and way to make your kids enjoy the process.

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I wasn't thrilled with this. The ideas are interesting, but I didn't find it realistic to buy these different veggies and then mince and mush them before every meal. Maybe for a stay at home mom with no budget.

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Some great recipes to help get those veggies into our kids. I think it's important to note in the preface that the author also suggests how important it is to continue introducing kids to different vegetables. They'll probably refuse them, but you can take comfort in the fact they are eating them in the sneakey ways.

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I would like to state that I do not own this book, but merely browsed the recipes while at a Barnes and Noble (bargain section and still about 12 bucks). Now, I have made flourless cake made by grinding up garbanzo beans and adding chocolate chips (an internet recipe called "Garbanzo Bean Chocolate Cake -Gluten Free!" and it was really good), however I just can't get behind putting cauliflower into banana bread. Double ick. I did not buy the book.

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I really had high expectations about this book, and it came back to be really a dissapointment, the pictures in the book are just bad, the food looks overcooked and disgusting. I tried a recipe and my 6 year old really noticed the difference in flavor and refused to eat it at all, purees are for babies!!.
The recipes in any Family Circle magazine are a lot better and delicious that the ones in this book.
I didn't keep it and put the book back in circulation.

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Very interesting and cool recipes- Thanx

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lots of quick, easy, healthy ideas that my kids love.

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Great book for families trying to be healthy in this society. Well done!

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Good ideas and some yummy recipes.

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nice ideas, but lets get real....who has time to make all the pureed fruit and veggies to hide in the stuff the kids will eat?

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Horrible book thank goodness it was a gift. Sure, hide veggies while adding massive amounts of sugar for poor results as it is, and to top it off, use the work of someone else and claim it as your own. Should have known it was a dud considering the author and the giver of the book. More than happy to pass it along to someone else and get credit for a book that I actually want.

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If you have finicky eaters the book is for you

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My dad had a stroke in 2005, and is just as stubborn as a kid when it comes to veggies. So when a friend gave me a giftcard I went out and got this book. He loves sweets so we made the brownies. They were okay, but very dry.

So today when I found out that Jessica Seinfeld plagerized another author Missy Chase Lapine whom wrote "The Sneaky Chef" six months before her, I decided to get rid of this book and buy Missy's whom has all the ingredients in them (the one's Jessica omitted for her book). Maybe Missy's book will make the food taste better. I'm also getting Missy's The Sneaky Chef: "How to Cheat on Your Husband (In the kitchen)."

I hate plagerizers, and want no part of Jessica Seinfeld's deceptiveness.

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