Deceptively Delicious: A Parenthacker sneaks and tells

We recently talked about all the controversy surrounding the release of Deceptively Delicious, the cookbook that advocates hiding vegetables in kid-friendly food. When I asked for Parenthackers' first-hand tales, JT wrote this gem of a sum-up:

My guess is, if you are reading this blog, you have probably already heard about this book, if not the hoopla surrounding possible plagarism. Just in case you haven't, here are the pertinent details:

1. Jessica Seinfeld (wife of Jerry) wrote this book called "Deceptively Delicious" about hiding veggies and other healthy ingredients in your family's meals.

2. She worked with doctors, dietitians and a chef before being published, and they are credited and in some cases, quoted.

3. The book contains her "how did I get here" piece, support from her experts, and lots of "here's what you need" and "how to's" in addition to her kid-friendly recipes.

Now, the allegations:

1. She stole the idea from any one of a number of people, from your grandmother to Missy Chase Lapine, author of "The Sneaky Chef: Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids' Favorite Meals."

2. She's a dilletante who just wants more money.

3. Making brownies with vegetables only teaches kids to eat more junk food, and therefore this is a horrible way to encourage your family's health.

This book was brought to my attention by my hyper-healthy mom, who was watching Oprah while running on the treadmill at her health club when Jessica Seinfeld came on. My mom, who is not exactly gullible, was extremely excited and called me right after she saw this. And then she ran to the bookstore and bought it for me.

I am willing to try anything to get my boys to eat veggies. Benjamin is 22 months old and will actually eat a little of almost anything. Danny, 5, used to be willing to eat veggies... until he saw that big brother Jacob, 7, gags to the point of vomiting at the bare sight of a broccoli floret. I have not been forcing my kids to eat vegetables, but have found any way possible to get them to eat healthier. Jake will sometimes drink V8, so I keep that on hand. I also stock up on kid-friendly baby carrots and any fruit they're interested in eating. I try to get them to eat fresh and steamed veggies regularly, but inevitably I get mad when there is gagging, whining and face-making at the table I've worked so hard to lay with a nice meal. When Juicy Juice came out with Harvest Surprise, I was thrilled -- I didn't use to allow them to drink fruit juice at home, but now they drink a glass of "grape-carrot juice" daily and at least they're getting something in.

So with two picky eaters (which I assume will become three once the baby catches on that "veggies are yucky"), I was interested in this book. The most important thing my mom told me she saw on the Oprah show was a doctor (maybe Dr. Mehmet Oz?) who said there is a real reason why kids hate vegetables -- in primitive times when people scrounged for food, any food that tasted bitter was likely to be poisonous, while sweet foods were safe. Add that evolutionary tidbit to the fact that kids have more taste buds than adults do, and it goes to show that babies are born with an orientation to sweet things. Didn't many of us have to develop a taste for vegetables? (It probably didn't help that I was raised eating mostly canned stuff -- anyone ever eat boiled, canned asparagus? Blech!)

Now, on to the book. My mom gave it to me on a Saturday, and I read the whole thing that night. It was like an hourlong "Duh!" moment -- I could have been doing this all along! The story that Seinfeld tells is how she was making mac & cheese for her two eldest kids while pureeing butternut squash for the baby... and she noticed how the squash was basically the same color as the mac & cheese. So she added some squash to the mac & cheese, and the kids didn't notice! Aha! A concept was born in her household.

Seinfeld recommends a few things: pureeing vegetables to add to familiar foods, adding things like ground flaxseed to various foods, and always serving "regular" vegetables at meals so that kids still see people eating them. The thing that I really liked about this was that Seinfeld is open about having similar problems to me -- her kids are picky eaters! She hates having fights about food! She worries about her kids' health! And she's creative, but the recipes are simple.

It wasn't until the next weekend that I was able to stock up on recommended items and spend time making my purees. Seinfeld gives a long list of foods and how to cook and puree them; the results, she recommends freezing in small portions in plastic bags. I spent several hours one Saturday night, roasting sweet potatoes, beets and squash, sauteeing chicken, and steaming carrots, broccoli, and zucchini. It was tiring and a little messy, but I do have a very small kitchen so that doesn't help. When I was done, I had lots of little bags filled with all colors of vegetables. All of the bags from a particular vegetable went into its own freezer-weight Ziploc, marked with the vegetable name, date, and portion amount (1/2 cup in each little bag) and into the freezer.

Sunday was my first test. I picked a recipe to make and foisted it on my kids (Rice Balls, made with brown rice, pureed chicken, cheese and vegetables). Danny helped me make the balls, and I served them up piping hot and crunchy from the saute pan. Danny loved them. Jake thought they were okay, and my husband thought they were very tasty. Now, I have to add a caveat -- in trying to be uber-healthy, I overcompensated and used only organic whole-wheat bread crumbs to coat the rice balls. Unaccustomed to whole wheat in its "real" form, Jacob was not impressed. I don't blame him -- the food itself was tasty, but those organic wheat bread crumbs were pretty bitter. If I'd used regular or Italian bread crumbs, I think he'd love these. So the end result was mixed, but I learned two lessons: don't change too much at once, and try to serve a familiar item along with a new one.

Two days later, I made the "Tortilla Cigars" (pureed chicken, carrots, cheese, rolled into tortillas and baked), served with a chicken-seasoned rice my kids already love. Jacob watched me making this, and asked what was in it. "Do you really want to know?" I asked. He thought about this for a second, and replied "No, I don't think so." I was skeptical myself on this one, but after some nervous moments, I got thumbs up from the kids! Whoo! These baked up crunchy and tasty, and seemed like total junk food. But I knew better!

Later in the week, I delved into the Egg & Cheese Souffles and the Apple Muffins from the breakfast menu. The boys liked the idea of the souffles in their individual ramekins, but eggs-averse Jacob blanched at actually eating it. Danny loved it until he saw Jacob gagging; then he decided it was a no-go. My husband really liked it, though (as did I), so I'm going to hang on to this recipe so I can make him a nice romantic breakfast 20 years from now when we don't have kids in the house. The apple muffins were just fine; filled with carrot puree and old-fashioned oats and topped with an oatmeal streusel, they were very good (especially toasted and topped with a little low-fat butter or margarine).

Later, in discussing the souffle episode with my mother, I posited that maybe I could add a touch of sugar and some cocoa and make it a healthier chocolate souffle... and I think that's the whole point of this book. Food doesn't have to be divided into "healthy" and "junky;" it's possible to tinker with your favorites so that even the pickiest eaters end up eating things that are good for them.

Now, you may have kids who wake up and demand whole-wheat bruschetta with diced tomatoes and spinach. But this frazzled and frustrated mom is very happy to say that while every recipe might not be a winner for everyone, Jessica Seinfeld has given me a gift -- carte blanche to deceive my picky kids into eating healthier things. I may be deceiving my kids, but they're eating better (as am I), and that's just delicious to me.

Comments

[Kristine]

Amen and amen! Well communicated! I'm in exactly the same boat, and I'm excited to try some of the recipes! Thanks!

[momo3]

I am a fan of the book. I read on a blog somewhere that this book is full of carbs and would make your kids fat. Maybe if you only fed your family from this book that would happen but I don't think that's the point of the book. Like JT reading the book was a big DUH! moment for me. It was kind of inspiring. Since reading the book I have successfully snuck cauliflower & sweet potato puree in our enchiladas. My kids are pretty good eaters, but all of sudden they go through a phase and won't touch something they used to eat without a complaint. One of my oldest son's current trips is the seeds in the bananas. My 19 month old likes salad but doesn't like other veggies so this book works for us. One of my biggest DUH moments was reading her suggestion of setting out the crudites while fixing dinner. They truly eat them up.

[mh]

I see the initial excitement over making dinnertime easier and less of a challenge between parent and child over eating their veggies, but it seems that a valuable aspect of training a child is missed with this 'hack'.
The dinner table is a wonderful place to train children in obedience. Not as a dictator or demanding adult, but as a loving parent who desires the child to respond in respect and honor.
Hiding food models/promotes deception, gives the child a skewed view of the value of a healthy diet, and undermines the request of the child to obey when asked to eat their veggies.
As much as we all would like the task of parenting to be made easier, this hits on a much deeper issue of obedience which should not be compromised for the sake of convenience.

[Kai Jones]

For the parents who enjoy using the book: good for you. Parenting is a complex compromise among what you think you should do, what you are willing to do, and what you can do (because of time, money, skills and other constraints).

But for me...I know too many parents who *already* have children with food disorders. I doubt being deceptive about food would help, and I think there's a risk of turning the kids off foods they previously ate if they find out about your unadvertised adulteration of it.

I was pretty relaxed--my kids ate Spaghettios a few times a week. But older one grew up to be a vegetarian, and the younger one wants to be a chef!

[andrew]

MH, I wonder just how many small children you have because the reality of requesting a 3 year old to eat their veggies and having them do it when they don't want to is impossible unless you hold them down and force it down their throat.
As for deception, well if they never know you are doing anything different they you are not promoting anything to them. Additionally, how is it deceitful to change a recipe and not tell someone. Coke doesn't even tell us what their recipe is, does that make coke a company of deceivers? Do you know what goes into every thing you eat? At a restaurant or a prepackaged snack? Get over it, we are not "Hiding" food as you call it, we are refining the recipes and there is nothing wrong with it. Have you ever substituted a low fat or low calorie ingredient in a recipe? Is that deceptive? Why is this different?
Get over your condescending self and join the rest of us in having happy, healthy kids!
My wife has made the purees and put them in ice cube trays and we have been adding a couple of them to whatever we can. We don't notice and neither does our son. So not only are we all eating a little healthier but I like to think we are maybe priming his palate to like more foods in the future. I know that doesn't make me a bad parent, even if I am being "deceitful".

[Heather G]

I would like to speak from the view of a "picky" adult. From the moment my mom introduced me to baby food jars filled with pureed vegetables an instant dislike was born. My dad remembers my mom feeding me the peas, me throwing up, feeding me more peas and hence more throwing up. I was a very strong willed child, and the concept of obedience was sometimes lost on me. Especially when it came to eating. When I was told I couldn't leave the table until I ate my vegetables I settled in for bedtime turning my napkin into a blanket and the placemat into a pillow. When I was told that I could not have dessert until I ate or at least tried everything on my plate I declared that dessert was overrated. I wish that there was a book like this my mom could have turned to when I was young. Because now as an adult I still detest all things vegetable. And it has become a serious issue in my house. "Why doesn't Momma have to eat her vegetables?" and so on. And really and truly I would love to. I would love to able to dive into a big salad. I would love to go out to eat and not have to ask for things "plain". It is truly a nightmare for me to be invited over to someone's house for dinner. Someone who does not know me and my "pickiness". They feel awful because all I have on my plate is a piece of chicken and some bread. I tell them that it's perfect and really it is. But I feel awful because they feel awful . . .

So maybe if there was a book like this available when I was a child I might not have the issues I have today. Maybe these foods could have been "deceptively" introduced to me, and overtime my tastebuds would have adjusted. Then as a adult I just might be able to eat a vegetable without instantly running for the bathroom.

Also I think it's important to note that vegetables have not mysteriously disappeared from the Seinfeld houseshold. She still puts them on the plate. The only thing missing is the battle.

[chiquita]

Why does it have to be either/or? some nights you could do the "deceptive" recipes and other nights have veggies out on the plate. or both!

[Daddy Dre]

At some meals my 3 year old will eat broccoli ("trees" as he calls them), and at others he won't. I'm not going to make a big deal out of when he doesn't and I'm certainly not going to turn our dinner time into obedience training.

And for those who think sneaking healthy food is deceptive, how is this different than a white lie, let's say?

[Nancy]

My kids are pretty good eaters, though as most kids my 4 yo has things he always refuses and other foods he will eat one night but balk at the next. The baby currently eats anything you put in front of him, with gusto, but I fear the day when he noticed his brother refusing to eat something and deciding that's a great idea.

So while I've heard about the book and think it's a great idea, I haven't actually picked it up. We've already successfully hidden veggies in foods - done the shredded carrots in muffins and zucchini in meatloaf. Problem is the foods you can hide veggies in - meatloaf, lasagna, casseroles - are the ones that the 4yo now refuses.

But now I'm curious to check it out and see what other recipes are included that my son may eat. My husband and I are both big veggie eaters, but it can't hurt to get more in our diets as well.

[hedra]

mh, be sure to check out information on feeding disordered eating, from research-based sources. One of the BIG causes of later disordered eating is an insistance on discipline and obedience at the table. It's about 1/3 of the issue. That's a lot.

IMHO, the bigger issue here is the philosophical one and it is really about spin - that is, if the book was marketed as 'new tasty recipes with broad appeal to kids' that just happened to include pureeed veggies in them as part of the ingredient list, who would care? It would be GREAT. The title, though, stirs controversy.

Yet, from what has been written about it, it is actually the title that seems to be mis-aligned with the intent. ALL she's done is change the recipes to include different ingredients taht work and are healthier overall. So, calling it 'the well-balanced chef' or 'healthy foods kids will actually EAT' or 'cooking from all food groups: how to combine food groups without turning off those with sensitive tastebuds' it would be all fine. Because she DOES teach about eating the veggies, or trying them anyway, and exposing them to the full range of veggies, etc.

I think the issue I have is with the DECEPTIVE in the title, really. It implies just what was noted above - that it is intentional deception, rather than just changing the recipes to include more healthful ingredients. So some of them are cauliflower. So what?

Anyway, I'm not a fan of deception, but I am a fan of good food that has nutritional value and that my kids will eat. I'm not about to go run out and buy the book at the moment, but I might consider adding it to my (substantial) collection of cookbooks. I like to cook, and I like to combine ingredients in novel ways, and something like this might have ideas for new things to mix in or add. :shrug:

I'm going to amend my previous comments on the earlier post - don't keep it a secret that you're slipping in veggies, don't carry it to your grave or until they have picky kids themselves. Just don't make it a secret at all - just like I don't make it a secret what I'm cooking, but I also don't tell them every blessed detail of the meal - that I've added soy sauce to the gravy or blueberry jam to the pork glaze, unless they ask. They know they need to try it to decide if they like it or not, and they're welcome to decline if they don't even want to try it. Looking at it a few times may be the acclimation they need first. It still goes on the table. :shrug: again.

[adrienne]

As the parent of a profoundly picky eater- I was incredibly relieved to see research suggesting that picky eaters may be a product of genetics rather than solely environment.

I resent books like this (especially those with celebrities professionally unrelated to the actual issue: i.e. Seinfeld is neither a nutritionist nor a chef) because they seem to say that "IF YOU HAD MORE MONEY- YOU WOULD KNOW ALL THE SECRETS OF PARENTING." Like celebrities raise well-balanced kids....

Hooey. My 2 year old loves bread, apples, pickles, grapefruit, and olives. When presented with anything with sauce (including cheese sauce) he looks at me and says through curling lips "sauce" in a manner normally reserved for fecal matter. It was the same with most baby food.

I love peas. It broke my heart that my boy wouldn't even try them... Finally we had one of those shameful moments of utter insanity where we forced him to take some in his mouth... He sat mouth open, tongue extended for about 3 minutes until we wiped it off his tongue.

The research says that with time his pickiness will diminish as long as we keep exposing him to a variety of things. That's easy as we love food in its many varied forms.

There's no magic bullet for the profoundly picky- and the suggestion of one implies that parents with picky eaters are failing in creativity and dedication. This is simply not true.

[Janessa]

My SIL and I tried the Macaroni (2nd version) and the Chocolate Chip & Garbanzo bean cookies this week. The macaroni had pureed navy beans in it. Other then texture, the adults liked it. The kids (3 and 14 mths) didn't seem that excited about it.

The chocolate bean cookies were DELICIOUS! Now, we used home canned beans instead of store bought. Even my dad, a chocolate purist in the most extreme form, liked them. I didn't tell him what was in it :0) But he didn't ask either. Adults who knew what was in it first decided they didn't like it. A very soft cookie, perfect texture.

And remember, it is only deception if your kids ask what is in it and you don't tell them. I don't tend to give out an ingredient list with my meals.

[Rachel]

What I want to know is where everybody gets the time to cook & puree all the veggies before even starting to cook the food!

Then there's the personal problem that my picky eater will only eat boxed macaroni & cheese, plain noodles, bread with cheese and cereal. I seriously doubt that squash could hide in boxed macaroni, (she won't eat homemade) and the rest of the menu seems fiddle-proof.

[Andrew]

Rachel,
I know that in our house we pick a day, say Sunday afternoon, and just do a bunch at one time and freeze it. Or just do one thing when you have extra time one evening and freeze the leftovers.
We like freezing it in ice cube trays, easier to thaw and smaller portions so it is easier to control the amount you put in at a time.
As for putting veggies in boxed mac and cheese, pureed cauliflower or yellow squash goes in when you are mixing in the cheese sauce. It is the same consistency and unnoticeable. Maybe you could try a spread of squash or broccoli on the bread before you top it with the cheese (Im assuming you are toasting the bread).
Everything we have heard and read says to keep putting it in front of them, sometimes it takes a dozen times. Don't force it but continue to ask them to try it.

[Allison]

I don't know what the big deal is about the "deception". We lie to out kids all the time-Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy. And we are all okay with that but no deception to get them to eat all little healthier?

[Heidi]

Rachel--I promise that you can wash, cut, steam, puree, and get it into the freezer in 1/2 hour. I've done it w/ cauliflower, sweet potatoes, and squash.
And we have been successful in adding both cauliflower and squash to boxed macaroni and cheese, and squash to spaghetti sauce and Hamburger Helper. (Felt a bit odd adding something healthy to Hamburger Helper--but, figured it couldn't hurt?)
It can be done.

[hedra]

Rachel, someone actually researched whether it took more time to do things like this from scratch (overall) compared to just plain boxed, and the amounts were so close that it was a wash - if you prep on one day and freeze, you can actually squeeze in some more interesting stuff as well. I was shocked to find that it took as long to do it either way, and less time as I got used to cooking with more ingredients and knew what I was doing.

And I'm still not leaping at doing this for the super-taster picky one who inherited his dad's genes... neophobics unite, LOL! I can reduce my stress reaction just by running his diet through the My Pyramid Tracker to see that he's really doing pretty well despite the odd and limited diet.

[Brandy]

I've got a super picky toddler who won't eat anything resembling green.

After trying many different ways of dressing them up and them getting snubbed I started hiding them. Now he loves mac and cheese (box or homemade) and I shred carrots to go in it. He just calls them sprinkles. Since they are just a darker orange they fit in. Not sure I'm ever shoving cauliflower down my kids throats though, one of those things that was "forced" on me at the table years ago that I hated.

My parent's weren't bad about forcing food, but my grandparent's were. My parents rule was try it, if you don't like it, you don't have to eat it, but you Have to try it first.

Personally I don't have a problem in the world with hiding good ingredients in food. I'm all about getting the kids to eat things that are good for them with less of a fight!

[Annette]

I completely understand making a recipe more healthy - I do that all the time by adding whole wheat flour, flax meal instead of oil, etc - but what is with the deception? My sister and I ate what was put in front of us. Why? Because there were NO OTHER OPTIONS. Picky kids are the result of them being allowed to be tiny dictators. This disordered eating stuff is nonsense.

[Anonymous]

Not everyone lies to their kids all the time, or even most of the time. some don't do the santa, easter bunny, tooth fairy and turn out just fine :0) Just adding in case you feel you must lie to your kids!

[Maggie]

I don't think my younger brother voluntarily ate a vegetable (besides tomato sauce on pizza) until he was in his mid-twenties. My mom did her best, but he wasn't having any of it. Yet he still managed to grow up to be 6 ft tall and healthy. So I'm not too concerned about my own son's pickiness. Yes, it's annoying, but he's growing at a normal rate and rarely even gets a cold, so I think he's doing okay.

[adrienne]

Annette:

Here's a wider study than your sample of two on picky eaters: http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2007/08/24/fussykids_hum.html?category=human&guid=20070824143000

There's no reason to get mean in this forum. You may have seen some spoiled kids get their choice of foods, but there are some kids who will eat below a sustenance level for long periods of time. This is a serious problem for their parents- and the implication that they will eat more if forced or wheedled only makes things worse.

My 2 yo son won't eat ice cream or many vegetables. He's never had chocolate. He doesn't eat any potato products (including french fries, potato chips) or pasta. He prefers water to all beverages. The only juice he will drink is orange juice (which he can only have in moderation).

He actually would love to eat his own weight in grapefruit- but it has a strongly acidic impact on a young digestive system. And how many apples, olives, and pickles does it take for a growing boy to survive on?

I'm really tired of hearing everyone lucky enough to have normal eaters tell those with profoundly food-averse children that we're doing things wrong.

My son is well-behaved and polite to the point strangers frequently compliment us on his manners. We believe that even the youngest boy can be a gentleman, so we're not push-over parents whose children run the roost.

[Debbie]

My experience was similar to Asha's in that my mom saw Seinfeld on Oprah and bought me the book. I use it, like I use most cookbooks, for ideas, not as a Bible. I will never use many of the recipes in it, since they're too high in sugar and too "junk foody." But, having owned it for maybe a month, I can report that my whole famiy likes the recipes I've either made to the letter or dreamed up because of the book. Sneaking purees into foods we already eat lowers calories and adds vitamins and fiber for everyone. We all benefit.

[Abbie]

I admit it...I force my children to eat veggies. Now before you hate me...I have a son who is 3, and has a few issues. Food enters into that. He would love to eat nothing but chicken, fish sticks, or roast.(I try to give my kids only baked foods) He loves meat, but will eat little else except for french fries, and apples.
So, I force 3 bites of veggies on him with dinner. (3 bites, because he's 3 years old) He sticks them in his cheek, and will usually take a long time to finally swallow, but he does.
We talk about how it's important to eat vegetables to grow up big and strong, and he usually give ME the talk to psych himself up for the bites. He likes to include that he'll have a scratchy face, like Daddy. :)
I also make him take 1 bite of a new foods. We talk about how big boys need to try new foods. He generally doesn't like it, but he will try it...with lots of whining and crying and covering his mouth.
But, it's the only way that I can get new foods introduced, and hopefully someday he will change his eating habits.
I hate the idea of adding veggies to sweets. I don't want to cater to my son's food issues, but I only fight it in the evening, so that he doesn't get stressed about meals. I find I like healthy choice frozen dinners...they have meat, and veggies, and I don't make a ton of veggies that go to waste. I can split one meal between my two toddlers. It's great! There are cheaper meals, but they aren't as healthy.
As a mom with three VERY little kids, 3, 2, and 9 months. I don't have time to make elaborate meals...(adding squash to mac n' cheese, is elaborate for me), especially when my son won't eat pasta.
What's wrong with teaching kids to eat vegetables. Why trick them into it. My parents did it, and both my husband and I LOVE veggies.
So we set a good example by eating veggies, and teach them how good food can help our bodies.
I don't think that forcing a few bites on them will cause any long lasting psychological damage. :)

[Sophia]

I'm sort of late to the discussion but my parents did a combination of things with me, my sister, and my brothers. I know for me, my father said I was the easiest to get to eat vegetables because from the start I really loved the taste (just thinking about the texture and flavor of cooked spinach, even to this day for instance, gets my mouth watering, haha) however my siblings were not so easy.

One was the hiding of vegetables-- instead of just laid bare on the plate, vegetables were incorporated fully into the meal (but not always puree form). Usually once the meal became a favorite among us, my parents would tell us what was in it-- including the vegetables. Vichyssoise, a leek and potato and onion soup, was used as a dip for bread pieces for a long time and my parents just called it "bread dip" until actually showing us what went into it. If someone refused to eat it anymore saying they HATE (insert veggie here), my parents would jump on that.. you'd end up feeling ridiculous when they point out the only reason you suddenly don't like it is because you only THINK you don't. Around age 5 and older this was effective because we were old enough to feel embarrassed.

There was some forcing-- the rule was that you had to try three bites of whatever our parents made before we could say we didn't like it and be permitted to fix something else to eat.. this included vegetables and was a way to make us try new dishes and eat veggies we normally wouldn't even try.

Finally, I cannot stress how, looking back, my parent's own attitudes about food were so incredibly important. They constantly discussed food and nutrition, ate well and followed their own rules, and spoke highly/in praise of anyone they knew (including us) who followed the rules and contributed through actions/discussion. During snack time, etc they made a conscious effort to show healthy options for all of our food preferences.

I don't think however there is some "magic cure" to make kids love eating their veggies. I grew up to become a chef and am known among my siblings as being the most adventurous, culinary-wise. My sister is my total reverse and our brothers fall in the middle, even though we were all raised the same. The difference is though I think no matter how varied our tastes are, all of us are conscious of our food and were raised to be conscious of it.. so even though my sister hates veggies and would prefer something either sweeter or meatier to munch on, instead of just going for candy or McDonalds she'll get dried fruit chips or skim milk cheese sticks.

My son is only 6 months old at this point and I know I have a very long road ahead of me.. I just know that I am going to try what my parents did for me and even if he ends up not sharing my love for veggies the goal I have isn't forcing him to like something he may well hate, but to teach him to critically think about and be involved in his food and make good choices centered around his palette preferences.