Leann Forst

I am always looking for ways to cook healthier. I was totally good with the "Deceptively Delicious" cookbook by Jerry Seinfeld's wife. So I'm good with Forst's cookbooklet too!

So you add a few veggie ingredients or substitute veggie ingredients for the old standards and you are instantly and painlessly eating healthier! Yeah! Probably how we should have been cooking all along! I have to laugh at the titles though - deceptive, hidden - like anyone cares but the cook what the ingredients are as long as the end product is tasty.

My preference is always to use real veggies and fruits, so I'm not terribly keen on the author's idea of store-bought fruit & veggie powders or pureed baby food veggies. Okay, this book is for frantic frazzled moms looking for shortcuts. So not a bad idea. Personally, I have no real objections to it, just a preference on my part. I'm good with using my own cooked and/or pureed veggies. I always have a ton of veggies in the freezer (better nutritionally than the 2 week old "fresh" store-bought), cook 'em quick in the microwave and then mash with a fork in no time. So I'll be subbing out the powders & baby foods for the real things. No big deal.

Since this if geared towards kids, it has a lot of kid favorites and sweets in it. But there are a few I would use on my table - specifically her lunch & dinner recipes.. Looking forward to the day when she does one for adults too. Yeah, there are picky eaters and veggie non-lovers in every age group.

LUNCH/DINNER RECIPES
Easy Pumpkin Pasta Casserole
Secret Ingredient Mac & Cheese Cups
Super Sloppy Joes
Cozy Chicken Chili
Kid’s Salsa Enchiladas
Savory Turkey Veggie Meatballs
Pizza Pocket Sandwich
Family Favorite Lasagna
Gooey Double Cheesy Quesadillas
Tangy Tomato Soup
The Perfect Hamburger
Secretly Stuffed Peppers
Slow Cooker Carrot Sweet Potatoes
Cheesy Mashed Potatoes
Meatloaf Muffins
Cowboy Carrot Baked Beans
Better-Than-State-Fair Chili-Dog
Pesto Pasta… (meer)