How to Cook Healthy Without Your Family Knowing About It
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When I came across a hub request by RGraf on "How to Cook Healthy Without Your Family Knowing About It," I had to smile because I am faced with this challenge while cooking, so had to answer this request. I admit I took my time in finishing the hub, as the request was placed two months ago. I am a procrastinator at times.
Let me explain.
My significant other Phil, hates most vegetables. If I serve him lunch with a veggie, he will eat everything, except the veggies, unless its corn, onions, peppers and tomatoes. This he enjoys, as long as they have a good flavor with seasonings.
When we food shop, we don't stick together in the supermarket. We both take our shopping carts, separate, as we each know what to buy and have grown accustomed to him being in charge of picking up the detergent, pasta, breads, and other staples, while I focus on other goods. The first section I visit is the fruit and veggie aisle, and he goes to the snack section. When we meet while shopping, we may wink, wave, or act silly, we even bump carts.
I am not a veggie lover, but make an effort to eat reasonably and try to eat them several times a week. When I moved in with him 5 years ago, I felt limited in what I could cook for him. I was concerned that he was not getting the proper nutrients, yet, he is a grown man, and I really couldn't force him to eat his veggies, so dropped the subject and did the best I could with the vegetables he would eat.
Being a believer that what we focus on, we can attract, I threw this concern out there in a semi prayer, and once again let it go.
Then the most wonderful thing happened. I watched an "Oprah" show where Jerry Seinfeld's wife Jessica who wrote a cooking book entitled "Deceptively Delicious" was being interviewed. She guides the reader to mouth watering recipes that includes vegetable purees that can be added to meals, snacks and even baked cakes, without changing the taste or texture of the food. Children in the audience tasted her cooking and loved it! The funny thing is, this book is to get your kids to eat their vegetables.
I purchased spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, and a host of other veggies ready to experiment with the purees. I was so happy to have these vegetables in our kitchen.
My first experiment was to add the cauliflower puree to a baked potato. I scooped out the pulp from inside of the potato, mixed it with the puree, seasoned with salt and pepper, put it back in the shell and topped it with cheese and bacon bits; baked it for a few minutes until the cheese melted, and he loved it. There was no veggie taste in the potatoe. I have done this with lean ground beef meat, add a vegetable puree, and it actually enhances the texture of the meal.
I am sharing one recipe from Jessica Seinfield's book "Deceptively Delicious” as its yummy and will give you an idea of what the recipes are like. Even toddlers enjoy it!
Macaroni and Cheese
1 1/2 c. elbow macaroni
Nonstick cooking spray
1 T. olive oil
1 T. flour
1/2 c. nonfat milk
1/2 c. cauliflower or butternut squash puree
1 1/2 c. reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese
4 oz. reduced-fat or nonfat cream cheese
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. paprika
1/8 t. pepper
1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.
2. While the macaroni is cooking, coat a large saucepan with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add then oil, then the flour, and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture resembles a thick paste but has not browned, 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Add the milk and cook, stirring every now and then, until the mixture begin to thicken, 3-4 minutes. Add the vegetable puree, cheddar, cream cheese, and seasonings Stir until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth. Stir in the macaroni and serve warm.
I found it easy to make. I am not a professional cook by any means, and no, if I have guests, I wouldn't add the purees as I don't think I can pull it off with guests like Jessica Seinfield does, but for both of us it’s the perfect solution. Phil enjoys what I cook for him, and I am happy that some of our meals now have added vegetables, without him wincing.
I was rewarded tonight by finishing this article, found there is a book entitled "The Sneaky Chef: How to Cheat on Your Man (In the Kitchen!) Hiding Healhty Foods in Hearty Meals Any Guy Will Love" by Missy Chase Lapine. Lucky Phil (or poor Phil), more recipes to experiment with!
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Hi, Phil: I see from your profile you live in Athens, a country well known for having one of the best diets in the world. I tell my other half, that veggies can be good if one knows how to make them palatable, which I don't think he experienced while growing up. Thanks for adding your comments. :)
Hi Violet! I love all vegis and think you have great ideas here for people who need coaxing to get down vegis! (:
Kartika: I never thought I would have to figure out ways to have a mate eat his vegetables, LOL,but I am happy vegetables are part of our diet again. Thanks for reading. :)
Hi Marie! I am a pure vegetarian (by choice) and as such have experimented a number of times with different veggie dishes. I love to eat all vegetables and at times I saute almost 6-7 different vegetables in a saucepan with spices and cook the assortment in steam for a few minutes. This is of course not a delicacy but I love the taste. Just wanted to share. Your recipe seems mouth watering. I've bookmarked this for future use. Thx for sharing it.
Anjali: You make it sound yummy to eat 6-7 different veggies at one time; if you ever share one of your recipes, I will be sure to read it. We purchased an electric Wok and I am experimenting with stir fry's, makes veggies taste delicious. I am happy I am learning to eat vegetables in a way that its not a sacrifice but an enjoyment. Thanks for stopping by! Its not what I usually write about, but it was fun writing a hub about veggies and Phil. :)
This is such a great idea! I love it and add herbs to season...awesome. I love veggies and fruits and herbal additions personally and have no children to con, but with my many brothers and sisters and their kids, this will be shared no doubt. Thanks!
Hi, Susan: I am looking forward to buying the"Sneaky Chef" for men, I bet it has good meals for all adults. If Phil liked what I cooked and he knew what I was doing with the purees, it means the recipes are great!
I too love fruits, as a matter of fact I am on a fruit fast at the moment, and its the most delicious "diet", I have been on. Lost some weight and some cravings. Thanks for your comments in Facebook and in this hub. I appreciate it, as I generally don't write about cooking, I leave that to the experts. LOL. :)
This is very informative and narrative. Coincidentally, I am Phil but not the other one. Anyway, thanks for sharing.
Great one-thanks!
Hi, Philipo: I have three Phil's so far in this hub, LOL. Thanks for your comments and smile.
Lyricsingray: Thank you for stopping by!
Smart article. Hidden nutrition can work out well sometimes; even hardcore health foods like soybeans, genuine whole wheat bread (not a drop of sugar in it and zero additives for taste!) and chlorella can be snuck in at mealtime without an uproar, if it's done right.
LewJ: Great idea! Didn't think of this, thanks for the tips; will try this. Thank you for reading and adding your comments.
My husband was predominantly a meat eater till we got married and I was largely vegetarian. While I enjoy meats occasionally I can't eat meal after meal without veggies. It was a tough task to get him to enjoy vegetables as they were - without the addition of meat - but he's finally learnt to! Thank heavens for that because I am too lazy to be innovative or sneaky about it! :P
Feline Prophet: Its cool you taught your hubby to eat veggies, I can't stand the idea of meals without some form of vegetable. Good to see you here! :)
Hello Violet! The title made me chuckle quite a bit, you know :-) I wonder if these nifty tricks could be also used to get vegetarians eat some meat! Hehe! Just kidding!
I'm not sure why veggies give a hard time to so many people, maybe it's the tradicional, flavorless way to cook them, who knows. I just can't envision how anyone, grown ups or little ones would have a hard time eating a tomato or a BBQd aubergiene. Anyhow, cool hub, and that photo with the kid pouting in front of some veggies? Priceless :-)
Elena: You are baaad! LOL! My brother in law is Arab and an outstanding cook, the old fashioned kind, that cooks all day long (something I would most likely never do) to make a specialty, and a few years ago he made eggplant with tomatoe sauce, and I don't know what else; I had no clue it was eggplant, ate it along with his other dishes, and proclaimed it to be delicious, which it was, that is until my late teenaged nephew opened his mouth and told me with a devilish smile, that I just ate eggplant. I was stunned, as I am not an eggplant lover. LOL! So, yes, the way veggies are cooked make quite a difference!
Thanks for adding your humor and presence here. :)
Did you see it? I left some references for you in my reply to your comments about synesthesia. Not trying to hijack your comments...!
Lewj: Yes, I did, on my way to your hub! :)
Hahahah I loved the way you put all the loving things you for Phil in a recipe hub. I find that amazing and so so so sweet. You are truly a beautiful being and Phil is blessed to have you by his side. Thumbs up Marie. I adore the way you express your love in a hub.LOL. Hugs:)
Daisy: Who would have thought that one day, I would have to figure ways for a grown man to eat his veggies, LOL! Thanks for capturing the love essence of this hub. Love you! Hugs.:)
He, he, Mary, I do not use any tactic, I just do not cook the meals which I cannot eat.
As a vegetarian, I developed many recipes how the meals without meat - taste the same (or almost the same), and even better, as the meals with meat.
When I started to live with my bf (he was not vegetarian), on the beginning he liked my meals very much. But, he did not resist to meat (old habbits are so often stronger), so I also sometimes were eating it: I enjoyed the taste, but not the effect of meat on my body. I also did not enjoy cooking the meals with meat and due to that, (and because of some other reasons) I almost completely stopped with cooking.
On the end of story, my bf developed some health problems with the diggestive tract and liver, went to the doctor who suggested diet (one of the main reasons was inappropriate food), so 2 weeks ago he changed his habbits with the "speed of light" and accepeted very light vegetarian diet with the "heart and soul", so now we are finally cooking together the meals which I like and which are good for the both of us.
If he did not develop obvious health problems (thanks God for this - they affected his skin as well), he would never change his habbits, and would never realize why he was feeling bad most of the days.
The results of his change are amazing - in only 2 weeks he feels better then in last 5 years.
I am still in shock, because after one year watching some of his bad habbits, which I could not change and could not convince him that they were destroying him, he finally realized that my suggestions were right. Every transformation has to come inside the person, and health problems can be good motivation for this change if common sense cannot.
Traditional way of eating meat, which is emotional habbit from the youngest age, is problem why people cannot accept nessessary dietary changes so easily.
I do like taste of meat very much, but these few moments of pleasure are not worthy of bad results which can such diet have on health. Once per week is more then enough of eating meat (for the people who cannot accept vegetarianism) the rest of the days, proteins which our body needs can be taken from veggies (beans, soya, pees etc).
A lots of love and hugs....
Tatjana: Wow, we humans can change at speed of light, drop habits, add new better ones when our health or life is compromised. I find joy in being creative in the kitchen, so its fun for me. :) We are both working together to improve our dietary habits and we are both losing weight together as we want to be really fit as we both own a business that sells the lemonade diet kits, so we have to represent the product, its a good motivator! I am thrilled the energy here has shifted on awareness of what we eat and how we care for ourselves.
Thanks for sharing and the tips!
Love and lots of hugs...
i'll give it a go
Hi Violet - your recipe for Mac and Cheese looks great. Can't wait to try it!
Loveofnight: If you try it, let me know how it went. :)
Buzzy: Its actually Jessica Sienfield's recipe, and she is an amazing cook to come up with these recipes. From your avatar you look like a professional cook, so I am flattered you stopped to read my hub. :)
Excellent!! I just bought "Deceptively Delicious” and it is terrific.
Great recipe, I will try it
Patti Ann and Darcy: I never imagined I would buy a book like Deceptively Delicious, LOL, but the recipes are great! The macaroni recipe is yummy. Thanks for adding your comments!
Thank you for answering this. I might have to try it. My son is the pickiest of our eaters but he will try something once.
RGraf: You are welcome, it was fun answering the request even if I took a while before finishing the hub. If your son is a picky eater he probably will enjoy the recipes. :)
I love this! Will implement your suggestions immediately!
Godslittlechild: Wonderful! It pleases me to think a reader is willing to try the vegetable puree ideas. :)
Very informative and interesting!
I love the Middle Eastern egg plant dish Baba Ganoush. Is that what your brother in law made? I also love sauted egg plant and many other things. zucchini is also very tasty when fried in olive oil with onions. Believe it or not years ago our cat jumped up on the counter and started eating some out of a pan, it was that tasty to him.
SweetiePie: I emailed sis and asked her for the name, and she doesn't remember the name but does remember the recipe as she makes it often- she says it eggplant sauted with olive oil and with tomatoes, tomatoe paste, garlic. I am going to try to make it one of these days. If a cat ate it must have been good. LOL.
Thanks for stopping by. :)
It sounds really good and sort of similar to Baba Ganoush, which in some recipes does have tomatoes. I have never tried it that way, but maybe now I will :).
Very nice hub. In south India we make "Sambar". Sambar is a vegetable stew or chowder based on a broth made with tamarind and toovar dal, and is very popular in the cooking of southern regions of India especially in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Children as well as adults love it.
Any how we should eat Vegi
Hi, Jacob: When I lived in New York since its a melting pot of different cultures, I used to enjoy patronizing Indian restaurants as the food was delicious without being heavy. Thanks for your comments, and yes, we must eat our veggies!
I have to sacrifice on the veggies much of the time since I have a large midriff to support.
LOL! A unique excuse for not eating veggies. :) Thanks for your fun comments.
Hi Marie, I was laughing at your story! It's quite funny how grown men can sometimes be babies. This is really a good way to start eating healthy. I will try the recipe you mentioned above. LOL Great hub! :)
Hi, Michelle: Yes, men are babies at times, LOL! I never imagined that one day, I would have to be creative in getting a mate to eat his veggies. LOL! He brought me a Wok and I looooOve it. Have been preparing stir and fry (with very, very little oil) veggie dishes, and I have grown to really enjoy veggies. Things in terms of nutrition have changed around here even more, and I am grateful for the positive changes.
Maybe someday I'd get to sit down in your table and you can feed me. I can be a "baby" too! Daisy knows that very well. hahahahaha I'd love to eat all the veggies you can concoct for us.
LOL!!! I guess we all have the baby is us. :)
I love homemade mac and cheese, but it must be accompanied by a salad. My kids always ate salad. Salad is just a fun way to get veggies into people because there is just something more fun about salad than cooked vegetables!
Dolores: I agree! Salads are much more fun than cooked veggies, but my s/o doesn't like salads. I guess when he was growing up his parents didn't teach him to eat veggies. My sister's sons both like vegetables and one used to munch on carrots as a tot.
This is a horrible idea. If someone doesn't want to eat something, they don't want to eat it. Respect their wishes and don't force it on them, especially without their knowledge. This is an easy way to lose someone's trust, or even kill them if they happen to be allergic to one of your "secret ingredients."
Hi, Jacob: My significant other is aware I add purees to the food and appreciates it, we even laugh about the idea. I thought I mentioned this in this article, need to read it again. I wouldn't add something without someone's knowledge, its not integreous, so I agree its a way of losing trust; the gist of the article is healthy ingredients can be added without affecting the taste of the food, and its great!
Thanks for your comments!
Very nice hub. Thanks for sharing.
Mpurcell10: Thank you for adding your comments.
Oh this is just awesome, I reckon this would be great too for kids who didn't like veggies. My motto is what they don't know doesn't hurt them. :)
Blondepoet: I found it funny that I had to use this for my s/o who is a big baby when it comes to veggies, the only difference he knows I add the purees at times, but doesn't know when. And, I agree what the kids don't know doesn't hurt them. :)
Thanks for reading and adding your comments!
Wow, That was so cool. As a child I had a difficult time eating my vegetables and was forced to eat them. now, I totally enjoy my veggies and fruits. I even married a vegetarian. Go Figure!
Epiphany: Me too! I hated veggies as a child and would figure out ways of getting rid of them. LOL! Wish I could be a vegetarian, tried it a few times and couldn't do it. :)
Thanks for stopping by!
I could've sworn that I read this hub before! I actually had not much of a problem with this when I was the head cook at a camp in New Hampshire as half the camp was vegetarians (of which about 12 were vegans). The rest ate everything and I do mean everything. I like the idea of sneaking vegetables into meals, however. I also like your relationship with Phil as this is not the first time you made mention of him! Thanks, Marie.
Hey, Dohn: Glad to see one of my favorite hubbers here. Didn't know you could cook profesionally, you are full of surprises! We have a little game here at home, as long as Phil doesn't know when or what veggie puree I sneak into the food at times, he will enjoy my cooking! He is fully aware I do this cause I want to ensure he gets his nutrients. We do enjoy a very healthy union, hardly any arguments, and the secret is we let each other be who are, no trying to change the other. :)
just rereading so that i can try the baked potatoe......thx 4 share
Loveofnight: Cool you re-read it and left a comment,. helps with hub score, so its appreciated. :) Enjoy the baked potatoe!
Nice Hub!!! Sounds like you have a wonderful relationship with your partner. While I lived in the City, grocery shopping was one of my favorite things to do -- to share my love of it wih someone special would be such treat!! The recipe looks good, may give it a try!:)
Hi Maggie-May: I loved grocery shopping and dining out when I lived in New York, so much to choose from. Thanks for reading and your comments! :)
hey Violetsun! How are you doing? im sure you're doing right..lol...i loved the hub you have posted.i am not vegeterian but i am truly interested in changing my eating habits.You know.... it's not so easy to change habits...lol
I loved your hub. My husband hates veggies and I really think that he should eat them. My son is also a very picky eater and will only eat certain things. I think that I will try this out.
Hi Zuly, Thanks! It works. My s/o doesn't notice any changes of flavor to the foods when I add hidden veggies. Be careful with greens such as spinach as they do change the color of the food, I sometimes add spinach to ground beef and add tomatoe sauce to hide the green color. We want our mates and family to be healthy! :)
Great ideas! I eat lots of veggies anyway, but I do have a cookbook from the 90s called Stealth Health that gives lots of delicious ideas and recipes that add even more nutrition and value to food! Voted up and useful! :)
Justmesuzane, I was not aware of this method of adding veggies to foods and it has come in handy! :)
Very nice hub! I love the backed potato idea. My husband is not a fan of cauliflower but I am - maybe I'll sneak it in this way! I do a lot of nutrition work with clients and will gladly share you hub with some of them (any with my followers).
Well aren't you the sneaky one!? :)
I love my veggies and my hubby has learned to eat more of them through our 21 year marriage. My daughter is practically a vegetarian, but my son limits his veggies to french fries. Hmmm...I'll have to give your ideas a try. Thank you for sharing your creative ideas.
voted up!
Voted up and awesome!! I've had the same problem in my household and it's always a battle trying to cook healthy items that get eaten. Props for this hub!
I can see how this would be a good way to get one's family to eat healthier. Thankfully everyone at my house has always liked veggies. My husband would love it if I would make 2 types of vegetables to go along with dinner every night. If I don't make a salad, he complains about that too.
Voted up.
I like the idea of sneaking in those secret foods in addition to teaching kids about the ins and outs of healthy food options. Never hurts to put those nutrients in whether they know it or not since we all struggle with getting the right things in our diet!
Violet ~ just goes to show that this information stands the test of time. This hub now making the rounds again after 2 years since publication. I used to put all those veggies into dishes this way when my kids were little 25-30 years ago, in the same way you can puree prunes and use them in place of sweeteners and oil in your cakes.
Your most creative veggie photo brought me here and I knew reading would be a delight. Blessings, Debby
Kris, What a compliment coming from a nutritionist, thank you! I have become adept at hiding veggies and even adding healthy ingredients such as Wheat Germ in foods, but wonder if the heat destroys the vitamins in the wheat...
Missolive, LOL! My s/o knows I hide veggies, but doesn't know "when" so it's fun being a healthy sneaky cook. One time I got carried away and put too much spinach in a meal and it looked green, not his idea of yummy lunch.
Pinkchic, And it can be frustrating when it come to cooking when we have veggie haters. I love Asian food with lots of unhidden veggies but hardly cook it these days.
JustaskSusan, That's wonderful that your hubby and family likes vegetables! My late 18 year old nephew loved carrots as little boy because my sister and her husband enjoyed vegetables so passed this on to him.
Melis, Yes, education is very important and teaching children from a young age to enjoy them. My s/o's Mom was not a good cook and they have some fun memories of his mom's adventure in the kitchen, and his brothers also do not enjoy veggies. He has learned to eat better with me, thank goodness!
Debby, I know... I was surprised to find all the comments
tonight, thank goodness, I checked my profile and noticed them or else I would have missed them. Never like to ignore a commenter as I appreciate the reading and effort in leaving a comment. :)
Wow, I didn't know about the prunes puree, thanks for the tip!
VioletSun - with regards to questioning whether heat kills vitamins, etc in the wheat germ.
Cooking/heating will destroy some vitamins but not all. Basic minerals (calcium, magnesium, etc) shouldn't be affected. Any beneficial enzymes in foods are usually destroyed by cooking. Some of those enzymes have the potential of helping the body absorb nutrients. So that's why many advocate eating uncooked or only lightly steamed foods as much as possible:)
Kris, Thank you so much for the reply, it helps me to have a better understanding. Will continue adding wheat germ them to some foods. I am leaning towards eating lightly steamed foods as I am now in my menopause years and want to maintain my health.
one2get2no Level 4 Commenter 2 years ago
Nice hub....coincidentally my name is Phil but unlike your other half I love most veggies.