sneaky cooking

four kids into this whole parenting thing and most days i still feel like i have no idea what i'm doing. they won't do what i ask, they won't nap when they obviously need the rest, they forget their manners, they bicker and fight over E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G, every trip to every store has a soundtrack with the hit songs, 'can we buy this?", "can i have this?" or "oooh. i want some of that." yeah, you know those songs....

when i finally get them all tucked in at night, i fall into my chair in front of the computer and let my fingers get away from me and do the venting. this is when i find myself so grateful for the wonderful ladies i've met in the blogosphere. whether my post is me ranting about my spoiled rugrats, or me raving about milestones and good moments, my bloggy friends are always there to provide encouragement and support; two things that any mother, or any woman for that matter, cannot and should not do without.

so i was happy to hear that my friend kristine is hosting a linky party every tuesday called 'help a momma out'. she encourages us to share a tip, advice, funny story - anything - that you think could help another momma out. so, c'mon girls, reach into that bag of tricks that i know stays attached to your hip and share. 'cause we all know that sharing is caring, right?

one of my biggest struggles with my kids is to get them to eat their vegetables. i always worried that they don't get the nutrition they need...until i discovered the sneaky chef! if you haven't been to her website yet, you must go! there are recipes for make-ahead purees, which basically puree all the veggies that many kids don't want to eat but are sooo good for them, and provides recipes for foods that kids love which you can sneak those purees into. it's soooo sneaky....but sooo smart!

my favorite puree is the green, which i put into spaghetti sauces. i will actually be using it in our dinner tonight of speedy stovetop lasagna. the first puree i ever tried was the purple puree and snuck it into the brawny brownies, which turned out really good. that might be a good one to start with since it's blueberry season right now. there are so many other purees and recipes, i just haven't had the chance to try them all...but they all sound amazing and the kids will get so much nutrition without having to pull teeth. i also love that she has gluten-free recipes, as well, since one of my current challenges is cooking and baking gfcf for liam.

i hope i was able to help a momma out and you get a chance to try a bit of sneaky cooking. i'd love to hear whether it worked for you and your family or not. happy tuesday!