by Lois Breneman, © 2006, Heart to Heart
As many of you already know, sometimes moms need to resort to sneaking vegetables into our children and grandchildren's diets! Try adding pureed carrots to spaghetti sauce, meatloaf, soups, mashed potatoes, apple cider, pineapple juice and even oatmeal cookies. Autumn is a good time of the year to start this "motherly sneakery," featuring the color, orange! If your family asks why the food is a little yellow or orange, tell them that you are celebrating the season by trying a fall color with a few foods.
Mashed potatoes with an addition of pureed carrots, yams or sweet potatoes, also a super food, look like they have cheese in them, so why not add a few sprinkles of cheese on top? Hopefully the cheese will throw off your family. A small amount of pureed beets can be added to spaghetti sauce without being detected. Just start with a small amount and increase it. Pureed sweet potatoes make wonderful pancakes and my grandson loves those! Try adding pumpkin to pancakes, quick bread and muffins. Finely grated zucchini is delicious in quick bread and can be added to soups, as can all of the vegetables mentioned, though you may be able to disguise them more easily if pureed in a blender. If your children are skeptical and ask what's in the food you prepared, just tell them it's your "secret recipe," and they may have the recipe when they leave home to start their own family!
CARROTS ARE A SUPER FOOD
This information is compliments of www.bolthouse.com.
The nutrients in carrots:
- Strengthen the immune system
- Help regulate metabolish
- Help maintain heathy skin
- Help maintain vision
- Help protect cells
Studies show that the nutrients in carrots may reduce risk of:
- High blood pressure
- Stroke
- Heart disease
- Some types of cancer
Carrots are nature's best source of the powerful antioxidant Vitamin A!
- Antioxidants protect cells from free radicals which can damage the basic structure of health cells.
HOW TO PUREE CARROTS, YAMS AND SWEET POTATOES
Use cooked carrots, yams or sweet potatoes, pureed in a blender with a little liquid, in soups, cookies, meatloaf, spaghetti sauce, mashed potatoes and cookies. In other words, for extra nutrition, first make baby food to add to these grownup foods.
OATMEAL RAISIN WALNUT CARROT (Shhh!) COOKIES
1 cup real butter, softened
1 1/2 cup or less sucanat (evaporated cane sugar found in health food stores)
2 eggs
2/3 cup pureed carrots or juice
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup spelt or whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. sea salt
3 cups old fashioned oats (With the addition of carrots, add 2 extra handfuls of oats)
1 cup raisins
1 cup walnuts, chopped
Cream butter and sucanat. Add eggs, carrots and vanilla and beat until fluffy. Add flour, soda, cinnamon and salt and mix well. Stir in oats, raisins and walnuts. Use a small ice cream scoop to place cookie dough on greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes at 350º, making sure not to overbake. You want them soft and chewy. This recipe is great to freeze in snack bags (of 1 or 2 each) for school lunches and snacks! Or double the recipe! These keep best in the refrigerator.
If your children like this recipe, you may want to experiment with the addition of even more carrots and extra oats. My grandson said, "I never tasted cookies this good!" He even helped to pour in the carrot juice, as I told him it was some juice like Aunt Rachael loves.
If your children like this recipe, you may want to experiment with the addition of even more carrots and extra oats. My grandson said, "I never tasted cookies this good!" He even helped to pour in the carrot juice, as I told him it was some juice like Aunt Rachael loves.
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