I feel that I am really blessed that little Michael likes to help me in the kitchen. When he hears me start to work on a meal, he usually drops whatever he is doing to come running into the kitchen to ask, "Can I help? Can you get my stool?" My little chef is a big help and he loves to wash, chop, stir, measure and mix. I really noticed, that over the past year, little Michael has gotten a little pickier about his food. Healthy foods that he would happily eat a year ago now take more effort to remind him that yes, he does in fact like this dish. One of the perks to having a little kitchen helper was that when he helped me cook, he was more eager to try the meal. If he says he doesn't want to eat something, I start talking about how he helped me make it. Did he remember how we chopped the veggies? Did he remember mixing up the sauce or dressing. Then he will get excited about how he helped mama cook and (usually) eagerly give the dish a try. After trying something new, I always ask, "What did you think?" and more often than not, he replies, "It's good!" Ahhh...success! Food and toddlers is such a delicate dance.
Since little Michael is such an enthused, budding young chef, I am always looking for recipes that are easy for him to help me with, healthy and yummy! So, when the opportunity came along to test out a new, kid-friendly cookbook, I was super excited! Stealth Health Lunches Kids Love by Tracy Griffith is a brand new cookbook that is full of healthy, fun and gluten-free sandwiches, wraps and other easy to make snacks and sauces. The goal with this cookbook is to make cooking easy through an emphasis on preparation, using healthy ingredients that you have on hand and providing simple recipes. When the process is fun for kids, eating their creations becomes fun too.
I liked that these recipes are both healthy and gluten-free. Now, little Michael isn't on a gluten-free diet, but, these recipes are healthy, yummy and having a little less gluten in his diet isn't going to hurt him! I may even find a benefit to reducing some of the gluten he eats as I continue to make the recipes. I feel that there is definitely an increase of parents seeking gluten-free options. Some parents truly need gluten-free options for their families and some have simply chosen gluten-free as their style of eating. I love that this cook book is packed with so much variety! It really expands the gluten-free world and shows the creativity and fresh, healthy ingredients that you can cook with.
Little Michael and I have tested out a few of the recipes so far and one of our favorites has been the "AI CARAMBU!" Wrap and the "Green Slime"! Something about having a little boy and getting to tell him that we were going to make Green Slime to put on his lunch was just awesome! Even hubby perked up when he heard it!
Little Michael and I had a great time making this for lunch and I was so impressed with how well he made his own wrap! I helped with the chopping, shredding and dicing (the knife-work), but he did the mixing, spreading and assembling! The Green Slime is super yummy as a spread for a wrap and it is also a tasty dip for carrots, pita chips and bell peppers!
Little Michael and I have had some great fun in the kitchen and have discovered some new fun, healthy and easy dishes to make. Best of all, little Michael has really enjoyed eating these meals! One of my favorite things about this cookbook is that there is a picture for just about every, single recipe! It really helps me to know what a meal is
supposed to look like when you are done, so I really appreciate all of
the colorful pictures. This is a great and easy to use cookbook - whether you are looking for some gluten-free recipes or simply looking for a way to add extra veggies and other healthy ingredients into your kids meals.
Interested in picking up a copy of Stealth Health Lunches Kids Love? You can buy the book at Barnes & Noble or Amazon.com.
GIVEAWAY
One lucky reader will receive one copy of the book, Stealth Health Lunches Kids Love by Tracy Griffith. ($19.99 value)
***Giveaway is open to the US only. Entrants must be 18+ years
old. One entry per household. The winner has 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen.***
Giveaway will end May 31st at 12:01am EST.
Entries go in the Rafflecopter form below! Good Luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I was provided the opportunity to host this giveaway
at no cost to myself. In exchange for this post, I received a digital edition of this book. This has not influenced my
opinion of
the product. I have sought to give my honest
opinions
and experiences on this product. The views and
opinions expressed on this blog are purely my own.