Jessica Sienfield is my new Hero!

We struggle to get Landry to eat healthy. Really....he is one of the pickiest eaters I have ever known. It is so frustrating. He has about 7 things he will eat. He is a carb-o-holic, but then again so am I. He loves crackers, bread, chips, etc. He will eat cheese. And he does like most meat (chicken, beef, and he loves fish....so I can't complain about that.) But, when it comes to fruits and veggies we strike out every time. It drives me insane. He will eat broccoli, edemame, and potatoes. Fruit is a total disaster though. He likes raisins (and those aren't a true fruit I guess) and that is it.

Our baby is a much better eater. He will try just about everything. There are definitely things he doesn't like, but at least he will try it. He absolutely LOVES blueberries and bananas. He will eat green peas all day long. Every once in a while he will give us a little fussiness, but for the most part we lucked out with that guy.

I have tried so many ways to try and convince Landry to eat something new. We started a game that rewarded him a coin if he TRIED it. He did well with that at first, but the fun and excitement quickly wore off. I have renamed the food into "fun" names....although I get a laugh and giggle out of him, the fruit still doesn't go down the hatch. We have "raced" to see who could finish their plate first. Once again, fun for the first few times....then the excitement was gone.

Until Now.....

My Mom gave me a copy of Jessica Seinfield's Cookbook Deceptively Delicious. I had heard about this book before and was always wanting to go get it. One day during a phone conversation with my Mom about how frustrated I was getting with Landry's eating habits, she told me she had a copy of it for me.

I love it. I really read through it last night and decided this would be my next step. I am determined to get this boy to eat healthy. I truly believe the crying fits we have are sometimes caused from lack of nutrients. So- if I can get his diet right, we all would be happy. In the cookbook she basically tells you to puree all fruits and veggies. Children need 3 (.5 cup) servings of veggies, and 2 (.5 cup) servings of fruit a day. Landry hasn't even been getting close. Then- she gives you great recipes of "kid" friendly meals. The recipes all look great and each one of them have some sort of veggie/fruit puree or two. So- we went for it tonight. I decided I would make the Sloppy Joes. Landry doesn't usually eat Sloppy Joes, but I knew if put that meat mixture into a taco shell, he would think it was a taco and go for it. I put Kyle's and mine in a hot dog bun. The recipe called for squash puree and sweet potato puree. As I served dinner, I was crossing my fingers that it would work with Landry. He did have broccoli for lunch, and had a strawberry/banana smoothie at breakfast. So- if I could get this taco/sloppy joe down him, he would have a full daily recommendation.

To my surprise...he ate EVERY SINGLE BITE. I was in total shock. He never eats more than a couple bites (even of the good stuff he likes.) But, he POLISHED OFF the meat mixture. Kyle and I thought it was pretty good too. It would have been better with ground beef...but I used ground turkey because I am really trying to watch what we eat.

I can not wait to try more recipes. Before I go to bed I might try to make the Oatmeal Raisin Bread and have it in the morning. We will see.

Jessica Seinfield....THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!