Beforehand

At the outset, I am very curious about the concept of Deceptively Delicious. On the one hand, in the short term, this is a great concept. Find a way to add healthy elements to your dishes without the knowledge of your family. Thus, picky eaters, especially those that would rather eat junk food than healthy food, can be "deceived" into eating healthy. Additionally, if you have always struggled with preparing tasty dishes in a healthy fashion, this cookbook could be a real lifesaver. So, if you want you family to eat better, goal accomplished: no one is any the wiser that those pb & j muffins are actually good for you.

On the other hand, I cannot help but wonder how beneficial it really is to deceive your family into eating those vegetables or whole grains that they ordinarily do not want. As someone commented, who will sneak veggies into your childrens' diet when they grow up and leave your home? At some point a decision must be made to let your family in on the "secret" that they are, or should be, making healther food choices. As with all unfamiliar things, it may be difficult at the outset to convince your family to eat better, but as it becomes more familiar, it will be less of a struggle.

And that then brings the argument full circle. Deceptively Delicious can still be beneficial, because it can develop in your family an inclination towards healthier foods before they even realize it. So, when you begin to present a whole grain snack as a whole grain snack, you can always point to the pb & j muffin they have already been eating for the past few weeks.

So, I guess I'll go and get a copy of this cookbook. I'll let you know how it goes.