sneaky buggah

there was a time when i was able to shove practically anything down my children's gullet.  leftovers, store-bought baby food, failed experiments in the kitchen...if it was somewhat edible - they ate it.  unfortunately, those days are now long gone.  since nahe is oblivious to what's in her food, she's more tolerant of the delicious mysteries in front of her at mealtimes.  ahonui - not so much.  even if i threaten and force him to finish or even just sample my home-cooked goodness, he sends back threats of regurgitation.  so not cool.

 

if i were serving boiled brussel sprouts, tripe stew, or even liver and onion type dishes at mealtime, then yes - i would be more accepting of his disdain for the sustenance that i've provided.  but no...i feel like i'm dishing out some kid-friendly, ono kine grindz!  i'm talking, hot dogs w/ mac & cheese (and maybe some hidden broccoli in there), chili and rice (and perhaps there were tomatoes and corn involved), and more meals along those lines.  so i constantly find myself thinking, "what's the deal with this refusal to consume my hard-earned concoctions from the kitchen?" 

 

so in an attempt to create more nutritious and balanced meals for my family - that they'll actually eat, i invested in a book called the sneaky chef for a little help.  while it turned out to be beneficial in giving me a lot of little tips and tricks to incorporate fruits and veggies into daily life, i never really got any momentum going on using any of the recipes from that book.  (story of my life - buy something to improve your life - and end up not really applying it...does this sound familiar to you??)

 

then i stop at jamba juice during a trip to town, and along with my usual caribbean passion smoothie, i get a little impulsive and throw in a slice of their toasted zucchini carrot bread.  if those little slices of heaven weren't so unbelievably pricey i probably would've gotten a few more to indulge in.  and so, in that single slice, i felt inspired to begin my quest to find this recipe...



i present to you...my little partially-eaten whole wheat zucchini carrot bread loaf (in brandon's masculine hand, not mine).  i now have no trouble getting the kids to gobble up their veggies and fiber!  now if only they were requesting a zucchini carrot loaf for 3 meals a day, 7 days a week.  hmmm....