Years ago, I had reviewed theNew York Times bestseller Sneaky Chef by Missy Chase Lapine. I loved the ways she talked about how you can sneak nutrition into your kids and followed her advice for a long time. When you have a kid who eats ONLY Macaroni and Cheese, you get desperate. That was Picky Eater 1.0, who is eleven now. When Sneaky Chef became popular, Missy Chase Lapine knew parents were finally getting their kids to eat healthy with hidden veggie purees (a.k.a. Blends). What surprised her, though, was that those same parents were using Blends in their own recipes and feeling more energized. Taking her cue from those parents, Missy is on a mission with Sneaky Blends to show how anyone can eat healthy without sacrificing taste.
Starting off with fifteen signature Base Blends, such as Butternut Squash-Apple, Black Bean-Blueberry-Baby Kale, and Carrot-Sweet Potato, Missy shows you how these nutrient-packed blends can kick start your healthy lifestyle. When these blends are added to your favorite recipes or one of Missy’s delicious recipes like Zucchini Pasta Piccata, Chai Tea Smoothie Bowl, Cheesy Kale-Basil Soufflé, Meaty Mushroom Bolognese, or 45-Calorie Pumpkin Whoopie Pies, they instantly become healthy. This is healthy eating without deprivation!
The blends and recipes look delicious – but a warning, some of them have a lot of steps. Which is fine, I am just a simpler cook and prefer to stick to simpler steps.
But the point is to pack in nutrition and Sneaky Blends’ recipes definitely do that.
My littlest helper and I tried to make a blend from the book and it was super easy. It combined two things I love, berries and kale. And it was super simple to make.
Mixed Berry-Baby Kale Base Blend
Ingredients:
You’ll need 6 cups baby kale (washed)
4 cups frozen mixed berries (I used organic frozen berries because they are way more affordable than fresh mixed berries).
Filtered water
Instructions:
Place the kale in a high-powered blender and pulse a few times to reduce its volume. Give the berries a quick rinse in cold water just to thaw them slightly and add them to the blender along with 1 to 2 tablespoons of filtered water and puree until smooth.
Now that you have your blend, you can store it in your fridge or freezer. 
Use an ice cube tray to freeze your blends in smaller portions.
Nutrition facts (per 1⁄2 cup): 104 calories; 0 g fat; 26 mg sodium; 24 g carbs; 7 g fiber; 11 g sugar; 13 g protein
From SNEAKY BLENDS by Missy Chase Lapine. Copyright © 2016 by Missy Chase Lapine.
Reprinted by permission of North Star Way, a Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
I took the blend and used it to kick up our smoothies for the week.
This is cool — a study at Pennsylvania State University found that “swapping vegetable blends for some of the more high caloric ingredients in recipes helped participants eat 357 fewer calories each day or 2,500 calories a week.”
The book contains:
- Recipes for 15 base blends
- 75 mouthwatering dishes, each using a base blend
- Missy’s custom Blends Cleanse™, a 3-day Body Reboot
- Tips and tricks to help readers start blending
Recipes include Seared Salmon with Dill Sauce using the Broccoli-Pea-Spinach Base Blend, Meaty Mushroom Bolognese using the Carrot-Sweet Potato Base Blend, and the Skinny Chocolate Cake using the Black Bean-Blueberry-Baby Kale Base Blend, SNEAKY BLENDS is packed with delicious, simple recipes whipped up with nutrient-dense purees to create leaner, cleaner yet ridiculously tasty meals.
Find Sneaky Blends on Amazon.
We were given a copy of the book for review.
I love to sneak it some veggies into my kids smoothies
This really does look delicious. I love healthy smoothies and these look fun to make. My son would love to make some of these purees with me.