Perfect Combination: Food Co-op and a New Cookbook

This Saturday was our second time in the fruit and vegetable co-op Amber told me about. I highly recommend it!! It's an amazing price for a bunch of fresh fruit and vegetables. The first time I did it, I ended up throwing out two cucumbers and a few tomatoes that we didn't eat in time. Other than that, we were able to use our whole basket. Well, this weekend, I handled my basket in a completely new way because I had just received the Deceptively Delicious cookbook. I pureed at least half of our vegetables right away. It took most of the morning, but I was so proud of my array of bowls when I finished.

Here they are: carrot, zucchini, cucumber, red potato, sweet potato, romaine, tomato, and broccoli. I have been too scared to make baby food for Sawyer; I didn't want to hassle with it and I was afraid I would mess it up somehow. Well, this book has given me the courage =) It was lunch time when I finished, so I tried it out right away. Sawyer ate a bowl of broccoli and sweet potatoes and loved it. But the real test was Trenton. Could I hide vegetables in his lunch like the book suggested??

The answer: YES! I smeared pureed carrots on a piece of toast and pureed sweet potatoes on another piece, then I covered them with a spread of peanut butter. He ate both pieces without a thought! It really did feel as good as the author of the cookbook said it would, like I had conquered =)

So, now I have baggies of pureed vegetables in my freezer and fridge and I can use them as I need them. Here is a recipe I'm going to try for lunch today:

1 1/2 cups noodles (I'm using whole wheat rotini to make it even healthier.)
cooking spray
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs flour
1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 cup puree (squash or cauliflower recommended)
1 1/2 cups shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
4 ounces reduced fat cream cheese (I'm leaving this out because I don't like it!)
1/2 tsp salt
sprinkle of pepper

1. Boil noodles.
2. Heat saucepan over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Add oil and flour and stir 1-2 minutes until it resembles a thick paste. Do not brown.
3. Add the milk and cook 3-4 minutes until it thickens. Add the vegetable puree, cheddar cheese, cream cheese, and seasoning. Stir until melted and smooth.
4. Stir in noodles.

We'll see how it turns out. If these recipes work, I may be getting two produce baskets next time!