So I wanted to share with you a fun thing that we did. I got the idea from the "Deceptively Delicious" cookbook by Jessica Steinfeld. For those of you who have not seen it the basic idea is this - steam and puree loads of vegetables that you probably never get your kids to eat and then add them to things that you know that your kids will eat without changing the actual product that much. I spent a few hours over Christmas break steaming, pureeing, ziploc bagging up the stuff to put in the freezer. It was kind of fun. Well we have tried some of her recipes with hit or miss success. That which we have enjoyed has been adding sweet potato puree to our french toast mixture. They were similar to a pumpkin type french toast. My kids REALLY liked that. Last night - In honor or National Pancake Week (see below for details) - we made these little ditties. Pink princess pancakes! They were SO pink. I do not think that you could even get it that pink with food coloring. A great idea for breakfast Valentine's Day morning. The hidden ingredient - pureed beets! You just add the puree to your regular pancake mix and add some vanilla and shredded apple. Super fun and the kids thought that it was so cool. Hudson however was very disturbed by the color change to his beloved brown pancakes (that is the only color that we can get him to eat) and just wanted a piece of bread with syrup on it. (see Brown whole wheat bread and brown syrup - I am not joking) Instead he opted for a peanut butter, no jelly, sandwich. See - back to the BROWN thing again.

I have to admit I had no idea that it was National Pancake Week I just happened upon it when I was looking up recipes to make for dinner. See below for an explanation that your kids would probably find amusing if they are anything like mine who like to gather random facts. (I think that they learned this from their father.)

"Admit it. You're asking yourself why pancakes deserve a week-long celebration. Well, you've probably heard about giving up your favorite indulgences for Lent--the period of fasting and abstinence in the weeks leading up to Easter. But what does that have to do with pancakes? Read on. Feast Today, Fast Tomorrow Pancake Week is grounded in ancient tradition. During the Middle Ages, it was common practice to prepare for the austerity of Lent by purging the pantry of luxurious foods such as eggs, butter and milk. These ingredients often became big batches of pancakes. To this day, many communities around the world feast on pancakes all the way through Shrove Tuesday--also known as Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras--before the season of moderation begins on Ash Wednesday. In fact, another name for Fat Tuesday is Pancake Day."

So enjoy some yummy pancakes this week in honor of the holiday. Try these or my whole wheat blender pancakes or Jennie's Fly off the plate pancakes, or a new creation of your own. Let me know if you need the recipes if I haven't sent them to you already. Tell me what scrumptious thing that you added to this staple dish that every mom should feel no guilt about serving for dinner every once in a while?