What My Kids are Eating That They Don't Know They're Eating

Avocado hidden within smoothie.

Usually, I make a smoothie with a banana, strawberries, raw honey, raw egg yolk, melted coconut oil, orange juice, yogurt or kefir and a teaspoon of vanilla. The kids love it and I'm able to freeze the purposefully made left overs in plastic popsicle forms. The kids are having a breakfast popsicle right now!

This last time, I slipped in a half an avocado too. Unlike the time I ambitiously put kale in and made sure it was properly liquefied so you couldn't see a speck of green, they have not noticed the additional ingredient. They are happily eating their popsicles without any realization that they are also getting the good stuff from a half avocado that Mom sneakily mixed in.

I am a huge proponent for honesty with children. That sounds ridiculous, but I know lots of parents that aren't. They'd much rather take the easier road of lying, shading, and omission with their kids. Obviously, communication must be age appropriate and children are not our confessors--we don't need to tell them everything. That's a burden for them and unnecessary. But, being passive aggressive, instead of clear and straight forward does them a huge disservice, I think. I don't lie to my kids. When they are upset that the DVD they hoped to watch is not here, I tell them that I put it out into the mail--my bad. When they ask for something, I tell them "no" if the answer is no. Not "maybe", I don't equivocate (unless the answer is maybe, and I'm still thinking about it). I afford my kids the same kind of decency and respect I have for adults. Although, if adults were running around chasing each other with Star Wars light sabers when we were trying to get ready and out the door to go to their tap class, I might raise my voice at them too...

Must I tell my kids every ingredient I use when I cook?! Do I have to share when I put in an extra grinding of pepper or use lemon instead of vinegar in a recipe? I think it's fine to sneak in extra nutrition in ways that don't effect taste. If they don't taste it, it's not affecting their popsicle joy. Who is harmed in this transaction?

I don't do this often because my son's palate is too sensitive. That's a really bad thing these days. It would have been a handy skill to have and he would have avoided poisoning as a cave man, but zucchini is not poison, all grimaces to the contrary.

Query: Can broccoli ever make its way into a cookie? Recipe anyone?