Jessica Seinfeld Talks Leftovers, Hiding Veggies and Her New Cookbook, 'Double Delicious'

Turns out there are a lot of veggies out there that can be pureed and served to your unsuspecting tykes.

In her New York Times best-selling cookbook, "Deceptively Delicious," Jessica Seinfeld showed moms and dads the secret to getting their finicky kids to eat vegetables. Now she's back with a new cookbook, "Double Delicious," which is full of healthy and quick recipes.

Besides whipping up nutritious meals in the kitchen, Seinfeld is the president and founder of Baby Buggy, a nonprofit organization that provides clothing and equipment to New York families in need. She and husband Jerry Seinfeld live in New York City with their three children, daughter Sascha, 9, and sons Julian, 7, and Shepherd, 5.

ParentDish: How did this cookbook come about?
Jessica Seinfeld: I just got such a great response to the first book. My husband, who is always on tour, would describe to me these moments when he was in a mall or whatever city he was in, the responses that people had to my book and how enthusiastic they were and how much they loved the recipes and when can they get new recipes. He would come home and tell me these great stories, so I thought I'd do another one, and this is how I cook so it's not hard for me to come up with recipes.

PD: Do you cook every night?
JS: I cook as much as I possibly can. Obviously, sometimes I have meetings, sometimes I get home after picking up a kid from religious school late, so I always use leftovers. I think leftovers are a mainstay for busy families. Whenever I make dinner I make extra for the next night and I'll remake it into something else. Like, last night I made roast chicken, so tonight I'll probably make mac and cheese and I'll chop up the chicken really finely, sauté it and throw it into the mac and cheese.

PD: What do you say to people who say you shouldn't hide vegetables -- that kids should learn to eat vegetables?
JS: I always have whole vegetables on my plate. My kids always start their meal by eating whole vegetables on the side of their plate. There is never a moment when my kids don't know how important vegetables are. I add purees like I would add milk or sugar. I don't think of them as anything scandalous or deceptive. I think what's really deceptive is how food companies market their food as good for people when it's not. That's the deception going on in the food world, not making your family's food better for them. That's not something I feel bad about.

Of course, making food affordable for people is a whole different story. Making fresh food affordable is something that really needs to happen in this country.

PD: How did you grow up?
JS: My mom was a working mother and she somehow managed to get home from a very long day of work and commuting and offer her family a fresh meal. I don't know how she got it done, but she got it done. So, I really feel like there are ways to do it, and, unfortunately, what food companies do is they advertise these foods to families and that's all kids want to eat. And parents are exhausted at the end of a long day -- they want an easy meal time -- and so these convenience foods have become our lifestyle, not an emergency solution. Then you get into a cycle of always wanting your kids to be happy and eating their meals, but it's not food that's meant to be eaten on a regular basis.

PD: Have your kids ever brought you to tears over food?
JS: Well, it's exhausting being a parent. It's a very tiring, labor intensive, time-consuming thing and it involves a lot of mental agility. I think your kids can always bring you to tears, especially if you're sleep deprived and trying to put your lives together in an organized fashion. I've tried to not get too stressed out about food at my house because I don't want to create bigger issues. Yes, but of course it's very frustrating to put together a whole meal and have nobody eat it. Sure, anything can bring me to tears.

PD: What is going on with Baby Buggy?