Stress Free Dessert... Literally!

Chamomile is often referred to as the most soothing herb because of it's relaxation properties. It's used to help insomnia, anxiety and stress. We thought it would be a great addition to an after-dinner sweet treat to help the family unwind at the end of the day!

Chamomile-Lemon Bread:
• 1 2/3 cups of flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 TBL of chamomile (break open tea bags)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 stick or 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 2 eggs
• 2 TBL grated lemon rind
• 1/2 cup of fat free milk

Glaze:
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup of lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350 F

Spray 1 glass loaf pan with pan spray. In a medium bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and chamomile.

Cream the butter and 1 cup of sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add the applesauce and mix. Beat in the eggs one at a time and mix just until combined. Add the lemon rid and mix.

Pour half of the flour mixture into the batter and mix just until combined. Mix in the milk. Mix in the second half of the flour mixture. Pour into the baking pan and bake for 50-60 minutes. The loaf should be golden and a toothpick will come out clean when inserted into the middle of the bread.

To make glaze: combine the sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves and liquid thickens, approximately 5 minutes.
Pour glaze over the hot bread.

I Heart You Earth

Earth Day is this Sunday. Promise us that you will do something nice for our dear Earth on Sunday.

Plant a seed in the ground or leave the car at home and opt for 2 wheels powered by your own legs or compost compost compost if you don't already!

There are so many great ways to say Happy Birthday Earth! How will you celebrate?

Peas Pointers by Melanie Silverman

We have teamed up with a pediatric registered dietitian who thinks we are doing a great job getting veggies into your kids! Melanie R. Silverman MS, RD, IBCLC, is not only a pediatric registered dietitian and board certified lactation consultant, she is also the owner of Feeding Philosophies (www.feedingphilosophies.com) and has loads of tips and tricks to help your kids eat the way they should, from infancy through their adolescent years. 

Melanie counsels families with a wide range of nutritional concerns including food allergies, poor weight gain, and weight management.  She treats loads of those picky eaters between the ages of 15 months to 6 years old who have diets that largely consist of chicken nuggets (shaped as prehistoric animals), macaroni and cheese, and no veggies!

With her tried and true picky eater program, Melanie gets kids to eat a well balanced diet while easing the minds of thousands of worried parents she has counseled.

We want to bring some of Melanie's expertise to the Peas family so we have asked her to offer a monthly tip (or Peas Pointer as we call them) to our blog. Thanks so much Melanie!!! We look forward to your first Pointer next month!

Customizing Your Chocolate Chip Cookie

Ever wonder why some chocolate chip cookies are gooey, some are crunchy, and others are cakey? We all have our own cookie preference (personally I like a combo of all of these) so next time you bake chocolate chip cookies, don't leave it up to chance... get your version of the perfect cookie!

Let's start with the most well known Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe: Nestle Toll House
-2 1/4 cups of flour
-1 tsp baking soda
-1 tsp salt
-1 cup or 2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened
-3/4 cup granulated sugar
-3/4 cup brown sugar
-1 tsp vanilla
-2 large eggs
-2 cup chocolate chips

Now we need to change the ratios of sugar, butter, and baking soda to make the cookie you desire.

To make gooey/chewy cookies follow the recipe above but change the amount of baking soda, and sugars:
-only use 1/2 tsp of baking soda
-use 1/2 cup granulated sugar
-use 1 cup brown sugar
-bake 8-10 minutes

To make crunchy cookies follow the recipe above but change the amount of baking soda, butter and sugars:
-only use 1/2 tsp of baking soda
-use 2 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter
-use 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
-use 3/4 cup brown sugarr-add 1/4 cup water to the wet ingredients when you mix.
-bake 12-15 minutes

To make cakey cookies follow the recipe above but change the amount of baking soda, butter and sugars:
-only use 1/2 tsp of baking soda
-use 1 3/4 sticks of unsalted butter
-use 3/4 cup granulated sugar
-use 1/4 cup brown sugar
-bake 10-12 minutes