Reinventing a Baseball Classic

The end of spring and the beginning of summer is a fabulous time of year for many reasons but here in San Francisco, this seasonal shift signifies that Baseball season is in full swing. One of our favorite things about going to a game is the classic bleacher food. What’s better then devouring ballgame fries while watching your favorite team hit a home run? Well that’s simple: devouring garlic fries! What could possibly be better then garlic fries, you ask?  EASY: munching on Veggie Wedgie garlic fries from the comfort of your own home! Not only are they delicious AND fat-free, they also contain TWO whole servings of veggies for every serving of fries! We’re reinventing this classic dish by adding a Peas-full (aka healthy and delicious) twist!

Veggie Wedgie Garlic Fries

Ingredients

1 bag of Veggie Wedgies (we’re using cauliflower but feel free to substitute carrot or broccoli)

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

2 Tablespoons of olive oil (please note that the fries on their own are fat-free but adding this oil makes the garlic fries low-fat)

1/2 Teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoon of finely chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Pour about 2/3 of the bag of Veggie Wedgies on a baking tray (the tray should be full but you want to make sure that there is only a single layer).

Toss frozen Veggie Wedgies with garlic, oil, salt and about half of the chopped parsley until each fry is coated with the mixture.

Cook for 10-14 minutes or until the fries look crisp and golden brown (you also want the chopped garlic to look golden brown and adequately cooked).

Remove Veggie Wedgies from the oven and let cool for one minute. Toss fries with the remainder of parsley. Serve immediately while singing, “Take me out to the ballgame...”

A Dinner Story

Here at Peas of Mind, keeping kids healthy and happy is what we do best. We like to think that we celebrate kids every day by feeding them their favorite foods while stealthily filling them up with their daily dose of veggies, but we think the time has come to celebrate the grown-ups! 

We know that at the end of the day, it's the hard working parents that (no matter how chaotic and crazy their schedule) bring the food to the table.  So we're going to celebrate you and share your story with Peas-Perspective's, A Dinner Story staring...YOU of course.  Every other week we will chose one inspirational parent to feature on our blog; you'll fill out our Actor's Studio inspired questionnaire and then receive some free (not to mention delicious and nutritious) Peas of Mind product.

So with out further adieu, we'd like to present to you (drum role please):

Staring Suzanne & Lauren

Where do you live?  

"San Francisco, CA."

What are your kid's names and ages? 

"Lauren, she'll be 8 next month."

What meal do you make that you know, no matter what, your family will devour? 

"We have a Friday night tradition of homemade pizza.  Lauren is nuts about pesto sauce, so she mans the food processor and we make up a batch to use instead of marinara; topped with nice fresh mozzarella or burrata. It's her go to now."

What's your favorite Saturday morning breakfast to enjoy as a family? 

"Our weekend ritual is "Pancake Sunday", which then morphed into Ebelskiver Sunday, and then Crepe Sunday (my sister likes to buy me kitchen gadgets for Christmas.) The all time favorite for Lauren has become crepes with Nutella, peanut butter and banana, topped with a GIANT helping of whipped cream.  She starts running around the house like a mad woman when she hears the hand mixer start up to make the whipped cream.  Sundays always start off well in our house."

What's your favorite Peas of Mind Product?  

"No surprise that the Peas of Pie is a huge hit in our house (not just with Lauren, I love them too!) We also LOVE the new Garden Grown Nuggets, Lauren thought they were chicken and had no idea she was eating a whole serving of veggies."

Lauren enjoying our Garden Grown Nuggets

How many times per week do you cook from scratch? 

"Average would be around 5 nights a week,  It coincides with school nights.  I let loose a bit on the weekends."

What's your go to "I'm feeling unhealthy and need a nutrient-power punch" meal? 

"Seafood has become a bigger part of our diet the last few years.  Lauren LOVES halibut.  A nice pan seared halibut with steamed broccoli is always a healthy winner in our house."

What kitchen tool could you never live without? 

"My steaming basket!  Lauren's favorite veggies are broccoli and artichokes.  I use that thing every time I cook dinner!"

If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be? 

"There's so much good food out there, I don't know if I could pick just one thing!  If it were up to Lauren, we'd probably go with gnocchi, in a pink sauce, with fresh grated parmigiano-reggiano.  In which case, we'd most likely need to relocate to Italy...which wouldn't be too bad."

Cook like a Queen

We’ve heard through the pea-vine that Kate Middle is taking royal cooking classes in preparation for her role as new mum.   We just can’t help but imagine what it would be like to slice, dice and sauté alongside the Duchess of Cambridge in the Buckingham Palace.  But stepping back into reality, it’s obvious that Kate is onto something.  Preparing home-cooked meals automatically makes you and your family healthier; people consume 50% more calories, fat and sodium when they eat out than when they cook at home.   So whether you never cook, rarely cook, or sometimes cook, we want to inspire you to step into the kitchen even more.  By following these simple steps, you will begin to enjoy preparing meals for your family just as you would if you were cooking with her highness.

• Plan accordingly.  Make your dinner goals and write down a plan of attack.  Would you like to make three home cooked meals this week?  Your first step is to figure out what you’re going to make and remember to start with a simple recipe that you know your family will like then build from there. 
• Create a detailed list. Grocery shop for all your weekly meals at once, which means before you go the grocery store make a detailed list of every ingredient you will need.  Also, find out what produce is currently in season in your area and add that to your list.   This will save you money as seasonal produce costs much less due to its availability.
• Make sure your pantry is well stocked. Check out our Peas-Perspective about our favorite kitchen staples and use it to help you stock up.
• Get comfortable with your knife.  In order to get the most out of your home cooked meals you’re going to want to load those plates with vegetables so it’s important that you feel confident while slicing zucchini’s, chopping tomatoes and dicing onions. You’ll also find that when you know how to use your knife you’ll save loads of time on prep.  We found this youtube knife skills video very helpful and we think you will too.
• Set the mood.  Do what you need to do to make cooking feel like a joy, rather then a task.  Light some candles, fill your favorite vase with flowers and set it in a place you can see it, put on your favorite album, sing along and remind yourself that Kate is doing the same thing.
• Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Burn the rice, over salt your marinade, drop some lemon seeds into the dressing…it’s all-good.  As you get more comfortable with your favorite recipes this will happen less and less, your meals will get tastier and you will speed up the whole meal making process. But until then, just relish in the learning experience.   Just remember to have a few Peas of Mind products on hand so that when this does happen, you can toss a pizza in the oven with some veggie fries and know that your family is getting a health meal and that it will be better next time.

Organize your Summer

Here at Peas HQ we’re approaching the end of our second quarter and like most other businesses, we are working on wrapping everything up to ensure a smooth transition into next quarter.  The same can be done with you, your family and your home.  This is probably your final month of a calm house without the pitter-patter of little ones wondering, “what’s for lunch?” and exclaiming “I’m bored!”  Now is the time to finish up the school “quarter” and get everything in place for the summer “quarter.”

• Gather all of the piles of papers that have been floating around your house the past school year and organize. Create a memory binder for the report cards, tests, papers, crafts and projects that you want to hold on to and recycle the rest.  Also, create a similar binder for next year where you can begin to store important information for the future.
• Utilize the fact that your child’s school is still in session and begin any planning that needs to be done for next year whether this means ensuring enrollment, meeting with teachers or scheduling orientations.
• Create a mega-calendar for the summer quarter that will include vacations, activities, tutoring sessions and play dates. Make sure the calendar is in a place where everyone can access. Not only is this a great way to organize your families schedule, it’s a great count down tool to create excitement around an upcoming vacation.
• Set up some fun and educational goals for the next two months.  Whether it’s finally getting rid of those training wheels or mastering long division, summer is a great time to teach your children the importance of making goals and working towards them. 
• Summer is the perfect time to involve your kids in meal prep. Whether it’s teaching them to master the perfect pb&j sammy or letting them rip the lettuce for your family’s salad, getting your kids in the kitchen and engaging their interest in food is really an investment in their health.

Have a fantastic summer and let us know some of your organizational tips.

Breakfast Split

Our mother’s told us, our grandmothers told our mothers and I’m sure that our great-grandmothers told our grandma’s: they all knew that the most important meal of the day is breakfast.  In the morning, you are literally “breaking” your twelve-hour “fast” with breakfast.  This meal is so important because it refuels the body and kick starts the metabolism but the truth is, the same old bowl of cereal can get boring.  So Peas of Mind is here to add some excitement and fun to this important morning meal.  Let’s have dessert for breakfast! Now we know what you’re thinking, “doesn’t that defeat the point?” Not when you’re having a Peas of Mind, reinvented banana split! That’s right, we’re taking the classic favorite ice-cream shop treat and turning it into a nutrient-packed breakfast.

Peas of Mind Reinvented Banana Split:

• 1 Banana peeled
• 1 TBS of butter
• 3 Scoops of your favorite greek yogurt
• Toppings of your choice (i.e.: granola, raisons, etc.)

Lay the peeled banana flat on a cutting board. Slowly slice the banana lengthwise into thin slices.  Heat up a skillet and add the butter (the skillet should be hot enough to melt the butter almost immediately).  Place the banana slices in the pan and after about 1 minute flip the banana carefully not to break the slices.  Let the banana cook for about another minute.  Remove from heat and let cool.

Top the slices with 3 scoops of yogurt and sprinkle generously with your chosen toppings.  As you’re serving this nutritious banana split to your kids, don’t forget to say (in your best, wise mother voice) “now children, breakfast is the most important meal of the day and should never be missed!”

Fort FRYday!

Happy FRYDAY!  In celebration of Spring, the end of the week and our fat-free veggie fries being available in military commissaries, we're calling today a FORT FRYDAY!  

This week we're celebrating the woman behind        www.worldtravelingmilitaryfamily.com, Laurie Hebb.  She's a mother of three and military wife of a deployed husband.  So join us in saying thank you to Laurie and her family for all that they've done for our country.

More from this week's hometown hero, Laurie:

What branch of the military is your spouse in?
"The United States Air Force."

How long have you been a military wife/ husband?
"I have been a military wife for 14 years." 

Do you have kids? If so, what are their names and ages?
"We have 3 amazing kids.  Two boys 16 and 12 years old and a girl who is 9 years old."

Why did you start your blog and what is it about?
"I started my blog in 2008 because I was frustrated with the lack of information on the Internet in regards to traveling all over Iceland, Japan, and Europe.  Sure there was information about how to get to xyz or what to see, but not tried and true stories and pictures of people's adventures.  I'm a huge planner and researcher so this was really what I considered a huge need for the blog world, I wanted the ins and outs, the do's and do not's from other families who had done it before us.  So I started the blog so that it could be used as a resource for traveling with a family overseas, information on PCSing, experiencing different cultures, and just a general glimpse into the life of a military family. It's so rewarding knowing that other families can have access to the information from our tried and true trips and I look forward to posting about our adventures in Italy starting this summer!"

Do you or have you lived on base? Which one?
"We live on base and we love it. We tried living off base when we moved back here, (yes, back...it's our 2nd time here) and it just wasn't what was best for our family.  So as things go with the military I ended up doing a DITY (Do It Yourself) move after my husband deployed last time." 

What is the best thing about base life?
"I love that my husband's work is literally a 1 minute drive away so that he could come home for lunch, at least he did before he deployed.  It's also great that the kids are able to go out and play with their friends and I don't have to worry about them.  I also am thankful that the younger two kids get to attend the DODs school, the public schools in our area are not very good.  While we prefer living on base and have lived the 'Americanized' version of living overseas but still in the comfort of base housing, we'll be having a huge change soon.  We are PCSing to Italy this summer and there is NO base housing, excited but preparing myself for the challenges to come."

What is your favorite food to prepare for your family?
"Crockpot meals, you know the kind you throw in the morning and walk away and viola at dinner time you open the lid and serve the family :)  I've even found you can pre-make some of the meals and freeze them, then dump into crockpot when needed!  I use it at least 2 times a week and it makes my life SO much easier!" 

You are on a deserted island and can only bring one thing...Go!
"A Bible."

Is Military wife life what you thought it would be?
"No, its not.  Funny thing is that I remember swearing I'd never marry a military guy...and look here I am 14 years later happier than ever and LOVING our military life.  Being a military wife has been way better than I ever expected!  I love getting to move every 3-4 years and traveling the world.  I love making new friends, even though leaving them is hard. I love that being a military wife forces me to step outside my comfort zone, almost daily, I'm not the same person I was 14 years ago and I so thankful for how being a military wife has helped me to grow.  Yes, there are challenges but I haven't found one yet that we couldn't get through, including most recently a 15 month deployment."