Autumn's in the air

Not so sure about your neck of the woods but this past weekend, autumn arrived!  Here at Peas HQ we are so excited to welcome the season that celebrates apple cider, root vegetables, Halloween, black cats, cinnamon flavored candles and fall foliage.   The one thing we’re NOT so thrilled about is welcoming flu/cold season. And wouldn’t you know it, before we could say “pumpkin spice soy latte” we’re sneezing, congested and sick with this season’s first bug. 

We’re hoping that the same doesn’t happened to you so we’re revisiting our Fight the Flu series from this past winter to give you tips on how to keep your immune system up, ready to fight off any bug that comes its way.

1. Wash your hands! Suds up with warm water and soap and sing happy birthday and when you get to the final “happy birthday to yoouuuuu” you’re officially germ-free.
2. Rest up!  This is the time of year when summer Friday’s come to an end and schedules become jam packed so it’s extra important to find time to catch up on sleep and relaxation.  Try choosing one evening a week where you and your family get to throw a peas of pie in the oven, watch a movie and go to bed early…put it in your schedule and stick to it!
3. Start your day with a nutrient power-packed smoothie.  To get the most out of this easy morning breakfast, use Kale…as much as you can. If you can get 2 servings of greens and 2 servings of fruit in your morning breakfast you immune system will fight off any virus that tries to attack.
4. A Walk a day keeps the doctor away! Exercising on a regular basis helps to lower stress and speed up the rate our white blood cells fight off illness; this has a major immune-enhancing effect.
5. Take 20 minutes to enjoy the sunshine each day.  This is the last month that the sun is out past 6pm so take time to relish that vitamin D. Roll up your pants, grab a glass of water, put away your phone and breathe. 

Start off this season on the right foot by following these 5 steps and we know that you’ll make it through this fall healthy, happy and energized.

Reinvented Fried Rice

Reinventing kid food is what we do best! We take pride in providing busy parents like you the Peas of Mind that comes with feeding your little ones all natural, veggie infused meals that take minutes to prepare.  This month we’re reinventing your family’s favorite take-out dinner: fried rice! 

 As usual we’re shaking things up by packing this dish with whole veggies while slashing the fat.  We’ve even replaced rice with quinoa (pronounced keen-wah), which wows with 7 grams of COMPLETE protein per serving! Not only is this meal quick and easy to prepare, if the quinoa is cooked a head of time, it’s a one pot meal which makes clean up a cinch!

INGREDIENTS:

About 4 cups cooked quinoa, al dente

1/2 onion, small dice

1 large carrot, small dice

4 florets cauliflower, chopped

4 leaves kale (or cabbage or other leafy green), stems removed and shredded

1/2 cup frozen peas

about 1 tsp chopped ginger

1 tablespoon sesame oil

juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce, to taste (or substitute salt)

sesame seeds, for garnish 

METHOD

Cook quinoa according to directions. Bring to boil, then turn off heat and let sit covered while you begin stir-fry. It should be fully cooked but not soft or mushy.

Heat sesame oil over high heat. Add onion, carrot, cauliflower and ginger. Stir-fry about five minutes, until onion are translucent and cauliflower begins to turn golden brown. Add kale and cooked quinoa and stir-fry for two minutes to combine. Add frozen peas, lemon juice and tamari and stir to combine. Cover to steam about three to four minutes over low heat. Once peas are defrosted and bright green, taste for seasoning. Serve in bowls and garnish with sesame seeds (which are this month's food of the MONTH, find out why here).

Makes 4 servings

This recipea is not only packed with veggies and protein, it is unbelievably quick to make. In the time that you would call a take out restaurant and pick up the food, this reinvented fried rice will be ready to eat. So throw out those take out menus and breath a sigh of relief knowing that your kiddos are being nourished with this month's Recipea!

Food of the Month - Sesame Seeds

If you haven’t noticed, here at Peas of Mind we LOVE food! We love to make it, eat it, talk about it and write about it.  We are constantly finding new foods that we are amazed by or finding new uses for some of our favorite foods.  That’s why we’re starting a Food of the Month club; where each month we’ll feature a new, nutrient packed power food!

This month we’re featuring the ever-versatile sesame seed.  We love sesame seeds because of their nutty flavor, the incredible crunch they can add to any dish and most of all because when sesame seeds are ground up, they  make the one and only tahini (tahini is the secret ingredient in most hummus as well as the base for an incredible sauce/dressing and is simply sesame seed paste)! Sesame seeds and tahini are both a must have in your kitchen not only because they are incredibly tasty and adaptable, sesame seeds are a nutrient rich power food that can do everything from lowering cholesterol and reducing anxiety.

Health Benefits of sesame seeds and tahini:

• Rich in Mono-unsaturated fat, which can help lower “bad cholesterol” and raise “good cholesterol”
• High in protein and amino acids
• Contains B complex vitamins like B2, B1, B15, B3 and B5
• ¼ cup of sesame seeds (or 3 tablespoons of tahini) contains more calcium then a glass of milk  and is much easier for the body to digest
• Tahini has been known to aid in digestion and help the body absorb nutrients
• Sesame seeds and tahini are an incredibly rich source of iron, manganese, zinc, magnesium, selenium

Incorporating sesame seeds and tahini into your diet:

• Tahini salad dressing (¼ cup tahini, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, add water to thin (about ¼ cup and salt and pepper to taste)
• Add sesame seeds to marinades
• Toast sesame seeds and sprinkle on salads, stir fries, toast and cookies
• Hummus (you can make your own but most store bought hummus contains tahini…just read the ingredients)
• Add to granola (get creative and make your own using sesame seeds AND tahini) for a nutrient packed lunch box treat

So when your little ones ask what the white specs on her cookies are, you can proudly explain that they’re SESAME seeds: Big bird’s favorite seed and the namesake for the street he lives on!