Vroom Vroom

Sometimes the hardest part of the day is figuring out what to make for dinner. If, after reading this post, that is still the hardest part of your day, then you must be retired in paradise and I’d like to come live in your guesthouse!

Broccoli and cheddar and chicken (or chickpeas!) are nutritious and quick to throw together on weeknight. So what else is key to have on hand as a vehicle for tasty veggies and lean protein?

We’re here to answer that! Here are some quick, easy vehicles for chicken/broccoli/cheddar, and each is less painful than stepping on a hot wheels car with bare feet.

Baked into a casserole!

Stir-fried with rice!

Baked into crescent roll dough – mini hot...calzones!

Toppings on a pizza – pick up the dough at the store!

Added to muffin-tin egg cups!

Tossed with whole wheat pasta!

Piled onto some baked potatoes!

Quesadilla’d!

Inside stuffed shells!

Turned into broccoli and cheddar soup!

Or skip the vehicle entirely and bake the broccoli and cheese right into the chicken! If you bread it first, you can call it Chicken Kiev! This is a little tougher with chickpeas ;) but tofu works quite well!

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!

The Frozen Files

The freezer can be an incredible time saver when it comes to preparing healthy meals for your family.  As you know, that’s were you can find our Peas of Pie, Veggie Wedgies, Pull-a-Parts and our Garden Grown Nuggets but what other tasty treats are best kept in your freezer?  This week’s Peas Perspective is here to help you make the most of your freezer space so that you can save both time and money. Did you know that a stocked freezer uses less energy (which costs less) then an empty freezer?  When a freezer is full less air is needed to circulate thus requiring less power.  Let’s get your freezer stocked with healthy goodies so you can spend less time cooking and more time enjoying nutritious meals with your family!

BREAKFAST:

Think smoothie - most things that you put in your morning smoothie are perfect for your freezer when kept in air tight bags and containers.  Stock up on inexpensive seasonal fruit at your farmers market, wash it and prep it for your blender then freeze it so you can enjoy later in the month. Fantastic Frozen: peaches, berries, mango, banana (peeled), pineapple and kale.  Do not freeze: spinach, lettuce, citrus (but you CAN freeze citrus juice and zest) cantaloupe and cucumber.

LUNCH:

Think Soup – making a HUGE pot of soup on your day off and freeze it in individually sized containers; this a great way to ensure that you and your family always has a quick lunch for those busy weekdays.  Fantastic Frozen: vegetable soups with grains, beans or meat (ie: soups with a broth or pureed vegetable base).  Do not freeze: dairy based soups (ie: chowders or soups with a lot of butter and cream) tend to breakdown and curdle when re-heated .

DINNER:

Think your family’s favorite entrée – does your family completely devour your homemade enchiladas? Well make twice as much, break it down into small containers, fill to the brim (a half-full container can get freezer burn) and thoroughly seal. Fantastic frozen: rice, quinoa, beans, sauces (marinara, ratatouille, chili), tofu, chicken and beef. Do not freeze: anything with avocado, yogurt sauces, sour cream, anything freshly fried, sauces made with flour and mayonnaise.  

What are your favorite freezer meals? (Besides Peas of Mind’s products of course.)