Prevent Headaches with Food

Over 20 million Americans regularly experience headaches. I actually have one as I write this blog ;)  Here at Peas HQ, we not only like to use our food as fuel but for it's healing properties too. Here are some ways to avoid headaches using foods!

First, stay hydrated; dehydration can cause headaches.

Second, get enough magnesium. Research has found that people with migraines have low brain levels of magnesium and tend to have generally low magnesium levels. Getting enough magnesium also helps prevent heart disease, diabetes, loss of bone density, and colon cancer. Below is a list of foods naturally rich in magnesium.

(chart above from the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter)

Lastly, try avoiding the following foods which may lead to dull headaches

• bananas
• cheese
• chicken
• citrus
• onions
• peanut butter
• sour cream
• fresh baked yeast products

Sources

• Prescription for Nutritional Healing by Phyllis A. Balch.

• The University of California, Berkeley Wellness Letter from the School of Public Health, Volume 27, Issue 10, July 2011.

The "other" greens

"Finish all your Greens" demanded your Mom which is why you repeat it to your little ones.  "Greens" which usually makes us think of broccoli, spinach, kale and salad fixings are an essential part of a healthy diet.  But because we're Peas of Mind, we're here to shake things up and change the way you think of greens and help you incorporate some "other greens" into your families diet.

We're talking about FRESH HERBS! Now that it's spring, herbs are available at your local grocery store, your favorite farmer's market or hey, even your garden!  Not only are they loaded with nutrients they're packed with flavor and can add zest and pizazz to any meal. Yes, herbs are great to cook with but for an extra dash of flavor and nutrition, add freshly chopped herbs to your fully prepared meal. Uncooked-raw herbs are much more potent.

Our favorite herbs include basil, dill, thyme, rosemary, cilantro and parsley.  Fresh herbs like these contain a powerful antioxidant as well as an anti-bacterial that can help you fight a cold! Most herbs are extremely high in vitamin K and are a loaded with vitamin A and C, iron, magnesium and folate.

Now you can confidently serve your family their favorite meals: add extra parsley and basil to your favorite pesto recipe, a double sprinkle of cilantro on your famous enchiladas and put another sprig of rosemary in the lemon, garlic noodles that your kids love so much!  And with all these meals, you'll never have to say "FINISH all your greens" because they'll eat everything up and they'll never be the wiser!

The power of Elmo

Here at Peas of Mind, our mission is to get kids to eat their veggies (as well as give parents a little Peas of Mind about the food they are feeding their children).  We reinvent those unhealthy dishes kids love, like fries and pizza and infuse them with TONS of veggies, making nutritious versions of kid's favorites, the whole family will enjoy.  With that being said, we love hearing about great ways to get kids to eat their vegetables, which was why we were so intrigued by the Elmo Study.  The Elmo study was a study done that compared children’s choice of broccoli versus chocolate, “unsurprisingly, 78% of the kids chose the chocolate, and just 22% chose the broccoli. But when an Elmo sticker was placed on the broccoli and an image of a generic cartoon character was stuck on the chocolate, half of the children chose the broccoli. 

This got us wondering, do you have any tricks up your sleeves when it comes to enticing your children to choose broccoli over chocolate? We knew a mom who called all vegetables “sports candy” and her son just loved his “sports candy.”  He would gobble down, Brussels sprouts (his favorite variety of “sports candy”) because it made him strong, powerful and ready to play his favorite sport, soccer.   Share your stories with us and let other parents know how you get their kiddos to scarf down broccoli, brussel sprouts and beets. 

Find out more about the Elmo Study here:
http://foodpsychology.cornell.edu/outreach/brand.html 

We're heading to Expo West

This is an exciting time here at Peas of Mind because next week we’re heading to Southern California to introduce our new product line at Expo West.  Expo West is a huge trade show highlighting organic, natural and other healthy products; anything you’d find in the aisles of a Whole Foods will be exhibiting at this show (all the way from Pet food to tea to hummus to kid's food)!

We’ll be there handing out samples of our new product! Any guesses what it might be? Here are three hints:

1. It's a kid's food classic.
2. It's loaded with Broccoli and carrots.
3. When paired with our veggie wedgies it makes a really yummy, complete and healthy meal.

Kitchen Staples that will give you Peas of Mind!

Here at Peas of Mind we’re always trying to find simple and quick ways to eat healthy.  Over the years we’ve found a few kitchen staples we like to always have in our fridge, freezer and pantry and thought it was about time to share them.  These ingredients are not only cost effective they are also totally versatile and can be used in dozens of different ways for quick, nutritious and satisfying meals. 

Pantry

Quinoa: This ancient grain is a complete protein and super easy to make.  It takes half the time of white rice to cook and has a nice nutty flavor that can be used in place of rice, in soups and as the base of a salad. 

Quinoa Pasta:  An absolutely delicious gluten free pasta option PLUS it’s a protein powerhouse. It cooks up in under ten minutes which means that while your pasta is boiling you can heat up some marinara sauce, add some finely chopped kale, sliced mushrooms and fresh herbs and you have a deliciously complete meal in under 15 minutes. 

Garbanzo beans: Whether you choose to call them garbanzo beans or chickpeas they’ll always be PACKED with calcium and fiber. By adding these to a salad, a veggie-stir fry or using a blender and puree them into hummus you’re making sure that you get a major dose of protein and ensuring that you’ll feel nice and full.

Coconut Oil: We are using coconut oil in place of butter in baking, pan-frying with it and using it as our starter oil when cooking garlic and onion for any dish.  It’s been shown to help the body absorb vitamins, fight off viruses and reduce inflammation not to mention the fact that it’s buttery and delicious! And even though it's not the cheapest of oils, a little goes a long way.
Oats: Besides the obvious breakfast porridge, oats can be used in many different "non-breakfast" ways. Sub oats in place of flour in cookies and crisps, cook into a savory porridge with herbs and mushrooms then cut it into squares and pan fry it with coconut oil for a delicious savory polenta like side dish and  use as a healthy option to crust fish in.

Freezer

Frozen Brown Rice: This is our favorite “I’ve got NO time to cook” grain option.  It takes 3 minutes to heat up, can be found at Trader Joe’s for under $4 and is totally nutritious. 

Veggie Wedgies, Peas of Pie and Pull-a-parts: We always have our freezer stocked with Peas of Mind product because you never know when you’re going to need a meal in under 10 minutes and how great is it that you’re feeding your family their favorite foods and sneaking in all the goodness that comes along with veggies.

Produce

Lemons: Lemons are packed with vitamin C and have been known to reduce heartburn by alkalizing acid in the body.  Lemons also help your body absorb iron so adding a squeeze of lemon to your veggies, fish and sauces is not only fresh and tasty but it's also really good for you.

Fresh Herbs: Fresh herbs can bring your color-less leftovers to life, add fresh and bold flavors to simple meals and are packed with a surprising amount of vitamins and minerals.  

Apples: This time of year is a great time to always have apples on hand.  They are a great snack (apples and peanut butter tops the list as one of our all time favorite snacks) cut up and topped with oats, coconut butter, sugar and cinnamon to make a super quick and yummy apple crisp or toss in a smoothie for added sweetness and fiber. 

Kale: This is one of the most vitamin packed foods you can eat (I’m pretty sure Popeye was eating Kale not Spinach all those years).  Whether you’re adding it to your smoothies, stir-frying it with oil, lemon, salt and pepper, subbing it for lettuce in a sandwich, finely chopping it and sneaking it into your pasta sauce or adding it into your homemade pesto, it’s an incredible food to add into you and your family’s diets. 

The following are some honorable “kitchen staple” mentions:  black beans, pecans, peanut butter, sesame seeds, olive oil, frozen fruit, canned tomatoes, cheddar cheese, pan spray and tofu.

So add these items to your shopping list and get creative in the kitchen. We'd love to hear about any recipes that you come up with using our kitchen staples, feel free to comment below.

Valentine's Day Reci-pea

Valentine’s day is a day overflowing with love, hearts, flowers, all things pink and CANDY, CANDY, CANDY! So on a day when candy, chocolate and cookies are supposed to be consumed for every meal how do you make sure that your family is eating healthy but still enjoying the holiday? Simple, you make this month’s reci-pea: St. Valentine’s Vegan Cornbread Muffins!  These sweet treats can be consumed as a healthy dessert or a yummy breakfast because they are low in fat and contain applesauce instead of butter and eggs.  We’ve also added beets, which not only turns the muffins a festive shade of pink, they add vitamin A and C.  Vitamin A is important for healthy bone development and vitamin C helps the body heal. Have a happy and healthy Valentine’s Day and enjoy!

St Valentine’s Vegan Cornbread Muffins:

• ½ cup white cornmeal

• ½ cup whole-wheat pastry flour

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ¼ cup applesauce

• 2 medium beets (should be about ¼ cup when puréed)

• ½ cup soymilk or other milk of your choice

• ¼ cup agave nectar

• 2 tablespoons canola oil

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Cut and wash beets (do not peel). Place beets in a pot and cover them with water.  Boil over medium heat for 20 minutes or until beets pierce easily with a fork.

Once the beets are cool enough to handle, gently rub the skins with your fingers until the skin peels off.

Roughly chop beets and place them in a food processor.  Add enough water to pulse into a smooth puree.  Continue to pulse until beets are very smooth.  I opted for the easier option of buying precooked and peeled beets from Trader Joes (this speeds up the recipe quite a bit).

Lightly grease a muffin tin with pan spray.

Combine white cornmeal, wheat flour, baking soda and salt in a large bowl; stir in the beet purée and applesauce, soymilk and agave.

Pour mixture into a muffin tin.

Bake for about 15 minutes. (To make sure they are fully cooked check by inserting a toothpick to see if it comes out clean). 

Makes 6 Muffins.

Grocery shop like a pro!

Last week we had a pretty chaotic grocery store experience.  As we left the store and pushed our over-flowing cart into the parking lot, we realized that we had just committed some major grocery shopping “no nos.” We rolled through each aisle “window shopping” throwing anything and everything into the cart that sounded yummy (at the time). We were beyond hungry so we grabbed a bag of something salty and crunchy and munched until the bag was empty and at the check out counter, stared in shock as we realized we’d gone way over our weekly grocery budget.  So as we plan this week’s grocery outing, we’ve decided to figure out a few simple ways to make the experience and outcome easy, breezy and healthy.

1. Make a list. The last thing you want to do is browse.  Before you head to the store, figure out what you actually need for the week and organize the list by sections in the store so that you’re not making circles and ending up in aisles you don’t want to be in.
2. Plan a head.  When you make your list, plan for actual dinners and lunches.  But it’s also important to shop for all occasions; be prepared for Saturday morning pancake requests, savory after-school snacks like our Pull-a-Parts which are yummy and contain a serving of veggies in every box.  Don’t forget about that night you really don’t want to cook (which usually happens to us on Friday after a long week).  Your best option is to have lots of Peas of Pies on hand!  Quick, yummy and totally nutritious!  
3. Read and compare labels.  It’s so important to choose food with a few ingredients, if you find yourself reading the label of something for more then one minute, put it back.  You want to look for foods that contain fiber, vitamins, calcium, iron, potassium and magnesium and foods that are low in sodium, trans and saturated fat and cholesterol.   
4. Don’t go hungry!  Your hunger pangs will fill your cart with things that may sound good at the time but usually they’re food you’ll really regret when you’re unpacking your groceries.
5. Bring a reusable bag.  This not only helps the environment but it allows you to think realistically about how much food you’ll be buying. If you get to check out and you have more food than you do bag space, you might want to rethink those two boxes of brownie mix that were buy one get one free. 
6. Pick out one new food (we highly recommend experimenting with a seasonal vegetables and grains).  This will help save you money (seasonal produce is usually on sale), encourage your family to try new foods and help you liven up your recipes.  Its win, win, win!

Fort Frydays

Fort Frydays is back celebrating our Veggie Wedgies, which are now available in military commissaries!

Today our hometown hero is Kristina Doss, a military daughter, wife and mom.  By day, Kristina is a journalist whose work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal and The Washington Times and by night, she's a hometown hero taking care of her husband and daughter.  

Photo by Camille O. Martin-Jones

More from Christina, this week's hometown hero:

What branch of the military is your spouse in?

"My husband is in the U.S. Navy. He has served our country for 12 years and my family is incredibly proud of his service and all that he has accomplished so far."

How long have you been a military wife?

"I’ve been a military wife for almost seven years. During that time, my husband and I have moved, lived and traveled around the world. (We currently live in Singapore.) It’s been quite the adventure – one that I share on the blog My Traveling Troop."

Do you have kids? If so, what are their names and ages?

"Our daughter Bella is four years old. We also have another bundle of joy on the way."

Do you or have you lived on base? Which one?

"We’ve lived both on and off base over the years. I think both options offer wonderful and unique experiences. For us, the choice to live on or off base depends on the area and what stage in life we’re in at the time we have to make the decision."

What is the best thing about base life?

"Living off base has given us an opportunity to develop friendships with locals and, when we’re overseas, learn about their culture and customs more. On the other hand, living on base provided us with an immediate sense of community and support from people who also live and understand a nomadic lifestyle."

What is your favorite food to prepare for your family?

"That’s a tough question, because I love to cook! But if I had to choose one, I would say chicken and brown rice soup. The dish is easy to make and healthy since it’s packed with protein, vegetables and fresh herbs. My husband and daughter love it."

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

"I’m going to imagine that this deserted island has excellent reception so that I can bring my iPhone. The phone has a map application, so I’ll always know where we are and how to get home. I can call for help and Google how-to instructions on how to build a fire, pitch a tent from the materials around us and forage for food while we wait for help to arrive. Plus, it doesn’t hurt to have a little entertainment while you’re stranded somewhere. "

Is Military wife life what you thought it would be?

"I grew up as a Navy child; my father served for 20 years. As a result, I had a good sense of what to expect when I married someone in the Navy. But truth be told, as a military wife I’ve experienced more surprises and adventures than I ever could have imagined."