November's Recipea: Butternut Squash Quesadillas

Here at Peas of Mind, we make it our mission to practice stealth health.  Our number one priority is that your kiddos eat their daily dose of veggies...BUT we want them to also be passionate about food.  That’s why we make fries out of broccoli, pizza with hidden veggies in the crust and nuggets that contain a whole serving of vegetables!  This month we’re practicing stealth health by taking a universally kid loved classic and secretly adding in our favorite fall vegetable.  For November’s recipea we’re making butternut squash quesadillas! This quick and easy to prepare dinner is packed with protein, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin C and calcium and will leave your little ones asking for seconds and thirds!

Butternut Squash Quesadillas:

• 1 small-medium butternut squash peeled and cubed into small squares (if this seems too daunting, many grocery stores now carry pre-cut butternut squash both fresh and frozen varieties)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• ¼ cup water
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• ½ cup of grated cheddar cheese
• 1 tsp chili powder
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 8 small flour tortilla
• 1.5 Tbsp butter (use about 1 tsp to fry each quesadilla)
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro (optional)

Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high.  Add onions and cook until translucent and almost caramelized.  Add butternut squash and sauté until somewhat golden. Add water, cover and let cook for about ten minutes on medium-low.  Uncover butternut squash (the butternut squash should be tender and fully cooked, if not, cook for another 5 minutes). Add salt, chili powder and smoked paprika.  Mash up butternut squash cubes until you get a lumpy mashed potato like quality. Place filling in a large bowl and set aside.  Clean skillet and also set aside.

Lay out 8 tortillas and start building quesadillas.  Add a thick layer of butternut squash filling, a light sprinkle of cheese (just enough to ensure that everything sticks together) and a small sprinkling of cilantro (optional) to one tortilla and use another tortilla to top (as you would a sandwich).  After you’ve built 4 quesadillas, melt 1 tsp of butter on medium-high heat in a skillet and brown each side of the quesadilla (this should take about 3-5 minutes on each side).  Cut quesadilla into triangles and serve with a light sprinkling of cilantro and salsa.

Waste not, Want not

Contrary to what many think, eating fresh vegetables and maintaining a healthy diet does not need add strain to your weekly grocery budget. In fact, there are many ways to utilize every part of certain vegetables to save money AND add even more of a nutrient power punch to your diet.

This week the Peas Perspective is here to give you some ideas on how to waste not and $ave more.  We're going to show you how to save common kitchen scraps that are usually thrown out and repurpose them so that they're delicious and even more nutritious.

CHIVES/GREEN ONIONS:
When cutting scallions and green onions, start with the top, leaving the roots and white part of the onion untouched. Fill a small glass with an inch or two of water and place the chive bottoms in the water. Do not fully submerge the onion; only the roots and the very bottom of the onion should be in the water.  The onion will quickly (almost right before your eyes) start to regrow.  Next time you need a quick baked potato topping, they'll be ready and FREE.

ARTICHOKE WATER:

After your artichokes are done steaming don't throw out the water.  Put it in a jar to save for later or if you're feeling extra motivated take a quick pre-dinner shot.  Artichoke tea and water is climbing the list of foods trends, the reason being is that the water is loaded with antioxidants, protects the liver and kidney, has anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.  A great way to use this nutrient dense elixir is by simply adding it to the next soup you make; your family won't be the wiser but you'll know that there livers will!

ORANGE PEELS:
Candied orange peels are one of our favorite fall treats. Check out Giada's recipe and don't forget to save your orange peels (or any other citrus for that matter); we recommend that you keep a ziplock bag of citrus peels in your freezer and add to it as you devour these tasty winter fruits. Then one Sunday when you're feeling inspired, defrost them and follow the above recipe.

BROCCOLI STALKS:
Many people simply cut off the stalks or stems of the broccoli and toss them in the garbage. Which, let's face it, is usually about half of the vegetable.  Yes, the skin of the stalk tends to be woody and almost inedible, but what's inside is crispy and delicious.  Cut off the stalk as you normally would and use your knife to cut off the skin.  You can use a peeler but we find that a knife is easier to ensure that you get all of the skin off.  The middle of the stalk can be eaten right then and there as it's very crispy and moist; broccoli stalk also makes a fantastic addition to your vegetable platter, can easily be chopped into the perfect slaw or simply used with broccoli florets to steam and cook as you normally would broccoli.

WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS:
Make vegetable stock!  If you're prepping a lot of veggies, there's no reason to throw anything away. Simply wash your veggies as you normally would and throw the scraps in a pot of boiling water.  We're talking onion skins, carrot peels and tops, potato skins, the tops of your favorite root vegetables. The only thing we don't recommend using in your stock is cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower and kale as they tend to have an off putting smell when boiled for too long.

Okay... let's get scrappy!

Get your Freezer Ready for Back to School

Now is the time to enjoy the last moments of summertime R&R. Yes, school has started, but it’s not yet Labor Day, the days are still long, PTA meetings have yet to begin and the holidays are still off in the distance.  This weekend is a great time to organize your household so that come GO time (the non-stop marathon that is September, October, November and December) you’re ready!

 One of the best ways to make your life easier this Fall is to utilize your freezer so that even on your busiest nights, dinner can be hassle-free and ready in a jiff. 

Load up on your family’s favorite homemade entrees:  pack your freezer full of meals made with love by you that  also freeze well.  Our favorite frozen homemade meals are enchiladas, lasagna, soup and stew (broth based soups, as dairy based soups don’t freeze well), Peas Protein Burgers, veggie casserole and shepherds pie.  When packaging these frozen meals, make sure that they have thoroughly cooled and are loaded to the brim; too much space in the container will cause freezer burn.

Load up on premade staples:  Next time you make grains, beans or some kind of sauce, prepare extra and freeze for a rainy (busy) day.  You can use these sides as a base for a quick meal, adding fresh veggies to freshen up the dish.

Peas of Mind will save the day:  Stocking your freezer with Peas of Mind products will leave you and your little ones happy, satisfied and feeling good about the fact that you’ve all eaten your daily dose of veggies. All of our products have clean, simple ingredients loaded with FULL servings of veggies. Not to mention the fact that cook time is minimal. 

 Now is your time to utilize your nice long weekend and get your freezer back to school ready; your future self will thank you!

Breakfast with s Smile

One of the best things about getting pancakes at a diner is the whipped cream smiley face. There’s something about a steaming hot stack of smiling pancakes that just makes kids want to squeal with delight.  This month we’re reinventing the smiling pancake stack by cutting the flour in half and replacing it with oats and using baked in fruit instead of the whip. This smiley-faced reci-pea is guaranteed to warm the house and belly even if there is a blizzard outside!

 Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup quick cooking oats

¼ tsp cinnamon

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp of salt

2 cups milk

1 Tbs maple syrup

1 Tbs lemon juice or vinegar

3 Tbs canola oil

½ tsp of salt

An assortment of sliced fruit for the pancake faces (bananas, strawberries, kiwi and blueberries make the best faces and taste great in the pancake batter.

Method:

Pour milk into a bowl. Add lemon juice or vinegar and set aside for 5-10 minutes.  (This is a simple and inexpensive way to make buttermilk).

Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Stir in all wet ingredients (including the buttermilk that was just made) taking care not to over mix.

Preheat a large skillet on medium heat. Lightly coat the pan with canola oil. Pour about ¼ cup batter into the pan for each pancake. Cook about 3 minutes, or until bubbles form on top and sides are a little dry. Place your fruit into the pancake to create a silly face. Flip, and cook another minute or until pancake is cooked all the way through.

Makes 6-8 pancakes

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.)

Shocking Sugary Stats

We all know that too much sugar is a bad thing.  We know that processed sugar is just empty calories that can lead to obesity, tooth decay and other major and minor health problems.  But did you know that according to the USDA economic research service, the average child under twelve eats 49 POUNDS of sugar every year?  This means that there are five and six-year-olds out there eating their weight in sugar each year!  Here at Peas of Mind, we want to help you ensure that your child is not within this statistic. Check out these three easy tips that will help you and your family drastically lower your daily sugar intake.

1. Steer clear of the empty calories of sugary drinks by making your own homemade soda's, juices and spritzers.  Water is always the best liquid but we know this may not be what your child is craving.  Instead of juice from concentrate, freshly squeeze oranges or if you have a high powered blender, combine your favorite fruits and veggies and strain using a cheese cloth (much less expensive then buying a juicer).  Make a homemade soda by combining seltzer water with a dash of fresh squeezed OJ or a squeeze of lemon and a dollop of agave.  If your child has a major sweet tooth, make the spritzer to their sweetness liking then lower the amount of agave or OJ you put in the seltzer every day which will eventually change his pallet.
2. Making homemade desserts may sound like a large task but why not spend an hour on Sunday baking with the kids and getting them involved with their food?  You can easily lower the amount of sugar in a recipe by replacing the processed sugar with natural sweeteners like beet puree, applesauce and mashed sweet potatoes.  This will not only give the dessert the desired sweetness your kids crave, you’ll be infusing the sweet-treat with an extra dose of vitamins and minerals!  Check out our delicious, quick and veggie infused corn muffin recipea or our sweet potato cinnamon rolls recipea.
3. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again.  Read labels! Children should be eating between 12-16 grams of refined sugar per day so take that into account when buying packaged foods.  If the granola bar that you’re about to buy has 12 grams of sugar in a serving, put it down because that’s almost a days worth of sugar in one bar.  Here at Peas of Mind, we believe that it’s up to YOU, the parent, as to how much sugar/salt goes into your child’s food.  This means that we add very little to our products, allowing you to make the decision on how much sugar your child eats. Our Peas of Pie, Veggie Wedgies and Nuggets all have less sugar then leading brands so fill your freezer up with these delicious meals and give yourself some Peas of mind when it comes to your child’s sugar intake.  
   

Orange-Honey Frozen Yogurt

With all the great feedback we've gotten on our hand-shaken ice cream reci-pea, we had to do a fro-yo spin-off!

Here's a wholesome, homemade version of soft-serve for the kids to enjoy this summer, and you won't need an ice cream machine to make it! Using ice, salt and some elbow grease (with your help, of course!), kids can make their own healthy frozen treats this summer. Makes 2-3 servings. Serve with any kind of fresh fruit.

Orange-Honey Fro Yo

• 1 cup plain yogurt,
  Greek yogurt preferred (non-fat, low fat, or full fat)
• 2 TBL sugar
• 1 TBL honey
• 1/8 tsp vanilla
• 1/8 tsp orange zest
• 1 TBL orange juice
• 2 ice-trays of ice
• 1/3 cup salt

In a blender or food processor, combine the yogurt, sugar, honey, vanilla, orange zest and orange juice. Blend until smooth.

Place 1 cup of the yogurt mixture in a 1 quart zip-top bag, squeeze most of the air out and seal the bag. Add about 2 trays of ice cubes to a 1 gallon zip-top bag (about 1/3 full) then add 6 tablespoons of salt. Place the small bag of yogurt inside the large bag of salt and ice, squeeze most of the air out and zip the large bag closed.

Wrap in a kitchen towel and hand to a child to shake and squish for about 7 minutes until the yogurt mixture firms up. The more you shake, the smoother the finished frozen yogurt will be. Retrieve the small bag of now frozen yogurt, snip off a corner of the bag, and squeeze out your fro-yo! Top with any fresh fruit.

Button Cookies!! Sooo cute

I came across these super cute cookies while surfing the web. It would be a great addition to any party, especially wedding and baby showers. It's such a sweet idea and super easy, the kids will love to help out with the decorations. Thanks to blogger Lorraine Elliott from "Not Quite Nigella!"

Click here for the recipe:
http://www.notquitenigella.com/2009/05/07/shortbread-buttons/