DIY Chips- Baked not Fried!

Homemade sweet potato chips are a must make! They are super satisfying and you will feel good when your kids gobble them up (since they are simply baked slices of sweet potato!) These are the perfect veggie side for the lunch box or after school snack!

DIY Chips
-2 white sweet potatoes, long skinny shape if possible
-olive oil spray
-salt to taste

Preheat oven to 400 F. Peel sweet potatoes and slice into rounds, making the rounds as thin as possible (slice with a mandolin if you have one!) Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with olive oil spray. Place rounds on parchment and spray tops of potatoes with olive oil spray. Lightly salt and put in the oven.

Cook for 12-15 minutes, flip rounds when the underside is lightly browned and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes. Baking times will vary depending on how thin your rounds are cut. They are finished when both sides are golden brown.

Pack it: Lunchbox Inspiration

"Pack it" our new series focusing on healthy "on-the-go" food, for your kids. The lunchbox is the perfect place to begin because it's September and back-to-school time. Here are some new lunchbox ideas that are quick, easy and don't call for too many ingredients.



1) DIY Veggie Patties
Steam any veggie of your choice until tender. To save time simply put veggies in a bowl with a little water and microwave for about 2 minutes until tender. We like using a broccoli-spinach mix. Next, put your veggies into a blender/cuisonart. Add eggs (1 egg per every cup of veggies), grated cheese of your choice (1/4 cup of cheese per every cup of veggies), breadcrumbs (1/4 cup of breadcrumbs per every cup of veggies, we use whole wheat crumbs for a nuttier taste), seasoning of your choice... we use garlic powder (about 1/8 tsp per every cup of veggies) and salt to taste.

Now blend until mixture is smooth. Coat the bottom of a pan with olive oil and heat on medium-high heat. Make mixture into thin patties/pancakes and fry both sides until nice and golden in color. These are great warm or cold. Dip in ketchup or tomato sauce! These can be made from start to finish in 30 minutes. Stash the extra's in your freezer.

2) DIY Crunchy Beans
open a can of beans of your choice. Firmer beans like chickpeas will have the best result but feel free to use any bean of choice. Strain the beans, wash them under cold water and pat dry. Coat the bottom of a pan with olive oil and heat on medium-high heat. Put in your beans and cook until lightly golden, about 15 minutes, stirring beans often. Put into a bowl and toss with seasoning of choice (we like using garlic powder), parmesan cheese and salt to taste. These crunchy beans can be eaten in so many ways: as a crunchy snack or mixed in with pasta for a yummy school lunch.

3) DIY Savory Oatmeal Bars
Savory oatmeal bars are the healthier, updated version of quiche. Our Savory Oatmeal Bars are full of oats and veggies instead of eggs and butter. Preheat your oven to 350F. Grease an 8x8 baking pan. In a medium bowl mix together: 2 cups of rolled oats, 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/8 tsp of salt and any spices you wish. In another medium bowl mix together: 2.5 cups of the milk, 1 egg, 1/2 cup of grated zucchini or sweet potato or other grated veggie of choice. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well. Pour into the baking pan and bake for about 40-45 minutes or until the center is set. Once cooled cut into bars and store in the fridge or freeze.

Carrot Cake Bites

We are so into no-bake energy bites right now! This version is packed full of carrots and is totally up our alley! Our Carrot Cake Bites are great to munch on poolside or to send off to day camp! Let us know what you think!

Carrot Cake Bites
-2 carrots peeled, chopped, steamed and cooled
-1/4 c of chopped dates
-1/4 c of almond butter
-3/4 c almond meal
-1/2 tsp cinnamon
-1/8 tsp nutmeg
-1/4 tsp salt
-1 tbs orange zest
-chocolate chips to your desire

Put all ingredients accept the almond meal, orange zest and chocolate chips in a food processor and process until smooth. Put mixture into a bowl and fold in 1/2 the almond meal (about 3/8 c), zest and chocolate chips until combined. Put mixture into the fridge for at least 2 hours to chill. Roll into balls and drop into remaining almond meal to cover. Store in fridge for up to 5-7 days (if they last that long

:)

Lunchbox Inspiration Snack Edition!

Lunchbox Inspiration Round 2!

We gave you some great protein ideas, and this week we’re giving you some snack options! Too often, the lunches we’re packing rely on cheese and yogurt for snacks, and while we happen to be raising omnivorous, we try to get a well rounded diet into our tots. Fruit and dairy are our default for grab-and-go, but we decided to challenge ourselves to come up with some other alternatives.

Here are a few general ideas, but you can always head over to Pinterest for more specific recipes!

  Polenta Fries

This recipe is easy to add veggies to – simply stir in some pumpkin or carrot puree for crispy fingers that will keep your tot going all afternoon.

 Corn Salad

Corn off-the-cob with some olive oil and basil or veggies makes for an easy dinner-to-lunch snack that’s great hot or cold.

Chickpea Nuggets

Also known as panisse, cooking up a big batch of chickpea flour and cooling it means you can cut it into an array of toddler-friendly shapes and bake them. Not to mention its another recipe into which veggies can be easily added.

 Carrot and Pepper Dippers

Sliced red pepper sticks or coins make carrot sticks a little more exciting, and add a bevy of nutrients.

Zucchini or Cucumber roll-ups

Sliced thin the long way into wide ribbons, spread with anything from hummus to pureed black beans, and roll them into pinwheels. Toothpick them in place if they get unruly.

Carrot Coins

Roasting carrot coins, either in with a little honey or a more savory olive oil version make this super healthy vegetable easier to eat for tots with fewer fully developed teeth, and provide a kick of sweetness in the afternoon.

 Mini Veggie Frittatas

It’s easy to skip the cheese in these, and cubes of sweet potato make them a little heartier so that the drive home isn’t a meltdown.

Sweet Potato Pancakes

There are a million recipes for these using everything from quinoa to banana, so use what you’ve got, make batch and freeze them for a grab-and-go snack that will defrost by the time they’re ready for a snack.

Crunchy Cauliflower

Dredge your florets in any kind of batter or panko or chopped up nut, roast ‘til crunchy, and pack them in a lunch with some tasty dip for kids who have mastered the dunk. 

Taquito Rollups

Fill a few small tortillas with some smashed beans and avocado and corn, roll ‘em tight, and bake.

No-Bake Carrot Balls

Figs or dates hold these together, loaded with shredded carrot (or parsnip or beet) and tossed in some unsweetened coconut for a tasty afternoon snack.

Veggie Skewers

Cubed up veggies like cucumber or naturally small ones like cherry tomatoes make vegetables fun! 

Roasted Veggie Chips

Zucchini, sweet potato, and beets all work well for crispy yummy veggie chips.

Spinach and Artichoke Dip 

Blend this up with a little avocado and real egg mayo instead of cream cheese for a savory spread on whole-wheat English muffins or cucumber slices.

Bumps on a Log

A classic for a reason!

Avocado Chocolate Mousse

Most recipes for this are little more than some mashed avocado, cocoa powder, and a little sweetener! A great alternative to pudding for the tiny choco-feinds!

Roasted Tomato

Cherry or grape tomatoes go under the broiler for a few minutes to get them extra sweet and concentrated, then straight into a lunchbox.

Secret Veggie Cheese Crackers!

Homemade Cheddar Crackers!

When you’re on the go and trying to keep kids fed and occupied while running errands, waiting in line, or in a high chair, one of the go-to’s for moms everywhere are cheesey crackers. They might be shaped like fish, rabbits, or little squares, and boy do they do the trick! Downside is they aren’t cheap, and they often have loads of sodium, oil, preservatives, and dyes.

Well we decided to create our own and in classic Peas of Mind fashion, we added veggies! Just a little pumpkin puree we had on hand (though you could use carrot or sweet potato) gives the crackers an extra boost of vitamins that we can feel good about.

We created an easy, quick, cheddar cracker recipe with just a few whole ingredients. Instead of oil we used real butter; we shredded some sharp cheddar cheese and we used whole-wheat flour. The dough freezes beautifully, or you can cut them into your desired shapes and freeze them on a baking sheet. Once the little shapes are frozen, simple bag them up and they’re all ready to bake whenever you want them!

Equipment : Food processor, oven at 350^o F

Ingredients :

2.5 cups whole-wheat flour

1 cup pumpkin puree

8 oz grated cheddar cheese

4 tbsp unsalted butter

1 tsp salt

Add all ingredients to the food processor and pulse until it forms a dough. Chill the dough in a plastic wrapped disc for 1 hour. Roll out the dough as thin as possible (less than 1/8^th inch thick) between two lightly floured pieces of parchment. Take the top parchment off and leave the bottom parchment in place. Cut the dough into a grid using the tip of a pairing knife (to look like the classic cheese-it). Place the piece of parchment with your cut shapes on a sheet tray and put into the freezer for 5-7 minutes (this makes the crackers a breeze to simply flip over onto a fresh sheet of parchment). Line a sheet pan with parchment and flip dough onto the tray. Bake at 350^o F degrees for 10 minutes, then watch closely as they go from perfect to…well done and remove from the oven when slightly browned. Let cool to crisp up! Keep in the fridge for up to 7 days.