Partial to Peas!

We know how challenging it can be to get your kids to eat their greens. As a parent, I am sure you are happy when they just eat anything green, but not all greens are created equal. We have created this comparison chart showing how different green veggies stack up against each other.

Our chart is based on consuming 1/2 cup of each vegetable in raw form. Clearly, green peas are the BIG WINNER followed by asparagus and kale.

Cooking vegetables doesn't always have a negative impact on their nutrition. There are some vegetables, that when cooked, may gain more than they loose.

Asparagus is a good example of this. When cooked (particularly boiled or steamed) asparagus supplies more antioxidants than in its raw form. Cooking does break down and destroy Vitamin C, but Vitamin C can be easily supplemented from fruit or daily vitamins, so it's worth it!

Look for our next blog post on which veggies are best to eat raw or cooked!

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/raw-veggies-are-healthier/

Food of the Month - Pumpkin

Here at Peas of Mind we love eating seasonally all year round.  But there's something extra special about eating (and lets not forget smelling and drinking) pumpkin this time of year.  This beautiful vegetable is sweet, grounding and warming and after a long summer of eating salads and fruit, there's nothing as satisfying as digging into pumpkin on the first cold day of fall.

That's why we couldn't think of a better Food of the Month for October then pumpkin!  And let's be clear, we're talking ALL pumpkins: white pumpkins, jack-o-lantern pumpkins, mini pumpkins and even canned pumpkin... they're all edible and all equally delicious and nutritious!

Why a piece of pumpkin a day can keep Doctor Frankenstein away:

• Pumpkin is a fiber powerhouse. So instead of drinking a chalky fiber drink when you're feeling bloated, make a pumpkin pie smoothie (1/2 cup of pumpkin, 1/2 a banana, 1 cup vanilla almond milk, 1/2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice, 1 tbsp honey and 1 cup ice, blend together and enjoy!).   
  
• Pumpkin is full of vitamin C. This important nutrient boosts your immune system and can ward off colds.  A simple way to add some pumpkin to your diet is by swapping out oil in your favorite desserts (brownies, cookies, sweet breads) for pumpkin. You'll cut the fat in half, add some depth of flavor and turn your dessert into a cold fighter! 
• Pumpkins are chalked full of vitamin A.  You can eat 100% of your recommended daily value of Vitamin A in just 1/2 cup of pumpkin.  So when your mom told you that carrots were good for your eyes, she actually should have recommended pumpkin!  Add pumpkin to your favorite soup. Simply cut into cubes (leaving the skin on) and add when the recipe calls for carrots.
  
• Pumpkins are rich in the anti-oxidant, beta-caroten which may help prevent cancer.  Add pumpkin as a side to dinner once a week and you'll be filling your family with cancer fighting goodness. A simple way to cook pumpkin is to cut the pumpkin into wedges (make sure you use a strong, sharp knife). With the skin on, toss cut up pumpkin in a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of salt and pepper and a 1/2 tbsp of freshly chopped rosemary. Place on a baking sheet and bake on 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender. 
• Pumpkin contains catenoids which eliminate free-radicals. This is not only good for your insides, it's good for your outsides as well.  Eating pumpkin will clear up your skin but using pumpkin in a facemask will immediately soften, moisturize and plump up your skin.  Mix 1/3 cup pumpkin, a drizzle of olive oil and honey and sprinkle in about 1 tbsp of crushed almonds. Apply mixture to your face and let sit until it dries.  Remove with a warm washcloth and admire your gourd-eousness!
  
  

Colorful Nutrition

Nutrition can be an overwhelming, ever changing topic. How do you ensure that you and your family are eating properly and getting all of the important vitamins and minerals (not to mention what ARE the most important vitamins and minerals)?  Because we love providing a little Peas of Mind to busy parents, we’re here this week to make eating right as easy as saying ROY G BIV! If you’re not sure what that means, go ask your 2^nd grader.  She’ll excitedly tell you that it stands for the colors of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.  Now is the perfect time to rely on the colors of the rainbow to get your nutrients as we still have the bounties of summer but are also starting to get the tastes of fall.  

We’re making an easy to follow color-coded guide that will help you fill up your plate (or your daughter’s lunch box) with nutrient packed produce.

RED: Strawberries, tomatoes, apples, beets, cherries, raspberries

ORANGE: Sweet potatoes, carrots (carrot fries), peaches, melon

YELLOW: Bananas, bell peppers, pineapples, asian pears

GREENS: Kale, spinach, broccoli (broccoli fries), apples, lettuce, kiwi

BLUE/VIOLET: blueberries, eggplant, blackberries, plums, grapes, figs

Each day eat AT LEAST one item from every color.  And keep in mind that it’s always a good idea to get your kids involved with healthy eating choices; let them help you pick out produce at the grocery store based on their favorite colors or have them pack their lunch keeping in mind, the more color the better.   What are you waiting for…it’s time to taste the rainbow!

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.  
   

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