Back in business

I'm back!!!!  Thank you all for checking in on me during my time away.  And thank you so much for coming back and joining me again!

I told you that my oldest mini had surgery.  I am not going to go into details today, but I will say that my oldest mini had a life-altering operation.  He has faced a huge loss, both physical and emotional, that was (and is) very painful.  As his mom, I have been (and will be) by his side through every moment.  He is doing ah-may-zing.  He is flying through recovery and is anxious to get started on his rehab.  And in the moments where most people would give up and cry, he has pushed through and found something to laugh about.  I feel like he's kind of the best person in the whole wide world.  

So what I am trying to say, is that I am coming back to this blog a different person than I was a month ago.  This blog will still be filled with my favorite yummy recipes.  This blog will still be filled with funny stories of my crazy minis (my oldest mini's operation has supplied me with tons of new material).  And this blog will still  serve to encourage you to take care of your health and to love and respect the body that you have.  But I don't think you go through what we have gone through and not come out a changed person.  So, just a heads up....I may more sensitive and emotional that I used to be. 

Today, I want to do something a little different.  I want to talk about how you can support someone when they are going through a difficult time.  The McGhees were overwhelmed by the support we received from our family, friends, and community this past month.  Like, way way way overwhelmed...many times to the point of being uncomfortable by how much other people wanted to help us out.  I know personally whenever I hear someone has suffered a loss or is going through a rough time, I always want to do something to help, but I never know what to do.  This is what I've learned.....

Do something.

If you are a gifted letter-writer, write them a letter.
If you are a gifted cook, make them a dinner.
If you are a gifted fitness expert, come to their house and help them workout.
If you own a shovel, shovel their driveway.
If you can hold hands and listen, hold their hand and listen.
If you are a gifted shopper, send them a gift.
If you can drive, help transport children.
If you can walk a dog, walk their dog (and lie when they ask how she did on the walk).
If you are a gifted beer-drinker, bring over a case 6-pack of beer and drink it with them.

Get my point?  When people are going through a tough time, reach out to them.  They'll never forget what you did.

One thing that people did for us was set up a meal train.  It was incredible.  For three weeks, I had someone deliver dinner to my family every single night.  Talk about a gift!  We appreciated every single meal and some of the dinners have become our new family favorites.  I will try and share as many of those recipes that I can get my hand on.  Today, I am sharing one that I loved, Emeril's Vegetarian Chili.

Emeril's Vegetarian Chili

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
• 1 cup chopped red bell peppers
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 to 3 serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded, and minced, depending upon taste
• 1 medium zucchini, stem ends trimmed and cut into small dice
• 2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 3 ears)
• 1 1/2 pounds portobello mushrooms (about 5 large), stemmed, wiped clean and cubed
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespooon ground cumin
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 4 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 3 cups cooked black beans, or canned beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 cup vegetable stock, or water
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• Sour cream or strained plain yogurt, garnish
• Diced avocado, garnish
• Essence, recipe follows, garnish
• Chopped green onions, garnish

1.  In a large, heavy pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, garlic, and serrano peppers, and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. 
2.  Add the zucchini, corn, and mushrooms, and cook, stirring, until soft and the vegetables give off their liquid and start to brown around the edges, about 6 minutes. 
3.  Add the chili powder, cumin, salt and cayenne, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. 
4.  Add the tomatoes and stir well. 
5.  Add the beans, tomato sauce, and vegetable stock, stir well, and bring to a boil. 
6.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro. Adjust the seasoning, to taste.

Top each serving with a dollop of sour cream and spoonful of avocado. Sprinkle with Essence and green onions and serve.

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

My favorite corn bread recipe would be perfect to serve with this chili.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1 cup corn meal
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 cup milk

1.  Cream together the butter and sugar in a medium bowl.  
2.  Add the eggs and beat well.  
3.  Combine the dry ingredients and alternately add the dry ingredients and milk. 
4.  Pour into a greased 9-inch square pan.
5.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until center tests done.

Chili for a chilly night

I went on a field trip with my middle mini today to a local nature center.  The best thing about this field trip was for the past 2 weeks, my mini has been telling me I was the best mommy ever because I was going on his all day field trip.  We spent the day hiking, tracking animals, bird-watching, learning about recycling, and just being one with nature.  I loved it, all those crunchy granola tree-huggers are my people.  Well, except for the leather purse I carry and huge SUV I drive.  There's room for improvement, right?

Since we spent the day in the chilly outdoors, I could only imagine coming home to one thing for dinner....chili and cornbread.  Now, chili is a super easy, but super diverse meal...you can add beans, noodles, veggies, spices....the possibilities are endless.  If it were up to me, I'd make a chicken and spinach white bean chili.  However, if I tried to pass that off as chili, Mr. McGhee would throw the bowl of chili at me and yell, "Woman! Go get me a bowl of chili." 

OK, maybe that last comment was a slight exaggeration.  But, Mr. McGhee has been known to brag about my chili, which makes me as giddy as the words "best mommy ever", so I'm not messing with my chili recipe.  The problem is, I don't exactly follow a recipe.  I pretty much throw these things in a pot and let it simmer all day.

• 1 lb ground meat (your choice-beef, chicken, turkey)
• one diced green pepper
• one diced onion
• cumin
• onion powder
• garlic powder
• large can tomato juice
• 2-4 cans diced tomatoes
• 1-2 cans kidney beans
• 1-2 cans pinto beans
• chili powder

1.  Brown the ground meat in green pepper and onion with cumin and chili pepper sprinkled on top.
2.  Add beans, diced tomatoes, and tomato juice. 
3.  Add spices.
4.  Let simmer.
I added some cooked quinoa.  Quinoa is a good way to sneak in some additional protein.  I also added some cooked spinach.  I served my chili with cornbread and chocolate-peanut butter smoothies.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie (serves 3 minis)

• 1 cup chocolate almond milk
• frozen banana
• 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
• 2 tbsp peanut butter
• ice

1.  Blend all ingredients.

Since we are talking about chili, I feel like there is a controversy I need to share with you.  There is a problem with canned tomatoes.  Tomatoes are very acidic and therefore leach the BPA out of the cans that contain them. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a nasty estrogen-mimicking chemical that has been implicated as a a risk factor for heart disease, obesity and diabetes. BPA has also been linked to reproductive problems and reduced sperm count.   Exposure to BPA during development is associated with an increased risk of breast, prostate and testicular cancers. It’s even linked to neurobehavioral disorders.  Another reason for concern, expecially for parents, some animal studies report effects in fetuses and newborns exposed to BPA.  In 2003, 93% of individuals tested had BPA in their urine, so chances are most of us do too. 

Here are the options I would recommend you try....
Eden Organic, which uses a BPA-free can lining
Pomi brand tomatoes in tetra-pack packaging
Trader Joe's brand tomatoes in tetra-pack packaging
Can your own tomaotes

BPA is nasty stuff, so read this article and educate yourself on how to make safer choices.  I try really hard to research this information that I share with you, but by all means, if you find any information is wrong, please let me know!

I am off to Florida for the weekend to run in a 5k and half-marathon.  Don't get too excited, I haven't done it yet.  I am hoping I survive and make it back on Monday.  Mr. McGhee has promised me that while I am gone he and the minis will not starve!  Wish me good luck and even more so, with Mr. McGhee good luck!