Peppadews!

Last summer, I flew 2068 miles to Seattle to meet four girls I met on the internet.  Imagine this conversation.....

Heids:  Mr. McGhee, would you mind if I go to Seattle for a few days this summer to meet some girls from the internet?

Mr. McGhee:  Sounds good.  Where are are you going to stay?
Heids:  At the home of this girl I met on the internet.  

Mr. McGhee:  Sounds fun to me.

Now, this is how the conversation went with the other 20 people I told......

Heids:  I am going to Seattle to meet four girls I met on the internet.

other person:  You are FREAKING nuts!!!  Oh My Gawd, you are going to end up missing!!!  Where are you staying?
Heids:  At the home of this girl I met on the internet.  

other person:  You're joking, right? You can not be serious?!?!?  You are traveling 2068 miles to meet strangers from the internet and you are going to stay at their house!?!?!?  Heids, I seriously question your logic.  I mean, honest to God, who in their right mind flies across the country to meet strangers at their house?!?!

Heids:  Well, here's the thing.  Mr. McGhee and I made this New Year's Resolution to make 2011 the year of adventure, so I am thinking this sounds like a great adventure.

other person:  You and your freaking New Years Resolutions are ridiculous....

Well, the trip to Seattle ended up being ah-may-zing.  I got to spend the weekend with 4 girls that I had known for 8 years, even though we had never met.  We shopped, ate, and drank our way through Seattle.  We talked until 4 in the morning and then woke up at 7 because we had more to talk about!  And we laughed until we cried.  And then one of us started talking about something that made her cry and  then we were all dabbing tears because we're women and that's what we do.

Here is part of the group.  OMG, I am an AMAZON!!!

Shopping for that night's dinner.

The most beautiful bouquets I have ever seen.  $5 each.  Incredible.

I couldn't stop taking pictures of the vegetables.  

This was the most amazing experience I have ever had.  We kayaked with the Seattle skyline in front of us and mountains behind us.  This is on my must-do-again list.

So, why am I posting about this?  Well, part of it is self-indulgent because I totally miss these girls and it was at this time last year that we began planning our trip.  But, there is another reason why I was reminded of this trip today, and it's these babies right here.....

My fabulous friend from Seattle introduced me to the peppadew.  Peppadews are a  piquante pepper from South Africa that was discovered in 1993.  How cool is that?!?!?  They were discovered around the same time that The Fresh Prince of Bel Air was discovered!  You can find peppadews in grocery stores or markets that have the fancy olive and mushroom bar.  I had mine on top of my omelet today and Oh My.  Delish.  

Spinach, Goat Cheese, and Peppadew omelet

• butter, olive oil, or grapeseed oil
• handful of spinach
• salt and pepper
• cooking sherry
• 2-3 tbsp goat cheese
• 3 eggs
• 1-2 tbsp milk

1.  Melt butter, olive oil, or grapeseed oil in pan.

2.  Add spinach and a splash of cooking sherry.  Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper.

3.  Saute until spinach is wilted.

4.  Beat eggs in a separate bowl.  Add milk and stir.  Add goat cheese.

5.  Dump eggs over spinach and cook until eggs are cooked thoroughly.

I enjoyed mine with a pomegranate spritzer  in my cup that I got at the original Starbucks in Seattle.

I have to be honest....I went back twice and added more peppadews to my eggs.

I REALLY want you all to try this dish.  You could easily turn it into a quiche and serve it for lunch or dinner with a side of breakfast meat.  Or, if you really wanted to impress someone, you could invite them over for breakfast and make this dish along with broiled grapefruit.  Just to warn you, if you do that, people may think you're getting all fancy on them.  I would recommend making sure your house is nice and messy just to offset the fanciness of your meal.

Busy dinner night

Who here has a busy family?  Much to my dismay, the mini McGhees are way too busy.  See, I would prefer to pick the minis up from school, come home to a homemade snack, ride bikes, play board games, do an art project, eat dinner, take baths/showers, read, pray, bedtime.  You know, end our nights with one of those "Good Night Jon-boy" moments from the show, The Waltons.  Our real life is more like this, pick kids up from school, shove snack down their throats in the car, yoga lesson, therapy session, golf lesson, swim practice, soccer practice, baseball tryouts, homework, dinner, sniff-test (oh, you're fine, no showers tonight!), read, pray, collapse in bed in a state of exhaustion with shouts of "we said good night, that means we don't need to see you until it's time to say good morning." 

And I don't see life slowing down anytime soon, as I have minis chasing dreams of becoming the next great swimmer/baseball player/soccer player/yogi/golfer.  And if those dreams don't work out, my minis want to work at a smoothie shop when they grow up.  And live in an RV on the beach.  I'm all like, "dude, if you can find out a way to make that work, go for it."  My dreams are to find a way to help provide for my family without ever having to leave the comfort of my own home.  So, to me, an RV on the beach sounds like a lofty goal.

Today is Wednesday which means we will be eating an early dinner before swim practice and then coming home and having a snack afterwards.  Dinner will be tortillas with hummus and black bean stuffed bell peppers.  I got the hummus recipe from Mr. HPT.   

I won't have the time to make homemade tortillas, so we will eating these raw tortillas.

Hummus

• 2 cans garbanzo beans
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 6 dashes cayenne pepper
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 dashes cumin
• 3 tbsp olive oil

1.  Drain most of juice from garbanzo beans.
2.  Place beans in Pyrex dish or equivalent and spread out evenly.
3.  Place in oven at 375 degrees for approximately 15 minutes.
4.  Remove from oven and place in blender or food processor with other ingredients.
5.  Blend until smooth.

I added a bit of tahini and a pinch of kosher salt.  I don't have a fancy food processor, so I needed to thin mine out a big with the juice from the garanzo beans.
Spicy Black Bean Stuffed Peppers
First step is to roast your peppers.  You can do this ahead of time.  You can also make extras.  I love to mix roasted red peppers in with my scrambled eggs or on top of salads. 
1.  Coat bell peppers generously with olive oil. Put them on a baking sheet and broil them under flame until they begin to turn black. Turn peppers until each side has been blackened. Remove from baking sheet and place in a bowl. Cover bowl with saran wrap. 

2.  Let the peppers sit for a while, at least 30 minutes. Take peppers out of jar and pull stem off. Dig inside of pepper and remove the seeds.

3.  Carefully peel the outer skin off of the pepper.

4.  After peppers are all peeled, set aside. Resist all temptation to eat them. They're worth the wait.

Next step is to make the black bean stuffing.

1/2 medium sized onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 TBSP olive oil

15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup water

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp salt

pinch cayenne pepper for a little heat

1/2 cup sweet corn

1/2 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese, or any cheese you like

fresh cilantro, salsa, and sour cream for serving 

1. Heat olive oil in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Add your onion and saute for 3 minutes, until beginning to soften and turn translucent.
2. Add garlic and stir constantly for 30 seconds, until fragrant.
3. Stir in your black beans along with the water.
4. Add your cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt, and cayenne. Stir, cover the pot, reduce the heat to low and simmer the beans for at least 15 minutes, but up to 30 minutes.
5. Stir in corn. Divide the bean mixture evenly among the two peppers and sprinkle with cheese.
6. Broil for 3 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling. Garnish with fresh cilantro, salsa, and sour cream if you’d like. 

Just a tip, make a double or triple batch of the beans and once they are cooled, stick them in a freezer bag.  These freeze very well and are a blessing on those, "oh *&#@, what's for dinner?" nights. 

After swim practice, we will most likely come home and have pomegranate smoothies (the minis are obsessed with those right now) and popcorn.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup pomegranate juice
• 1/2 banana (I freeze brown bananas and they are perfect for smoothies)
• 5 strawberries
• 1/2 cup yogurt (please use plain, I used my homemade yogurt)
• 1 tbsp ground flaxseed

Directions:
Put all ingredients in a blender, and blend until desired consistency is reached.

A heart-to-heart with Heids McGhee

Before I start today's topic, I feel like I should publicly apologize to Madonna for suggesting that she should step aside and let Gaga take over.  Madge, you've still got it and since I know that you really take negative comments from blogging moms to heart, I apologize to you.  And, wow, what a game!  I am neither a Giants nor Patriots fan....truth is, I am not even a football fan, but I was a big ole' bundle of nerves that last minute of that game.  But then again, I was also pacing nervously watching The Voice....I mean, why can't everyone win?!?!?

Anyway, moving on.....


February is heart health awareness month.  And since I am the proud mama of 2 minis with a congenital heart defect and a 3rd mini with a heart that I am convinced is made of gold, I thought I would focus on heart healthy foods for the next days. 

There are several foods that doctors, homeopaths, personal trainers, dieticians, nutritionists, blogging moms and really  hot celebrities all agree should be a part of everyone's heart-healthy diet, and lucky you....I made a list!   

1. berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries)
2. brocolli
3. coconut
4. flaxseed
5. legumes
6. oats
7. oranges
8. pomegranate
9. pumpkin
10. salmon
11. green leafy vegetables (spinach, kale, etc)
12. tea (green or black)
13. tomatoes
14. turkey
15. walnuts
16. yogurt

This list is really not difficult to encorporate into your daily diet.  Let's start with breakfast.  Who here drinks breakfast smoothies?  You should!  It's like starting your morning with a milkshake everyday!  My boyfriend has a recipe on his website for a heart-healthy smoothie "circulation smoothie". 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup pomegranate juice
• 1/2 banana (I freeze brown bananas and they are perfect for smoothies)
• 5 strawberries
• 1/2 cup yogurt (please use plain, I used my homemade yogurt)
• 1 tbsp ground flaxseed

Directions:
Put all ingredients in a blender, and blend until desired consistency is reached.

Now, I want everyone to raise their right hand and repeat after me, "Heids McGhee, for you, I will try this next smoothie recipe.  And then I will tell everyone to come to your blog and get the recipe because I agree that America should start its morning with raw spinach."

Ingredients:

• 1 frozen banana
• 1 tbsp peanut butter
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt (again, I used homemade)
• 1 cup milk (I use skim, you can use soy, almond, whatever your choice is)
• 1 large handful of raw baby spinach
• 1 tbsp ground flaxseed

Directions:
Put all ingredients in a blender and blend. 

This smoothie is so tasty, the minis and I love it.  And, honestly, how bad-ass is it to start your day out drinking raw spinach?  You will have serious swagger.  You will probably develop a "dude, I drink raw spinach for breakfast" look that you can shoot to random irritating people throughout the day.  Brilliant!

So, what it is about these foods that are so stellar?  Good question, and lucky for you, I know the answer!

Berries are a great source of antioxidants.  Antioxidants is one of those buzz-words that you are hearing everywhere, but do you really know what they are?  Your body is subjected to free radicals daily (from our environment, stress, medication, processed food).  When a free radical gets into your body, it will attack your body's organs and tissues in order to neutralize itself, and in doing that it causes damage to whatever it has attacked.  Free radical damage leads to chronic diseases and inflammation....one of the big ones being heart-disease.  So, eat your berries.

Pomegranates are also loaded with antioxidants.  One of these antioxidants prevents damage to your arteries caused by LDL cholesterol (the "bad" cholesterol), while raising the healthy HDL cholesterol.  Pomegranate juice also acts as a natural coagulent, which means that it prevents blood from forming clots.  And, recent study shows, that pomegranate juice improves the amount of oxygen that reaches your heart muscles and lowers blood pressure.  Pomegranates also have been shown to treat arthritis pain, lunch cancer, influenza, several cancers, Alzheimer's and control diabetes.  I like to drink pomegranate juice all day with my fizzy water and I love putting pomegranate seeds on my spinach salads.

Yogurt is good for your GI tract because it promotes the growth of good bacteria that keeps things running smoothly.  A recent study showed that 2-3 servings of dairy caused a 50% reduction in high blood pressure and now yogurt is part of the DASH diet that clinicians use to manage high blood pressure.  Stick with plain (and try greek for additional protein), the flavored yogurts have a scary amount of added sugar.  You can always sweeten up plain yogurt...my minis love theirs with frozen raspberries, and I love mine with mashed banana and honey.

Calorie for calorie, spinach is the most nutrient-dense food you can eat and is filled with powerful antioxidants.  These antioxidants prevent the free-radical damage of cholesterol.  When free radicals damage the cholesterol in your body, it becomes sticky and sticky cholesterol clogs your arteries.  Spinach is also contains magnesium which helps keep blood pressure healthy.  Spinach also contains folate, which helps convert stroke-inducing chemicals into harmless compounds in your body.  And, did you know that a salad size portion of spinach works to lower your blood pressure within hours.  Dude, that is way cool! 

Ground flaxseed is something I toss into smoothies, yogurt, granola bars, cookies, bread, etc.  Ground flax is rich in fiber, which we discussed weeks ago.  Flaxseed contains omega-3s, which your body uses to produce prostoglandins.  Prostoglandins are used to regulate metabolism, central nervous system, immune system, and inflammatory response.  Now remember, when your body's inflammatory response is inflammed you will get heart disease, so keeping this response tightly regulated is so important.  Flaxseed is the richest source of lignans, which give you anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-cancer health benefits. 

Alright, I think that's enough information for today.  I am speaking from the heart here (no pun intended, but that was just way too easy) when I ask you to please try these recipes or come up with your own ways to incorporate these foods into your diet.  Take care of your ticker and enjoy a lifetime of good health!