Thank you for your comments in yesterday’s post! It really cheered me up when I read them this morning after another rough night of little sleep.
Lately, my eats have looked like this…
Blah. Those two pictures look about as exciting as I feel right now.
I think Eric got sick of watching me eat oatmeal, Coconut Bliss, and chia seed pudding all weekend, so he took matters into his own hands and made a kick-butt stew for dinner.
He grabbed every veggie he could find and he announced that a HEALING stew would be made for our unconventional Easter dinner.
With a little guidance from a recipe on Whole Foods, healing magic happened.
Featuring all new, protein-packed salads, hearty toppers, flavour boosters, and dressings you'll want to drink, my new cookbook will transform the way you think about salads. Oh, and be sure to flip to the back for a surprise dessert chapter!
Husband's Healing Stew
Yield
Over 10 cups
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Adapted from Whole Foods.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 small sweet onions, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 green onions, chopped
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground corriander
- 2 bay leaves (optional)
- 2 small zucchini, chopped
- 1 yellow pepper + 1 red pepper, chopped
- 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 4 cups organic vegetable broth (not low sodium), or more as needed
- 1, 28-oz can diced organic tomatoes (no added salt)
- 1/2 cup uncooked raw buckwheat groats, rinsed (or grain of choice)
- 1/2 cup uncooked pearled barley, rinsed (or grain of choice)
- 1/2 cup frozen Edamame (or bean of choice)
- 1.5 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp minced fresh parsley
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder (optional)
- 5-10 shakes red pepper flakes, to taste
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt + Black pepper, to taste
Directions
- In a large pot over low heat, add 1 tbsp olive oil and the chopped sweet onion, green onion, and minced garlic. Heat over low until translucent, about 5-8 minutes.
- Stir in coriander, cinnamon, and two bay leaves and heat an additional minute or two. Now, add in the chopped vegetables (zucchini, peppers, carrots) and cook for about 5 more minutes. Add a bit more oil if necessary.
- Stir in the diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, rinsed buckwheat and pearled barley (or grains of choice). Simmer on low-medium heat (dial 3-4) for 20 minutes, checking often to make sure it doesn’t burn or thin out too much. Add a bit more broth or water if necessary and reduce heat when needed.
- After 20 minutes, add in the lemon juice and additional seasonings- all to taste (minced parsley, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and salt & pepper). Cook for another few minutes, remove bay leaves, and serve with fresh bread. Freeze leftovers or store in the fridge.
Tip:
- You can have success using a wide range of vegetables, seasonings, and grains of your choice.
- Always adjust the seasonings to taste and add them gradually. My taste buds are quite muted right now, so we made it spicy. :)
Every good healing stew begins with garlic!
We used pearled barley and raw buckwheat, but you could use any kind of grains you want.
Oh and some frozen Edamame was thrown in at the last minute for extra protein.
Like most soups, there is a lot of chopping to do, but other than that, it is fool-proof.
After simmering for 20 minutes the grains cooked up and the stew got nice and thick.
Eric asked me to add more seasonings, and I think I went a bit crazy with the red pepper flakes! He said it was quite spicy, but I didn’t really taste it. ;) Oops.
Served with fresh bread and Earth Balance….it was the perfect, healing meal.
Even though I can’t taste or smell that well right now, I know this was a good stew! There was a lot of love in it.
The best part about this stew was that my sinuses were clear after eating it. ;)
For dessert, we had a piece of Carrot Cake Loaf with Lemon Glaze– which defrosted wonderfully by the way- and was SUPER fresh! We are in love with it. I will be making this loaf again and again.
There are a lot of healing leftovers for me this week! Take that flu. I’ll squash you like an ant.
Before you go, I have a little assignment for you…
Quite a few of you expressed interest that you would love a follow-up after my Lessons in Self-Love post. Intuitive and mindful eating seemed to be a topic that you wanted to explore more.
I thought it would be cool to see if you have any questions pertaining to the following areas:
- Intuitive & mindful eating
- Binge eating
- Calorie counting
- Weight maintenance
- Happy weight
- Disordered eating
- Body image/Self-confidence
- Hunger signals
I will be happy to provide my own experiences if you have anything on your mind that you would like explored more. Just leave your question (or questions) below and I will pick some of them to answer in a follow-up post, Q & A format.
That’s sweet of him and it looks like a great soup. Hope you’re feeling better soon.
I’ve recently realized I have a problem with calorie restriction combined with too much exercise. After getting sick in Februaury, I’m learning how to eat more balanced again and not feel a slave to the gym – which is a good thing – but as far as eating goes, everything is still measured, planned out, and counted to help me meet my daily calorie goal.
My question is, will there come a day when I don’t “have to” measure everything to make me feel better about eating what I’m supposed to eat?
And then on a side note – when I go out to a restaurant or to a family function, how do I prevent over indulging so I don’t beat myself at the gym the next day? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I feel comforted just looking at that stew. Major husband points.
I was wondering if you had any trigger foods in relation to binge eating (foods that started the binge). I know that for myself, I simply cannot have anything super salty around or I’ll get a bit crazy with it (pretzels, chips, tortilla chips, etc.). When I bake, I immediately have to pack some of it up and put it in the freezer or take it to work.
Oh man, that looks way too good. My stomach is growling. You are one lucky girl.
Thanks for the comment on my website, by the way. First comment! WOO.
I’ve been reading your blog from the beginning and I haven’t gotten that far but I am enjoying it. It’s like a book. :D
As I mentioned in my blog, I want to train for the half marathon….I don’t even know WHERE to begin. If you have any tips and training programs…that’d be awesome.
I love soups! I think it’s something that reheats well and is super easy to make. It’s also very budget conscious ;)
Hope it’s knocking that flu right outa town!
I think when I reached my “happy weight” I self sabotage. I start to say “oh I can have some extra snacks, I deserve it” then at the sign of weight gain I go into the whole “you’re terrible for eating that, might as well just have more then” mind frame. I’d be interested to hear how people deal with that. :)
oh my gosh! You have the cutest husband in the world!! I love that he did that for you! I love my hubby, but I don’t think he could cook/follow a recipe for the life of him :)
Looks delcious!!
This stew looks so good! I was just thinking of making chili or stew next weekend with some homemade bread. I think I just found what I’m going to make!
Is that bread one of your recipes? It looks wonderful!
Also, have you tried Oscillococcinum for the flu? I tried it when feeling the beginning stages of a flu coming on, and it knocked it out of me! Homeopathic, too!
Hope you feel better soon!
I do have another question:
Are you going to do another challenge this spring/summer? Maybe once your feeling better. Here in Florida, we’re already into bikini season! But I still have 8 lbs. to lose, fast!! Looking for a challenge to help! Thanks, -Susan
Hi Angela- I made the carrot cake loaf this weekend and it was fantastic! I made a couple tweeks by using 1/3 c. smart balance instead of oil and added 1/2 c applesauce. I also reduced the maple syrup to 1/4 c. and added a TBSP or so of molasses. I also used 1/2 tsp of allspice and only 1.5 tsp of the cinnamon. One last trick, I used a skewer to poke holes in the top of the loaf before drizziling the glaze, which allowed it to be soaked up and absorbed into the whole loaf, making it extra moist and delicious. Thanks for sharing this recipe. I will be making it again and again.
mm great idea!
Hello, well first off I am a big fan of your blog, I have made several of your recipes and they have all worked fantastically!
I have a question for you!
How have you over come negative self-talk, in both regards to self image as well as other aspects of life.
Thanks!
Get well soon! That stew photographed amazingly! Go husband!
If you’re taking questions, I have one: do you ever crave convenience foods, especially if you are out and about/busy? I’d say cutting way down on these is one of the biggest changes for me over the past few years.
What a gorgeous stew — I’m loving all the colors! Feel better!
Here are my specific self-love questions:
1) How did you find peace with your “trigger foods”?
2) How do you make up for a “bad day” (overeating-wise) without restricting food intake or overexercising?
3) How did you learn to not count calories even though you already knew the calorie content of most foods?
Thanks OSG! P.S. Is the bread homemade?
Yes it was homemade, but we werent happy with the outcome so I didnt share the recipe!
I can send you a recipe for a no-knead rye and wholegrain bread with grated carrots if you want… success every time and 100% vegan…
let me know..
Can I get that recipe too???
Sure e-mail me… I’ll send it to you.
DUH… might help to add my e-mail addy…
[email protected]
Hello! I’ve been following your site for a while now but I’ve never commented. But I saw this post calling for questions and thought I’d take the opportunity to ask away. I always look forward to your posts on self-love and having a positive attitude.
How did you initially begin to deal with your issues of binge eating? Did you have to cut out certain foods from your diet for some time? If you ever slipped up, were you able to stay positive? And if so, how?
Thanks :) And I hope you feel better soon!
Aw, what a wonderful healing recipe and thoughtful husband! Looks divine. I will definitely be trying this soon with all the rainy weather New England has been experiencing…get well soon!
http://sprinkledwlove.com
How did you friends and family react to your disordered eating, and when did they realize that you needed help?
Love that Eric cooked for you…I love when my honey cooks for me. :)
I suffered from disordered eating for a long time and feel lucky that now I don’t base my entire self worth on how many calories I consume in a day. But the one thing I do still struggle with is hunger signals. I eat at roughly the same times each day – 3 medium size meals and 2 – 3 snacks. But I don’t really recognize feeling hungry until I am ravenous – there doesn’t seem to be a middle ground for me, which makes it hard to eat intuitively. Any advice??
I feel the same way! I never notice feeling hungry until I feel like I’m about to drop! It’s extremely frustrating, so I would also love some advice about it too!
I’m recovering from anorexia and one thing my nutritionist tells me is that at this stage intuitive eating is not really possible for me. I need to stick with a schedule (3 meals, 3 snacks) because I have a hard time feeling hunger and fullness still. She said eventually I will be able to IE but that is a long way off.
It took me almost a year to really recognize my hunger signals, so I can really relate to those questions. The best thing you can do is stick with it and be patient. :) I think a schedule may work well in those instances. generally I like to eat every 3-4 hours to keep my energy up.
That stew looks delicious! So pretty & colorful!
Feel better soon :)
Hey Angela,
I love your website and find so much nourishing and comforting information on it. What i’m wondering is two things regarding binge eating.
One, when you are away from your home either traveling or eating out, are you triggered to binge by certain foods, since it is often hard to find healthful nourishing vegan foods in the average restaurant. (for me especially, living in rural Alberta). I cook very clean meals at home and dont bring processed food in that will trigger me, but i really struggle with traveling, which i have to do a lot of for work.
My other question is if you have found help with behavioral therapy or through any other professional supporting you, or instead have strictly improved from the work done through your own self help?
Thank you again for such an inspiring and beautiful website!
This stew looks awesome – I just made a soup last week putting all the veggies in I could find, too! I think my biggest struggle is punishment. Any suggestions on how to not punish yourself for eating something that your mind thinks is “bad” – I think this also goes along with how to eat in moderation or understanding the consequences if you do decide to eat something that’s not healthy. Thanks Angela! Feel better!