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.
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. :)
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)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.
Hi Angela,
After overcoming a 6-year bout of anorexia (YAY!), I started to get a LOT of cues to binge. Unfortunately, it has been something I have been struggling with. Not often, but it is sometimes really difficult to switch off my brain. I live alone in a single dorm room, which can be very isolating, and sometimes, I just feel so out of my element. If you could share your top tips on handling binge-eating stress, I would love it.
Love,
Heather
hee – I read this as “husband stealing stew” and thought WHAT is she up to now!! :D
feel better soon!
HAHA!!
that stew is beautiful your husband knows what hes doing :) feel better!
That stew looks delicious! I have the Whole Foods app on my iPod and love it – I’ve made some of the best meals from it! Hope you start feeling better (or 100% better) soon!
If that doesn’t make you feel better, I don’t know what will. You two are blessed to have found one another.
By the way, I made your 15 minute avocado pasta the other night and we’re in love with it too!! Thanks for posting such wonderful recipes.
Aww what a sweet husband :) Feel better! I’m sure you will be better in no time because you live such a healthy lifestyle. The doctor who said he’d had it for four weeks probably eats a cheese burger a day!
That stew looks so delicious!! I’d be interested in hearing about how you cope now with times when you over-indulge a bit. I often beat myself up for eating “too much” and have trouble letting it go and being at peace with it.
I really love reading your daily glow posts! My questions would be: You seem to stay within the same weight range for the most part – How often do you weigh yourself? If not very often, how did you stop weighing yourself often and obsessing over the number? And how did you learn to not care about the number on the scale as much?
I find this to be the thing I struggle with the most. I eat healthy at least 80% of the time, but my boyfriend likes to go out to eat at a restaurant about once a week or go out for some drinks. I’ll agree, but beat myself up over it the next day because I feel “fat”. When I weigh myself and I’m not where I’d like to be, it ruins my entire day. I love food and trying out new restaurants and want to be able to enjoy those things in life (in moderation) instead of beating myself up about them.
I just have a question about VOO. Are they really sticky and “gluey” after sitting out all night? What is the texture like? That’s what scares me about them.
Love your blog. You’re so inspiring.
I think the best way to describe them is ‘doughy’ :) The texture is quite slimey from the chia seeds…but I got used to it and now I love it.
I’d like it if you’d talk about “happy weight” in the context of various life chanages. What might be your happy weight range at one point — training for a long race distance — may not be your happy weight at another — such as mid-way through pregnancy. However, both weights might be perfectly healthy for you, and you find you are pretty much OK with both. (I am using two personal examples of how the weight that I was comfortable with was pretty different, depending upon life circumstances.) It’s my observation that when people talk about their happy weight, they still have some sort of range/number in mind. . . even though our bodies are really just adaptive and can be “happy” and “healthy” at different points/weights/etc.
I’m currently wondering if it’s possible to attempt to lose weight in a healthy way when you have a history of eating disorders. My relationship with food is pretty decent now and I feel pretty good about the food choices I make most of the time, but I would like to lose a little weight. In addition to stepping up my exercise, is it advisable to adjust my eating, and is it even possible without my mind going to restricting mode? I find it very hard to distinguish whether I should have that extra spoonful of pb in my oats because I want it and that’s part of recovery, or if I should go without because I don’t NEED it.
OR, do think I should just learn to accept where my body is now, in which case do you have any advice for accepting your body and lifestyle when you are surrounded by people constantly trying to push themselves harder. I always worry that people will think I’m not doing my best to be healthy if I’m not thin/fit/toned.
I’m on the same page as you… my relationship with anorexia started 12 years ago (hard to believe it’s been that long!) and I’m now at a stage where most of the time I eat healthy without thinking too much about what I’m eating… but I do still fight that battle you described… do I eat this extra such-and-such because I want it and I know I’m not supposed to be denying myself food, or do I not eat it because I don’t actually need it? Do “normal” people balance a day of less-healthy choices (i.e. pizza) by eating less the next day (i.e. salad and lean protein)? I simply don’t know what I’m SUPPOSED to be doing as a “recovered” person. Do people judge me based on how much they see me eat or how thin/fit I appear?? And I still struggle greatly with the hunger/full feelings – I rarely feel true hunger signals, and when I do, it’s always accompanied by nausea etc. because I have gone too long since eating last – but how do I know since I don’t feel hungry until I get to the point of so-hungry-I-can-hardly-think – and then am SUPER full after eating only a few bites? For heaven’s sake… sometimes I think recovery is a hell of a lot harder than just letting anorexia back in. I think I’d like to hear a bit on that, Angela – do you ever have those days?
This recipe looks amazing! The ingredients list alone had me drooling. Thanks!
Eric is a sweetie and that soup looks awesome! I’ve been reading a bunch of the comments and all the topics sound really great, I’d love seeing pretty much anything and everything that has been suggested!
What a sweet gesture from your husband, and that sounds like it would be quite the healing elixir. Hate to say it, but I’d be frightened what my boyfriend would put into a pot of stew. He only makes hot dogs and pb&j, and those never made anyone feel less sick.
That is so sweet, and impressive! My boyfriend’s kitchen abilities are limited to easy mac and hot pockets…
Hi Angela,
I love your blog! I read it daily, and since I know you have struggled with binge eating, I wish you could talk more about it. It seems like it is something a lot of people struggle with, but do not talk about. Do you have advice from stopping binging and overeating permanently? I tell myself almost every day that it will never happen again, but it inevitably does.
Thank you!
Chrissy
Uh, sweetest thing ever? Check. I want a hubs like yours. Also your dinner looks way better than my dinner on Easter. It combines my love of drippy/melty nut butters and Earth Balance. Droooool =)””’
I’d like to see some stuff on intuitive eating. I’m trying to get there and so it would be nice to learn more about it.
Oh wow, my boyfriend wouldn’t even know what to do with all those veggies!!
Hm, I would love to know more about hunger signals, and when to stop eating. I’ve recovered from an eating disorder for over two years now, and whenever I eat, I always eat until I feel really full, otherwise, my mind is really unsettled. I can’t do the “eat until your satisfied” trick, and it really bothers me that I can’t stop, but then end up completely bloated. Any suggestions?
Thanks :)
Thank you for that post; it was well-written and made me step back and think quite a bit.
I have a question for you… How would you tell (or help) someone close to you who may be harming themselves with disordered eating and low self-confidence? Where can self-confidence be found or cultivated?
That stew looks wonderful! What a wonderful hubby! I hope you are starting to feel a little better! What kind of bread was that, it looked so good!? Also I made the carrot loaf and mine was really dark and I am not sure why. It was brownin colored? I am wondering if I used the wrong flour. I thought I had spelt flour it was in an unmarked container. Does spelt flour have black specks in it? That is the only thing I can think of.
I would love to know about when to eat and when to stop. Especially with exercising. I always think I have to eat more to keep my body fueld and I am not sure if I do. Also how to stop counting calories!! I feel like I am addicted to it! Thanks!
Spelt doesnt have black flecks in it (to my kowledge!), so perhaps a different flour?
that stew looks amaaazinggg! feel better soon!=)
I found zinc losenges to be REALLY helpful in beating this cold/flu action that is terrible this year. I bought cold-eeze mint flavor (since zinc is kind of nasty). They really seemed to help! Hope you feel better soon.
My question is about binge eating. Sometimes after I eat a meal, even if it’s filling and nutritious, I find myself walking over to the pantry and continuing to eat, whether I’m hungry or not. They aren’t serious binges in my case, and more often than not it’s healthy food, usually dried fruit or something sweet, but I know it’s not necessary, even if it’s not that bad for me. How do I combat these urges? I’ve definitely tried to put thought into staying away from the pantry/fridge after meals, but for some reason, it’s really really difficult for me. Any suggestions or strategies to help me?
Hi Angela!
I love your blog, you are SUCH an inspiration! I have struggled with anorexia in the past.. and though I am now at a healthy weight its a little more than how much I usually weigh. I want to lose just a few pounds in a healthy way, but I dont know how to! I’ve thought about just eating very clean for 2 weeks but when i try nothing seems to work! Should I just try doing the “crap free” weeks like you did??
Angela the soup looks wonderful and I can’t believe Eric made that! My hubs, in 12 yrs together, has never made me anything..then again, he’s not a cook and he’s a liability in the kitchen so I order him to stay out. lol
Seriously though, great recipe and great photography!! It can be hard, heavy to hold a big camera, and draining to take beautiful photos of food b/c of the magnitude of shots required and then the editing….so I am really impressed your cranked out such great images being sick!
Now, go rest please :)
The Q & A session…sounds awesome and thank you for being so generous and willing to share with everyone. Here’s one of mine…not totally what you mentioned…but similar…
Do you feel pressure to only showcase certain foods, i.e. natural, vegan, “healthy” in some capacity on your blog? Do you ever just want to feature a super nonhealthy dessert but fear reader backlash and outcry? Or you have no desire at this point in your eating journey to show things like that anyway? (I personally think I eat “healthy” but still love some really “unhealthy” desserts…haha!)
I struggle with all of those areas. I went to see my doctor recently about disordered eating, but I haven’t filled out the info that the center I was referred to needs in order to assess how they can help. After the doc appt I did really well being mindful while eating and had no binge episodes…but that lasted maybe two weeks before I tripped up again. I’ve seen my weight just go up and up, and while I do exercise, it only seems to somewhat combat my eating. I didn’t always have this problem, so I’m not sure how it got started or why.
My advice would be to go back to your doctor and talk to a professional as they will be able to assess your situation and find coping methods for you. I dont feel like I could help you not knowing your situation. I do know that when I saw a therapist, my behaviours improved a lot.
That. Looks. Incredible. Wow. that is my kind of stew. I hate soups because they are usually “thin” and watery. It must be thick and filling!
What kind of bread is that? I must make that carrot loaf gosh….
Hmm..questions…kind of difficult – I have a million – but a lot of mine are related to binging and feeling so worthless…and the next day like crap and knowing I need to do better…but I still want foods that are regular and not just “veggies” and Fruit – i hate when people say that…
But from what I’ve read your binging seemed to be more sporadic and only a weekly thing …I’m talking like way more than once a week so I don’t think it can be compared fairly…
Hi Angela,
I am an active highschool student, and I have been battling with an anorexia for just over a year and I am currently struggling on my road to recovery. Your blog has been a great source of inspiartion and motivation for me on my journey as you are living proof that a healthy body image as well as normal eating patterns can be restored. I am hoping to go to university next year, but I am having trouble adjusting to eating independantly.
My questions for you are:
How did you adjust to normal, unrestricted and instinctual eating once you reached your natural, healthy weight?
How did you know how much to eat and how often to snack in order to fuel your rigorous exercise?
What strategies did you use to escape eating disordered habits and tendancies?
Thank you for your time and I hope you can help!
-Anna
Eric is too cute! you should let him read all the raving reviews he got so he’ll be bound to repeat his kind gesture ;)
get well soon!
Angela- Thank you for doing a Q&A on those topics. I’ve struggled with disordered eating since I was 11 years old, and I very much respect your honesty and approach to these issues. My question is this:
How did you deal with the fear of gaining weight when you stopped restricting your diet? Though my eating behaviors have improved, I still struggle with “letting go” of that sense of control because I have a huge fear that I will suddenly gain 20 pounds, though I know intellectually that my weight would actually stabilize at a healthy point. I think this is a common experience for those of us who have disordered eating. How did you deal with that intense fear of “getting fat?”
Thank you!
My question is, what helped you the most to become an intuitive eater? I have problems with deciding what to eat quite often. Usually it’s a debate between something I’m leaning towards, and something I feel like I SHOULD be leaning towards. I’ll want one thing, and then think, “I should make THIS instead because I haven’t had any veggies today.” Whenever I do this, and I land on the “healthier” choice over what I truly want, I regret it. I always end up wishing I listened to myself. Chances are, what I REALLY wanted was not even unhealthy to begin with, and I would have been a lot more satisfied. How did you teach yourself to be intuitive?
If that question is too difficult to answer, I have one about hunger signals. Do you ever go a while without eating, but don’t end up feeling hungry when you normally would? When this happens to me, I don’t know whether to eat or not eat. I feel like I SHOULD eat, because I don’t like to skip meals, but I also feel like my body would tell me to eat if it really needed to. What causes hunger signals to go away? Do you have any tricks to keeping your appetite on a steady schedule? (I suppose this partially relates to being intuitive.)
Oh and by the way, I just want to say that I’ve always loved your blog. I think you’re gorgeous, and such a healthy inspiration! I drool over how beautiful your meals are!
So sorry about the flu, feel better soon!
My question is: How do you not beat yourself up over weight gain. How do you avoid being depressed and upset about it?
Thanks!
Oh I’m really adoring the beautiful colors of that stew! Another item on my “to make” list.
I think my greatest struggle post ED is trusting myself to maintain my weight sans scale obsession. Recently, I’ve cut out ALL (okay MOST) processed foods and since last year, cut out ALL artificial sweeteners. I’ve also been incorporating MORE fruits and veggies and trying new grains and have never felt better! My immune system is awesome and I’m almost never groggy or tired. However, cutting out those diet foods and not weighing for almost 5 months, I’ve gained 5 lbs! Now, maybe this was just my body telling me I needed to gain weight (and granted, if gaining 5 pounds is all I need to gain vs continueing to eat crappy low-cal/low-fat junk, then I’m fine with it), but GAINING = anxiety for me. It’s hard to accept and now I feel like I need that scale back so I don’t wind up gaining 5 MORE pounds.
I’d love for you to address how you deal with this type of thing. Thanks!
I enjoyed reading everyones questions and honest personal struggles. You have a great group of readers! (and a great husband)
What a nice hubby! The stew looks delicious! Hope you’re feeling better!
I am morbidly obese and I’ve recently accepted that I’m a compulsive overeater, . I love the idea of intuitive/mindful eating and want to eat that way someday. I guess I’m looking for a way to get from one polar end (compulsively eating) to the opposite end (intuitively eating). I’ve very recently tried a 12-step program. I’m not sure that it’s the right fit for me, but I’ve committed to trying it for 6 weeks. They suggest picking a meal plan, and it usually looks like 3 meals a day with 0-1 snacks per day. Can I get from one end to the other without rigidity? I’ve tried diets and weight loss programs….nothing worked because I wasn’t truly ready before.
Wow, that stew looks incredible! So that does that carrot cake.
Hi Angela,
I hope you are feeling better! thanks for your willingness to share your experience regarding self-love with us, it is so inspirational and comforting to have such a positive and beautiful role model such as yourself. As i am in recovery from anorexia now, i would love to know more about your experiences in restoring a healthy weight and trusting and loving your body as you went through that experience.
any insight youhave on this would be amazing!
thank you and be well!
GOOD LORD!
That stew looks soooo amazingly delish! I think my husband and I may cook this sucker up for dinner tonight! Good job Eric :)
I really hope you feel better soon!! Eric is soo sweet! Best Husband Ever! :)
I’m currently recovering from anorexia and I am realizing that I have trouble experiencing my emotions and managing them. Whenever something is wrong, I turn to my eating disorder…it’s like my crutch. I was wondering how you learned to experience all the ups and downs of life, while creating positive coping mechanisms, so that whenever you felt down, you wouldn’t turn to pictures of models, or doing other things ED-related things. Any help would be much appreciated! And again, GET WELL!! :) Healing vibes your way :)
Mmmm….I’m not even sick and that stew looks delicious! Perfect for the rainy weather today! I would be interested in anything about weight maintenance…particularly how to handle special occasions without going overboard.
Hi, Angela,
I have a question for you. I’m recovering from various aspects of an ED, specifically overexercise, which have caused a potentially irreversible case of amenorrhea and bone loss. I’ve put on a bit of weight (to be normal), and am rather nervous of putting on too much weight. I do NOT want to lose any weight, in fear of preventing the hope of getting my periods again, but I’m finding it difficult to NOT GAIN weight. How do you find this balance? I’m trying to remind myself that it is better to gain weight at this point than to stay the same weight, so I should err on the side of caution and eat more than I should….but I feel like this constantly puts me a few hundred calories over everyday, which is adding up.
Just curious if you gained a significant amount of weight when you decided to stop restricting/binging, or if you ever had issues with amenorrhea. If you did gain weight, do you think it was a result of a metabolic shift or because you were erring on the side of caution, learning how to eat intuitively?
PS–thanks so much for doing this Q&A.
Hey Angela!
I love your blog and it’s been so helpful to find someone who has struggled with an eating disorder and also binge eating and has recovered, as I am struggling with it now. I know that you have talked about how you overcame your binge eating in your “road to health” section, but I was wondering if you could go into more detail as to how you beat bingeing? how long did it take to feel as though you had control of yourself around food, and how did you resist the urge to binge? Thanks so much!
Here’s my question:
Did you completely avoid specific “trigger” foods when you were overcoming binge eating issues? I have found if I eat certain things (eg salty snacks) I am more likely to drastically overindulge. Likewise if I keep those foods in the house and I begin feeling bored or stressed.
I’ve been having some kind of a weird relapse with my eating disorder. I haven’t been starving myself, but in fact doing the exact opposite. I got a job back in november in which I became extremely depressed and unhappy at. I have left that job and I am currently in this stuck rut of having gained about 15 pounds and can’t seem to get out of this rut and really truly get back into my former exercise habits.
I hate how I feel and look right now and want to know how to get back in tune with when I am really truly hungry and when my body is faking me out.
I don’t want to calorie count but rather get back in tune with my body.
You should try Alicia silverstone’s magical healing soup, it did wonders when i was getting sick a while back and kept me from getting sick!!!
What a sweet hubby!! So cute :) I would like to hear more about the processes or strategies you used to get over binge eating. Also, weight maintenance would be great to hear more about. Thanks Angela :)
Mmmm, lovely and tasty looking soup. I”m sure a bowl of that will help u feel better in no time! :) Sending you best thoughts to get better
What a colorful stew! It looks delicious ^_^
I would be interested in hearing more about calorie counting and hunger signals. I really appreciate you opening up and sharing the information you have with all of us :)
So I am a teenager in high school and I feel pretty good about my body most of the time. A lot of girls always talk about how fat they are, even how skinny they are! I exercise daily and am a pesketarian who is very health-food concious. I sometimes have those little breakdowns though when something doesn’t look good on me. Whenever those happen I just look here and it really helps. Thanks! You have inspired me to become a vegan. My dad is overweight. I try to help him by being a good influence by exercising and eating right but I don’t think he gets it. He still lays around for a good part of the time when he is home and uses work as an excuse when it really isn’t. Could you give me some tips on how to inspire him?
That stew looks PACKED with yummy, healing goodness. Feel better soon!