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. :)
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.
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!