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.
Oh, I’m definitely looking forward to an extended post/discussion about self-love. I don’t know if I have any specific questions, but I’d love to hear your thoughts on any and all of those subjects. I am curious about maintenance, though – I’ve found a weight that I like; I think I look great, and I’ve been eating pretty well and exercising, but I just don’t know if my weight is high enough to be healthy. (I am technically underweight at this point, but I’ve been on the low end of the weight spectrum my whole life, so I don’t know what to think.) I’d also be very interested in hearing more about hunger signals/snacking/indulging vs. being kind to yourself.
Hi Angela,
first of all: get well soon! Hope you will recover asap. And soup looks so delicious, bravo to Eric :)
If it is not too much to ask from you, my questions will be as follows:
– How to stop negative self-thoughts or mind chatter about your own self, including your image/weight? Any advices based on your own experience?
– My culture is very much based on talking first about how you look even before saying hi to someone. For instance, every time I visit my parents or friends back home, their first reaction or words are always about how I look like (put on weight or lost). Likewise, when I try to do home-gym or exercise during my home leave they immediately think that I am on diet or trying to lose weight. I find it very difficult to struggle with -let alone my- people’s judgemental approach to how I look (including my own family).
– In connection with my previous point, how do you keep an eye on your healthy eating when on leave? How could you adapt your regular exercise in a holiday?
– I am living in a social environment which is very much based on dining out and drinking alcohol. How to still enjoy socialising while not depriving yourself from this type of social life? I really wonder how you balance it..
– There are many urban legend stories, books, articles, people, doctors who write about healthy eating. Some theories contradicts each other and confuses me. Could you suggest a couple of bedside books on this topic which is not so technical but scientific enough to trust?
– Also some books about self-love, compilation of quotas, stress/binge eating management would be great.
Sorry if I have asked too much, but it is really great to hear from you and your stories.
Thanks a lot!
Whenever Brian or I are sick I always make a soup or stew with tons of veggies and we call it ‘healing soup or stew’ … too funny. The one that Eric made looks pretty fabulous! I think that was so sweet of him to cook for you :)
that is so sweet of eric to make you such a nice easter dinner! i’m glad it made you feel better too! it looks absolutely delicious! i wouldn’t mind having left over of that yummy stuff!
First of all, I love your blog. I read it daily and always love trying out your recipes.
I am a cheerleader for an NFL team, so a big part of my job is staying fit (skinny) and healthy eating. The team provides us with a gym membership, but no structured workouts and diets, but they will bench you if they think you’re fat. I have always been very conscious of my body growing up in a world of dance, cheerleading, and pageants. Making this team has made me VERY cautious and nervous of everything I put in my body. Last summer while getting ready for our calendar shoot I dropped 12lbs (I am 5’6 and weigh 125 normally) and would continually force myself to throw up if I did binge. I was eating around 1000 calories a day, and working out twice a day.
I guess my question is if you have any tips on binge eating. I will follow my “diet” during the day, very strictly, and then when I get home at night I eat EVERYTHING in sight. It’s not that I’m hungry, I just get bored and eat but never get full. I eat small meals throughout the day so it’s not like I’m starving myself and that’s why I binge. I would love any advice you have on this.
Thanks,
Michelle
I was wondering if you have any recommendations about weighing yourself. I look forward to hearing the answers to some of the above questions as well. I find all of the information you provide so valuable!
Hi Angela,
I’m currently at university, so every so often at holidays I go back to visit my parents. For instance, I’m currently with them for Easter. However, being at home is not easy for me. When I’m at university I am in total control of my eating and mostly it is good. I’m trying to lose weight in a healthy way with diet and exercise and am making sure to eat enough calories. But being at home without this control over what I’m eating triggers my binge/purging. When I lived at home before uni I suffered with bulimia and it all just comes back.
So, I’d like some advice. I don’t know how to stop these binges when I’m at home. Could it be to do with losing control? I don’t know how to get over this because I feel that I currently need to be in control in order to lose weight, without the control I end I just gaining weight. Maybe I just need time. I don’t know.
That is a butt load of veggies! Ha. Yum.
That stew looks like such a healing dinner indeed :)
FIrst of all, that stew looks absolutely delicious (as does every other recipe here). It’s so colorful and bright that I feel like it would make me feel better just by looking at it!
As far as questions go, was it hard to tell people, or label yourself as having an “eating disorder”? I have been struggling for a while with mild bulimia and the binge eating that for me accompanies it. I feel like the support of my friends and family would be a huge help to me, but I have difficulty labeling myself as “eating disordered” or “bulimic” for some reason. Those words just seem too serious for what I feel like I am. I almost feel like in some perverse way that I haven’t “earned” those labels, that they’re for people who have suffered more than me, that have it worse than I do. But another part of me does know that I do have a problem that I’m recovering from and still struggling with. After all, it’s not normal to feel the need to eat until it hurts and then want to get rid of it.
Thanks for all of the wonderful inspiration, encouragement, and delicious recipes!
What is your definition of a “happy weight” and how did you know that you had reached your happy weight for your body?
How do you eat intuitively AND lose weight? Because wouldn’t the hunger/full signals your body gives you be what is needed to maintain weight (particularly if you are trying to lose a relatively small amount of weight and are at a relatively health weight)?
Hope you feel better soon!! I always find garlic oil capsules work really well. 2 every hour. Be warned – you’ll be stinky!
I would love to hear more about portion control. I’ve gotten hooked on the Green Monster but i’m worried that I might be adding to many calories to my diet and not quite sure how to balance that.
Hi Angela – hope you are feeling better, the soup looks amazing! So sweet of Eric to make it for you. I am really interested in whatever you choose to post about regarding the topics you mentioned above. I would be especially interested in hearing your views on calorie counting (is it a bad idea for everyone, or helpful for some?), intuitive eating, and weight maintenance. For me, I’m not yet in a place where eating completely intuitively allows me to maintain my weight. I’m also still trying to lose a few pounds. Could you give some tips about how to stop counting calories, and what to do instead? Also, I know you prefer not to discuss actual numbers, but would you maybe share just the difference between your previous ‘ideal’ weight and your current weight maintained without calorie counting? I.e., how much can one expect to gain without getting concerned that it will keep creeping up? Thanks so much!
I second the calorie counting discussion! I’m trying to lose a few pounds and I’m battling between counting calories but I’m not sure what else to do.. It’s a bit frustrating sometimes because I don’t want losing weight to become a negative journey. And possibly something about scale obsessing? Sometimes I feel like I’m too focused on the numbers but it’s hard not to rely on something factual. Thanks for these discussions! They’re my absolute favorites :)
Eric’s been holding out on us! How come he’s been hiding those awesome cooking skills from us? ;) That stew looks wonderful!
Hi Angela! Great blog by the way. I have been reading for a long time, but not sure that I have ever posted a comment. Now seemed like the ideal time!
My question is related to dealing with food, whilst dealing with other problems in life.
While I wouldn’t say that I eat while I’m stressed, I DON’T CARE what I eat while I’m stressed.
The more I read about ‘intuitive eating’, they suggest taking a breather and ‘feeling’ your emotions. And then treat your body the way you’d want it to be treated. I don’t know about other people, but when I’m stressed, I don’t have the patience, the time, or the care to sit back and be conscious. All the problems tend to feel a lot bigger than whether or not I eat the doughnut, or the salad. Diet goes on the back burner, and I gain weight.
What are your thoughts on caring about your health/body when there are things that seem so much bigger than that?
You’ve got some competition in the kitchen. Hehe. If that stew doesn’t help you feel better I don’t know what will!
I love the photos in this post – they are so colorful and vibrant! You are very talented :)
I just wanted to say thankyou! Your blog is so inspiring and after years plagued with anxiety and obsession with perfection I am slowly learning to love myself for all the right reasons. I do have a quick question: Did you ever suffer anxiety about your weight and put your life on hold as a result? I would love to hear your thoughts on letting go of the desire to be perfect and just being happy now. xox
I’d love to learn more about binge eating and how you dealt with it, that is, if you struggled with it, as i am currently battling it. thanks for your lovely and cheerful posts :)