I need a vacation. This week was suppose to be the week that we headed to The Keys to enjoy some R&R just the two of us (we still never did an actual honeymoon or vacation with just us). BUT, real life set in. My brother-in-law is in his senior year of college and plays football so we’ve been trying to go to every game we can in Nebraska. My mother in law is getting knee surgery soon so we are visiting her in Omaha and taking care of her for a few days. And my husband has some travel for work coming up. AND he’s been getting massive migraines. I’ve never experienced a migraine myself but it’s pretty awful to watch your significant other go through one, especially one as painful as he has been experiencing lately. Last week it got so bad that he went in for an MRI because he said that it felt like his brain was about to explode. Luckily, everything came back clear on the MRI. So now we are looking into some holistic stuff like acupuncture, rolfing, massage, dry needling and whatever else this guy thinks is best for my husband. Have you ever had a migraine? That sh*t looks absolutely miserable.
PS – f*ck our medical care system. It’s failing us so hard right now. Ughhhhhhhhh.
So no vacation for a while until life calms down. And we have Costa Rica planned for April for our 1 year anniversary so that’s a pretty sweet vacation to wait for. So until then, I’m going to create vacation-like situations here for myself. Meaning trying new restaurants in Denver, hanging out with my girlfriends, and getting myself a gluten free donut like I’ve been dreaming about for weeks. That’s a vacation, right? Let’s go with yes.
Yesterday I had this interview and they asked what my hobbies were and I said cooking, working out, and listening to podcasts. I think they hated that answer. But what other hobbies should I take on? Shopping? Check. Getting weird facials that make my face bleed? Check. Knitting? No thank you. Chess? Nah man, I’m 100% cool. I always feel very judged when people ask the hobby question. Maybe they just ask it because they are looking for new hobbies themselves. Selfish.
But wait, we should talk about the recipe real quick. I sometimes forget to do that. Meaning 99% of the time. Cooler months are coming (maybe not here in Colorado, but definitely in other places) so that means I’ll be making soups and stews on repeat. Especially in the crockpot. AND I have an instant pot coming so I’ll soon be using that for my recipes! I even made my own broth for the first time, which is hilarious since I’ve been making paleo recipes for 6 years now. But, hey, I’m busy AF, I don’t have time to strain things most of the time. Luckily, I have Pacific Foods to help me out with their homemade, clean ingredient bone broths! I’ve used their chicken bone broth in my Simple Summer Squash Soup and their mushroom broth for my Shrimp & Zucchini Pad Thai so this time I decided to try their turkey bone broth! And it is perfect! They slow-simmer organic turkey bones with onions, rosemary and a bit of vinegar for a hearty bone broth full of naturally occurring protein. And the only ingredients include water, turkey, onion, cider vinegar and rosemary extract! No where else are you going to find clean ingredients like that in your broths! Now go make this stew because it’s super easy!
Slow Cooker Butternut Squash & Sage Beef Stew
- Yield: 5-6 1x
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound bacon, diced
- 2 pounds grass-fed beef stew meat
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 8–10 sage leaves, minced
- 1/2 yellow onion, minced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup button mushrooms
- 2 cups diced butternut squash
- 1 bundle of poultry herbs (rosemary, thyme, and sage), wrapped in twine for easy removal later
- a pinch of salt
- 32 ounces of Pacific Foods Turkey Bone Broth
- 1/2 cup red wine
Instructions
- Place a large saute pan over medium heat and bacon to cook until crispy. Remove and set aside. To the hot pan with bacon grease, add the beef stew meat and sprinkle with garlic powder and salt. Brown on all sides, about 8 minutes or so, remove and set aside. Add sage, onion and garlic and let the onions sweat for about 5 minutes, until translucent.
- Add the bacon, stew meat, and onion mixture to a crockpot along with all the other ingredients and mix to combine. Cover and cook for 8 hours on low. Remove herb bundle before serving!
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Sorry to hear that your husband is getting migraine!! I used to get them and then I went to a chiropractor and he adjusted the atlas bone (it’s the bone that connects the spine to the skull) and once that was back in alignment that helped a lot. I hope he gets better soon!!
i hope you get a break from everything soon!
Delicious looking stew. I can’t wait to make this! Sorry to hear about your husband. As a fellow migraine sufferer, I can attest to the fact that they suck. What seems to work for me is limiting my caffeine (two cups of half-calf coffee and no chocolate), magnesium supplements, and making sure that I drink plenty of water. I was able to take myself off of my daily prescription and only get about 1-2 per year (usually when I don’t follow my own advice.) I wish him luck in finding what works for him.
Migraines are terrible! Have him try a magnesium supplement. In high doses it got rid of my monthly migraines.
i’ll definitely get him into some of that! we have natural calm at home so i need to make sure he takes that every day!
I used to get severe migraines when I was over-stressed or ate/drank poorly. The pain was so bad sometimes that I would become nauseous and have to just try and sleep in a really dark room. I assume it was a reaction to inflammation. Peppermint or lavender (whether I used it as an oil just below my nose or had versions of that kind of tea) would help some. Head and shoulder massages were fantastic. But going paleo-ish was my game-changer. It has helped me immensely! I rarely get them anymore as long as I keep my diet clean and stay hydrated. An indulgent day of sugar can bring them back with a vengeance though. I hope your husband gets some relief soon!
i wish that were the case for him! he eats cleaner than i do most of the time!
My ex used to get cluster headaches (similar to migraines, horrible pain and debilitating). They come in cycles, sometimes worse in the fall or spring or whenever. Something to look into! I think he tried using oxygen for awhile to treat them. Hope he can find a solution that helps!
Ugh, I’m feeling you so hard on the migraines. I’ve gotten them since I was 11. My husband feels similarly helpless when I get them. Things that seem to really help: magnesium – there’s a spray they sell at whole foods. Taking a daily multivitamin. Keeping on a super consistent schedule with eating and sleeping (don’t get too hungry, don’t get too tired). Limit caffeine and keep your intake consistent (a cup or two a day). Maintenance drugs are an option, but the thing that was amazing for me was getting on an SSRI. Something about the extra seratonin floating around prevents migraines. I haven’t had a migraine since 2015 now that I take a daily SSRI (hallelujah). Also, a lot of people say imitrex doesn’t work for them, but I would say before writing it off, try the injections. The pills don’t really do anything for me, but if I give myself an injection the moment I realize I’m getting a migraine, imitrex will knock it back. I’ll still feel like shizzzz for a whole day, but it’s not as bad.
I second seratonin helping. I used to take 5HTP and it helped prevent. I would only get them every once in a while. I had to stop taking it cause I’m trying to have a baby and I’m now getting migraines once a week, sometimes they last for a couple of days. Hardly anything helps – sad face/tears. The 5htp I used was now foods brand. My migraines seem to be hormone related – I’m super sensitive to the rise and fall of various monthly hormones – can’t wait to be able to use 5htp again. Since I don’t drink coffee/caffeine, something that takes the edge off is a cup of coffee, a piece of dark chocolate and almonds or walnuts – crunching on something hard feels good. another tip is to relax the jaw muscles. I also use icepacks on my face and where it hurts and keep my feet and hands warm. I absolutely can’t lay down with a migraine – the room spins and I get sick. I feel bad for your hubby. I just had a two day-er that started on Tuesday at 2:30 am and just went away last night so I get it.
Thank you so much for all the crockpot recipes!!! I can’t wait to try this one!
I’m sorry to hear about your husband’s migraines! I don’t get them myself, but I feel so badly for people who do. I hope he finds some relief, somewhere. But you’re right – it definitely won’t be with our healthcare system. What a mess. Wellness is the last thing they’re interested in. PS. This recipe sounds delish! I don’t eat beef, but I think I can easily swap it out for beans or chicken : )
Looks delicious, Juli! Can’t wait to try.
RE: dry needling, I have a friend who is doing that for some rehab on her should here in Denver. She says it’s been great & feels good initially, but in a few hours it feels like she’s been donkey kicked in the shoulder. It does get better though! She’s seen a ton of progress. If you’re interested, I can get more info.
RE: Hobbies–I totally feel you. Mine are similar (add knitting & reading) and I always feel like I’m judged based on that. Oh well, what’re you gonna do? Haters gonna hate.
Hoping everything calms down for you soon. Know that we’re loving what you’re doing & I find inspiration in it constantly! Keep up the good work!
Struggled with migraines that would force me to leave work early, they were so miserable. I started going to the chiropractor and I rarely ever get one now, even a plain ole headache rarely happens. And when it does I can usually pinpoint the reason why. I go to the chiropractor once a month to get adjusted and it’s so worth it. My sister has them bad too, and nothing helped her until she got her some special ear piercing done. So everyone I guess is different but I totally suggest a chiropractor visit if he hasn’t been yet! Worth seeing if it helps.