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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Pressure points, scalp/neck massages, and a trip to the chiropractor. One or all three of those helps tremendously with headaches for me! Good luck! As for the medical system, I work in it and hate it 85% of the time. Pharmaceutical companies have and continue to ruin this country’s healthcare system. When I was diagnosed with my auto immune disease 4 years ago, I would’ve been broke if it weren’t for my insurance. If I got sick again today, I would go broke thanks to premiums skyrocketing. It’s a failed system that needs to be worked on from the inside out.
If I had to guess, about 80% of the people I see day in and day out have problems that are self-induced. Not eating healthy, not exercising, not properly cleaning themselves, not protecting themselves from common known problems (wearing sunscreen, bug spray, wearing a condom to prevent STDs, etc.) You name it. It’s a broken system and people don’t care to educate or they just don’t care about their life.
In the words from one of my favorite shows (The Newsroom), “First step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one. America [‘s healthcare system] is not the greatest country [system] in the world anymore.”
https://www.amazon.com/Heal-Your-Headache-David-Buchholz/dp/0761125663
It’s something he’s eating. This book will help him be free from migraines. Don’t take rx’s. Solve the issue with an elimination diet. Just look at the reviews.
PS Xanthan Gum found in tons of gluten free foods gave me horrible migraines.
This sounds great but I gotta tell ya, the Instant Pot is going to change your LIFE!! This can easily be made in it with just the one pot! And bone broth? Made it yesterday in 75 min- rich beyond your wildest dreams…Thanks for the recipes and your funny stories!
Oh no, I get migraines and they are just the worst.
He should try getting acupuncture! works for me 🙂
Also can’t wait to try this, my mouth is watering already!
Has he tried Feverfew? I take it everyday to keep from getting them. It’s an inexpensive supplement and I like that it’s natural.
Love your recipes!
Thank you!
Would someone please post a link to this InstaPot? I need to replace my 50 year old Crock Pot and maybe this is the answer I’ve been looking for. Thank you.
Also, Juli — why haven’t we seen any postings about Jackson lately? Please tell me he’s okay!!
Love your blog AND your recipes. It must be about time to come out with a new cookbook … I’ve made “almost” everything in the last one!! Thanks for all you do — you are AWESOME . And hope to hear that that man of yours finds a remedy for those debilitating migraines! They suck!
I hate migraines! I use ice packs and have to sleep them off. Glad it doesn’t seem like anything serious though.
Also, sorry about the loss of your friend. So sad. Wishing you peace as you process through all the feelings.
Where in CR are you visiting? I love it there! My husband was there for 3 months and then drove a car back to Omaha. When he first told me this, I had to look at a map to see if it was possible…definitely no ocean separating the US and Central America. Oops.
Anyways, you always inspire, and I love your recipes! I’ll be trying this one soon!
If you need any recommendations while in Omaha, please let me know!
Amina
manual antonio!
Hi juli
Can I use chicken stock instead if I can’t find turkey bone broth?? can I use chicken stock instead if I can’t find turkey bone broth?
Thanks!
for sure
Such a bummer about your husband and his migraines. I just finished a class on microbiome health and there is new information coming out every day about the connection between microbiome gut health and migraines. Check it out, hopefully with all the tips people are sending and the new research you will find the answer. I’m heading to the store to get ingredients for your crock pot recipe, it looks delicious!
Thank you for your inspirational and tasty site!
By the way, I’m a Nurse practitioner specializing in wellness and supplements, and research has shown high dose fish oil can prevent migraines. 2-4 grams daily.
interesting! thanks for that info!