Butternut Squash And Chick Pea Stew

Wow, have I been busy or what? Sometimes life just runs away with you and when it does, it is crazy! But my absence has been a result of a good thing!

At the end of January I found myself in Jackson Hole, Wyoming for a Rockapella concert! Rockapella is my favorite group of all time and I was excited to go! My best friend and my boyfriend went with me as well. My boyfriend proposed to me at the Rockapella concert so since the end of January I have been planning a wedding that will take place this summer.

Anywho, last night for dinner I was craving a soup like dish because it snowed yesterday and soup is one of my favorite things to eat on a cold day. I found a recipe online for a Butternut Squash and Chickpea Stew. I reviewed the recipe and realized I had everything on hand. I didn't have any harissa but I did have a different kind of hot sauce (Chipotle Tabasco), so I used it instead, but everything else was a go.

The recipe suggested serving the stew with rice or couscous. This recipe definitely has Indian influences, so it was easy to see why it suggested rice and couscous. Well, I didn't have any rice and because I can't have gluten, couscous was out. I then remembered I had some quinoa in the pantry. So, I cooked some of that up instead. It turned out very well and quinoa has all nine essential amino acids which makes up protein so it was much healthier too.

The recipe also called for a fresh butternut squash. Whole squash is very affordable, but butternut squashes can be very time consuming in terms of peeling, cleaning, and slicing. I was very lazy last night and a few weeks ago I had purchased some frozen butternut squash at the grocery store, so I just used that. The flavor was the same only I didn't have to clean a squash.

My fiance has decided that this recipe is definitely a keeper! Full of flavor this dish was and neither one of us missed the meat! And it was very friendly on my diet as well! Happy eating people!


Butternut Squash and Chickpea Stew With Quinoa:

An Update On My Goals

Well, I haven't posted in a week or so. I have been busy getting ready for Christmas. I have some time to post right now so I will.

My diet restrictions have been eased a little, but not much. But the things that have been added back in have allowed me to eat and enjoy more things and also be more creative in my meal prep. I think the biggest challenge this week has been the bread. Once I have determined I can handle brown rice, the doc says I am free to eat any gluten free breads made from rice flour, so I am getting very excited about that! I enjoy sandwiches and it will be wonderful to have them again. I have never really liked condiments on my sandwiches, so that is something I won't miss.

Today I decided to weigh myself because the doc kept asking me every time he would if I had weighed myself. I don't own a scale and haven't had a chance to weigh myself anywhere since I started this adventure. So I took some time and wandered up to the scale on the third floor of my office. This scale adds ten pounds to your weight (because it isn't weighted properly), but I did weigh myself on that scale right before I started this adventure so I did have a starting number to go off of. I stepped on the scale and put it at that starting number. It was too heavy, so I moved the little thingy down some more. Still too heavy! Then it finally evened out! I have lost almost fifteen pounds in a month! In all of my weight loss goals I have never lost that much weight in a month and I am proud to say I have done this healthily and I haven't felt deprived. I think the biggest things that have helped has been giving up the refined sugars (aka candy) and the soda and caffeine. I feel much better about this treatment.

Well, I am hoping to start trying to new recipes next week - just haven't had time to whip up anything with the up and coming holiday, but I will find time! Have a great weekend everyone!