It’s been so nice to decompress this weekend after such a crazy week. And since it was very windy and rainy most of the day yesterday, it was a great excuse to stay home with the exception of a trip to the gym and grocery shopping. Since there was no way my long run was going to happen outside in crazy winds and pouring rain, I started the day with a huge vanilla pea protein and chia seed smoothie before hitting the gym.
Logging 8.5 miles on a treadmill isn’t exactly enthralling, but thank goodness for long, high energy dance mixes and good people watching because there is a lot of treadmill turnover going on around me when I was on one for nearly 1 1/2 hours. But I’m actually enjoying going to a gym a couple times a week now and what a meat market it seems to be – lots of bulky guys lifting in skimpy tank tops showing off tattoos and women rocking hair styles that reek of effort and plenty of makeup for a sweaty workout. Fun stuff.
After the long run, my appetite was in a weird place. I wasn’t starving like I thought I’d be, so I went with a big salad dressed with a mixture of Trader Joe’s olive hummus, nutritional yeast, apple cider vinegar, and water. Then topped with crushed chia and flax seed tortilla chips for added crunch.
Just energizing enough to head back out in the rain and tackle a Target and Costco run for house supplies and groceries. Of course Costco was still nuts for a Saturday despite the rain and I needed some relax time when I got home. Leela did too and decided all three beds in front of the fireplace were hers and let Miko know when he got anywhere near them.
So he restlessly joined me on the couch waiting to get comfy on my lap.
After a little recipe research and a glass of wine, I was ready to start on dinner and decided on a hearty stew with the chilly rain still coming down outside. Since I’m trying to rotate more grains into my diet, I decided to use kamut berries in this one.
The Raw Project
Hearty Kamut Stew
- 1 cup uncooked kamut berries + 3 cups water
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 3 carrots, chopped
- 3 stalks of celery, chopped
- 2 medium zucchinis, chopped
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 cup. white wine
- 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 3 cups water
- Bring 3 cups of water to a boil over high heat in large soup pot, add kamut berries and simmer over low heat for 1 hour.
- Drain kamut berries and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in soup pot over medium high heat and saute onions in it until translucent. Add garlic and saute for about 5 minutes.
- Add water, kamut berries, carrots, zucchini, bay leaf, wine, and apple cider vinegar. Simmer for 30-40 minutes over low heat. And serve, makes 4 servings.
The smell of sauteing onions and garlic together is just heavenly to me.
This made the perfect one-pot meal for a cold and rainy evening.
With plenty of warm and bright color when it’s so gray outside.
And the leftovers are great to keep in the fridge for a few days or freeze for a few months.
Perfect one pot, warm, nice meal…and glass of wine to go with it!
Thanks, a great laid back weekend dish for sure!
I recently joined a gym (after 15 years, couldn’t deal with outdoor exercise in the Portland rain anymore) and have been similarly amused by my people-watching experiences. Good stuff!
Your stew looks great too. I am trying a new red bean and coconut milk stew tonight.
It’s a lot of fun, so many different styles and workouts to watch at a gym. And that stew sounds amazing!
Love everything about that stew recipe!
Thanks, I adore kamut berries now, but they take too long to cook for weeknights. Another reason I need to get a pressure cooker! :-)