Cold Fighting Beef Stew in a Crockpot - A Paleo & Whole 30 Recipe

I think I mentioned that Cali and I are fighting colds. We're shoving Vitamin C down T's throat so he doesn't come down with it too but he keeps letting Cali slobber all over his face so it's probably futile. Between the fact that I'm still nursing and all of Cali's food sensitivities, I can't take any medicine so I've been inhaling eucalyptus, sitting in steam rooms, and anything else that will help clear us up.

Then I decided to make this soup. I'm big on trying to heal naturally before introducing medicine anyways so I did some research and found some foods that help with colds. Now, I'm not a nutritionist or anything so I'm just sharing what I found. Whether or not it's sound advice is up in the air but either way, this soup tastes amazing. It's probably the best soup I've made in a while, and I make a lot of soups.

While I live in the most indecisive state around when it comes to weather, most of the country is experiencing cold weather. This is the perfect soup to snuggle up with and warm yourself up. It has a nice mix of sweet and spicy. Here are some of the ingredients that are in the soup and some of the cold fighting benefits that I've found.

Lemon

 Did you know that lemons and oranges have roughly the same amount of Vitamin C by weight? Although it's debatable about whether or not this vitamin can cure a cold, it has been shown to reduce the duration of the cold.

Onion & Garlic

Onions and garlic have a lot of antibacterial and antiviral properties. They contain the compound allicin which helps kill bacteria.

Sweet Potato & Carrots

Both of these vegetables contain beta-carotene which is converted into Vitamin A when our bodies absorb it. Vitamin A is crucial in making sure that our mucous membranes function properly.

Tomatoes

This vegetable (fruit?) contains carotenoids which is a strong anti-inflammatory property.

Kale

Look, pretty much everything about kale is great. So eat it. There's new debate about how too much can harm you, yada, yada but really, too much of anything is bad. 

There's also plenty of health benefits to paprika, curry, cilantro, cinnamon, and ginger; all which are spices included in this soup.

It's a strange mix, for sure, but trust me when I say that it's delicious. Give it a try.

Ingredients

2 lbs cubed beef

1 lemon 

1 med onion (roughly chopped)

1 large sweet potato

1 c. chopped carrots

1 pint grape tomatoes

2 c. chopped kale

1 clove garlic

1 cup water

1 tbs smoked paprika

1 tbs curry

1/2 tbs ground bay leaves (or 2 bay leaves removed when finished)

2 tbs chopped cilantro

1/2 tbs cinnamon

1 tbs crushed red pepper

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp salt

Throw everything in the crock pot and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 7. 

It's really good if you sear the veggies and meat first but I was too lazy and it still turned out well. Top it with avocado and you've got yourself a great meal. I hope you don't get a cold because they stink. Cali and I are going on day 8 and we're still congested. But if you do get one, this will make you feel better. Or even if you don't have a cold, it's still good. Try it out and let me know what you think!

Happy Holidays!