text: Flu Fighting Stew | Dish Up Delish
  As I'm sure you've already heard, and perhaps you're tired of hearing, we've had our fair share of sickness around the house. We moved here to Idaho at the end of December, and since then, my boys have been sick three times. When I say sick I mean more than just a little sniffle. Blake is overly prone to getting the croup. Every time he get any sort of cold or cough, it settles right in his voice box and he gets the croup. It's terrible. He panics because he feels like it's hard to breathe and then he cries which makes it worse. We've dealt with the croup in him more times than I can remember.
  (I am loving this picture of Blake! He kept begging me to take his picture and was hanging out in the background. This was a completely candid shot that I was thrilled I captured!)
  Kyson, on the other hand, is our rashy child. He has had at least 5 or 6 rashes in the past 4 months. Not little, contained in one place, rashes. We're talking full body rash. He's seen the doctor for it, we've eliminated foods, changed formula, etc etc and just decided for now he has sensitive skin. This past week he came down with a high temperature, then cough and congestion, and the Doctor thought it might be hand, foot, mouth. We never saw any sores appear anywhere other than on his bum (but was it a rash? Or the virus?), so we're not sure that's what he had. I think both boys had a round of the flu. Regardless, it was a pretty miserable weekend.
  So what about us adults? Well, we've been relatively healthy so far. We are all chugging down Echinacea tea and slathering On Guard oil on our feet. I've been eating grapefruit and decided the other night to make a stew to fight off the flu.
  My wonderful sister in law, Kathryn, passed along this delicious recipe last Winter. The original recipe is really quite delicious, however, since I cannot make any recipe without altering it apparently, I found a way to make it even better. This stew is loaded with carrots, celery, onion, tomatoes, garlic, and spices to help boost the immune system and ward off germs. Onion and garlic are two of the most powerful, natural, antimicrobials and some of the best food you can consume to boost your immune system. The carrots, celery, and tomatoes, are loaded with vitamins and nutrients to help your body as well. The addition of marjoram adds another shot of immune boosting assistance.
  When you combine all those elements together, the result is a really hearty, delicious, comforting, and flu fighting stew! I love when delicious food has powerful nutrients for my body as well! Enjoy and stay well for the rest of this cold season!
  If you're interested in a quadruple antioxidant chili that is gluten-free and vegetarian, check out my Smokey Black Bean & Sweet Potato Chili. It's jam packed with nutrients and flavor!
  Vegetables, Hamburger, and Barley combine together to create a hearty, delicious, comforting, and flu fighting stew!
  3 tsp. beef base or 5 cubes beef bouillon
  ⅓ cup barley (NOT quick!)
  1 Tbsp. sugar or ¼ tsp. baking soda
  In a large stock pot, brown the beef until cooked through. Drain and return to pot.
  Add in all remaining ingredients, stir together.
  Bring soup to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer.
  Cover and let simmer about 25-35 minutes, or until vegetables and barley are tender.
  The sugar and baking soda are ingredients that will help neutralize the acid of the tomatoes. It is completely optional to add either ingredient. Choose one or the other or add neither. It's up to you.