My husband is trying to gain weight too. I keep shoving protein and good fats his direction. He considers vegetables and fruits basically a vitamin pill – healthy, but not filling at all. Everyday, he eats eggs, shrimp, yogurt, a protein shake, oatmeal with peanut butter, a protein bar, cottage cheese, a bunch of whole grains… He eats a lot. Hard life!

I’ve also read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I was totally impressed with the family. I recognize in myself that what they did is farther than I’m willing to go though, but it did make me want to make the effort to buy my fruits and vegetables locally when I can. Sadly, PA is just not the banana growing state that I wish it would be, so I’ll always have to buy those from the store.

Good luck this summer and I think you have given me some motivation to up the fruit and veggie quotient this week!

And you’re right, in the absence of an Alpha, another one will always try to fill that void. I’d rather it be me than Doritos in charge.

Amy, fennel is delicious cooked and raw, braised, grilled, sauteed, etc. I like it raw on salads, in place of onions in soups, and my absolute FAVORITE fennel use is to cut it into quarters and let the rings fall apart, throw it and some garlic cloves, kosher salt, and olive oil in a glass baking dish, and roast for half an hour. It’s AMAZING right out of the oven, or with a little marinara drizzled over.

You need to eat paleo. You need to break the insulin cycle that is driving you to eat carbs every 4-6 hours. You need to embrace the fact that it will suck for a few days, and then you will feel a million times better.

Treat yourself with the respect and care you deserve. Coping with boredom or frustration or discomfort with food IS NOT the most loving and respectful thing you can do for yourself.

It’s time for the real, authentic, grown-up You to gently take control of the situation and say, “I know you want it, honey, but I am not going to let you have it, because it’s not good for you.”

Be your own Alpha — kind, benevolent, and unquestionably in-control.

I also just rejoined a CSA, and I love it! I love having these vegetables that I’ve never tried before, and challenging myself to cook and eat them before they go bad. I discovered I liked beets, which I didn’t think I did!

So uh.. what DOES one do with fennel?

(Thanks for a great post. It will motivate me to actually post the thing I’ve been thinking about forever.)

I’ve read that book and you’re right–it’s fantastic and inspiring. I look forward to following your garden’s progress!

I’ve tried to get him to fill up on healthier foods, but really, he can’t eat enough healthy stuff to keep weight on. 4,500 calories of chicken, yogurt, and broccoli is a heck of a lot of chicken, yogurt, and broccoli, ya know?

Oh, to have that problem…

The other solution, of course, is coming up with a set of snacks that are healthy and that you enjoy. That way you WANT to eat the healthy thing, because it’s even tastier than the unhealthy thing.

Also, I think it’s cool that fennel is one of the few things you chose to grow. Tomatoes and peppers, that’s normal, but fennel is a fun one!