It’s well known that kids in daycare will bring home some nasty bugs. Our little guy has been in daycare now for over two months, and we *almost* thought that we had been spared, as the worst he’d had was a bit of a runny nose and fever one weekend.
Well, last Thursday night, he woke us up with throwing up all over the bed, and all over me (#momlife). The poor monkey had a classic gastro bug and spent the next 24 hours vomiting, sleeping, and nursing. Usually, the best thing to do during a stomach bug is to stay away from solids until your appetite comes back, and just stay hydrated. Your digestion needs as much rest as possible. A wanted nothing but boob anyway.
Once he was feeling up to eating, I knew we had to go with light, nourishing foods that help heal the gut. The conventional approach is the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce and toast), and while it’s easy on the stomach, it doesn’t really pack a nutritional punch. Instead, we focused on bone broth and collagen powder to heal, light, easy to digest veggies like squash, and we kept the bananas and applesauce in since they are soothing and A loves them.
After a full 24 hours since he stopped throwing up, A was ready for some food with substance. I had some cooked butternut squash handy, and a few other ingredients, so I whipped up some soup, full of veggie minerals and flavour! If you try it, don’t leave out the dulse flakes – they add a really nice umami depth.
Turkey, Squash and Cauliflower Soup
500ml turkey broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 zucchini, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 cup roasted butternut squash
1/2 cup cauliflower, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup carrot tops or other greens, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon dulse flakes
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
- Saute zucchini, carrot, squash, cauliflower, garlic, turmeric and salt in the olive oil, until slightly browned.
- Add broth and simmer until all ingredients are soft.
- Add carrot tops and dulse, stir until greens are wilted. Remove from heat.
- Blend soup with an immersion blender.
- Ladle into bowls, add onions, and salt and pepper to taste.
