Easy Peasy Roasted Butternut Squash

I don't use the oven much for roasting, but I may be doing it more often now. I made butternut squash the other night and it was a huge hit with my 5yo (not so much my 2yo...yet). It was even made easier by buying the pre-cut organic package from Costco.  Super simple and yummy!  Of course, you can always prepare your squash from scratch, but coming home after a long day at work, I want a wholesome, hearty, and quick dish to make.

A bit of sweet and salty

2 TBSP olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat butternut squash in olive oil, garlic, and salt mixture (I didn't use pepper because of the kids).

Roast for 20-25 minutes until squash is tender and slightly brown.

Maple Carrot Muffins

 

Staying at home on a workday earlier this week because my little one was sick meant I had time to make a batch of Maple Carrot muffins to freeze for breakfast for the kids.  When my son was younger, he was really picky about eating vegetables.  I would scour the internet for recipe ideas to hide veggies inside things.  Pretty soon I came upon this one.  The original recipe called for white flour, white sugar, and vegetable oil, but I substituted it with wheat flour, mostly brown sugar (I like the flavor better), and applesauce to make it somewhat healthier. It was a hit for both my kids (5 and 2.5). They freeze well so it's easy to heat one up when you're on the go during the week.  Who doesn't want kids to eat more veggies?  This recipe makes about 18 regular sized muffins. Enjoy! 

2 C Whole wheat flour
scant 1 C brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
4 eggs
1 C applesauce
1/2 C maple syrup
3 C grated carrots (about 3 medium carrots)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, combine first 6 ingredients. In another bowl, beat eggs, applesauce, and syrup. Stir into dry ingredients until just moistened. Fold in carrots. Fill cups 2/3 full.
 
2. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. 

A closer view of carrots inside

 

A Hearty Salad with Spinach and Kale

Diet is a key part of health and fitness. I have about 1/2 the serving of these huge salads at least once a day. This bowl (originally the large mixing bowl from a set of three) is the one my husband uses at home and it's HUGE.  Yes, that IS a standard sized place mat.  At work, I eat various versions of this for lunch. Some times we add cut up turkey jerky.  Other times leftover chicken from dinner.  Some times cold salmon leftover from dinner.  Beans, etc.  You get the picture.  You can really vary it up.  Since we've been eating this consistently throughout the late Spring and Summer, our children are beginning to incorporate this into their diets (with our help, of course).  Our older child (almost 5 yo) is requesting this for lunch on the weekends (all the fruit helps), and our little one (2+ yo) is more than willing to try her own small bowl too. 



I thought I'd share the recipe below, enjoy!

1. baby kale and baby spinach, chopped. add dressing and toss before other ingredients are added. It helps limit the amount of dressing needed.
2. 2 mushrooms
3. 1/2 cup grapes
4. 1/2 cup strawberries
5. 1/4 to 1/2 cup raspberries
6. 1/2 cup blueberries
7. 1-2 boiled eggs, or edemame, or 1/2 cup black/pinto/kidney beans
8. 1/4 avocado or 1/4 cup roasted coconut chips
9. low fat dressing to taste

The picture below has coconut chips and 2 eggs, tossed with creamy poppyseed dressing. Soooo good.