Last night, I mistakenly made my new favorite side dish. I really wanted to make this
roasted butternut squash recipe but I was out of some key ingredients. So I decided to throw together what I had and it turned out to be quite delicious.
Roasted Tomatoes & Butternut Squash Recipe
Recipe Ingredients:
- About 2-3 cups of butternut squash, cubed (I used just the neck of a medium sized butternut squash)
- 1 pint of grape tomatoes
- 1 medium onion, diced
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Dried rosemary
- Dried basil
- Salt & Pepper
Recipe Directions:
1.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2.) Prepare veggies and mix together in a large baking sheet
3.) Drizzle extra virgin olive oil until all veggies are coated
4.) Liberally season with dried rosemary, dried basil, salt and pepper
5.) Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes
6.) Enjoy!
 |
| Just before hitting the hot oven! |
This makes a pretty good sized batch of veggies, probably 4-6 side dish servings. We enjoyed for dinner last night and it was also perfect as part of my hubby's post-WOD recovery meal. Check out how pretty it looks along side his grass-fed rib-eye steak. Yum.
 |
| Yes, he's incredibly adorable. No, you can't have him ;) |
Leave a comment when you try the recipe and let me know what you think!
XOXO,
SMP
The picture to the left is so ME. I am truly at my happiest when I'm in the kitchen, my hands covered in spices that will soon make my meal so delicious, and wearing a "Wild Woman" apron. What could get better?
My sister took this picture last night as I was excitingly making dinner for both her and my friend A'sha who was spending the weekend with me. It was a REALLY good time, but I'll get into more detail about that a little later on.
Whole21* Eats - Day 6
1/5/13
Meal 1: We slept in on Saturday morning so I decided to make a large brunch when we finally woke up. We were ravenous. I made sweet potato hash with sausage and topped with avocado and fresh cilantro - along with some fried eggs. It was so satiating.
Over breakfast, Mark and I shared with A'sha our new approach to eating and tried to explain some of the key learnings from the book "It Starts With Food". As a medical student, she was very intrigued but had a lot of questions. I encouraged her to read the book for herself. When A'sha's parents called to check in, A'sha started telling them about what we were discussing and they became interested too! Now they all want to try a Whole30! I love it. Spreading the good food word.
 |
| A'sha excited to start eating her brunch! |
After talking all afternoon about nutrition, we decided to do some shopping! My sister works at the nearby outlets, so when we went to visit her, we made plans to all hang out for dinner.
I LOVE to cook for others and it brings me so much joy to see people enjoy my food creations, so I was very excited to put together a great dinner meal.
Meal 2: As you can tell from the picture above, I decided to season a whole chicken with my typical roasted chicken recipe. It's how my mother taught me how to make pollo al horno (chicken in the oven) with some additional tweaks I've made over the years of cooking on my own.
There's plenty of garlic, oregano, parsley and some Puerto Rican spices. This chicken is what Mark's family just lovingly calls "Sara's Chicken". I don't really measure anything when I make this chicken (or when I cook in general), so one day I'll have to try to really observe what I do so I can share this recipe with all of you!
 |
What can I say, I'm a hands-on cook!
|
 |
| Upclose & personal, just before going into a 375 degree oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes |
 |
The final plate
|
I paired the chicken with mashed cauliflower and my
roasted butternut squash recipe. The girls really loved it and I was thrilled to see them practically lick their plates and go up for seconds. There's no better compliment than that.
We spent the rest of the night sharing stories, laughing uncontrollably, and showing my sister some of my crazy dance moves. Not that she doesn't know - but I like to remind her that her big sister still got it!
SO. MUCH. FUN.
*We are following the Whole30 program
for only 21 days since 1) we've done it completely before and 2) we're
just trying to clean up our habits before going on our anniversary trip
on 1/20/13
So I was supposed to be blogging more frequently and we were supposed to be doing a Whole30, but it's been almost a month since my last post and I'm ashamed to admit that we did not stay 100% compliant on our 2nd Whole30 journey. SHAME ON US! I can try to come up with a couple of good excuses for why we decided to give in to some temptations, but I'm not going to do that. What good would that do anyone? Nobody forced less healthy foods down our throat - we made a decision to indulge and that's it. I'm not proud of our choices, but we can't take them back. We can just move forward.
We have been busy with work, holiday shopping, and lots of babies! Over the last few weeks, I welcomed three new babies into the world!
First was Baby Ethan, first son to my best friend Vivian:
 |
| We had been praying for this little guy for almost 5 years! But God knows everything and His timing is perfect! |
|
Then there was my adorable new little
niece, Baby Talia, who decided to come into the world during a Monday
Night Football game, while her parents and big brother were still in the stands!
Crazy
story, let me tell you!
 |
| Another little princess for our family! |
And later on that same day, my college friend Julissa gave birth to her first son, Baby Amaury! I'm actually going to drive to NJ tomorrow to meet him! So many babies, so much love!
Anyway, while I did admit that we failed during our second Whole30s, I do have to say that we still had some wonderful Whole30 meals. The last month was NOT a complete waste - I promise! Here are some pics to prove it:
 |
| Veggie Medley before getting roasted at 400 degrees for 30 mins |
 |
| Thai Basil Beef (From It Starts with Food) and a fried egg |
 |
| 2 fried eggs with ground cumin and sweet plantains |
 |
| quick snack: banana + cashew butter |
 |
| Garlic Chicken + Lemon Roasted Broccoli over mixed greens |
 |
| Our go-to 'taco' salad - this time with a dollop of homemade avocado dressing |
 |
| Organic, grass fed rib eyes with roasted acorn squash and baked sweet potatoes |
 |
| Veggie Medley getting sauteed in cast iron pan instead of roasted |
 |
| The veggies above with some baked garlic chicken and potatoes |
 |
| Curry Beef Skillet - inspired by recipe in It Starts With Food |
 |
| Scrambled eggs with fresh homemade salsa and organic bacon |
 |
| Baked garlic chicken wings over mixed greens and tostones |
 |
| This special meal was prepared by my mother in law while I was up in Boston traveling for work! |
 |
| Brussels + pecans + cranberries + roasted chicken breast + balsamic vinegar |
 |
| Who knew roasted cabbage could be so good? Just EVOO + salt + pepper |
 |
| Moroccan Sweet Potato Hash - Recipe Coming Soon! |
 |
| Pineapple Curry Ground Beef Skillet - Recipe Coming Soon! |
I really do want to continue on this path to optimal health, and I know that the only way to do that is to keep committed to eating a clean, whole foods diet and staying active.
AND
I really do want to look and feel my best when we celebrate our anniversary in sunny Puerto Rico a month from today!
Keep me in your thoughts and prayers - I need the extra help! :)
XOXO,
SMP
Posts
