It truly feels and looks like the dead of winter here in Colorado, it’s been frigid cold with occasional snow. We all know that the best way to warm up in the winter is SOUP! Butternut squash is the best winter squash. It can be made into a wide variety of dishes that you can eat it all winter long without getting bored with it. It is great roasted, pureed, sautéed, as fries, mashed and even used in baked goods just like pumpkin! I have never tried baked goods but now I’ve got it in my head…
Nutritionally speaking butternut squash is a great source of fiber, vitamin C, manganese, magnesium, potassium, vitamin A and vitamin E. I just learned this myself too, but it’s actually a fruit and not a vegetable! I wonder if you could make butternut wine…(is that weird?) I bet it would be great AND nutritious!)
My husband and I are now on day 26 of Whole30 and trying to make a plan for day 31 and beyond. Typically the Whole30 ends with a reintroduction period where you reintroduce gluten, dairy, legumes, grains and sugar separately to see how they effect you. In between every food type reintroduction day you return to three days of Whole30 eating in-between so you can accurately gauge your reaction. For example, day 31 is dairy so you have yogurt for breakfast, milk in your coffee and maybe some cheese with lunch or dinner. The next three days you would pay attention to evaluate any changes- stuffy sinuses, stomach pain, skin irritation, etc. Then after three days back to Whole30 eating and the next reintroduction day could be gluten, typically in the form of bread. I think that gluten and dairy are the two most important things to reintroduce because they are typically the most problematic. For me, yogurt and bread immediately gave me a stomach ache and my eczema flared back up within a day.
In the long run learning what’s best for your body could take a lot of trial and error. I am always evaluating how foods make me feel because it helps me to continue to feel my best and really evaluate whether or not a problematic food is worth it to eat. For awhile I thought I was okay drinking normal beer but found once I eliminated it completely that I felt MUCH better, less stuffy and less lethargic afterwards. For my reintroduction phase this time I’m getting much more specific with the items I’m trying out on my clean slate. I have had all of these things before but am interested in really seeing the effects, if any. What I’m curious about is my husband’s home-brewed gluten free beer- (a dark winter ale), gluten free pizza and sushi- yes all of those are their own food group!
More to come on reintroduction, Whole30 recap and life afterwards. In the meantime, since January is wrapping up I hope everyone is ready to continue the healthy, mindful changes they have made in January so far. The more you do it the easier it is. I keep telling myself that every Thursday when I take a strength and cardio class at my work gym that’s fast paced and tons of different combinations of moves. I felt particularly inspired to scream or punch someone while slamming down a rope in a one hand plank for 30 seconds. That’s what I love about eating healthy and working out- it’s not always easy or pretty, but it’s always worth the work in the end!
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Butternut squash, peeled and diced into 1 inch cubes
- 2 Shallots, sliced into rings
- 4 Garlic Cloves, cut in half
- 4 tablespoons Avocado oil (or coconut/ olive oil)
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Rosemary, minced
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Sage, minced
- 1-2 teaspoons Fine sea salt divided (1 teaspoon for the roasting veggies, 1 teaspoon to taste after blending)
- 1-2 teaspoons Black Pepper divided (1 teaspoon for the roasting veggies, 1 teaspoon to taste after blending)
- 1 can Full fat coconut milk,
- 2 cups Chicken Broth/ Stock or vegetable broth
- 1/2 Lemon, juiced (about 1 tablespoon)
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Prepare the squash, shallots, garlic, rosemary and sage. Then, mix them all together in a large bowl with the avocado oil. Spread out the mixture on the baking sheet making it as flat as possible. Roast for 45 minutes, until the squash is easy to pierce with a fork.
-
With 15 minutes left on the timer heat a large pot (that will fit all the vegetables) over medium heat. Add the coconut milk and chicken stock and allow to simmer, but not boil.
-
Once the vegetables are done add them to the pot. Allow to simmer together for 5 minutes. Next blend the soup using an immersion blender or normal blender. Taste the soup and add more salt and pepper as needed. If the soup seems a little bit too thick add 2 tablespoons more broth or water at a time. Serve with a dash of pepper on top!