Roasted Butternut Squash & Bacon Soup

Recipe courtesy of:

DamnDelicious

Roasted Butternut Squash & Bacon Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 butternut squash (about 3 pounds), peeled, seeded and cut in 1-inch chunks
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 4 slices bacon, diced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the soup:
• 4 slices bacon, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 1/2 cups chicken stock, or more, to taste
• 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or coat with nonstick spray.
• Place butternut squash, onion, bell pepper and bacon in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Add olive oil and garlic; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Gently toss to combine.
• Place into oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until butternut squash is tender, stirring at halftime.*
• Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
• Heat a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add butternut squash mixture and thyme, and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in chicken stock and puree with an immersion blender.
• Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5-10 minutes. If the soup is too thick, add more chicken stock as needed until desired consistency is reached.
• Serve immediately, garnished with bacon, goat cheese and chives, if desired.

Notes:

*Baking time may need to be adjusted depending on the size of the squash.

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Found this recipe today on Pinterest and KNEW I had to share..

With it FINALLY getting cold down here in Florida, I can't WAIT to try this recipe out & eat a big bowl cozied up on the couch under a blanket!!

Let me know what y'all think!

{FIX approved} Clean Mac & Cheese

Last week, my husband and I had a hankering for comfort food that would somehow fit into our 21 Day Fix meal plan. I snagged my Fixate cookbook from the top of the pantry and started flipping through the pages to end up finding a healthy MAC & CHEESE recipe (RIGHT!?). The other surprising factor was that I actually had all the ingredients!

Here's what the recipe called for:

Chicken breasts, cubed

Steamed broccoli, chopped

Whole wheat pasta

Whole wheat flour

Organic butter

Unsweetened almond milk 

Freshly grated cheddar cheese

Himalayan sea salt

Pepper

Here's how to make it happen:

Whip up a roux with the butter and flour..  Slowly add almond milk and whisk until thickened..  Reduce heat and add cheese while stirring constantly until melted..  Add cooked chicken, steamed broccoli, salt/pepper & al dente pasta.

40 minutes later y'all, less if your chicken was pre cooked, and you've got yourself a tasty dinner with plenty of leftovers for the week.. speaking as a family of two.

Happy Cooking, Friends!

Caprese Chicken: A Simple, Monday Night Meal

Yesterday I created a meal plan for the week & then broke it down into my grocery list. The hubby & I ran to the store and were out in a record breaking time of about 30 minutes- it's amazing how quickly you can shop when you mostly avoid the center isles! #truth

One of the recipes on our weekly meal plan is from a cook book I have called "Fixate," which is a compilation of 101 recipes that follow the nutrition plan I'm using with the 21 Day Fix (read more about that here). This super easy recipe is called "Caprese Chicken" and got two thumbs up from the hubby & myself for both flavor and quick preparation.

The recipe was simple. Fully cook two seasoned & trimmed chicken breasts. Top with pesto, sliced tomato & fresh mozzarella- allow some time over heat for the cheese to begin to melt. Serve with veggies &/or a healthy carb (like quinoa or brown rice). Yummmmmm!

Bon Appetit, friends!

White Chicken Chili

Fall means cool evenings, SEC football, warm blankets, woodwick candles, thick socks, oversized sweaters & .....HOT soups.

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Not only are soups seasonally appropriate during autumn and winter, but they are also SUPER easy to make & are great lunch/dinner options throughout the week!

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I got this white chicken chili "recipe" from my momma. I use the word recipe pretty loosely because we don't measure & often just use what we have at home!

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This particular pot of soup was made something like this:

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Boil 2 chicken breasts in a half {ish} full, large pot of water. Once chicken is cooked, remove from water to shred. Use a hand-held strainer to remove fat, etc on the water's surface. Dissolve TWO chicken bouillon cubes - this chicken broth will now be your soup's base!

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To chicken broth, add  ::

2 (drained) cans of great northern beans + 1 can of rotel tomatoes and green chilis + 1 tbsp of minced garlic + chopped onion + frozen corn + minced jalapeño + shredded chicken + {optional} taco seasoning

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Let this pot simmer until all the flavors are combined. Depending on what you have on hand, serve solo //OR// with tortilla chips, quinoa or brown rice!

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Happy Fall, Y'all!

Tiny Kitchen Diaries: Food Prep Sneak Peek

So my hubby and I have been in a mega state of transition the past couple of months. Let me paint a picture for you::

He came home from a 7 month deployment

We renovated for a week straight (after spending only one day together)

Listed our home for sale- under contract in 3 days.

Traveled for about 2.5 weeks+ to see family

House contract fell through

Hubby left for another month on the day our AC broke (womp womp- typical murphy's law)

I showed house alone (with two giant pups) for 3 weeks before getting another contract on it

Hubby came home and we packed/moved out in a week

whirlwind..--> PHEW. glad that's over!

welllllll almost.

We then moved into a hotel room where we are currently residing for 27 days, while my hubby completes a month long, strenuous & extremely time consuming work process; however, it's over next Wednesday and we get to FINALLY move to the sunshine state.

#hallelujah 

We have been waiting 6 years for the chance to be closer to my family, soak up some beach rays and just relax down south for a few years of deployment-free bliss!

Reminding myself of ^^^ makes this temporary madness all worth it. Plus, I know that one day, these will be stories we share with laughter and maybe a fond memory or two. Oh and honey, there's no one I would rather be doing this all with {insert smoochey face here}.

In the mean time, it's mega entertaining for people to partake in our shenanigans. SO, today I bring you a food prepping sneak peek from my teenie weenie kitchen.

Here's what I've decided is totally doable with two baby burners, one microwave, a couple of super sticky pans & one whacked out spatula!

Breakfasts:

Shakeology /or/ coconut greek yogurt + granola

Lunch:

Shakeology /or/ plain greek yogurt tuna salad with sliced peppers /or/ pre-assembled green salads

Dinner:

Quinoa // Turkey Sausages // Chicken Burgers // Sweet Potatoes // sautéed kale // zucchini + onion stir-fry // steamed broccoli 

Snacks:

cubed pineapple /or/ hard boiled eggs /or/ sliced peppers

Not too shabby, right?

I also snagged strawberries, nectarines, cheese sticks, unsweetened almond milk, fig newtons, KIND bars, granola, pop chips, wheat thins & frozen yogurt + chocolate covered pretzels.

All things considered, we have pretty darn healthy choices for a whole week with a few tasty treats thrown in the mix. And this whole order took me about an hour (had to wash pans in between uses!).

Btw, I spent like $7 on baggies + minimal tupperware to use for our month here. 

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I hope this inspires you to stay health & grounded in your routine while you're on the go. Hotel living isn't always easy and it's certainly not the most convenient. BUT -> It's totally possible if your goals are important to you!

Need more tips? I'd love to chat!

Find me on Facebook.com/LindseyKollarGhoens

/or/

email me at lindseykollar@yahoo.com

Let me share with you the food guide that rocked my nutritional world.

If you've never heard of shakeology before & want to know why I love to drink it every.single.day for breakfast or lunch, check out my experience HERE. 

For all you beachbody lovers out there:: yes, everything prepped above is 21 Day Fix approved! 

Can't believe I cooked in this kitchen for the last time. Time for a mini glass of wine to celebrate :)

Cheers!

XO