Butternut squash, Quinoa and Asparagus


A butternut squash is always so tasty and makes such a large amount that I wanted to make a dish that would be easy to prepare ahead of time, cook up in the evening in one pot, and also used the majority of the squash. Another plus: it's also made from whole foods and is easy to bring together at the end of the day, which is what I always need. I'm not sure why, because dinner is at the same time every night, but yet dinner sneaks up stealthily to a mom of hungry children. This makes a lot, so I hope you like leftovers:) Oh, and you'll need a large skillet with a lid. 

*You could chop the squash and asparagus in the morning and just put in the fridge in a air tight container till ready to cook. 
*I omitted the nuts for some of the kids. You can stir them in, but I just chopped some for the week and will sprinkle them  to the top of each serving.
*Did I mention there will be leftovers? So I didn't put the full amount of spinach in. I figured I would add more to each serving before microwaving each leftover. 
*You could always add chicken tenders loins chopped into bite sized pieces at the beginning with the asparagus and garlic. 
*If you want to make a smaller amount, find a smaller squash and halve the rest of the ingredients. 

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes

Recipe:
Olive oil
2-3 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 a bunch of asparagus, chopped
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and chopped (makes about 4 or more cups after chopped)
2 cups of quinoa 
4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 to 3/4 cups of Craisins 
Salt to taste (I used about 1 tsp)
3 cups spinach leaves
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts

Heat olive oil in a large skillet/pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and asparagus, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes (if you are adding chicken, this would be the time to do it). Add the squash, craisins, broth and quinoa. Add salt and stir. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer for 20-25 minutes till the liquid is absorbed and squash is tender. Add spinach and gently stir into the mixture. Sprinkle walnuts to each serving or add in with spinach. 

NOM, NOM, NOM


She is trying to give a thumbs up!

modified version of a recipe by Bobby Dean on the cookingchanneltv.com









Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pumpkin Muffins

Image
My nephew joined me one afternoon and I thought, “I bet he’d like muffins.” I wanted to use pumpkin because Tia the season, but I wanted to see if I could lessen the amount of granulated sugar and pack with some protein. So I experimented! Below is the reaping of the experiment. Ingredients:  makes more than 24 regular sized muffins (half the amounts if you’d rather less) 1/2 cup white flour 1/2 cup protein powder (I used chocolate) 2 cups whole wheat flour 2 tsp. Baking soda 3 tsp. Ground cinnamon 3 tsp. Pumpkin pie spice  1/2 tsp. Ground ginger 1/2 tsp salt 3 ripe bananas, peeled and mashed 1/2 cup brown sugar  1 cup oil (whatever cooking oil you like) 1 can pumpkin purée  1/2 cup milk (any milk and possibly might need more) 1&1/2 cups pecans, chopped (or walnuts) 1 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips Recipe: Preheat oven to 425 degrees ferenhiet and either spray your muffin tin or Place muffin liners.  In a large bowl, whisk: flour, protein powder, spices, salt and baking soda. Se
Read more

In the midst of it all

Image
Parenting lately has been a little rough.  I have a toddler, who is cuddly, independent, and stubborn, a daughter who can be helpful, and dramatic when she is hangry and tired, and a Kindergartner who is smart, knows it all, impulsive, and thoughtful.  These personalities make for interesting days, and that's not even mentioning my personality traits (which some would say are a little on the "feeling" side).  And in the midst of it all... God is there... he is watching me he is protecting me he is wooing me he is teaching me he is showing me whom to love he is using me he is loving my children he is saving me and thank goodness for all of those things.  With these things he is molding me and my children.  And there is so much comfort knowing that he sees me even at my worst. he is watching me to see how much mercy and grace I will give my children when they spill their "whatever" for the 4th time before 9 am.  He is also watching me to know how mu
Read more

At the Ready

Image
Sometimes there is nothing I can say or do to help you. Vastly different from the prelude of the season of parenting is where we remain now. Before you’d simply run to me with open arms when you were hurt, weren’t sure of the safety around you or uneasy of emotions that billowed inside. Now I stand here, ready to catch you as you fall, but it seems to me you feel less inclined to share. What stands in your way, baby girl? What keeps you from falling?  And then, just as the wind changes, with my arms outstretched and tired from the endurance of patience, you land ever so softly. As you get older, you have all the words, but for some reason your silence is the loudest. So for now, in this season, I will stand waiting, even annoyingly nudging you, because this is my calling. My roots are grounded deep so that I can sustain the impact. Saddened is my helping heart not be able to fix everything and make it all better, but blessed is my heart to hold the honor of being the constant s
Read more