Brace yourself. Winter is coming. Gone are the cucumbers and lettuces. In march the root vegetables, squashes and mealy tomatoes.
If your organics delivery box is starting to feel like a Groundhog Day rotation of carrots, potatoes, onions, carrots, potatoes, onions, it’s time to get creative.
Recently on our #WholeMama Facebook group, we did a poll to see how mamas balance the following priorities in their grocery shopping and meal planning:
- budget
- buying organic
- buying local
- creating meals their family enjoys
BY THE WAY, YOU SHOULD TOTALLY JOIN OUR #WHOLEMAMA FACEBOOK GROUP!
Anyway, budget + enjoyment (read: getting your kids to ACTUALLY eat what you make) won out, but most mamas indicated they really do try to shop local & organic within the constraints of their budgets and family preferences.
IT’S A BALANCING ACT.
Basically, like all of motherhood. Like, should I poop or shower? Should I wash my hair or work out? Always poop and work out. Those are going to get you a lot further in life than showers and blowouts.
Anyway, in the spirit of eating seasonal, local winter veggies that don’t cost a fortune and taste amazing, here is one of my favourite new ways to prepare butternut squash.
My other favourite way is in this amazing Spiced Butternut Squash Soup. Try that too.
This Parmesan Roasted Butternut Squash is the perfect side dish with chicken or pork, and a great Sunday meal prep recipe to add some nourishing carbs to your lunchtime grain bowls and salads.
Roasted Parmesan Butternut Squash
The perfect way to dress up sweet squash for a hearty fall or winter side dish.
Serves 6.
Ingredients
- 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and seeded
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese/Parmigiano-Reggiano*
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
- sea salt + fresh pepper
Directions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment or aluminum foil.
- Chop squash into 1/2-inch cubes.
- Toss squash, herbs, cheese & oil in a bowl until covered.
- Spread squash in single layer on sheet pan and bake 15-20 minutes.
- Remove, turn once and bake an additional 10-15 until golden brown.
Notes
*This is not the time for dehydrated cheese in a can…use the real stuff and grate it yourself, if you can.