Butternut Squash and Beef Sauté

By: Danielle

You know those days when you have zero time and zero energy to cook. But everyone is famished by dinner time and you want something delish. On nights like that it's so easy to opt for takeout (because there are healthy options around us I don't feel so bad about grabbing food out). But financially eating out adds up!

Because we're heading away tomorrow night I'm not buying a lot of fresh foods.

Plus I needed to make room in my freezer to store meat from a local butcher. So my fridge and freezer are pretty empty. This is rare and totally stumped me.

So I rummaged through my pantry and freezer to see what I could pull together.

Thankfully, every time I go grocery shopping I make sure I'm stocked up with my go-to kitchen staples - there are 30 foods I ALWAYS have on hand that can be combined to make a meal or snack. These staples are sanity-saver. Families who have done my Health-ification Package know what I'm talking about! (www.daniellebinns.com/healtification)

This time I had some squash I wanted to use for sure, and knew there was some grass-fed meat in my freezer (thanks to my recent purchase). Thanks to these staples I dreamed up a winning recipe that was SUPER SIMPLE. And it was surprisingly delicious. Isn't funny how the easiest recipes often turn out to be the best? When you have the LOWEST expectations for a recipe and it ends a fave for the whole family? That is definitely a win worth celebrating. So without further adieu here is the recipe that will soon save you on one of your lazy nights (especially if you have those kitchen staples on hand!)

SIMPLE BEEF & BUTTERNUT SQUASH SAUTE

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons avocado or coconut oil

1 diced onion

4 garlic cloves minced

1 pound grass-fed ground beef

1 medium butternut squash, cut into small cubes

1 cup frozen peas or frozen kale (or other green veggie)

1 teaspoon of each spice: salt, paprika and cumin

DIRECTIONS:

1. Sauté onion for 5 minutes in hot pan with coconut oil or avocado oil
2. Add beef, garlic and spices - cook and stir until browned
3. Add squash cubes and cook until soft and tender (may want to cover to get the steam going)
4. Add frozen veg and cook until warmed