#5/52 Butternut Squash Chicken Chili

We tried a new soup this week, Butternut squash chicken chili, recipe from paleo running momma

The flavors were pretty great, although I’m not sure how I felt about the Butternut squash. Knowing what I am eating is fairly healthy helps me just eat it, but I think in the future I would replace the squash with white beans. Or I would make sure the squash was peeled and cut into much smaller cubes and I wouldn’t use a whole one.

After we ate dinner, I went back through the soup and picked out all the squash and added half a can of great northern beans and froze it like that. The flavors and spices were amazing, but it will not be in our soup rotation. If you try it, drop a comment on your take of the butternut squash

Ingredients

  • 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts cooked and shredded*
  • 2 Tbsp ghee or avocado oil
  • 1 medium butternut squash cut into 3/4” cubes (about 4 cups)
  • Sea salt and black pepper
  • 1 small yellow onion diced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 red bell pepper diced
  • 1 green bell pepper diced
  • 2 Tbsp fresh jalapeños finely chopped
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 3/4 tsp chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder
  • 4 oz can diced green chiles
  • 3 cups chicken bone broth
  • 1 tbsp fresh minced cilantro
  • 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast optional
  • Sea salt and black pepper to taste
  • Garnish: “sour cream” coconut cream see notes** avocado slices, cilantro

Instructions

  1. If your chicken needs to be cooked and shredded, do this first* and set aside. Prepare all ingredients before beginning.
  2. Heat a large dutch oven over medium heat and add the ghee or oil. Add the butternut squash and sprinkle all over with sea salt and pepper. Sauté, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes, until just beginning to brown and soften.
  3. Add in the diced onion and sauté for about a minute until translucent. Then, add in the garlic, peppers, jalapeño and spices, stir and sauté for 3 minutes, until fragrant and softened.
  4. Add in the green chilis, and broth , stir and bring to a boil. Stir in the shredded chicken, nutritional yeast cilantro and lime juice and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper as desired. Serve with coconut “sour cream” (see notes) sliced avocado, additional cilantro and sliced jalapeño if desired. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Notes:

*if you don’t already have cooked chicken, season your chicken breasts with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and smoked paprika. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until cooked through, then shred before using. You can also use a rotisserie chicken, just check ingredients for Whole30 compliance if needed.

** To make Whole30 compliant sour cream with coconut cream, mix 1/2 cup of thick, cold coconut cream with 2 tsp lemon or lime juice and 1/8 tsp fine sea salt. I like to use the 365 brand (Whole Foods) for this as it’s very thick and creamy. Feel free to adjust the salt and lemon to taste.

Meals for 2+

I don’t know about you, but leftovers are not my favorite to eat. To mitigate having so many, I have started cutting everything in half and it is the perfect amount for our small 3 person family. Sometimes there are even leftovers for me or my daughter to have lunch the next day.

So today I wanted to share our go to meatloaf recipe, a perfect comfort food for those cold day cravings. It’s pretty basic and classic, but it’s how we like it. I also started a food Instagram recently, so if you want more meal ideas then I have time to blog check it out!

—–>> https://www.instagram.com/sahmthingtasty/ <<—–

Ingredients

  • 1 pound of 80/20 ground beef
  • ½ envelope of dried onion soup mix
  • 1 beaten egg
  • 3 ounces water
  • ½ Tbsp. Italian seasoning
  • ¾ cup crushed Ritz crackers
  • ½ onion, diced
  • 2 to 3 garlic cloves
  • Glaze:
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • Mix, and brush evenly on top of the meatloaf before it goes into the oven.

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
  2. Line a loaf pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper
  3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together onion soup mix, egg, water, and Italian seasoning.
  4. Add the ground beef, breadcrumbs, onions, and garlic, and mix thoroughly until just combined
  5. Place mixture in the loaf pan, pressing down lightly. It is smaller so you will make a “loaf” shape as it won’t fill out the pan. (it might if you double the recipe!)
  6. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 45 minutes or until the middle reaches at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit
  7. Let it stand for 10-15 minutes before removing from the pan and serving

Notes

  • Don’t overmix the meatloaf or try to press down too much when you fill the pan; this will result in an overly-dense, tough meatloaf.
  • I make the glaze twice so I have extra to drizzle on top after we bake it, yum!