Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus...YUM!

I LOVE hummus. All different flavors. But when I found out that I could make my own hummus and use flavors that I know and love...I was sold.  And man oh man...how easy it was.

This recipe makes enough for 12 servings! So yummy! And 21 Day Fix approved.  It's a blue container for all of you that are wondering.  :) Dip your favorite veggies in there and you have a great snack.  

Ingredients:

1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained - keep 2 tbsp. of juice to add to mixture
1 cup fresh cilantro, or to taste
1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed and diced - or to taste
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil, or as needed
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 pinch garlic powder, or to taste

Directions:
Blend garbanzo beans,juice from canned beans, cilantro, jalapeno pepper, garlic, olive oil, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder in a blender until smooth

Done...easy, peasy!

21 Day Fix Approved...Beef and Butternut Squash Stew

When my husband is traveling and kids are busy with late night practices...cooking dinner for just one person can be tough. So I have decided to make this full batch of stew and have it for multiple individual portions this week. Either for a snack or for dinner.  I had quite a bit of turkey last week, so I'm looking forward to the beef this week.  Again, I'm all about keeping this simple, quick, and tasting good!  That's what makes this journey easier to manage and become a lifestyle!  No quick fixes here!

I'm completely enjoying learning new things that are healthy for me to eat and ones that taste good too.

Hearty Beef and Butternut Squash Stew

Makes 6 servings, approximately 1 1/4 cups each
21 Day Fix = 1 green, 1 red, 1 spoon per serving

1 tsp. olive oil
1 1/2 lbs. raw lean beef stew meat, boneless, cut into 2 inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 medium tomatoes, chopped or 1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup low-sodium organic beef broth
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
2 cups cubed butternut squash
1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. Add beef; cook; stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until beef is brown.
3 Add onion and bell peppers; cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until onion is translucent.
4. Add garlic; cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute
5. Add tomatoes, broth, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cook, covered, for 40 minutes.
6. Add squash; cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 12 minutes, or until sauce has thickened and beef is fork-tender.
7. Remove bay leaf; serve topped with parsley

OR

Put all ingredients into the crock pot EXCEPT squash - Cook on low for 6 hours.
Add squash and cook 1 additional hour.

This picture was taken BEFORE I added the squash! 

Butter Nut Squash...it's so good! Who knew?

As you all know, I've been on this 21 Day Fix journey for about a week.  Last week I learned that I may not need dressing on my salads and actually enjoyed them without it.

This week, as I was prepping my food today...I decided to try a Butternut Squash stew.  My online accountability group raved about this last week and so I thought I would add it to my meal plan for this week.  I will have a blog post with that recipe here soon! :)

I had plenty of extra squash, so I looked up a recipe to cook the extra and have a a veggie snack during the week.  Wow...I am so excited.  It's so good, healthy for me and easy to do.  So I thought I would share it with all of you.

Cinnamon Roasted Butternut Squash Recipe

Yield: 4 (1 cup) servings

You Will Need

• 1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 3 pounds or 8 cups, cubed)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Dash cayenne, optional

Directions

Prepare Squash: Heat oven to 425º F and line two large baking sheets with aluminum foil.

1. Toss squash cubes with olive oil, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and the cayenne until well coated. Tumble coated squash onto baking sheets and spread into one layer. Try not to crowd them too much or else they will not brown. Remember...I had already used some in my stew...so you will probably need 2 sheets if you are using an entire squash. 

1. Roast Squash: Roast squash, turning once and rotating pans once, until edges are lightly browned and centers are tender; 40 to 45 minutes. (Since ovens can often run hotter than you have heated them to, check the squash every so often to make sure they are not roasting quicker than expected).