It's summer time, which means all the crockpot meal preps and all the planning ahead. I was looking into freezer crockpot meals and found this blog post with 31 crockpot recipes you can freeze ahead of time. I've never tried freezing crockpot meals, but it's that time of summer when life gets really busy, and with prepping for mom as well, I figured this would really help me out. My go-to options for paleo BBQ sauce are Tessemae's BBQ sauce or Steve's PaleoChef Peach BBQ, both sold at the Whole Foods near me, which is super convenient! For this recipe I used Tessemae's BBQ sauce and I prepped and froze the ingredients beforehand as the recipe calls for. The pineapple BBQ mix was a sweet barbecue taste and the chicken turned out delicious. The barbecue spiced brussels sprouts on the other hand were more of a spicy barbecue taste, but still very yummy as well. I definitely recommend using no more than 2 Tbsp of that homemade BBQ rub with the 2lbs of brussels. The recipe makes close to 4 Tbsp and that is way too much to use all at once. Anyways, if you really like barbecue then this is a meal for you! 

​Slow Cooker Paleo Hawaiian BBQ Chicken 
Ingredients:

• 2 lb. Chicken Breasts
• 3 Tbsp coconut aminos
• 20 oz fresh pineapple with any juice
• 1 green pepper, sliced
• ½ cup onion sliced thin
• 1 tsp dried ginger
• 2 fresh garlic cloves, crushed and minced
• 1 cup paleo BBQ sauce (I used ​Tessemae's BBQ sauce)
• 1 Tbsp raw honey
• ¼ cup olive oil
• salt and pepper, optional

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients except BBQ sauce and freeze.
2. When ready to cook thaw the ingredients in the refrigerator overnight.
3. Place into a slow cooker and add BBQ sauce and cook on low for 8 hours.
4. Remove and shred chicken with two forks and serve.
5. Salt and pepper if desired.

​Original recipe found here

Crispy Barbecue Spiced Brussels Sprouts
Ingredients:

• 2 lb of brussels sprouts, halved
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil

BBQ seasoning Rub:

• 1 Tbsp paprika
• ½ Tbsp kosher salt
• ¼ Tbsp mustard powder
• ½ Tbsp chili powder
• ½ Tbsp ground cumin
• ¼ Tbsp black pepper
• ½ Tbsp garlic powder
• ¼ Tbsp cayenne
• ¼ Tbsp onion powder

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place brussels sprouts in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil.
3. Combine all ingredients for spice mix in a large bowl. Mix in into brussels sprouts and use a large spoon to toss spice mix evenly among sprouts. 
4. Spread brussels sprouts in one layer on a greased baking sheet.
5. Bake for 25 minutes. Increase oven to 450 degrees and bake for another 10 minutes, or until crispy.
6. Enjoy!

Inspired by this recipe 

I am taking a class all this week, so I wanted to make my meal prep easy, but also make sure I made an amazing meal to look forward to eating all week. I've made this balsamic pot roast before and it's so incredibly yummy. Ironically my friend sent me a picture of this meal last week saying how delicious it was too. She threw this in the Instapot for 30 minutes, so if you have that appliance and want a quicker meal prep then there you go! Also, even my family has implemented this one into their rotation of dinner recipes and I'm sure those of you cooking for your whole family understand the challenge of finding something healthy that everyone will eat. Basically what I am saying is you need to give this recipe a try! I decided to pair this with some roasted sweet potatoes like I did last time because I really enjoyed that combination. I am not sure I've ever picked two crockpot meals for meal prep before, but I knew I was going to have a busy weekend and even busier week, so I tried reducing the stress of meal prep a little bit. I cooked one of the crockpot meals over night and threw the other meal in the crockpot first thing in the morning. This worked out perfectly and really helped my meal prep on Sunday, so if you are in need of a new suggestion for easier meal preps then give that a try. Also, give this pot roast recipe a try too! You will not be disappointed! 

​Slow Cooker Balsamic Pot Roast
Ingredients:

• 2 lbs boneless Chuck Roast
• 1 TBS olive oil

Rub:

• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp sea salt
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Sauce:

• ½ cup high quality balsamic vinegar
• 2 TBS honey
• 1 TBS dijon mustard (I use Woodstock Organic Dijon Mustard, found at local grocery store)
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 TBS arrowroot powder

Directions:

1. Generously grease the bowl of your slow cooker. Set aside.
2. Make the rub: In a small bowl, mix together garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt and pepper. Set aside.
3. Make the sauce: In a medium bowl whisk together balsamic vinegar, honey, mustard and beef broth. Set aside.
4. Putting it together: Coat the roast in 1 TBS olive oil (I spread it around with my hands). Set in your slow cooker.
5. Evenly sprinkle the roast with the rub, pressing it into the meat so it sticks.
6. Pour sauce over roast and turn your slow cooker onto low.
7. Cook on low for 8-12 hours, occasionally spooning more sauce over the roast, until it is very easily shredded with a fork.
8. Shred and continue cooking on low for another 1 hour.
9. Just before you are ready to serve, remove the meat from the sauce and strain the sauce through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl (do NOT pour it down the drain)!
10. Transfer sauce to a saucepan and whisk in 1 TBS tapioca flour or arrowroot powder.
11. Cook on medium heat until sauce becomes thick.
12. Pour ¼ of the thickened sauce over the meat and save the rest for people to spoon on when you serve!
13. Eat and enjoy!

​Original recipe found here

My Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients:

• 4-6 Sweet Potatoes (Depending on how much you want to make. 5 medium sized sweet potatoes usually gets me 6 oz of sweet potato fries for 6 meals. I think my idea of medium sized is bigger than most though.)
• Olive oil spray
• Sea salt (I actually use Garlic Sea Salt on everything I cook)
• Optional: Cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Skin and cut the sweet potatoes into whatever shape you want. I either do fries, wedges or circles.
3. Spray baking pan with olive oil. Lay down sweet potato fries flat (please do not just dump a pile on the pan).
4. I fill my Misto with olive oil and lightly spray the fries, then add some sea salt (sometimes cinnamon too).
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Take out of the oven and move them around or flip them over. Bake for another 15-20 minutes.
6. Keep an eye on them, if they are thin bake for less time, and vice versa. Key is to move them around or flip them over half way through baking them. I usually make mine thicker, so I bake them for at least a total of 40 minutes.

I've recently been posting more breakfast/snack-type muffin recipes because that's what I have been prepping for my mom to eat. However, this sweet potato muffin recipe was 100% for me! I came across a delicious looking and simple-ingredient sweet potato paleo pancake recipe (link is below) and saved it to make one of these weekends. Then I got to thinking how I am in this class all week and how I will most definitely need to pack a lot more food than normal. This is how I came about turning that pancake recipe into a muffin recipe and found the best snack ever to pack for the week. I subbed out the coconut flour for a scoop of Paleo Protein and thought it worked out perfectly. There is no need to add protein powder if you don't want it though. Next time I make these I'm going to use coconut flour as the recipe calls for. Anyways, these turned out delicious and I was happy to have a carb filled snack on-the-go that wasn't fruit!

Sweet Potato Paleo Pancake Muffins
Ingredients:

• 1 cup sweet potato, microwaved until soft and mashed
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp coconut flour (I used one scoop of Paleo Protein instead)
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Mix together all ingredients and beat just until a batter forms.
2. Spray muffin tin pan with nonstick spray or use muffin liners. Fill ⅔ way full.
3. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. (It took me closer to 20 minutes for 8 muffins)

Inspired by this recipe

This meal was sweet and delicious! This picture does not do the meal any justice, in my opinion. The chicken was a SUPER easy crockpot recipe and a must save for when you have no time to meal prep. I was real resourceful and measured and mixed the balsamic vinegar, honey, and spices in one measuring cup, then poured the mixture over the chicken. The original recipe called for 8 chicken thighs (bone-in, skin removed), but I used about 3 lbs of chicken breast instead (I cooked a few extra meals for my mom). Since that was a lot more chicken I also increased the balsamic vinegar from 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup and used two zucchinis instead of one. Other then those swaps, I made the recipe as-is and those measurements are indicated below. I have to note that there was a ton of left over sauce though, so I think next time I'll keep it at 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar. Anyways, the fried cauliflower rice was equally amazing and a really great pair with this chicken. I accidentally used fresh grated ginger instead of ground ginger, but I ended up loving that fresh ginger taste a lot and would do it that way again. I also used my food processor to dice up everything in both meals. Not only does that save me some time in the kitchen, but I also just personally like my veggies diced real small. I loved this meal and am absolutely looking forward to having it all week! I definitely recommend these two recipes to anyone.

​Crockpot Garlic Honey Chicken
Ingredients:

• 2-3 lb. boneless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup balsamic Vinegar
• 1/2 cup raw honey
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
• 2 bell peppers (red, yellow, or orange), sliced (I diced these)
• 1 yellow onion, sliced into thick pieces
• 2 zucchini, Cut into 2-3" spears (I diced these)
• 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch/flour
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped, for garnish

Directions:

1. Place the chicken in the base of a crock pot. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, honey, garlic, salt, and chili flakes. Pour over the chicken. Cover with the lid and cook on high for 3 hours.
2. Add the onion, sliced peppers, and sliced zucchini to the crock pot. Cook for one more hour.
3. Mix the arrowroot powder and water together to form a smooth mixture. Pour into the crockpot and mix into the cooking liquid by tossing around the chicken and vegetables. Let cook for another 10 minutes, or until liquid thickens enough to coat the chicken and vegetables. Add cilantro to the chicken and toss to distribute.
4. Serve alone or with your favorite side.

Original recipe found here


Paleo Cauliflower Fried Rice 
Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 1/2 cup carrots, diced
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger (adjust to taste)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 large cauliflower, grated (I used two 12 oz bags of frozen cauliflower rice)
• 1/2 cup coconut aminos
• 2 eggs, scrambled
• 1/2 cup diced green onions

Directions:

1. In a large pan, cook the onion and carrots in the coconut oil until soft. About 7-9 minutes.
2. Season with salt, ginger, and garlic.
3. Once the carrots are tender, add the cauliflower and coconut aminos.
4. Stir to evenly coat the cauliflower and cook for about 5 minutes.
5. Push the mixture to one side of the pan and add the scrambled eggs. Stir until cooked, then mix in.
6. Add the green onion, take off the heat, and serve.

Original recipe found here

I mentioned last week that it was time to pick out some casserole dishes to make for meal prep, so here is another good one! If you've never made a paleo Shepherd's Pie before then you are missing out. I have never made one that I disliked, plus they are super simple to prep and throw in a casserole dish to bake. I decided to try out this new recipe below, but if you scroll through the casseroles category (on the side bar to the right) you can find a couple other ones that I've made in the past (or you can just type Shepherd’s Pie in the search bar). This particular one turned out amazing though! I diced the pepper, onion, and carrots in the food processor because I was lazy this weekend and did not want to do any chopping. Just throwing that note out there for anyone else that finds chopping to be too consuming. Also, the original recipe calls for flaxseed meal instead of egg whites, so if you have that ingredient and want to use it then check out the link below. This Shepherd's Pie turned out so delicious and is definitely worth trying!

Shepherd’s Pie with Sweet Potato Topping
Ingredients:

• 2 lb. grass-fed ground beef
• 4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped 
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 6 ounces tomato paste 
• 2 egg whites (I used 4 Tbsp Egg Whites)

Sweet Potato Topping​:

• 3-4 medium sweet potatoes peeled and cubed 
• 1-2 tablespoon coconut oil or butter
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375℉.
2. In a skillet on medium heat. Begin to brown ground beef.
3. Once beef is partially browned, add chopped carrots, onions, peppers and minced garlic.
4. Cook on medium heat until carrots are soft, about 10 minutes. You may begin making the topping while the meat filling cooks.
5. Once the carrots are soft, stir in tomato paste, egg whites, seasonings salt and pepper.
6. For the topping: Steam or bake (at 375℉.) the sweet potatoes until fork tender. Then add all of the topping ingredients to a food processor (or blender) and process until smooth.
7. Final step: transfer the meat filling to a large casserole dish and top the meat filling with the Sweet Potato Mash.
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and serve.

Original recipe found here

How delicious do these look and sound!? I did not actually try them because I made them for my mom's breakfast all week, but I had a taste tester tell me they were good! This recipe definitely spiced up the egg muffin game and are worth trying if you are sick of the typical eggs and bacon combo. Make sure you check the ingredients on the sausage you pick out and get one without any added sugar. I used a 10 oz package of cooked Italian sausage, which ended up making this recipe yield 18 muffins. Also, I soaked my sun dried tomatoes, drained them, then cut them up real small, so that there was never an overwhelming bite of tomato. Another easy, quick, and successful breakfast prep that is worth giving a try! 

Sausage Pizza Egg Muffins
Ingredients:

• ¾ lb sweet Italian sausage or pork breakfast sausage, casings removed, no added sugar (Applegate Sweet Italian Sausage is a great option)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
• dash of crushed red pepper
• ⅔ cup chopped sun dried tomatoes {soften first by soaking if too hard}
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning blend
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 9 eggs
• ¼ tsp fine grain sea salt
• 1-2 tsp coconut oil for cooking the sausage, plus extra for greasing muffin cups

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and grease a 12 cup muffin tin well with coconut oil to prevent sticking.
2. Heat a medium or large skillet over medium heat and add 1-2 tsp coconut oil to the skillet. Add the sausage and a dash of crushed red pepper, and break up lumps of sausage with a wooden spoon. If using the garlic*, add it to the pan when the sausage is halfway browned
3. Continue to cook and stir. Once the sausage is nearly fully browned, add the chopped sundried tomatoes and stir into the mixture. Cook another minute, then remove from heat and set aside.
4. In a very large bowl, whisk together the eggs, onion powder, Italian seasoning, and salt. Then, pour the entire sausage mixture into the eggs and combine.
5. Fill muffin cups ¾ of the way to the top (they'll rise over the cups, which is fine) until the mixture is used up and bake in the preheated oven about 15 minutes, or until the eggs are set and the muffins just begin to brown.
6. Remove from oven and let cool a few minutes before serving. If making ahead, you can refrigerated them in a sealed container for up to 5 days. Enjoy!

​Original recipe found here

Who doesn't love casseroles!? It's been a while since I picked out a casserole recipe for meal prep, so it's time to bring them back. Casseroles are always a great option for meal prep because they typically have little prep and you end up tossing everything together in one baking dish, which eliminates time in the kitchen and time cleaning dishes! Anyways, the original recipe did not add broccoli to the casserole, but I thought this meal could use some more veggies so I threw those in. The original recipe also only called for 1 lb of shredded chicken and 1 egg, but I doubled both of those as you can see. Note, there is no instruction on shredding the chicken. You can bake (or broil) the chicken, let it cool, then throw it in a food mixer to shred, which is what I did. If you are short on time you can also buy a rotisserie chicken and pick that apart to use for this dish. I thought this meal turned out tasting very much Italian and very yummy. If you are skeptical of this recipe or paleo recipes in general, then leave out the broccoli. I personally liked the addition, but I can see others not enjoying those bites. Other then that, every spaghetti squash casserole I've ever made has turned out amazing and that includes this one too. This one is definitely worth giving a try!

Italian-Style Spaghetti Squash Bake
​Ingredients:

• 1 Spaghetti squash (I picked out a medium/large sized one)
• 2 lb. organic boneless chicken breasts, baked or boiled and shredded
• 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 clove garlic, crushed
• 3 handfuls fresh spinach
• 3 cups of Broccoli florets
• 1 1/2 cup tomato sauce of choice (homemade or store-bought)
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Italian seasoning, more to taste
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, more to taste
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 °F.
2. Cut spaghetti squash in half and scoop out seeds. Drizzle with olive oil, sea salt, and black pepper.
3. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
4. Lay spaghetti squash face down on baking sheet. Bake for about 30 minutes, until fork tender, and let cool.
5. Once cool, scrape out spaghetti squash using a fork and place in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.
6. In a small skillet over medium-heat, heat oil and sauté garlic. Add spinach and broccoli and sauté until spinach is wilted.
7. Add spinach, broccoli and garlic mixture, shredded chicken, tomato sauce, eggs, and spices to the bowl with the spaghetti squash. Mix until well combined.
8. Transfer entire mixture to a baking dish.
9. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes.
10. Bake at 375 °F for 20 minutes. Broil on high for 3-5 minutes, or until top starts to bubble and brown.

​Original recipe found here

I am still trying really hard to find all the most delicious paleo food options to make for my mom. I found this Birch Benders Paleo Pancake & Waffle Mix at Whole Foods and had to give it a try. I used the mix to came up with this muffin recipe below and they turned out amazing. I probably could have taken a better picture to make them look more appetizing, but I promise they turned out tasty! I slipped in a scoop of Paleo Protein with a little bit of 100% maple syrup in hopes to mask any protein powder flavor, topped the muffins with frozen blueberries, and baked for 20 minutes. My mom loved them! There's room to play around with the recipe to your liking as well, which is why there are so many optional items listed. I am sure the fruit does not to be frozen, that is just what I used. I also only threw in 100% maple syrup to mask the protein powder, so next time I make these I'll see how they taste without the syrup. For those who are looking for a paleo breakfast option that does not include eggs, here you go! If you are eating this as a meal then I recommend the protein scoop just to add some more protein, but if you don't need extra protein then no need to add the extra scoop. Let me know if you make this one and what you tried!

Paleo Pancake Muffins
Serves: 10-12 muffins
Ingredients:

• 3/4 Cup Birch Benders Paleo Pancake & Waffle Mix (found at Whole Foods)
• 2/3 Cup Water
• 1 egg
• 1 Scoop Protein Powder (optional)
• 2 Tbsp 100% Maple Syrup or Honey (optional)
• Optional mix-in ideas:

          o Frozen Blueberries, Raspberries, or other fruit
          o Enjoy Life Dairy-Free Mini Chocolate Chips
          o Chopped nuts
          o Breakfast sausage links, cut in 4ths (check ingredients for no unwanted ingredients)
Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Mix together all ingredients, minus the optional mix-in’s
2. Spray muffin tin pan with nonstick spray or use muffin liners. Fill ⅔ way full. Top each muffin with your choice of mix-ins.
3. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. (It took me 20 minutes for 10-12 muffins.)

I am still obsessed with the the Garlic Cauliflower Mash I made a couple times last month. so this week I decided to add some sweet potatoes into the mix. The verdict: the mash turned out absolutely delicious! I am so glad I tried this out. I'm always searching for ways to mix up how I make sweet potatoes and this one is a winner. Since I picked out the mash first, I found this simple crockpot carnita recipe to pair it with. This recipe does have a hint of Mexican and spicy flavor to it, so not your typical pair for a sweet potato mash, but I thought the meal was great! I also think anything pairs well with sweet potatoes though... Anyways, I put the pork in the crockpot on high for 6 hours. Once done, I shredded the pork and threw it on a baking sheet, drizzled some of the extra sauce from the crockpot and lightly sprayed some olive oil on top, then baked for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. The recipe calls for putting the shredded pork in a skillet to crisp and brown up, but I thought baking it would do a better job.

Paleo Carnitas from Pork Tenderloin 
Ingredients:

• 2lb pork tenderloin
• 1/2 onion chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 jalapeño chopped
• 2 teaspoons salt
• Juice of one lime
• Juice of one navel orange

Pork Tenderloin Rub:

• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

1. Pat dry pork tenderloin with paper towels. Combine rub ingredients and rub all over tenderloin then place in your Crockpot.
2. Top with remaining ingredients, cover, and cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 6-8 hours. When done, the meat will be cooked through and very tender, easily separated with a fork.
3. Remove the tenderloin from the Crockpot and shred the meat with two forks. Do not discard juices

To Serve:

1. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add enough carnitas to cover the surface without crowding and ladle a little of the carnitas juice over. Cook until juice has evaporated and bottom of carnitas is crispy and browned. Flip and cook briefly, but not until too brown.
2. Remove from skillet and drizzle with a little more juice. Serve.

​
Original recipe found here


Garlic Sweet Potato & Cauliflower Mash 
Ingredients:

• 2-3 pounds sweet potatoes (based on how much sweet potato you need)
• 1 pound cauliflower florets
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2-3 tbsp ghee (you can also use coconut oil) (I used 3 Tbsp)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Fresh chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. Peel and cut sweet potato into 1 ½ -inch chunks.
2. Steam the sweet potato and cauliflower in a large pot with boiling water, garlic cloves, and salt. Steam until fork tender. (I steamed the cauliflower and sweet potato separately because I had a lot of sweet potatoes.)
3. Drain and transfer sweet potato, cauliflower, and garlic cloves into a food mixer or food processor. You can also place in a large bowl and mash yourself.
4. Add the ghee, salt, and black pepper to your liking (I added at least 1 tsp of salt). Blend until smooth. 
5. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley.

Note: If the mash is too thick for your liking, add a little bit of coconut milk until desired consistency is achieved. 

My friend really enjoyed this one a while ago and I finally gave it a try. I ended up doubling the entire recipe to make enough for eight meals, with the exception of only using 8 sausage links and 3 small/med squashes. (I made two extra meals for my mom, decided I only needed one sausage link per meal, and I ended up scooping out extra squash to complete the two extra meals.) I was a little nervous to meal prep this recipe because I've never had acorn squash before, but it was an amazing pair with the chicken sausage, apples, and caramelized onions. All the comforting fall foods! I totally forgot to add in the spinach, but I did make some roasted brussels sprouts with some of the diced apples I set aside. If you need to change up your typical meal prep, this was a flavorful, comforting, and tasty meal that I really enjoyed!

Caramelized Onion Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash
Ingredients:

• 2 small/med acorn squash, cut in half lengthwise and seeds/strings scooped out
• 1 lb sweet Italian sausage, casings removed, sugar free* (I used Nature's Promise Mild Italian Chicken Sausage, found at local grocery store)
• 1 large onion (or 2 small) cut in half and sliced thin
• 3 tbsp ghee, coconut oil, or other cooking fat (for caramelizing the onions) + 2 tsp (for sauteing the garlic)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium-large apple, cored and diced
• 2 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
• 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
• 2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
• sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Place the 4 acorn squash halves (seeds removed) open-side down on the baking sheet and roast in the preheated oven for about 20-30 minutes, or until the top of your squash feels tender when gently pressed. You can always check them and continue to roast a few more minutes if they aren't tender enough. Set aside after removing from oven.
3. While the squash roasts, make the filling. Begin by caramelizing the onions (this process takes a good 20-25 minutes to really bring the flavor out!)
4. In a medium skillet, heat the ghee or coconut oil over low heat and add all the onions, stirring to coat. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and cook over low heat, stirring every 5 minutes ago to prevent burning. Once onions have been cooking for about 25 minutes and are deep golden brown, remove from heat and set aside.
5. While the squash roasts and the onions cook, heat a large saucepan over medium low heat and add the remaining 2 tsp cooking fat to melt. Add the garlic and cook until just tender, then add all the sausage and increase the heat to medium.
6. Cook the sausage and stir to break up lumps, about 5-8 minutes until just browned. Add the apples and herbs and continue to cook, stirring until the apples soften. Add the spinach and a pinch of salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until the spinach wilts.
7. Add the caramelized onions to the sausage mixture, leaving excess cooking fat in the pan. Preheat your broiler, then fill all 4 halves of the squash with the stuffing mixture (you may have leftover depending on how big your squash was)
8. Arrange the squash on the baking sheet, stuffing side up, and put under the broiler for 5-10 minutes until the tops get nice and toasty, checking often to prevent burning. Once nice and browned, remove from oven, allow to cool a bit and then serve warm. Enjoy!

NOTES
*Check labels or look out for your local store's store-made sausage, since they usually leave out sugar and preservatives. You can also check out the sugar free pork breakfast sausage from U.S. Wellness Meats, or their sugar free Italian Sausage links!

​Original recipe found here