A Little Snacky Snack

Alright, so one thing people ask me a lot (This makes me sounds like an expert, right? That people ask me stuff? Sweet.) is, what do you eat for snacks? Well, that's a great question. I try not to snack in general. The idea that I need to eat 6 small meals a day or be constantly snacking to keep my metabolism going isn't how I roll. In fact, I'd love for you to take some time and read up on Intermittent Fasting here. IF has been a huge part of my health journey and I love it! It works for me but it's not for everyone. Usually my day looks like this:

8am COFFEE!
12-1pm Lunch
3-4pm Snack (if it's a training day)
8pm Dinner

Today's a training day and I had an awesome snack! And the best part is, that it involves a recipe you already know and love, Paleo Granola! Woohoo! Last weekend, I made a couple batches- Apple Raspberry and Pumpkin Chocolate Chip. Yeah, they're awesome. Super awesome. Today I microwaved a sweet potato, threw a couple tablespoons of Kerrygold buttah in and mixed it up. I then had the brilliant idea to top it off with some of my Apple Raspberry Granola and Coconut Milk. You guys. It's the bomb. Please try it!

PS If you've never tried coconut milk from a can, (the canned version doesn't have all the extra preservative junk in it like the version in a carton) the fat separates. So, at the top there is a solid 1/2 inch (more or less) of coconut fat. Don't be alarmed. It's not bad. Just stir it up. It is thick and creamy and all the chunks won't stir smooth but that's okay. I've read that if you heat it, it's easier to stir together but I haven't tried that yet. Enjoy!

Roasted Butternut Squash Apple Soup

This recipe is so easy it's dumb. Why haven't I made this before? This is one of my favorite things to get from Bella Notte in the fall, but I can't be sure what they put in it. . .  I have complete control over the ingredients when making it at home. I love love love how this turned out! Make it; your tastebuds will thank you. *This also makes a great freezer meal! See instructions below.*

Ingredients:

2 honey crisp apples, halved

1 large butternut squash, halved length wise and seeded

3T olive oil or coconut oil + 1T for roasting

6 cloves garlic, pressed

2c chicken broth

2t vanilla extract

1t kosher salt

1t cinnamon

1/2t ginger

3/4c heavy cream

Preheat oven to 375. Line a jelly roll pan with foil. Brush butternut squash and apple halves with 1T olive oil or coconut oil and place them face down on foil lined pan. Roast 1 hour. In the meantime, watch the latest episode of Scandal on your DVR, paint your nails, take a bath, mow your lawn, make your Halloween costume… 

After your squash and apples are done roasting, remove from the oven to cool. While they are cooling, place 3T olive oil or coconut oil and garlic in big soup pot. Turn heat on to medium high and sautè garlic for 2-3 minutes. Add in chicken broth and turn heat down. At this point you need to remove the skin from the squash. I took it off with my hands and the squash fell apart into chunks, which is fine. Add the squash chunks/pieces to the pot and turn the heat back up. Cut the cores out of your apples and add them to the pot. (I added the skin too.) Add vanilla, salt, cinnamon, and ginger and stir.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.  Turn the heat off and stir in your heavy (super high quality pastured, right?) cream. 

Now, you can either use an immersion blender or blend in a standard blender in batches until puréed. Eat up! 

*FREEZER INSTRUCTIONS*

This would be really easy to make a lot of and freeze! Simply follow recipe above, cool soup to room temperature, place desired amount into quart or gallon size freezer bags, and lay flat to freeze. Thaw 24 hours in fridge and reheat on the stove! Voila! 

**WHOLE30 Version**

Omit the vanilla, darn it. And replace the cream with coconut cream or coconut milk.