Cooking with Collin: Squash Hash with Chicken, Apples and Bacon (+ Food Talk!)
So, as you can see from the title of this post, this is not going to be a post about printing a coupon, scoring an online bargain or snagging an in-store deal… but hey, it’s my site, right?! 🙂 I actually want to share what I cooked up for dinner tonight and discuss how I’ve been eating for the past month.
You see, back in North Carolina I was dealing with… well, the craziness of moving across the country and for months I didn’t seem to have the motivation to cook. I am going to be very honest and state that I relied way too heavily on frozen pizza and any other easy to prepare packaged item that I had a coupon for. Yes, we were not eating by any means very healthy. I know that, trust me!
Well, fast forward to now and I am so stinkin’ proud of myself! Since the move, I have gotten way more motivated to be in the kitchen cookin’ again. I’m even having fun doing it and getting the kiddos involved.
As I’ve stated in a previous post, I’ve started eating a primarily Paleo/Primal diet. Just google these terms and tons of info will come up online. Basically I have cut out all grains, sugar and dairy products (although, I am still using a little heavy cream for my coffee). I now eat tons of veggies, fruits, nuts, meat, chicken and fish.
I feel so good. My energy is up and to be quite honest, my issues with digestion and constipation have pretty much cleared up. Don’t you just love how I feel open enough to talk about practically anything?! 😉
…And eating this way has really motivated me in the kitchen. It’s fun coming up with creative ways to make Paleo friendly meals. I have tried so many new veggies and learned to prepare them in various ways.
So tonight, check out what I cooked with Butternut squash (one of my new favorite veggies)…
I am going to call this – Squash Hash with Chicken, Apples and Bacon! Yum!
Squash Hash with Chicken, Apples and Bacon
Yummy squash hash for your busy weeknights!
Ingredients
- 1/2 of a large butternut squash, cubed
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 to 2 applies diced
- 2 large chicken breasts, cut into small chunks and pan-fried with coconut oil
- coconut oil (or any other oil you prefer)
- crumbled bacon, cooked
- salt & Pepper
Directions
1
Set your oven to broil.
2
Add the cubed butternut squash on a cookie sheet. I added some coconut oil too. Let broil for about 10 to 15 minutes. Make sure to stir every couple of minutes. Take out when brown spots start to form.
3
While the squash is cooking, heat a spoonful of coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat.
4
Add in the chopped onions and stir occasionally until they are softened and starting to brown a little.
5
Place all of the ingredients (butternut squash, diced apples, cooked chicken, and bacon) into the skillet with the onions. Then make sure to season with salt and pepper to your liking.
Hip Tip: You can make this a breakfast meal by substituting the chicken with scrambled eggs.
Also, if you are trying to kick the soda habit or drink less soda, then you should definitely try out this super simple, but yet so refreshing beverage that only requires 3 ingredients…
Ingredients:
club soda or sparkling water
fresh lemons or limes
A few drops of liquid stevia
So refreshing and so much better for ya than soda!
If this is something that interests you all, I would love to start sharing Paleo/Primal friendly recipes on a more regular basis.
that looks delicious. Thanks for sharing Collin.
My whole family is either vegetarian or vegan, so I’m all for sharing recipes!
It does look delicious and I would love to see more recipes 🙂
My husband is on the paleo diet. I am kinda sorta on it. I mainly do my paleo meals for breakfast and lunch and the in between snacks. I love my pastas too much. But since being on the diet and along with excercise my husband lost over 35 lbs. he’s currently deployed so I haven’t seen the results in the flesh but now almost only 8 days and a wake up and I’ll get to see (and touch ;)) first hand. Really great diet though and the food is actually really yummy
Yes I love the paleo stuff!!!
I would love more recipes like this! I changed my family’s diet to no processed foods back in the fall. I buy primarily organic, bake my own bread from scratch, and prepare all 3 meals a day from scratch now (with the exception of the 1 night a week that I work). I am getting super bored with the recipes that I have and would love some new, healthy, unprocessed foods!
My fav is lasagna substitute squash for noodles 🙂
Bread was good enough for Jesus, and it is good enough for me. Love my grains, fruits and veggies. The recipe looks great–all that is missing is some rice or a side of whole grain bread! 🙂
heather- I hope this doesnt turn into a debate. But I agree about the bread & jesus thing 😉 hehe.
Agreeing also, we didn’t evolve either.
Well, thats your opinion. I beg to differ 🙂
Just remember ladies that bread was made a lot different when Jesus was around than it is today.
@annette i agree. i was going to comment along those same lines. the wheat/grains we have these days are almost a completely different product than 2000 years ago…all the pesticides, GMO etc. have created something that most humans simply can’t tolerate and cause a myriad of problems (headaches, leaky gut, autism etc). Regardless of anyone’s opinion of evolution vs creation the food offered 2000 years ago isn’t anything like the food today…it has evolved…both for better and for worse.
Yes! More recipes! 🙂
Yes, indeedy, more recipes! It IS your site, right? 😉
Looks delicious and not hard to prepare – yum going to try it tomorrow.
Mmmm looks so good!! Simple and quick!
I was doing pretty much the same over the summer and fall, I fell off the ban wagon for the holidays and am TRYING to get started again… THAT totally inspired me again though! In my family my husband is diabetic, my 4yr old daughter has Celiac, my 14r old step daughter has sugar induced epilepsy, my 15yr old son has Autism, and all the others have a variety of food allergies, milk across the board … This is TRULY the way we should be eating all the time and easy once you start! just so easy to fall off the band wagon! lol
Keep up the good work … and thanks for making me hungry! haha
WOW sounds like you have your hands full with trying to come up with meals. what kinds of things do you usually prepare? or is it a wide variety?
Congratulations Collin! We’ve been Primal since August of last year and LOVE it too! That does look great for breakfast actually! We’ve been experimenting with ‘egg muffins’ for busy mornings, but this definitely looks like a weekend winner!
Thank You! my husband came home from Iraq with multiple medical issues triggered by certain foods. I have had to cut out so many things that we are practically on the Paleo diet! This recipe will have to be added to my list!
I was recently diagnosed with diabetes, so I am on recipes hunts! I would love to see more recipes! I am also going to look up the paleo diet, since it really seems to be things I can eat. (allergic to dairy, but I *love* my cheese.) And like Heather said, I can always pair it with something like quinoa or brown rice for my son. Keep them coming!!!
Congrats,Collin! Looks yummo! 🙂
What an awesome looking recipe….. I have a friend who switched to a paleo diet and is doing great. Thanks!
I love this. I want people to know that they can eat well and still use coupons! Love all of your hard work. I use my coupons at our health food store when they have their twice monthly sales and get things close to half off! when you are saving money on household products, it leaves room for adding healthy ingredients into your diet! Thanks again for all that you do and for being so honest, you rock!
Thanks so much for your post! I actually started eating paleo/primal January 1st. I did Mark’s 21 Day Primal Blueprint Challenge and feel GREAT! More energy, less bloated, less pounds. Since finishing, I had two slices of pizza and got super duper sick. Then I tried having spaghetti and only ate the meatballs because the pasta literally repulsed me. Then I tried rice and I got the jitters and fast heartbeat from what I assume to be due to an insulin spike. This lifestyle is truly the answer to many ailments. I wish more people would give it a try.
On a related note, I’m a big couponer but have gotten discouraged because well, there just aren’t a lot of coupons out there for this lifestyle. How do you do it? I know this food is much more expensive than the processed foods coupons would get me, not to mention all the free pasta I still have in my pantry. But I just tell myself I’m investing in my health today so I don’t have to invest in it tomorrow…in the hospital.
If nothing else, try shopping at Kroger if you have one. At least you will get the gas points benefits from buying the groceries. I’ve also had to think about how much I’d spend on fast food or other “easy” meals. I’ve made a bag of organic spinach last a long time for several meals. And you are right about your health. I’m a Massage Therapist so I’m always trying to encourage people to take care of themselves now instead of letting the problems build. 🙂
Slightly less encouraging…I do get angry when I hear all the govt agencies talking about how obese we are as a society, ect, yet the cost of healthy foods is at least twice as much as the stuff that’s going to kill us quicker!
Roasting spaghetti squash will get you faux pasta and grating cauliflower gets you faux rice!
How exactly do you grate the caulifower? sounds good 🙂
Laura, I steam my cauliflower for a couple of minutes and then I put it in a food processor until it’s a rice texture. – I search online for exactly how to do it. I made chicken curry tonight and put it over “riced” cauliflower.
You can also steam the cauliflower and then blend it with a little milk and garlic to get a mashed potatoes kind of side dish.
Jami-I’ve had such a hard time cutting the squash open and forking it out. Any suggestions?
Cut it in half with a big knife, remove seeds, salt/pepper. Rub flesh with olive oil, Roast at 390 for about an hour. Let cool (its very hot) 10 minutes. Scrape with fork and it should peel off in3-4 inch strands.
Not sure what this diet is but am always looking for good healthy recipes and would love to see more. Thanks
Looks goood… I think you should share these recipes.
ALSO I HAVE THIS SHUTTERFLY FREE SHIPPING CODE…expires today
8E8K-B2NY-5UZT-60DASC
Thanks! I was so hoping to find one!
Collin, I am so happy for you …. and quite impressed. Not easy to cut out the sugars….especially the Indiana Popcorn! 🙂 I am definitely going to try out this recipe. Keep ’em comin. Thank you for everything you do! YOU ROCK, WOMAN!!
Please share more recipes! ;D
So Collin, does this mean you gave up your favorite (and mine) yummy Popcorn Indiana? 😉
Yep… I have. 🙁
That’s so awesome, Collin! Hey, can I just say one thing? From someone with a lot of nutrition background and experience, cutting out whole grains entirely may not be necessary. There’s lots of really good vitamins in whole wheat, etc. If you add it back in and have digestion problems (like I do) then that’s one thing, but I just wanted to say that you don’t need to cut out all grains. Amaranth, quinoa, etc. are excellent.
If you suffer from depression and cut out whole grains, it can not only exacerbate your depression but cause you to commit suicide. I have this on the absolute best authority, from my therapist, who has informed me that she doesn’t want me to ever try a low-carb diet or any diet where I cut out carbs because of the increased risk of suicide in depressive patients.
Before you cut out carbohydrates, starches, and grains from your diet, you should talk to your doctor.
Interesting Savings Viking. I thought I’d heard that serotonin and whole grains were related, but googled it to be sure. Here’s just one website:
https://www.livestrong.com/article/376701-foods-for-serotonin/
I’m sure there’s ways to get the vitamins you need without whole grains, I’m just saying that a lot of people are scared of grains because they’re “carbs”. Carbs are good for you body as long as you don’t overdo it. 🙂
You are not cutting out carbs because fruits and veggies are carbs. Grains don’t have no nutritional value, causing leeky gut and inflamation. One very important thing is when cutting “bad carbs” you need to UP your protein and good quality fats.
Try it for yourself for 30 days and see how you feel.
Read ” The Paleo Solution”
I have lost 6lbs and started Jan. 2!!
amaranth and quinoa although often called “ancient” grains are NOT technically in grains or grasses at all but rather seeds. neither is buckwheat (no wheat relation at all) these are pseudo cereals or pseudo grains and all three are actually complete proteins (so are hempseeds, chia seeds and spirulina). buckwheat is a relative of the rhubarb and quinoa is related to the silver beet and spinach family.
our family is grain free, we eat a modified GAPS/SCD and Paleo friendly diet. we eat these three seeds often (as well as hemp and chia). We use them in the seed form and also as a “flour” (thank you magic bullet) IMHO however, it’s best to soak quinoa, buckwheat and amaranth for aided digestion.
Good for you. I love that drink it is so yummy there is another one you should try that is super good with a little creamier of a texture. My mom calls it s diet orange julius
blend
a handful of ice
1 fresh orange
5 to 15 drops of vanilla stevia (depending on how strong you want the taste)
blend it up until kind of chunky or smooth and frothy which ever you prefer
I think you will enjoy this sweet healthy treat to add to your bag of “HIP” tricks.
This sounds so refreshing! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Is the orange whole including peel??
OMG i love orange julias but its always so fattening! Thanks for this!
Definitely interested! I’m so tired of being tired..I think I”ll look into that:) Thanks! Your creation looks really yummy! (btw, she never said bread was evil..it’s ok to eat it or not eat it;) )
What about pickles? Did you have to give up pickles, too? Oh … and lemonade? LOL. 😉
Why of course not! 😉
Yep, love it!
Love it! We’ve been Vegan for over a year…hubby lost 35 lbs with that and exercise… veggies are great …roasting is the easiest and yummy thing to do….so yes share…I can modify
Thanks for the new recipe. Can’t wait to try it!!
Thanks for the recipe. My husband doesn’t like coconut and can detect it quite easily. Can you taste any hint of coconut when cooking/baking with coconut oil? I’ve been tempted to buy it, but don’t want to end up eating whatever I make with it all by myself.
really depends on the brand. Spectrum is the only brand I’ve found that is so mild you would never know its coconut. Maybe Nutiva, just depends what you were making. I don’t notice the Nutiva in baked goods that much. Worth a try, what do you have to lose, if he doesn’t like the cookies then you get them all to yourself ; )
Thanks!! I can’t wait to try it! It looks so simple and delicious! I am struggling to cook healthy, not pre-packaged foods for dinner. I am so exhausted the thought of making a whole meal seems daunting when I get home from work…but this looks simple enough to do, and healthy. Please share more like this!
I would LOVE more recipes like this! Thanks Collin!
Just curious because I’m too lazy to google it- why give up all grains? What about the whole grains that are gluten free- what’s in them (other than carbs!) that you’re trying to avoid? I am currently off of grains but only for the reason to lose weight, so I am researching which grains I might start adding in… thanks…
Really great read regarding the reasons to reduce and avoid grains…
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0658017225/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwhip2saveco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0658017225
Thanks for the reference. I’ve been off carbs for 2 1/2 weeks and have lost 15lbs. The reward has been great, but I’ve needed something more for my brain to be retrained from the way I learned to eat.
I’d love to see more recipes like this! I gave up processed food, for the most part, about two years ago. My energy level skyrocketed and I felt so much healthier! The paleo diet looks interesting. I recommend Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food for anyone who needs the incentive to give up processed food!
I started a 30 day Paleo Challenge through my gym about 1 1/2 weeks ago. So far it’s been great – and really not too hard. I had to go to Las Vegas for work for 6 days, and was so worried about eating. – No problems, I found out after almost a week of eating out you can always go bunless, breadless, and have a creative salad. The only thing I’m missing is my coffeemate in my coffee.
Colin, What are you doing for coffee creamer?
A little bit of heavy cream and Stevia! 🙂
Ok – After the 30 days are up, I do plan on adding back some dairy (goat cheese, maybe greek yogurt, and coffee cream). Until then I’ll get by with my canned coconut milk which is expensive but better than the coconut milk in the carton. Probably because it’s full fat! (Unsweetened BTW). – Thanks.
Now, if you could tie in the coupons with the paleo/primal recipes, you’d really be a queen! Either way, thanks for sharing the recipe. I’m gonna try it tomorrow 🙂
Very interesting diet. Never heard of this one before. My kids and I are on are gluten free and cassein free diet, but they still eat alot of rice products. About the constipation issues. Stopping gluten HELPS WONDERS with that. My toddler had severe constipation all his little life until we started being gluten free. Weird reaction he got though was that his poop turned white for a while, but then it went back to normal. You might want to be tested for gluten allergies collin or even celiac disease. thanks so much for sharing collin. You learn something new every day!
Hi Alyssa, I just read your post about you and your children are on a gluten free diet, I was just wondering what type of snacks are you making or buying for your children that they enjoy…my two kids that are 4 and 8 are big snackers and I’m trying to find different ways to make them eat healthier, they both love fruits and vegs, but they also love the junk foods which is why i’m trying to find ways to cut those out….my sister is actually been gluten free for about a yr and says her favorite snack is an apple with almond butter, I haven’t tried it yet, but it sounds good…but she also told me that just because something is gluten free doesn’t mean its totally good for you, for example I had bought some cereal bars for my kids that said “gluten free” all over the box, but once I read my sister the ingredients she said she still wouldn’t eat it, to many processed ingredients and the corn syrup was a no go!…anyways I just wanted to see if you had any recipes or snack ideas that you could share…Thanks!
Hi, sorry such a late response but there are plenty of little on the go snacks my boys still love. We’ll put chex with gluten free pretzels together to make sort of like a trail mix and sometimes add tortilla chips. Or we do the little organic apple sauces that are in the squeeze bottles. I’ll take fruit in a little fruit cup on the go. We also take a banana. Gluten free krispy treats. There are bad things and some good ones. But let’s face it kids like junk. Although my kiddos… are kind of strange. My little one likes, dried pitted prunes, avacado, organic baby tomatoes, tuna, and olives. My older one loves mandarain oranges. I try baking them gluten free snacks also, but most of them have been fails unless it’s choc. chip cookies or something with pumpkin.
Yummy!! Thanks for sharing Collin!
Looks great!! I love anything with squash! bellesbazaar-heather.blogspot.com
It looks fantastic, and my husband will really appreciate the soda substitute. I really want soda out of the house but it is hard to give up. I’m glad you posted this. You always provide tools for saving money and if you think about it this is one, just a tad more long term.
Wow this is awesome! I’m so excited because I have made very similar changes to my eating habits as well! I cut out grains though because I found out I was gluten-intolerant. Who woulda thought! Keep it up though I think this is fabulous! 🙂
Collin you are already so stinkin cute and thin, are you losing weight on this diet? I have been doing a little research on the Paleo/Primal diet and I want to start for health reasons and to shed a few baby pounds, I have 15lbs I can’t get rid of because I can’t lay of the junk food. I’m 5’11 so it doesn’t show, but I really feel it and I hate carring it around. I’m so glad you are sharing these recipes with us, I hope I can learn!! But what do you eat in the place of bread?
I’m not Collin, but I know when I tried to go grain free, I got withdrawals. You can actually be addicted to white flour and sugar, etc. One suggestion is that I know I eat more carbs when I’m not getting enough lean protein and good fats (like olive oil, nuts, etc.). You might try adding those in more, especially the protein and see if you crave them less. It usually works for me 🙂
Personally, as someone with a history of an eating disorder, cutting out an actual food, unless it harms you (like celiac) can cause you to actually crave it more and in the even that you “splurge” and eat it, you’ll overeat, when if you just eat what you want in moderation, and stop when you’re full, you’ll lose weight. Best book I ever read was called Intuitive Eating. Sounds hokey, but I gave a seminar on it it was so great. Anyway, unsolicted advice, but take it for what it’s worth. It’s worked for me. 5’6 and 122 lbs.
HA just my two cents – I have celiac disease and when I cut everything out and started adding bit by bit I was DYING for my sprite and grilled cheese sandwiches… I would look at bread and literally get stomach pains I wanted it so much. I know darn well I can’t eat anything with gluten, I’m so sensitive a crumb makes me ill for hours – but it took me a good year to make the bread cravings go away 😉 And if it makes anyone feel better, I have to stick to a firm gluten free diet and after having 3 kiddos (two at the same time) I still can’t shake the last 10lbs of baby fat. I eat a very healthy diet, obviously low on carbs, barely any baked goods, some bodies just like the padding I guess 🙂
Thanks Serena I’m going to see if my library has that book. I lift weights and I’m always starving, but I know I don’t eat enough protein, I’m not a real meat eater, I crave breads and sweets, I like your advice and I’m going to try to eat more protein to see if that works. Thanks, I love this board, everyone is to helpful!!!
Serena – my friend is a certified intuitive eating coach (along with a MS in counseling) and has transformed her relationship with food/weight/etc. I haven’t read the entire book but agree with the principles of listening to your body. Good for you and your success!
Collin, I am so interested to read that it has helped with digestive issues!? I am super young, and I’ve had some really crazy digestive issues going on lately with no real known cause. Im going to another GI specialist next week, I might bring this up and see if he thinks it might be something good to try. Coming from an Italian family it’ll be a hard transition for sure, BUT if it’ll make me feel better both energy wise AND tummy-wise, it might be worth it.
Good to know it’s helped your tummy. (sorry for the TMI everyone else, haha)
Have you tried taking probiotics? My whole family has digestive issues, and when I started on Culturelle (at Wags, etc.) before one or two meals a day, it helped a ton. Got family members on it now 🙂
@ danielle diet is a huge factor in GI problems. your gut needs to heal. good cultures are def. needed. you should read “breaking the vicious cycle” by elaine gottchall and “gut and psychology syndrome” by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride. i really think the info could change your life. good both books and you should tumble across websites that aim for gut healing.
thanks for the info everyone! I do need to do some research for sure! it is all problems that just suddenly appeared?! my diet hasn’t really changed, but it by far isn’t a healthy diet… maybe it just decided enough is enough?
Thanks again! I am off to research!
That looks great Collin! I would love to see more recipes. It’s always nice to try something new. 🙂
I would love to have more kid friendly paleo/ primal recipes. We have been on this paleo for a few months now but the kids keep asking for bread! I would love alternate choices that they would like! Also for more great info check out Marks daily apple .
I’ve really enjoyed the story, recipes and comments! Thank you!
Serena, Intuitive Eating is an AMAZING book. I actually am an intuitive eater naturally, always have been. I could say so much on just listening to our bodies desires and feelings of satiety.
My sister is recovering from an eating disorder. More power to ya if you, yourself are recovered or in recovery!! Have you read, Life Without Ed? It was really eye opening, a great way to understanding eating disorders and understanding the disease without judgement. 🙂