Savory Slow Cooker Chuck Roast & Butternut Squash Combo Meal

This slow cooker chuck roast recipe is a new an exciting way to feel smart while remaining lazy. I am always trying to see how I can shave off some time in recipes, and this combo meal was one with the busy athlete in mind. The shopping list is short too. Chuck roast, squash, can of tomatoes, and then your spices. Super easy. Naming this recipe was the only thing hard about it, and sorry for making you read such a long recipe title. Combo meal, why did that pop into my head anyways?

Your chuck roast goes into your slow cooker first, and then you simply place your halved and seeded squash in like so. The squash will cook from the steam and will be perfectly ready to scoop out with a large fork. Be careful though as the squash will be hot! Also do try to pick a squash that you can see fitting inside your slow cooker. That is a 4-quart slow cooker pictured above, with about a 3 pound squash. You can always cut the squash halves if you are having difficulty fitting them in.

3 to 5 pound chuck roast2 to 3 pound butternut squash, halved and seededOne 8 ounce can of fire roasted tomatoes (diced or pureed)4 cloves of garlic, cut in half1 tsp cumin1 tsp paprika2 tsp onion powdert tsp black peppersea salt to tasteCut your squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.Use a knife to poke 8 scattered holes into your chuck roast, and then stick the garlic clove halves in.Mix all of your spices together and apply the rub evenly to the chuck roast.Place your chuck roast in your slow cooker and cover it with you can of fire roasted tomatoes.Place your squash halves in skin side down, cut side facing up, as in the picture above.Cook on low for 6 hours.Carefully use a large fork to scoop the squash out and mash it.Either slice or shred your beef with forks, serve and enjoy!

Tags: combo meals, featured, squash

Category: Beef

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Roasted Pumpkin Coconut Soup

It’s that time of year, to cook all of the gourds in your slow cooker, and to make soups! This recipe is for making a creamy pumpkin soup out of an actual pumpkin. For those of you looking to use canned pumpkin, I will have another recipe for you coming up soon. This version is for those of you that want to turn a small (3 to 4 pound) pie pumpkin into some soup, or just as an excuse to have some pumpkin seeds to roast.

The cutting and cooking of the pumpkin definitely takes more time that using a can. I decided to make a recipe using the whole pumpkin because, well, some people have whole pumpkins they want to eat!

1 small pie pumpkin, mine was 4 pounds even. I used 4 cups of cooked pumpkin flesh, go ahead and add more for a thicker soup.1 tbsp of ghee or grass fed butter.2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped roughly.1 small bartlett pear, peeled, cored, and chopped.4 cups of chicken stock.1 can of coconut milk.2 tsp cumin.2 tsp cinnamon.1 tsp ground ginger.1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional).4 to 6 quart slow cooker.Baking pan with 1/2 cup water.Immersion blender, blender, or food processor.Preheat your oven to 350°F.Carefully cut the top off of your pumpkin and then cut it in half. Large serrated knives can be easier. Then cut the pumpkin into quarters.Do remember to save the seeds for later if you enjoy roasting them.Coat the inner surfaces of your pumpkin sections with your ghee or butter, partially melted works best.Place your pumpkin shell side down in your baking pan with 1/2 cup water and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. You are looking for the pumpkin to pull away from the shell.Allow your pumpkin to cool and then use a large fork to pull it from it’s shell, place it in a large bowl and mash it.Add 4 cups of mashed pumpkin to your slow cooker, along with the rest of your ingredients.Cook on low heat for 5 to 6 hours.Use your immersion blender to puree your soup as desired, or transfer the contents of your slow cooker to your food processor or blender.Optional: garnish with pumpkin seeds (pepitas) and enjoy!Note: I’m giving away an immersion blender in this new giveaway.Category: Soup, Veggies

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White Acorn Squash Soup (Slow Cooker & One-Pot)

Colder days are clearly approaching, and for this means more soups. For me, nothing hits the spot on a cold day than a hot mug of soup to sip on. For this soup I chose a white acorn squash, which when cooked in the soup tastes very much like a yellow potato. These squashes are often cheap, and well worth the effort to peel them!

White acorn quash. It still has a slightly yellow tint, yet for the most part appears white. The inner flesh has a yellow color, as you’ll soon see. The easiest way to peel them is to cut them into slices along the grooves. I use a cut resistant glove when peeling the slices. This ensures a safe grip as well as protecting my knuckles from any peeler mishaps. This added safety and security speeds up my prep time.

The only manual labor in this recipe is the browning of your ground turkey or chicken. I then added the squash to the meat for flavor intensive purposes.

Deep rimmed enameled pan, a stock pot, or a slow cooker. 6 quart versions of each are ideal.1 pound of ground turkey or chicken.1 tbsp of coconut oil, grass-fed butter, or ghee.1 white acorn squash, peeled and diced into large or medium cubes.4 cups of chicken stock.4 to 6 cups of water.1 medium red onion, diced.2 cloves of garlic, minced.2 tsp of dried parsley.salt and black pepper to taste.Add your cooking fat of choice to your pot/pan and set heat to medium.Add your ground meat, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper and stir.Cook meat until browned yet not fully cooked, then add your squash.Add 1 cup of your chicken stock to deglaze the pot/pat and stir well.Add the rest of your chicken stock, water, and red onion.Bring your soup to a slight boil then reduce heat to medium low.Cover with a cracked lid and cook for up to an hour.Your soup is ready when your squash cubes are fork tender.Tip: If you like leafy greens, add them in to the pot during the last 20 minutes of cooking.Add your cooking fat of choice to your pot/pan and set heat to medium.Add your ground meat, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper and stir.Cook meat until browned yet not fully cooked, then add your squash.Add 1 cup of your chicken stock to deglaze the pot/pat and stir well.Transfer the contents of your pot/pan to your slow cooker.Add the rest of your chicken stock and water to your slow cooker.Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.Category: Chicken, One-Pot Meals, Soup, Turkey

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