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redefining "healthy" + butternut squash fry breakfast bake

“How do you eat so healthy all the time?”

I get asked this question quite often — both from people on Instagram and IRL.

I talked about this in my latest IG post, but I’ll recap it for you here:

I don’t categorize any food as “healthy” or “unhealthy.” That only promotes food guilt (like when you obsess over & feel shame about certain foods you perceive as bad).

Instead, I eat food that makes me feel good.

I know that if I eat a lot of sugar, I’m going to have a headache, so I avoid that. I know that if I eat dairy, my lactose intolerant self is going to have massive stomachaches & gas (sexy, I know). but that *doesn’t* mean I eat salads 24/7.

I love fries. And brownies. But most of the time, my body craves some sort of greens, fruit, protein, fat. I eat eggs for breakfast with some sort of greens and avocado 90% of the time because it makes me feel energized, full, and happy.

I never want to tell you what you should & shouldn’t eat, how much you should & shouldn’t eat, or what’s healthy or unhealthy. those are so personal to yourself & YOUR body.

Instead, I’m just here to share what I’ve learned, what foods I love & to make your life easier with easy recipes, product reviews & other tips/tricks.

But the sad truth is, most of America still is caught up on the labels of healthy and unhealthy.

That’s why Pete & Gerry’s Eggs Healthy Campaign (DISCLAIMER: They are sponsoring this post but this in no way affects my thoughts and opinions!) is so important for the public — the FDA considers foods like low fat toaster pastries, artificially sweetened cereal, and chocolate pudding in plastic cups “healthy,” while foods like organic eggs are not given the “healthy” label.

There’s something wrong with that.

Not because there’s any shame in eating these foods, but because it perpetuates the idea that eating artificial sweeteners and low fat packaged foods improves your health.

There is SO MUCH contradicting “evidence” and various studies on what’s “healthy” and what’s not (remember coconut oil, red meat, and always, eggs?)… and my advice?

To listen to your body, to make informed decisions about your food based on what makes your body feel good, not what anyone else (or society) is saying, and to not follow fad diets or trends.

Ok, that’s all.

Let’s get into the recipe (finally, I know). + one more bonus recipe at the very bottom!


Butternut Squash Fry Bake

Serves: 4 | Time: 15 minutes | Gluten free, Whole30, Paleo

Ingredients

  • 2 containers Trader Joe’s Butternut Squash Zig Zags (or 1 medium butternut squash, sliced into fry-size slices)

  • 8oz ground beef, cooked (I meal prepped this earlier by just sautéing 16oz of ButcherBox 100% grassfed ground beef in a stove top for ~10 minutes with turmeric, black pepper, garlic powder, cayenne powder, Himalayan sea salt, and cumin. You can do this prior to making this!)

  • 1lb Brussels sprouts, roasted (I also meal prepped this earlier by just roasting in the oven for 30 min at 375F. You can roasted the Brussels from raw, but the recipe will just take longer.)

  • 4 organic eggs (I used Pete & Gerry’s)

  • 2 avocados

  • Black pepper, pink Himalayan sea salt, red pepper flakes, to taste

  • Avocado oil, for cooking

Directions

  1. Coat a large baking pan with avocado oil.

  2. Pour fries in and spread evenly. Top with salt and pepper.

  3. Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes at 375-400F. *

  4. While the fries are baking, fry 4 eggs on the stovetop in avocado oil (I use a stainless steel pan, pour oil in once the pan gets hot, crack the eggs in and cook for ~2-3 min or until whites are no longer runny).

  5. Remove eggs from the pan once cooked and set aside.

  6. Pour ground beef and Brussels into the pan with the fries, mix, and continue baking for 5 minutes.

  7. Remove the pan from the oven, top with the eggs, avocado, red pepper flakes, and more Himalayan sea salt if desired, and enjoy!

  8. If you’re not sharing this, then you can save the rest for later this week (I’d recommend only cooking 1 egg and 1/2 avocado then).

    *NOTE: If you haven’t meal prepped the Brussels and beef yet, cut the Brussels in half and bake along with the fries (may have to add an extra 5-10 min of baking). Cook the beef while the veggies are baking and you shouldn’t have to add more than 5-10 minutes TOTAL onto the total recipe time :)


Bonus Recipe: Turmeric Cauliflower Rice Rice BBQ Bowls

Serves: 1 | Time: 2 hours | Gluten free, Whole30, Paleo

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Make the pork if you’re not buying it from somewhere else (Nom Nom Paleo’s recipe uses an Instant Pot and this is what I would recommend as well!).

  2. While the pork is cooking, place sweet potato rounds in a large baking pan and toss with salt, pepper, and avocado oil (I use the spray from Chosen Foods).

  3. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes at 375-400F, or until golden brown and cooked through (you could also microwave, pan sear, or air fry these).

  4. In a pan, heat up avocado oil. Once hot, pour in cauliflower rice and kale/spinach and cook for five minutes, or until cauli rice is cooked through and kale/spinach is soft.

  5. Add in cubed pineapple, turmeric, cayenne, salt, and black pepper, and stir. Cook for another minute to let the spices and pineapple juice release.

  6. Pour the fried rice into a bowl and set aside. In the same pan, heat up avocado oil. Once hot, crack in an egg and fry until the whites are set and yolk is still runny.

  7. Top the fried rice with the pork, the sweet potatoes, and the fried egg, as well as any spices you want, and enjoy!

This post is sponsored by Pete & Gerry’s for their Eggs are Healthy Campaign.