We’ve had a not-so-thrilling day of grocery shopping and fast food.
I try to warn my husband that weekend activities must be centered around the sacred nap schedule, which is fortunately and unfortunately set at 12-3pm. And like it or not, Shea does well in the car…because she sleeps. Living in small town USA, as we do, our nearest Sam’s Club/CostCo is 45+ minutes away. It’s a half day EVENT. Needless to say, I hate going but because it’s such an ordeal, we tend to all go together.
When we rolled into the Sam’s Club parking lot and it was completely empty at 9:32am, I shot Mr. P dagger eyes. Of course the store didn’t open until 10am on Sunday. We ended up next door, at Walmart, to get the things we didn’t need in bulk. Fortunately, I had not only meal planned for the week and prepared a grocery list, but I had it with me.
Checked everything off the list there, had zero meltdowns other than in the check out aisle where I dared to walk away to throw something out, and we made our way to Sam’s Club to drop another $300. It would’ve been more, but Mr. Prevention was reminded that you can’t buy alcohol on Sundays in Indiana. Stupid Indiana.
But, we managed well at Sam’s Club. I was even able to convince Shea that she didn’t need to pick-up the stray pieces of toilet paper and paper towel off the bathroom floor. ::shudder::
We loaded the car and it was 11am. Productive morning. And then we realized we were an hour from home, we were on the brink of naptime, and Shea needed lunch. We stopped at the only option we passed on our way: Taco Bell. She ate about 2 bites, but Mr. Prevention was happy to satisfy his craving. We continued home and are now 45 minutes into a battle of wills as to whether or not a nap will come to be this afternoon. Those little cat naps in the car take enough of the edge off…grr.
This mama has meal prep to get to that will go much more smoothly without a tornado toddler causing chaos. One of those prep activities includes dicing and roasting the last of the butternut squash from my CSA. I got GOBS of it weeks ago and it has kept so well in the fridge. We love it roasted in coconut oil and eaten as a side or in various recipes, one of which was this salad. Absolutely delicious!
- 1 small butternut squash, peeled and diced into ½-inch chunks (about 3 cups)
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 10 cups lascinato kale, ribs removed and chopped (loosely packed)
- 1 Granny Smith apple, cored and diced
- ½ small red onion, thinly sliced
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- ½ cup pecans
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
- 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment. On the prepared baking sheet, toss the butternut squash with the coconut oil until well-coated. Roast for 25-35 minutes or until just golden. Allow to cool. Note: this step can also be done ahead of time.
- Meanwhile, whisk together all of the vinaigrette ingredients in a small bowl until well-incorporated; set aside
- in a large bowl, toss kale leaves with the vinaigrette. Use your hands to gently massage the dressing into the kale to tenderize and fully coat the kale. Divide kale into portions and top each with ¼ of the butternut squash, apple, onion, feta, and pecans.
- Sunday: out with friends for pizza
- Monday: french toast and eggs
- Tuesday: Broccoli Ranch Pasta Salad
- Wednesday: Pork Carnitas
- Thursday: leftovers
Be well,
I laughed at the stray toilet paper convincing. Over Christmas vacation we stopped at a historical center to stretch our legs. My *6* year old decided picking up trash works be the best thing to do. She picked up someone’s Chapstick that was on the ground… and of course handed it to me because I’m the mom which turns me into the garbage receptacle. We were being led on a tour and no garbage can in sight so I put it in my hoodie pocket to throw away as soon as saw one. Needless to say I forgot and put on Chapstick without thinking until I realized it wasn’t scented like mine. Ugh! shudder. Gross. Eww.
Anyhow, thanks for the blog. I am a RD too and love your blog and recipes.
I am going to miss my business Sam’s Club card – since I don’t work at that job anymore, it will expire in August, but I love being able to go there at 7:00 a.m. when it doesn’t open to the public until 10:00.
At least you stocked up!
Nicole, have you ever tried to bake entire butternut squash? Since I’ve tried it for the first time I do it always this way. Obviously it needs to stay in the oven longer and might be hard to cut it into cubes afterwards, but personally I don’t mind chunks taken with a spoon. And thanks to the fact I don’t use any fat for baking I can add some extra ingredient (without the guilt) to any kind of recipe.
Such a fresh and beautiful salad, thanks for sharing!