Hearty Beef and Butternut Squash Stew {21 Day Fix Extreme}

The first thing I do when I get a new program is to dive into the nutrition guide and see what recipes they have to offer. I’m a total nerd when it comes to meal planning and I love cooking, so new recipes truly excite me. If you follow me on Instagram, you know I’m always posting photos of what I’m eating or meal prepping. Food has always been a passion of mine and I’ve finally found a healthy way to use that passion. Whoop! Whoop!

I was very happy when I cracked open the eating plan for 21 Day Fix Extreme and saw the recipes that were included …even if some of them were borrowed from Body Beast and tweaked a little. The lack of recipes is the one thing that I think was lacking from the 21 Day Fix. I absolutely LOVE that program and but it definitely needed recipes, especially because so many people who are starting it are beginners who need inspiration, direction and simplicity. Thankfully there are TONS of recipes on Pinterest with the container counts and it’s one of the reasons why I share what I try on this blog. I want to make planning for this program as simple as possible!

The newest recipe I tried from this program is the Hearty Beef and Butternut Squash Stew …it’s simple, tasty and a great item for your weekly meal prep!

Just chop up all of your ingredients, follow the direction and let it do it’s thing while you prep some Egg Muffins for breakfast, measure out your carrots and hummus for snack or make some Turkey Meatloaf for quick a quick and healthy dinner.

Tell me the colors of this dish don’t have you drooling. I dare you!

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1-1/2 pounds raw lean beef stew meat, boneless, cut into 2-inch cubes
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cup low-sodium organic beef broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups cubed butternut squash
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. Add beef; cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until beef is brown.
3. Add onion and bell peppers; cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until onion is translucent.
4. Add garlic; cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute.
5. Add tomatoes, broth, bay leaf, salt, pepper. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, covered, for 40 minutes.
6. Add squash; cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 12 minutes, or until sauce has thickened and beef is fork tender.
7. Remove bay leaf; serve topped with parsley.

CONTAINERS: 1 red 1 green

This stew was awesome as is, but would be even better if you have a yellow container available for potato, rice or a slice of bread….something to soak up all of the tasty liquid and fill you up a tiny bit longer. I found myself getting hungry a little before the 2 hour mark, but that could just be me. My body always performs better when it has a truly balanced meal, which means adding some carbs.

Listen to you body and adjust things as you go. However, make sure you know the difference between your body truly needing that carb and your brain just thinking it needs it. There is a difference and if you struggle with emotional eating at all, I highly recommend a book called “Life is Hard, Food is Easy” by Linda Spangle. It was a very informative read that address our thought process when it comes to food and how we tie our emotions into it.

If you give this recipe a try, I’d love to hear your thoughts on it, especially if you tweak it all.

As always, I have new accountability groups starting every few weeks for 21 Day Fix and 21 Day Fix Extreme. If you have been wanting to try them and have questions about them, I’d be more than happy to answer them for you and help you see if it would be a good fit for YOUR lifestyle.