Notable Recipe: Butternut Squash Noodles

What stops you from eating clean? Many people say time. Some say it’s too expensive. And others just don’t like cooking.

A common complaint I hear about eating clean is that the fresh produce you buy ends up rotting in your fridge! This happens mostly because you made an “impulse produce purchase” without a plan to use it (or maybe you’re not sure how to use it). Outside of my salad greens and veggies, I usually only buy 1-2 more side-dish vegetables per week, and I know exactly what meal I’m going to use them with. So, that’s my first tip…never buy something fresh that you don’t have a plan for. The best way to make sure that doesn’t happen is tip number two…

Plan your meals! I know, meal planning is not sexy. But it’s your number one way to save money (and time) in the grocery store and in your kitchen. There’s no magic way to meal plan, either. You can get super fancy with excel charts or keep it simple with sticky notes. It doesn’t matter how you do it, you just need to do it! Make sure you have a plan for each meal you’ll eat before you leave the house each day.

My final tip is to think of the grocery store as your partner in eating healthy. Become an informed shopper. Eat seasonal, local, and shop the sales. If buying organic is not in your budget, local produce likely is. Shop the sales and build your weekly menu around what’s available. If broccoli is on sale, then broccoli should be on your plate!

This Butternut Squash “Noodles” with Lentils recipe is the perfect way to bring in the fall without turning on the oven! If you’ve never had your butternut squash this way, you’re in for a treat. It’s a super easy dish and uses my favorite clean-eating pantry staple ingredients.