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I don’t know about you, but when I think “breakfast”, I think “bread”.

For most of my life, breakfast involved cereal, oats, sliced bread, muffins, waffles, pancakes, bagels, and granola bars. When I learned about my sensitivity to gluten, I found or made gluten free substitutes for typical bread-based breakfast items. Because breakfast = familiar, comforting carbs.

But what happens when grains are off the table altogether?

When I gave up grains last summer, I created a morning rotation of smoothies, chia pudding, eggs (scrambled, fried, casseroles), and coconut flour muffins. I enjoyed the variety but missed having eggs on toast, gluten free cereal, and goodies made from oats (or oat flour).

And then one day, things got even trickier.

I met with my new integrative medicine doctor to review the results of my allergy test. Allergic to egg yolks. Allergic to egg whites. Allergic to coconut. Shocked.

Eggs and coconut (oil, flour, milk) had been a daily staple during the GAPS diet and my transition to everyday paleo. I had no idea they may have been contributing to my digestive woes, but shortly after removing them (and other offending foods), I started to have some good days.

At first I was at a loss of what to eat for breakfast. After all, before GAPS and paleo, I’d enjoyed eating meals that were gluten free, dairy free, and 90% vegetarian. Since GAPS and paleo meant including significantly more meat into my life, breakfast had been the one meal of the day that I kept meat-free.

Giving up eggs and coconut was the most challenging dietary change I’ve made in the last year, but a few week after receiving the allergy test results, I settled into a breakfast rhythm. For the last 9 months, I’ve prepared what I call my “paleo breakfast bowl” 4 mornings per week. It’s easy to make! And perhaps more importantly, it’s easy to modify. When your food choices are limited, you have to find a way to liven things up.

Quick paleo breakfast recipe: my fave breakfast bowl

My favorite go-to breakfast bowl uses 5 key ingredients with bonus herbs and spices. It’s quick and easy. Let’s get started.

First, I warm 1-2 tablespoons of tallow or leaf lard (bonus: both are from pastured, local sources) in a pan over medium heat until melted.

Next, I add 1/3 of a bag of Whole Foods Mediterranean Blend organic frozen vegetables to the pan. This is the only blend I’ve found where all of the veggies are safe for me and I LOVE it. Although I eat a low FODMAP diet, I seem to tolerate onions quite well. Peas and green beans are considered legumes, but I also do well with small amounts of both, and if Paleo Magazine says peas and green beans are paleo-friendly, I’m not going to argue. Above all, I feel great with this blend of veggies, so it stays!

Once the veggies have been in for a couple of minutes, I add in 3-4 ounces of meat. I choose pre-cooked sausages with little to no sugar (cut into bite-sized pieces below) or use ground meat with no sugar or seasonings. If using raw ground meat, I make sure it’s cooked through before adding additional ingredients.

Once the veggies and sausage are warmed through, I add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of roasted winter squash. I’ve found that roasted squash keeps well in the fridge for several days, so I roast a butternut or acorn squash one night and then use it for four mornings in a row in my breakfast bowl. Add salt (I use and love Himalayan pink salt)
and pepper to taste here, along with any other herbs and spices you enjoy. My go-to add-ins are dried basil and thyme, but I also like sage, paprika, or garlic powder.

I give the squash a minute or two to warm up before adding in a large handful or two of organic spinach. I’ll stir everything together until the spinach is wilted to my liking — about one minute.

Scoop everything into a bowl and you have a breakfast with healthy fat, protein, veggies, carbs, and flavor. Not a bad way to start the day.

I usually add 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric powder to my breakfast bowl, as it’s anti-inflammatory, aids digestion, and benefits the body in so many ways. I also attempt to hide the 1/4 teaspoon of kelp powder I take daily (doctor’s orders) in my breakfast bowl.

Ready to make your own breakfast bowl? Share your favorite ingredients and modifications in the comments.

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I never thought I’d say it, but butternut squash is one of my favorite foods. Maybe in the top 10.

Butternut squash (oven-roasted, bite-sized, puréed, sweet, savory, you name it) has been a staple in my diet since starting the GAPS diet and then transitioning to Paleo(ish) in the summer of 2014. Since last May, there’s probably only been 10-15 days where I haven’t had eaten butternut squash in some form during the course of the day.

But I wasn’t always a butternut squash fan. In fact, I didn’t even know what it was until I lived in Australia for a year. Even then it took me months to learn that what Aussies called “pumpkin” (or sometimes “butternut pumpkin”) was what we’d call “butternut squash” in the USA. When I returned home after the year in Australia, I ate butternut squash occasionally but still MUCH preferred sweet potatoes as my slightly sweet starchy carb of choice.

And then the health problems hit and hit hard. While researching my symptoms and various diets, I decided that sweet potatoes would sadly have to sit on the sidelines for a while. Butternut squash became my primary source of carbs, and other than bananas, it continues to be my main source of carbs nearly nine months later. Over time, I’ve found different ways of incorporating it into meals and snacks, and I hope it’s never taken off the list of foods I’m able to eat!

Recently a few friends and family members who are exploring Paleo, eating less processed foods, or simply seeing me post about butternut squash on Facebook all of the time asked how I prepare it. After nine months of buying one to three butternut squash per week, I realized I take for granted how easy it is to prep and cook! I’m going to share three methods I’ve tried, along with recipes featuring some of my favorite ways to get my daily butternut fix.

How to roast butternut squash (halves)

Without a doubt, slicing a butternut squash in half and roasting the two halves in the oven is my favorite way to prepare butternut squash. It works for just about any recipe and requires the least amount of time from start to finish of all three methods.

Slicing through them isn’t always easy, however, especially if you don’t own a good knife. If you can only invest in a couple of new kitchen items, get a good knife. It’ll make your life SO much easier (as will a husband who does 90% of winter squash prep — he’s our hand and knife model below).

1. Grab your butternut squash, knife, and cutting board of choice.
2. Slice the top and bottom off and stand the butternut squash vertically with the larger, bulbous end on the cutting board.
3. Slice the butternut squash in half lengthwise.

Congrats! The hard part is done.

4. Scoop out the seeds (like you would with a carving pumpkin for Halloween). I use a large soup spoon.

5. Brush both halves lightly with olive oil (or cooking fat of choice) and lay face down on a baking tray lined with parchment paper (we use this one).

6. Place tray into an oven pre-heated to 375 F. Cook time will vary based on the size of your squash. We usually set the timer for 40-45 minutes, check the squash, and add on 5-minute increments as necessary. Your squash is done when you can easily pierce it through with a knife.

7. Allow the squash to cool enough to handle. Scoop out flesh and use as directed by your recipe of choice. We’ve been LOVING the butternut squash sauce in this Creamy Sausage and Butternut Squash Spaghetti (using spaghetti squash). Instead of cubing the butternut squash as directed by the recipe, we just use the flesh from roasted halves, as it all gets blended for the sauce anyway!

Peel, cut, cube, and roast butternut squash

Although time consuming, slicing a butternut squash into cubes is a popular method. You can enjoy the bite-sized roasted squash pieces as a side dish, on top of a salad, in soups or stews, or countless other recipes.

We’ve tried several ways of prepping the squash before peeling and cubing and this is what works best for us.

1. Begin as we did with the butternut squash halves — slice off the top and bottom, cut in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds.
2. Place each half face down on a cutting board and peel/scrape/cut the skin away, removing as little flesh as possible.

It may take a while to get to a naked half, but once you’ve done it, you’re half way there!

3. Cut the butternut squash into cubes or randomly sized chunks. I prefer fairly small 1/2 inch cubes. They cook faster and get a nice caramelization on them.
4. Toss with olive oil (or cooking fat of choice) and season with salt and pepper (to taste) and any other herbs or spices you like.
5. Spread evenly over a baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake at 375 F. We cooked the gorgeous bites below for 35 minutes. Stir/flip the pieces at least once during roasting for a more even cook and color.

We topped a spinach salad with the butternut pieces above, but at the moment my favorite bite-sized butternut recipe is this roasted butternut squash with paprika and turmeric. YUM.

Roast a whole butternut squash in the oven

If you’re not up for peeling, cubing, or even slicing a butternut squash, this is the method for you.

1. Pierce your butternut squash with a large knife in 3-5 spots (depending on the size).
2. Place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and pop into an oven preheated to 375 F.

3. Rotate the squash every 20 minutes or so to achieve a more even cook and avoid burning the bottom.
4. The first time we tried this method, we took our butternut out at 65 minutes, thinking it was ready. While cooked through, it wasn’t as soft as I would like. I recommend setting your timer for 1 hour for a smaller squash and adding 5-minute increments as necessary. You may need up to 90 minutes for a larger squash.

5. Allow the cooked squash to cool enough to handle and slice in half. Scoop out the seeds. Remove flesh and use in recipe of choice.

I added the butternut above to a food processor and used the mash/puree to top my favorite winter squash shepherd’s pie recipe (which I make with several modifications for my food allergies + intolerances).

If you’ve never cooked a butternut squash, I hope you’ll use one of the methods above and roast one soon! If you’re a fellow butternut squash fan, what’s your favorite method? Any recipes you absolutely LOVE?