A simple side of Roasted Broccoli and Butternut Squash will elevate any dinner. Plus it will make you feel all healthy and happy. Win, win!
I find joy in getting to the point. Don’t you just love people that shoot it to you straight? It omits that guessing game of what they are actually trying to tell you and what they are actually feeling. I would much rather have rude friends that offer no confusion as to where I stand with them than super sweet, passive aggressive friends who are constantly getting their feelings hurt.
But to make things even easier, I could get rid of all my girlfriends and stick to being friends with just boys. Although that may not fly very well with Ben.
It’s just that girls are so much dang drama. I recall being confused most of my junior high and high school years by all of the caddy cat-fights among the female population. Growing up with all brothers, I was simply lost by the fighting tactics and strategies of hormonal girls.
Fast forward 20 years later and I have a preteen 6 1/2 year old with all the emotions of a menstruating 16 year old.
Granted, Braelyn has been through a lot in the past few weeks, having her run in with a major staph infection, being hospitalized during her first week of school, returning to school looking like she had been burned in a fire, and shedding every inch of skin on her poor little body. We’re just getting through the last bit of the peeling stage. It’s worked its way all the way down to her toes.
Tonight I was peeling her nasty molting feet and all she was doing was whining and crying claiming that, “It hurts soooooo bad!!!”
Really Braelyn??? Dead skin hurts sooooo bad?! C’mon! She was driving me nuts.
I know we had a long day at the beach and she was exhausted, but her whining has become a nightly routine. She’s turned into a real life version of The Boy Who Cried Wolf fable and it’s driving me nuts. So, I called her out on her whining, sternly pointing out that, “No, it does not hurt. It may be annoying or uncomfortable, but it does NOT hurt you.”
To this she replied, in between tears, “You don’t even know what this pain feels like!!!”
And this is where my Mom of the Year Award comes in. Without hesitation, I looked up from picking, took a deep breath so as not to overreact, and then completely overreacted with my statement of, “I pushed a baby out of my privates. I know pain.”
At this point Ben immediately stopped the book he was reading to Emry and looked up wondering if I had really said what I just said to our daughter. Shamefully, yes. Yes I did. And then he laughed.
It may have not been the best teaching moment of my life, but it sure did get Braelyn to stop whining for the time being and it was an effective lesson in getting to the point. No fluff here.
And that’s exactly what I love about this Roasted Broccoli and Butternut Squash. It’s simple and easy. No funny business here. What you see is what you get: a pan full of well seasoned roasted veggies in all their vibrant glory.
I wasn’t even planning on posting this recipe. It was just a quick side that I threw together one night alongside our chicken cordon bleu. But then Ben and the girls raved about it so much that I figured it must be special enough to post on the blog.
It’s just that it’s so dang easy I feel like I’m playing a trick on you posting the recipe, acting like a spent a lot of time and preparation on this. I’m pretty sure you could have figured out this recipe on your own instead of having me spell it out for you…but maybe not.
Basically all I did was toss the butternut squash in some olive oil and seasonings, roast it for 20 minutes before stirring in the broccoli, and then roast it for 15-20 minutes more. So simple!
Not only was the flavor amazing, but the color of the roasted veggies just makes me happy. I love the bright orange and green with little browned edges. It’s just glorious.
You can serve this side dish alongside almost anything. Serve it with steak, chicken, with pasta, next to chili, or in accompaniment to a hearty salad. It compliments most dishes because the flavor is pretty neutral, meaning it doesn’t have any kind of ethnic spices that would confine it to being served with one type of dish. I love versatile side dishes like this!
Anyway, I’ll leave you with this lovely recipe as I go and figure out how to apologize to Braelyn for my lack of parenting skills this evening. Let’s hope I didn’t scar her for life. The joys of motherhood…
What are your biggest parenting mistakes?
- 1 medium sized butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into ½" chunks
- 4 cups bite sized broccoli florets (about 2 broccoli crowns/bunches)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1¼ teaspoons salt, divided
- ½ teaspoon pepper, divided
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.
- Peel butternut squash. Cut in half. Scoop seeds out and cut into ½" cubes. Spread cubes on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, cinnamon, and garlic powder. Toss with hands until evenly coated. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
- While squash is cooking, cut broccoli into bite sized florets. Once squash has cooked for 20 mins, remove from oven and stir in broccoli. Season with additional ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Toss to coat in juices from pan. Return to oven and bake additional 15-20 minutes until broccoli reaches desired tenderness (I prefer crisp tender so I cooked for 15 mins).
- Remove from oven and serve warm.
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