Butternut Squash Soup

I've made this twice now and both times it was delicious! It has crazy high reviews on allrecipes.com, which is no surprise. This is almost the same as the recipe online with just a few tweaks. 

INGREDIENTS:
1 chopped onion
4 tablespoons butter
6 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash (1 squash)
3 cups water
4 tsp Better Than Bouillon chicken base
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon chili powder
1 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese

DIRECTIONS
In a large saucepan, saute onions in butter until tender. Add squash, water, bouillon, marjoram, black pepper and chili powder.

Bring to boil; cook 20 minutes, or until squash is tender.

Puree squash and cream cheese in a blender or food processor in batches until smooth.

Return to saucepan, and heat through. Do not allow to boil.

Serves: 4-5

Southwest Seasoned Pork Chops

This is taken from the "Not Your Mother's Make-Ahead and Freeze Cookbook." It's so simple but resulted in extremely tasty pork chops! I didn't freeze these, but just marinaded all day and grilled in the evening. 

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon taco seasoning
4 boneless pork chops, about 1/4 in thick

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine marinade ingredients in freezer bag and add pork chops. 
2. Freeze or refrigerate until grilling.
3. Grill until cooked through - 10 to 15 minutes (160 degrees for medium doneness)

Roasted Broccoli (from frozen)

This recipe is a game changer! I love roasted broccoli and am thrilled that this method makes it super easy to make. Originally from Budget Bites. You could absolutely make this up in gallon freezer bags and freeze for an even faster side dish!

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. frozen broccoli florets
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp Montreal steak seasoning

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the frozen florets out over the baking sheet.
• Drizzle the olive oil over the florets, then sprinkle the Montreal steak seasoning over top. Toss the florets in the oil and seasoning until everything is evenly distributed
• Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and roast for 20 minutes. Take the baking sheet out and use a spatula to stir the broccoli and redistribute the oil and spices. Return the baking sheet to the oven and roast for another 10 minutes, or until the broccoli develops the amount of brownness desired. 
• Best if served immediately as the broccoli tends to cool very quickly.

SERVES: 4