I've been really into squash this fall. Pumpkins, butternut squash, and acorn are definitely my favorites, but I have to say I just love acorn squash the most. They're the perfect shape and make a fantastic side dish, just by cutting one in half and roasting it up in the oven. I decided to get a little fancier and actually serve dinner in the squash the other night, and we loved it so much that I made it again that same week!

Ingredients:

For the squash

One acorn squash

Drizzle of olive oil

Salt, pepper, onion powder

For the beef

One pound of (grass-fed) beef

Half of an onion, drizzle of olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Sprinkle of onion powder

Sprinkle of crushed red pepper

One 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes

Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Preheat your oven to 350. 

2. Carefully cut the squash in half and season with olive oil, salt, pepper, and onion powder.

3. Roast squash at 350 for 45 minutes.

4. While squash is in the oven, saute onions in olive oil over medium heat. When they've softened, add beef.

5. Season the beef with garlic powder, oregano, onion powder, red pepper flakes, and salt + pepper.

6. Once the beef is cooked through, reduce heat to low/simmer and add can of tomatoes.

7. Continue to cook on low until squash is done.

8. To serve, place each squash half in a bowl and spoon beef into the center.

I made these on Saturday afternoon and put plastic wrap over them for dinner on Sunday, so you can totally make them ahead of time if you like to do that (I know I do). Enjoy!

The following post is sponsored by FitFluential LLC on behalf of Grain Brain.

My experience with the Paleo diet for the past two years has been nothing but amazingly positive, so I practically jumped at the opportunity to work with Grain Brain, Dr. David Perlmutter's eye-opening book and diet program. I feel so much better when I stay away from gluten, sugar, and carbs in general, so I've been finding myself shaking my head with every turn of every page of this book.

Grain Brain is about lifestyle changes you can make today to keep your brain healthy, vibrant, and sharp. Gone are the days when smart, aware, and healthy people just died of old age when it was their time, Perlmutter says; now we're falling prey to all sorts of diseases. He explains that the fate of our health and brain is not solely in our genes, but in the food that we eat. According to him, the cornerstone of many brain conditions is inflammation, which can be triggered by carbs, especially those containing gluten and are high in sugar.

He goes on to illustrate how fat is and always has been a fundamental part of our nutrition. Did you know that the human brain consists of more than 70% fat? I had no idea. And it contains more connections than there are stars in the Milky Way! I mean, we all know that our brain is powerful and important, but that's pretty awesome. Good fats, like coconut oil or DHA omega-3 found in fatty fish and algae help reduce inflammation and cretain vitamins, mostly A, D, E, and K, require fat to get absorbed properly in the body. I always kind of naively hoped that the food I ate would just sort of cover me as far as vitamins go, but now I know that as I get older I'm going to have to take supplements. Might as well start today!

I'm really enjoying the book because Perlmutter gives me enough scientific background to really understand what's going on when I eat excess carbs, but his writing style is conversational, and his technical details are accessible to my generally science-less background. He also has a chapter of awesome recipes, so that's an added bonus. I'm excited to finish it and begin the Grain Brain Challenge.

The Grain Brain Challenge includes the following:

+ Shifting away from carbs and adding brain health supplements

(Grain Brain sent me coupons for Gold Circle Farms DHA Omega-3 Cage-Free Eggs, as well as a bottle each of GNC Preventive Nutrition® resVida®, Spring Valley Omega-3 Fish Oil Soft Gels, and BrainStrong Adult DHA Supplements)

+Incorporating/sticking to a regular fitness routine

+ Getting restful, routine sleep seven days a week

+Establishing a new rhythm to make these healthy habits really stick

Not so bad, right? I do most of these things already, and I'm sure you do, too.

Has anyone else read this book? I highly recommend it! I'll be back with another post in three or four weeks to let you know how the challenge went. I'm not the best with big vitamins, so that's my biggest concern so far. I take a little vitamin D capsule every night and I used to take some fish oil in liquid form, but some of the supplements they sent me are big! 

So wish me luck, and let me know if you're interested! I'd love to swap stories and experiences along the way. Until then, I'll be finishing up the book and getting my good fats in!

Today I have a guest post for you from the darling Ksenija of With An Open Mind. She's made some delicious seasonal treats for you--and they're Paleo, too! I hope you enjoy. Here's Ksenija:

Happy Tuesday, Freckled Italian readers. I am Ksenija from With An Open Mind and delighted to be guest posting on Megan's lovely blog today. Blogging is an outlet for me to share my various passions from healthy living and recipe developing to travelling the world and online marketing.

I am a foodie at heart and thus I was more than happy to work on a seasonal Paleo scone recipe to share with you. Do you remember the delicious PPSL (Paleo Pumpkin Spice Latte) Megan wrote about last October? I wanted my scones to be something to eat alongside a steaming cup of PPSL, using similar ingredients, and be easy to prepare. For those of you not following a Paleo diet, don't worry: I shared my scones with friends and family and they were a big hit. Nutty, soft and satisfying, while also healthy, dairy-free and gluten-free.

Yields 12 scones

Ingredients for the scones:

2 cups almond flour 

2 T coconut flour 

1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ginger, 1/8 tsp ground cloves, 1/8 tsp nutmeg (or 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin spice) 

pinch of sea salt 

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup pumpkin puree 

1/2 tsp vanilla extract 

1 T coconut oil 

1.5 eggs 

2 T maple syrup

1/2 tsp cinnamon 

1 tsp maple syrup 

0.5 egg

Ingredients for the glaze:

1 tsp pumpkin puree 

1.5 tsp coconut cream (the seperated upper part in the can) *or coconut oil 

1 tsp almond butter 

1 T maple syrup 

dash of cinnamon 

dash of sea salt 

dash of vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 180 °C (350 F).
2. Mix all of the dry ingredients first: almond and coconut flour, spices, salt and soda. In a second bowl mix pumpkin puree, vanilla, coconut oil, egg and maple syrup. Add wet ingredients to the dry. Incorporate until you get a dough. It won't be quite kneadable and remains a bit sticky.
3. Sprinkle some almond flour on a lined baking tray, place the dough in the middle of the tray and start forming a circular shape with wet hands. It should be a bit less than 1 inch thick. Cut into 12 triangles without separating.

4. Whisk the leftover 0.5 egg with maple syrup and cinnamon. Spread the mixture on top of the dough (there might be some left over) and place the tray in the preheated oven.
5. Bake for 15 minutes. Take out when slightly golden.
6. While you wait for the scones place all of your glaze ingredients in a mug, microwave them for up to 30 seconds (to melt the coconut cream) and whisk until they are evenly incorporated. Place in the fridge for 10 minutes.
7. Let the scones cool for a few minutes when they come out of the oven. Fill the glaze in a zip lock bag, cut an edge off and drizzle it over your scones. Wait until it firms up (patience!) before separating the individual scones and enjoy the first one while still warm.

Best way to store these lovely bites until your next cup of PPSL is to keep them in the fridge. I wish you all a sweet fall season. Thanks Megan for having me!