The Secret to Getting Her Excited About Healthy Food! ???? #parentingtips #familydinner #healthyfood

Our trick to getting our 4 year old daughter to eat healthy food (like this homemade butternut squash soup) is involving her in the cooking process. When she helps cook, she's always more excited to try her own creation! It gives her ownership and makes her happy to sit down snd eat dinner together.

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP RECIPE:
One large or two small butternut squash, peeled and cut into cubes
3 tablespoons of good olive oil, divided
1 or 2 yellow onions, sliced
6 cloves of garlic, roasted
2 tablespoon cumin or more to taste
2 tablespoon turmeric or more to taste
1 tablespoon smoked paprika or more to taste
3/4 cup of raw cashews, soaked in water
5 cups of vegetable broth
1 cup of water, or more depending on desired thickness
1 can of chickpeas, rinsed
Salt and pepper to taste

Roast the Veggies:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place cut up butternut squash cubes in a large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and sprinkle with some salt and pepper and mix. Spread of the squash onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until browned and soft. Do the same with the onions, but roast for about 15-20 minutes. For the garlic, cut the top off and place on a piece of aluminum foil, drizzle with olive oil and close up the foil. Roast that for about 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Assemble the Soup:
In a large pot, heat up one tablespoon of olive oil on medium high and then add the onions, garlic and squash to heat them. Mix in spices and cook for 1-2 minutes. Then add the vegetable broth, water, cashews, salt and pepper. Let it simmer for 10 minutes with the lid on. Then blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Add more water or broth until you get your desired thickness. Once blended, mix in the chickpeas.

If using a stand up blender, place all ingredients in your blender, and blend until smooth. You may need to do this in two batches, depending on the size of your blender.