Life inevitably throws us curve balls, so let’s stock that freezer with food that supports and nourishes us. There is nothing better than fueling yourself to face a challenge with home cooked, high quality fuel that takes less effort than ordering takeout.

We are starting off our freezer meal prep recipe series with one of our favorites -
Butternut Beef Autumn Stew

BUTTERNUT BEEF AUTUMN STEW

INGREDIENTS

• 2.5 lbs of Country Natural Beef Chuck Roast, chopped into 1-inch cubes
• ¼ cup olive oil, divided as needed
• 1 cup of shallots, sliced thick
• 2.5 cups shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 1.5 cups of port wine*
• 2 cups carrots, roughly chopped
• 2 cups celery, roughly chopped
• 1 large butternut squash, chopped into ¾-inch cubes
• 4 cubs of beef or chicken broth
• Bundle of herbs tied with twine: approximately 5 springs of thyme and 3 of rosemary
• 2 bay leaves
• Kosher salt and pepper to taste

*For Whole30, substitute ½ cup more broth and ¼ cup coconut aminos

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
2. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Generously salt and pepper the stew meat. Add the olive oil 1 tbsp at a time as needed to sear the meat in batches. Remove the meat as it's browned to a plate.
3. Lower the heat to a medium low, and add another tbsp of olive oil, then add the shallots. Let them cook until translucent, stirring as needed. Add the mushrooms and additional olive oil as needed and cook for a few minutes until browning occurs. Increase the heat to medium high, add the port and let it reduce until most of the liquid is evaporated. Add the meat, celery, carrots, herbs, bay leaves, and broth to the pot.
4. Transfer Dutch oven to the oven for approximately 3 hours until the meat is tender. Add the butternut squash to the pot of the final 30 minutes.
5. Once the stew is done, taste for seasoning and adjust to your taste. Cool it down quickly by transferring to smaller containers on the counter and then to the fridge overnight.

To Freeze

1. Freeze in any size portions you prefer.
2. If freezing into individual size jars, use wide mouth jars without shoulders - and fill only ¾ of the way.
3. Let it cool overnight in the fridge before transferring to the freezer with the lid off.
4. Once it's frozen you can seal properly with their lids.
5. For best results, use within 3 months (trust use, this will be easy to do!)

We are so excited about this Freezer Meal Prep Recipe Series! With the help of our friend, Cook by Color, we will be sharing colorFULL recipes of super fuel to nourish and empower you AND is a little self-care practice for your future self!

This recipe was made in partnership with Cook by Color
@cookbycolor