Paleo Butternut Squash Porridge

One of the most common questions people ask me about Paleo is "What can I eat for breakfast besides eggs?" I was never an oatmeal, yogurt, or cereal girl (prior to going Paleo I usually had a venti cinnamon dolce latte for breakfast) so these things weren't hard for me to cut out. I will admit, it is hard to come up with ideas outside of egg variations, especially if you are trying to avoid fruit.

 I always recommend eating some sort of protein and a vegetable for breakfast if you don't want eggs, such as half a chicken breast and some steamed spinach. It may be hard at first to wrap your head around eating something like this for breakfast, but it's really tasty and will give you boatloads more energy than an Eggo.

For once, I made something different than eggs (I adore eggs) and absolutely loved it! This slightly sweet and comforting "porridge" recipe has officially earned a spot in my breakfast rotation. If you like oatmeal, this may be the closest Paleo option I have tasted! So good!

Ingredients:
1 medium sized butternut squash or pumpkin
1 can full-fat chilled coconut milk
Toppings: This is what I used but feel free to play around with your favorites!
Sliced strawberries
Pomegranate seeds
Cinnamon

Instructions

*note: if you are not an early-bird, make the squash the night before, refrigerate then reheat and assemble in the AM

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Cut the squash in half. Place the squash halves cut side down on a coconut oil -greased, rimmed cookie sheet.  Bake for about 45 minutes or until tender and cooked through.
3. Allow the squash to sit until it is still warm but cool enough to touch without burning yourself. Scoop out the seeds then scoop out the squash, transferring it to individual serving bowls and mashing it slightly. The flavor and texture is best when it is not pureed or too mashed up.
4. Pour the milk over each bowl of squash, allowing it to pool at the sides of the bowl. Add desired toppings and a drizzle of honey (if needed). *note: shake the can before opening to evenly mix the coconut milk together as it tends to separate.
5. Serve. It's better when you don't mix everything together. The coconut milk looses it's punch when mixed and absorbed into the squash.

Enjoy!