Slow Cooker Turkey Breast & Roasted Acorn Squash w/ Maple & Pecans

It was a super chilly day here today. We didn't make it to our high of 52. It was still 46 degrees in the afternoon and the powerful wind gusts made it feel even colder with the wind chill. It felt more like winter than fall. We did our Costco run and stocked up which I try to do more of this time of year. Before we left to run errands, I got dinner started by placing a fresh turkey breast half that I picked up at Sprouts Farmers Market in my 4-quart crock pot to cook while we were out. I have been cooking whole turkey breasts in my crock pot for years every Thanksgiving (in addition to a whole turkey) to have extra white meat since that is what my family prefers. I have a jumbo sized 8-quart crock pot I use for that. The easy recipe is below.

To prepare the Slow Cooker Turkey Breast: 

1) Chop 1 stalk of celery and place in bottom of 6-quart crock pot;
2) Add a few slices of onion to the bottom of the crock pot; 
3) Add 1 cup of chicken stock;
4) Season 2-1/2 lb turkey breast half with sea salt, poultry seasoning and paprika;
5) Place turkey breast on top of the bed of veggies and stock;
6) Cover and cook on high for 4 hours (mine switches over to "keep warm" until turned off). 

We left the house to run our errands and when we got back the house smelled like roasted turkey. It was so very cold and windy while we were out that as soon as we got home and unloaded everything, I heated up a little cup of Spicy Pumpkin Sausage Soup for a light lunch. I topped it with some crispy salted pumpkin seeds...it was awesome and the perfect "warm me up" that I needed (along with a cup of hot coffee). We've had such warm temperatures thus far this fall (low 80's) that it will take a little bit of time to adjust to these chilly temps. I was so cold while running errands this afternoon that I actually bought TWO pairs of gloves today...LOL. I got a pair of furry lined leather gloves and a pair of ski/snow boarding gloves that are extra thick and warm. Hubby just rolled his eyes and suggested I get a snowboard to go with my gloves...hahaha!

To go along with our turkey for dinner this evening, I made Roasted Acorn Squash with a touch of butter, maple, cinnamon and roasted pecans. It was awesome! We also enjoyed a dollop of my Cranberry Orange Sauce, too. It was a simple meal to put together and the perfect first dinner for November, too. I snapped a few photos of our meal for you to see below along with my easy peasy recipe for Roasted Acorn Squash. Enjoy!

Picked these up from Costco - thought they might be great to put on my next pizza!

Got these at Costco, too...they were good sprinkled on my pumpkin soup!

Told you I was cold! 

Cup of Spicy Pumpkin Sausage Soup topped with cream and pumpkin seeds - Yummy!

Small Acorn Squash - be careful when cutting in half (I cut my finger)

Seeds and pulp have been removed 

These ingredients made the roasted squash delicious!

Topped with butter, Swerve, and cinnamon...drizzled with sugar free maple flavored syrup and sprinkled with roasted chopped pecans

Roasted Acorn Squash

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 small acorn squash, cut in half lengthwise
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon granular Swerve
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons sugar free maple flavored syrup
2 tablespoons chopped roasted pecans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Scoop out seeds and pulp and discard. Place halved acorn squash but side down on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake for 30-35 minutes until softened. Flip squash over and add 1 tablespoon butter to each, sprinkle with Swerve and cinnamon. Return to oven and bake an additional 15-20 minutes. If desired, run under broiler for a few minutes until lightly browned and bubbly. Drizzle with maple flavored syrup and top with roasted pecans.