Healthy Dinner During a Week of Caloric Overload!

We've all heard it a million times, it is nearly impossible to diet and eat healthy in the upcoming weeks.  With cookie making (how can you not sample some of your own baking!?), turkey, stuffing, pies, candy, roasts, etc. there are diet killers everywhere.  While I'm definitely not going to be counting calories on Thanksgiving or Christmas, the days in between I'm trying to eat healthier to counter act some of it.  This salad is really delicious and quite filling for a salad.  Although the bacon probably isn't the healthiest thing, a little bit mixed in with fruits and veggies can't hurt too much, right?!

Fall salad

Ingredients for Fall Salad:

1 small butternut squash (or half of a large one), peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 granny smith apple, thinly sliced
4 slices of bacon, chopped into lardons
1/4 cup of goat cheese
5 cups baby spinach leaves
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper

(Dressing is the leftovers from another salad I blogged about earlier in the week: http://andcartermakesthree.blogspot.com/2012/11/cape-cod-salad.html)

Pre-heat an oven to 400 degrees.  Spread cubed squash into a single layer on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Cook until slightly browned and fork-tender (about 20 minutes, the bigger the pieces, the more time).  Let cool in the fridge until serving.  Meanwhile, in a small frying pan on medium-low heat, add the bacon lardons.  Cook for about 20 minutes, or until crispy.  Drain onto a paper towel.  Let cool in the fridge along with the squash.  When ready to eat, add the squash and bacon to a large bowl along with the rest of the ingredients and add the dressing to taste.