To cook or not to cook? That is the question.

Every one of us has done it.  You're hungry; you open the refrigerator door and stare aimlessly.  Repeat for pantry and freezer.  Trust me, there is stuff in there.  Since I lacked motivation to go to the grocery store in my sweaty post running garb, I rustled around and found usable ingredients.

I found ground turkey, and butternut squash in the freezer, two tomatoes and queso fresco in the fridge, and whole wheat gnocchi and a jar of pesto in the pantry.  Voila! Lunch!

First, thaw out all the frozen stuff.  Next, lay the butternut squash out on a sheet pan, drizzle with vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper.  Bake in the oven at 400 degrees.

Toss it around after about 10 minutes and switch the oven to broil.  In approximately 20 minutes, remove it from the oven.  It should look like this:

Cook the gnocchi according to package instructions.  Basically, drop them in boiling water until they float.  What is gnocchi? It's a potato dumpling. This particular package had the added bonus of whole wheat. 

It looks something like this when you purchase it premade.  You could, of course, make them yourself, but that'll be another day.  Strain when finished cooking and put back in pan.

While your squash is roasting and your gnocchi is boiling, brown the ground turkey in a saute pan with minced garlic, onion powder, and the diced tomatoes.  Season with salt and pepper.

Stir everything together in a big pot with 2 tbsp. pesto.  Add in some queso fresco and shredded Parmesan cheese, or whatever you have on hand.  Serve and enjoy.

Other variations include:

Feta, gorgonzola, fresh mozzarella or blue cheese

Add in roasted asparagus, brussel sprouts, broccolini, other squash, eggplant, artichokes

Use other whole wheat pasta instead of gnocchi

This whole operation took me approximately 20 minutes.  It made enough to serve 4 and was delicious!  Now, I understand that you may not have gnocchi or butternut squash on hand.  However, I guarantee you have some kind of frozen vegetable suitable for roasting.  Things like squash, asparagus, and brussel sprouts are easy to freeze and then roast back to perfection so keep them on hand. 

So, the moral of this story is, to cook! Let your creative energy combine the ingredients you have on hand!