• In a stock pot, add in butter and olive oil and melt together. Add onions and celery to the stock pot and allow them to soften and become translucent. Stir occasionally. While that is going on, peel and dice the neck of one butternut squash. Set aside.
• Add thyme and garlic to the stock pot and stir in.
• Add in the cubed butternut squash and allow the simmer in the bottom of the pan so that squash softened and the edges start to brown slightly. About 5 minutes.
• Pour in low sodium chicken broth. Bring soup to a simmer. Once simmering, add in cheese tortellini. Add in spinach and allow to wilt. Simmer for two minutes. Then serve.

• Rinse brown rice and set aside.
• Heat oil in a medium-large pot or saucepan over high heat. Add half of the olive oil, half the mushrooms and sprinkle some salt. Cook them for about 4 minutes until they brown. Take out and keep them aside. We will add these in at the end.
• Now add the remaining olive oil, garlic and onions to the pot. Sauté for 2 mins. Add mushrooms and sauté for another 3-4 minutes stirring occasionally until they brown.
• Add brown rice, vegetable broth and salt. Stir and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium low and cook for about 35-40 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed. Stir in between starting at about 25 mins.
• When rice is done, add back in the mushrooms kept aside. Add in the optional tablespoon of butter and mix well. Top with green onions.
• Sprinkle some lime juice just before enjoying mushroom pilaf in the bowl and enjoy!

Notes

• Cremini mushrooms and baby Bella mushrooms are the same, regular white button mushrooms will work too.
• If you are using other rice, such as white basmati or jasmine rice, that can work, however reduce the cooking time depending on the rice you choose. For example, cook covered for 15 minutes for white rice.
• If you are using Better Than Bouillon base to make broth, you may want to skip adding salt.

• Place the chicken tenders in a large bowl. Add the Greek yogurt, hot sauce, and salt. Mix to thoroughly combine.
• While the chicken is marinating whisk together the coating ingredients in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• Cut carrots and red bell pepper into 4-inch sticks, and heat the oil in a deep saute pan over medium heat.
• Dip each chicken tender in the coating and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Allow tenders to sit for 10 minutes so coating has a change to moisten.
• When oil is hot and you're ready to cook, place as many tenders as will fit in the pan without crowding. Fry for several minutes per side until golden brown and remove to a cooling rack. Continue until all tenders are cooked. Note: Skim oil a couple of times during cooking to keep the oil clear. Serve warm or refrigerate after cooling completely.