Crock-Pot Recipe: Butternut squash and lentil soup

Mamas, hello. I made this for dinner tonight, and I loooved it! I'm really proud of how it came out. Thought I'd share the recipe. Also, fyi, it's vegan (when made with vegetable broth), low-fat, high-protein, and inexpensive!

Ingredients: 2.5 cups coarsely chopped butternut squash
1 cup brown lentils, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium)
1/2 cup chopped carrot (1 medium)
1 tsp. garam masala spice
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups (2.5 cans) chicken or vegetable broth

Directions: In a 3.5- to 4-qt. Crock-Pot, place squash, lentils, onion, and carrot. Sprinkle with the garam masala and garlic. Pour broth in. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 9 hours (or on high heat for 4 to 4.5 hours). That's it! Serves 4 to 6.

Notes: I wrestled with an actual whole butternut squash from the produce section and cut my finger trying to slice the thing into submission. I wonder if the pre-cut and bagged frozen squash (that comes in cubes) would work just as well? I actually have some of that in my freezer but totally forgot about it...
Also, I had to go buy garam masala, but I'm glad I did! It's a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, coriander, cumin, cardamom, etc., and it smells (and tastes) wonderful! Really autumn-y. I'm going to find other uses for it.

I'm on the prowl for more healthy, easy, tasty recipes that use inexpensive ingredients, so if you know of any, please post here! Thanks...
-Maureen