Over the last 2 years as we've grown our own winter squash, I've started to play with some recipes and have some favorites. This is one of those and is just so comforting when it's cold outside! The kids love it and it's a great side for dinner or with a grilled cheese for lunch!
Butternut Squash Soup
2 butternut squash or 1 argonaut (one of our favorites), cut in half and deseeded
4 granny smith apples, peeled and chopped
1 Tablespoon of butter and olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
2-3 Tablespoons of heavy cream
1. Preheat over to 400 degrees and roast squash flesh side down for 30-60 minutes until a fork a pierce through all areas. Once the squash a cooled enough, flip the squash over and remove the flesh. This can be done a few days before you make the soup if you'd like.
2. In a heavy pot (I use my dutch oven, a cheaper option here), sauce the apples in the butter and olive oil, about 5 minutes.
3. Once apples are softened, add the squash, spices and broth. Simmer covered, for about 15-20 minutes.
4. Using an emersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. (You can use a regular blender for this part too, just remember to be very careful and not over fill your blender. You'll have to work in batches.)
5. Add cream, salt and pepper to taste and Enjoy!
I add pepitats to the tops sometimes for an extra crunch. You could also put plain croutons on top too if you'd like.
As you can probably gather from my absence from this blog and instagram, the first trimester of this pregnancy was ROUGH on me. Both Max and I feel like this has been the worst I've felt in all 3 pregnancies but who really knows because I think we forget the really bad parts so we keep having more. Maybe? Anyways, this one has been rough. I've been tired and melancholy as the 2nd trimester has entered in but I was sick for what felt like forever! Like willing myself to not throw up every waking moment kind of sick. I gained a total of 1 pound in the whole first trimester and that was in the 13th week when I finally felt a little bit better. SO this is what I basically lived on since about 5 weeks pregnant until 16 weeks. It was a long bout of morning sickness but these where lifesavers to make things a little bit more tolerable.
- Peppermint lifesavers: anytime I was driving I have one in my mouth
- Saltine Crackers
- Cashews and Macadamian Nuts: The salty protein helps a lot!
- Cheddar Mozzarella Cheese Sticks: More protein!
- Pacific coast ice tea: Helped with getting liquid in me and the caffeine helped me keep moving through the day
- Sprouts instant Oatmeal: I would eat this right before bed to help me not be so hungry in the night or morning.
- Starbucks stainless steel cup
- Driving myself everywhere we went
If you are in the dredges of the first trimester, take heart! It's for a good purpose and it will come to an end at some point. It's different for everyone and can be very challenging!
