Acorn Squash & A Huge Meal

Well it’s fall and you’d never know it here, our high today was 100! My long run Sunday was brutal in the heat, I did it in our neighborhood and had to line up water bottles on my front porch to swap out as I emptied them and I still felt dehydrated after. I also have not been sleeping well while babysitting two dogs for my parents. My mom’s chihuahua insists on sleeping in our bed and he’s a snoring restless sleeper. Plus we had to deal with the occasional squabbles between my chihuahua and my dad’s dog. Between being sore and tired, my week is off to a dragging start, so I guess it’s a good thing I’ll be sitting in training most of it. Thankfully we’re down to two dogs since my mom’s needy chihuahua is back home with her. :-)

One thing I’ve noticed about longer runs is not only are they exhausting, but also make me feel starved for rest of the day. We prepared a feast for dinner that night and I probably could have eaten more! Even though the heat was brutal, I still welcomed fall with one of my favorite squashes.

I love that acorn squashes are so cheap at Trader Joe’s now. But, acorn squashes are treats I usually only enjoy on the weekends because to cook them well just takes too long for a week night – 1 hour.

After slicing into halves and scooping the seeds out, turn the halves cut side down into about 1/2″ of water in a baking dish and back at 350 degrees for40 minutes.

Then flip over into another baking dish cut side up and add your favorite seasonings. For me: a drizzle of coconut oil, pumpkin pie seasonings and a stevia packet.

Okay, not exactly the highest quality spices here, but I plan to replace this with the good stuff from Whole Foods. :-)

Yum, the smell and warm, filling flavor just sing fall for me.  Just grab a spoon and dig into this heaven, I could easily eat an entire squash. I’ve tried microwaving it for faster cooking, but it’s just not the same because it doesn’t cook as evenly or have the crisp, baked edges.

I also had an artichoke to use up and decided to steam it for the post-run feast. Curiously, I had to try a sale splurge buy from Whole Foods with it – Vegenaise. I’ve never been a mayonnaise fan, I grabbed this for hubby as a healthier alternative. Overall, he was impressed with the flavor compared to the traditional stuff and I found it very enjoyable for artichoke dipping.

The complete masterpiece meal with a kale/sprout salad dressed with cilantro pesto dressing – yum! It was a lot of work, but made great leftovers for lunch. Steamed artichokes can be stored in the fridge for a couple of days and are great either reheated or eaten cold. Just like baked acorn squash.