Acorn Squash Soup

My power week didn't work out as planned. Between making almond-filled donuts, Scandinavian almond cake with ice cream and praline sauce, pigging out on Chinese food, having eight (EIGHT!!!) kit kat bars and having an embarrassing weakness for cookie dough...My weight is NOT where I wanted it to be. After a binge, I always get myself into the mindset of 'I've already gone over my calories for the day, these few hundred won't count.' That always winds me up in a vicious cycle which is hard to break. I think I've been binging so much not only because it's 'that time' (UM, can you say I NEED CHOCOLATE!) but because I'm so bored of eating the same food every day. It seems like everything has carbs in it, which I try to avoid, so I find myself eating just about the same menu every day: Egg whites, chicken breast, cheese, and veggies. Sure, I love them all, but I think I've set myself up for disaster, by robbing myself of enjoying DELICIOUS food. When I deprive myself of rich, flavorful foods, I end up pigging out on sweets and carbs.

So, these past few days, I've been trying to experiment with different foods, and create delicious, flavorful, filling meals that won't kill my diet. The best recipe so far: Acorn Squash Soup.

Now, I LOVE cooking with seasonal foods. It just puts me in the 'Autumn' mood. This soup is healthy, flavorful, warm, vegetarian AND filling Oh yeah, and super easy to make. No really, a 6 year old could make this. I've listed the ingredients for one serving, if you want to make 2, just double it.


Ingredients:
1/2 acorn squash
Salt
1/2 garlic clove
Pepper
Paprika
Rosemary
Thyme
Skim milk

Cut the squash in half, and save the other in a ziplock bag in the fridge. (It will keep for 3+ days). Scoop the seeds and stringy bits out of your half, and throw them away. Fill a large pot about 1/2 full with water. Place a colander over the pot, and place your squash in it, cut side up. In the hollowed part of the squash, sprinkle salt, a pinch of pepper, a hearty amount of paprika rosemary and thyme. Bring the water to a boil, and cover with foil and a lid. Lower the heat to a simmer, and let the squash steam for 40-50 minutes. Once the squash is tender, scoop it into a blender or food processor, process until it is a fine puree. You can serve the soup like this, or you can add skim milk to reach the desired consistency. Serve with a sprig of rosemary and a pinch of paprika on top!

This is such a simple and hearty soup. It's creamy, delicious and of course healthy, with only 90 calories per half a squash! Enjoy!