Butternut Squash Recipe

I didn't really use a recipe for the butternut squash soup but here's what I did: I put just a little EVOO in the bottom of my huge saucepan and then added 1 massive clove of garlic (diced). Then I added the butternut squash (the entire thing except for the seeds) which I cut into small pieces and chunks. Next I added my seasonings--a little salt and pepper, 1 Tbsp or so of onion powder (if I had an onion I would have just diced it and added it with the garlic but since I didn't and I still wanted the onion flavor I added the onion powder), 1 tsp nutmeg, 1 Tbsp or so of cinnamon. I let that saute for 5 minutes or so then I added 2 cups of water (I would have used stock but didn't have any). That cooked for about an hour and then I added 3 more cups of water. I let it simmer away for two or three hours while I went to the gym. When I came back I added 6 oz of reduced fat cream cheese and let it cook for another hour before I ate. It made almost 10 cups exactly and I figured each cup to be about 100 calories. A couple of notes: (1) I add the reduced fat cream cheese because it really gives veggie soups a little extra creaminess, and (2) you could use a blender and puree the soup once it's cooked but I didn't do that because I like my soups to have a little something to chew plus the small pieces of the squash completely broke down and the only chunks left in the soup are the bigger chunks of squash.



When I went running on Monday I noticed that about 1/2 way through I just didn't have any energy left. I remember this happening to me when I ran last Thursday as well (at the time, I just chalked it up to not running for a week or so). But I realized Monday that I haven't been eating a morning snack lately because my oatmeal keeps me full. And I'm not hungry when I start running but about 30 minutes in I don't have any energy left and my tummy starts to feel grumbly. So note to self--even though I'm not hungry, I still need to eat a little something before running to give myself the energy to do my entire run.



Today's Plan:

Activity: 5.5 mile run at lunch

Breakfast: WW Stuffed Breakfast Sandwich, 1 banana, grapes and berries

Snack: Chobani yogurt

Lunch: Salad with 3 oz chicken, 1 serving butternut squash soup, 1 whole grain roll

Dinner: Baked chicken, salad, veggie--probably green beans