Once upon a time, before marriage, before kids, before a long commute and before a busy work schedule, my first love was running. Oh how I had time for running. And every time I finished running, I was ravishing. It didn't matter if it was a 30 minute 5k or a 10 mile loop around White Rock Lake, I craved real food but my stomach never agreed with me. I just couldn't eat a big meal. I needed something nourishing and substantial but the #1 rule was that it had to taste good and #2, it had to be simple to prepare.

Enter this soup.

The longest step in this recipe is the baking of the butternut squash. If you're in a pinch, cut the squash in 1" pieces and bake at 400' for 30 minutes, but I've always had success with it when I bake the squash at 350' for 1 hour--oh, and don't you even dare try to peel or de-seed your squash before you bake it. Just. Cut. It. Up. And. Bake. It. That's it! 

The beauty of this soup? It can be nut-free if you need it to be. I'm including two variations for you below--one with almonds, one with tofu. Both ingredients give the soup hearty smoothness and with 8 grams of protein and 23 grams of carbohydrate per serving, this dish is a great post-exercise recovery snack.

Now, on to the soup goodness. Here's what you need:

Butternut Squash (nut-free)

Makes 4 servings (132 calories, 3g fat, 23g carbohydrates, 3g fiber, 8g protein)

Ingredients:

2lbs. butternut squash (washed and cut into 1-2" chunks)

1 1/2c cow's milk

4oz. tofu

1tsp dried sage

1/2 T garlic powder

Directions:

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease a pan with olive oil. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Wash and dry butternut squash. Coarsely chop and place pieces (skin side down) on the pan. Place the sheet in the oven and bake for 1 hour.
3. Remove the squash from the oven and let cool. Meanwhile, measure out the milk, almonds, sage and garlic.
4. Peel the squash using a knife. Place chunks into a blender, adding the rest of the ingredients.
5. Pulse until desired consistency. Add a dash of sea salt and pepper. Consider garnishing with pepitas, sesame seeds, cranberries and chia. Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Soup (with almonds)

Makes 4 servings (212 calories, 10g fat, 26g carbohydrates, 5g fiber, 9g protein)

Ingredients:

2lbs. butternut squash (washed and cut into 1-2" chunks)

1 1/2c cow's milk

1/2c raw almonds

1tsp dried sage

1/2 T garlic powder

Directions:

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease a pan with olive oil. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Wash and dry butternut squash. Coarsely chop and place pieces (skin side down) on the pan. Place the sheet in the oven and bake for 1 hour.
3. Remove the squash from the oven and let cool. Meanwhile, measure out the milk, almonds, sage and garlic.
4. Peel the squash using a knife. Place chunks into a blender, adding the rest of the ingredients.
5. Pulse until desired consistency. Add a dash of sea salt and pepper. Consider garnishing with pepitas, sesame seeds, cranberries and chia seeds. Enjoy!