Today, Ellie is four months old. She’s only been in our lives a short time, but I can’t believe how much has changed. Getting up at 5 AM is easier than I ever imagined it would be (she still hasn’t mastered sleeping through the night, so I’ve seen the wee hours of the morning a lot more than I would choose to).
I think I have done more laundry in these first few months of her life than in the full year prior to her birth. I’m eternally grateful for the washer and dryer in our house, because spending that much time at the laundromat would definitely make me crazy.
It’s gotten to the point where a run without her in the jogging stroller just feels like something is missing, and I swear that pushing her all those miles has gotten me in better shape than ever (proof? I’m 2 pounds below pre-pregnancy weight AND I have that brand new 10K PR!)
Her laugh is my favorite sound by far. I make a fool of myself numerous times a day just to see that huge toothless grin and hear her adorable giggle.
I have hundreds of pictures of her on my phone and more on my camera’s memory card. My instagram feed is heavily dominated by pictures of her. It’s ridiculous, but I can’t stop (even when I have 20 pictures that are pretty much identical).
I really, really love being her mom.
Although she’s still not eating anything but milk, she’s started to show some interest in fruits and vegetables (okay, toy versions of them). She may not look terribly enthusiastic in that picture, but she LOVES those toys! I’m really excited to start making her baby food soon. Hopefully she’ll end up loving vegetables as much as her parents do!
Squash is my favorite vegetable of the moment. Kabocha, butternut, acorn, spaghetti, delicata… I adore them all, espcially roasted or stuffed! These acorn squash have a simple filling, but the mix of flavors and textures is pretty hard to beat. Salty, sweet, smooth, crunchy – it’s all in there!
Ingredients
- 2 small acorn squash, cut in half and seeds removed
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup chopped shallot
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 1/2 cup toasted pistachios
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1-2 ounces feta, crumbled
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Place the squash on the baking sheet cut side down and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the flesh is tender.
- Heat the oil in a skillet and add the shallot. Cook 3-4 minutes, until soft. Remove from heat and stir in the quinoa, pistachios, raisins, feta, lemon juice, and salt and pepper (to taste).
- Divide the quinoa mixture evenly among the squash halves.
- Return to the oven for about 10 minutes, then serve.
(adapted from With Style and Grace)
With the variety of foods in your house I’d be amazed if Ellie didn’t end up loving vegetables.
Hi Cate,
I love reading all your delicious recipes, this one sounds yummy. Here is some great info about feeding your baby that I found really helpful (I have a 9 month old baby girl). It has helped meal time to be enjoyable and stress free for the whole family
http://www.babyledweaning.com/
Aww, hard to believe your little one is already 4 months old!! She is soooo cute
I love stuffing squash and your filling looks delicious especially with feta!
Ellie is adorable, and her little food toys are too cute. And the recipe looks delicious, as always. Can you eat acorn squash skin? I never know with each different kind of squash whether you should eat the skin after you’ve roasted it or not.
I can tell you are such a good mom–Ellie is a lucky girl!
This stuffed squash looks great–we recently made stuffed squash (with barley and fennel) that I’ll be posting soon–it was more of a hit than I anticipated!
I definitely share your love of squash. This recipe looks really great. And serious kudos to you, Cate. Not only do you have one seriously sweet, seriously cute baby girl, you are a running machine. You’re incredible!
OMG…this looks incredible!! Plus, Ellie looks soooo ADORABLE!! Those baby blues are seriously killer, and how can you not take 1 million photos. Way to go on losing those pounds, too. You are one hawt running mama!!
Goodness, she is so darling! The recipe looks awesome as well..I have the same question as Beth, can you eat the skin of the acorn squash?
Winter squashes have awfully tough skins. I’d stick to just zucchini and other summer squashes.
I think I’ve tried eating the skin once but it gets pretty tough. Delicata is the only non-summer squash that has skin I will eat.
Happy 4 month birthday, little Ellie! She is so adorable and I’m sure she’ll love food just as much as her mommy.
She is BEAUTIFUL! So glad you’re enjoying being a mom
[...] Cate of Cate’s World Kitchen made quinoa and pistachio stuffed acorn squash [...]