Romp, expedition, adventure, odyssey, quest. Along the way, maybe I’ll find better words to describe my life. My days are filled with the work of raising children, serving a retired canine racing queen, trying to run when my body allows it, hugging my husband, choosing between board games, books, and sleep, and never being truly bored.
I know olive oil isn’t what one typically thinks of when discussing baby food. I thought it might be time to try olive oil so that you can sometimes have food that you cook not just for Baby, but for you too. Roasted butternut squash can be pureed for Baby and eaten as is by you, though with some salt and pepper added. You can also use the same puree that you feed Baby for a soup base.
Shopping List
-package of frozen butternut squash
-olive oil
-Feel free to buy bananas or unsweetened applesauce, but at this point, you’ve probably got enough in your freezer for a few more days. I often forget what food I’ve frozen, and I periodically plan not to make new food, just so I can use up the food in the freezer.
Meal Plan
-1/8-1/4 cup roasted butternut squash at one meal
-1/8-1/4 cup roasted butternut squash or any other combination you have on hand at another meal
-chest milk/formula as usual
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Pour the squash chunks on a baking tray lined with a baking mat or parchment paper. Roasted veggies can be hard to clean off of trays, so a mat or paper helps a great deal. You do NOT need to defrost. You can, but it is absolutely not necessary. I never bother with this, because defrosting is just one more step to worry about.Any olive oil will do. It doesn’t have to be fancy.Drizzle the olive oil over the top of the squash. I didn’t measure this, but I suspect it’s about a tablespoon or two. Use a spoon to gently move the chunks around in the oil and get them better coated in the oil. If you’d prefer to have a more even coat, feel free to pour the squash into a bowl, then pour the oil over it, and stir, before moving it to the baking pan. I don’t typically do this because a bowl is an extra dish to wash. Some say I take practicality a bit too far. They’re not washing my dishes, so I ignore them.Put the squash in the oven for 25 minutes. You’ll know it’s cooked through when you can easily smash it with a fork and the fibers of the squash easily separate.Roasted butternut squash has a different texture and a more savory flavor compared to the steam kind we made back on Day 13. The olive oil and the heat together bring out some of the sweetness of the squash while the higher temperature darkens some of the skin, which gives it a different consistency than steaming alone done. If you want to eat some of this, set some aside for yourself and season it. It’s delicious and I regularly eat it right off the pan with a fork. If you want it all for Baby, leave it on the stove to cool for fifteen minutes.Place Baby’s portion in your personal blender (or food processor or big blender if that’s what you prefer) with a little water and blend. I did end up needing more water than is shown in this photo. Once blended, the roasted butternut squash puree has a darker, less bright coloring to it when compared to the steamed puree. It also has lovely little specks from the bits. I hope Baby likes it as much as I do!
Beka Tucker 