Monday, October 12, 2009

Acorn Squash Sweet vs. Savory

The rest of my Sunday didn’t turn out exactly as I expected. I ended up doing work for about 7 hours- yikes! Josh and I crashed at a decent time and I woke up around 1 am with a tummy ache and a little fever at which point I decided I would work today from home. As the day went on, I started to feel MUCH better…so I pushed and did my 4 mile planned speed run. Since then, my aches have returned a bit…but not as bad! Hopefully by tomorrow they’ll be fully gone!!

The rest of my afternoon has been spent resting and learning choreography. I also put together a nice dinner for Josh and I. Josh’s dinner consisted of steak, sweet acorn squash (topped with a little smart balance and maple syrup, baked at 450 degrees for 1 hour) and pineapple:

My dinner was a savory veggie, bean, and tomato sauce filled acorn squash (brushed acorn squash with a little olive oil, baked at 450 degrees for 1 hour, added in veggie/bean/tomato sauce mixture, topped with a little cheese, broiled for a few minutes) :
and had an apple on the side:


Things have been really HECTIC lately. For the next few weeks, I have the following on my plate:
  • Training for (and hopefully completing) a 10 mile road race
  • Launching new Body Step and Body Attack releases
  • Preparing for and attending Body Pump Training
  • Working full time
  • Teaching group fitness classes part time
  • Blogging
  • Spending time with Josh & Frank, family & friends

All of this craziness caused me to take a second look at my overall schedule and made me realize that I can’t keep doing ALL of this. So, I have decided to cut back at my full time job and move to 75% time. I am still awaiting final approval!! I am hoping this move will allow me to dedicate more time to Josh, Frank, my family & friends and more time to my group fitness classes. I am hoping the transition goes smooth and eases some of the stress in my life. Are there any major changes you are making/hoping to make in your life?

42 comments:

fittingbackin said...

Wow - you have so much going on - good for you for finding a solution to make your life better! It's too short. :) Best of luck - hope you get approval!! (and seriously, on another note - that stuffed squash looks amazing!!)

Heather said...

wow! the savory squash looks amazing! i love stuffed squash!

Lizzy said...

its good you made a change girl! you don't wanna over do it and become burned out!

Therese said...

You have so much on your plate!

Man I would love to dive into some fall foods like squash but it's still in the mid 90's in Florida and I'm just not feeling it :( Both your's and the hub's look so tasty though!

Haleigh said...

It sounds like you have a crazy hectic schedule! I hope that you can find the right balance, good luck girl!

I have never tried savory stuffed acorn squash- it sounds yummy though.

Lauren said...

your squash looks amazing!
pineapple seems so funny with fall veggies. lol

Paige @ RAN said...

Both of those acorn squashes look awesome! My eyes went wide when I read your schedule! Yikes. Yes, definitely a smart decision to cut back on the ol' job. I hope it gets approved - for you sanity's sake!!

Jessica said...

That squash looks so delish, I may try the savory version!

Pam said...

Great looking squash! It's good to cut back some and breathe...follow your heart and you can't go wrong!

Lauren said...

Mmm mmmm mmmm, stuffed squash two ways is so much better than one. I would have such a hard time deciding which one to eat! :)

Wow, things are getting really packed for you. I think that is great about cutting back from your job. If you can afford the change, I would agree it's totally worth it to devote more time into your passions. (Wish I could do this now but it's just not the right time. Hopefully soon!)

Take care of yourself sweetie. Be careful with those aches. Sounds threatening!

Maria said...

I hope you feel better soon. Take it easy! Oh how I wish I could go to part time or quit my job...it is not a happy place for me., but I have good health insurance so I show up:) Good luck with everything!

Aggie said...

I just bought an acorn squash and am not really sure what to do with it. I am totally going to make it like yours, looks so good!

I've had a tummy ache for two days now, feeling feverish, I hope it passes. Hopefully you got some rest today and are feeling better.

I have recently started to "take care of myself"...I spend a lot of time making sure everyone in the fam is taken care of that I've kinda let myself go. Its a work in progress. It sounds like you are doing the right thing...good luck and I hope it gets approved for you!!

Julie said...

You acorn squash looks AMAZING! I think you should dedicate time to making me a squash that looks like that haha I keeed.

SO glad that you're deciding to do something that makes you happy :) Hope you're time decrease gets approved and you can be less stressed!

Anonymous said...

I usually love my squash sweet :) Or just plain with some almond butter.
either way, your squash looks fab!

Stephanie said...

that's awesome news girl, way to really focus on balancing things out! i admire that so much :)

i also adore acorn squash, and loved your recipe for stuffing it!

hope you have a fanatastic evening :)

The Purple Carrot said...

Yum, Erica ... that savory squash sounds so good!! I will definitely have to give that one a try.

Good luck with your schedule changing!! I hope it all goes like you want it to : )

Holly said...

You are SUCH a busy lady - I hope to get it approved! I think sometimes when we have SO much going on, we kind of miss the important little things...ya know? I'm so excited for you!!

I have an acorn squash now and I never thought to do a savory one! Thanks for my dinner idea tomorrow. :-)

I hope your tummy feels better, girl!

Anna said...

I'm pretty sure I was sodium deficient when I was a baby, so I'm always craving savory things so that stuffed squash looks so good!

I guess I can't cut back on anything right now with school and stuff, but I think I can plan for things in advance so I can make sure there is room in my schedule for it (aka, I always want to go to yoga on mondays, but usually I end up doing hw instead because I have to :( )

Dawn Dishes It Out said...

Holy!! The squash looked great! I am lovin' all the squash this time of year!!!

TropicalHappiness.com said...

You definitely have a LOT going on! I think its good to take a step back and figure out how you can adjust before you are too overwhelmed to do anything!

Alyson said...

Good luck with your work approval! I'm graduating from grad school in the spring, so my big change is finding a job & re-entering the real world. & definitely trying that savory squash!

Allie (Live Laugh Eat) said...

So cool that you have such flexibility with your job! 75% would be perfect--not part time but not full time. Hopefully that'll give you more time to do some fun things :)

Jenna said...

Right now I have classes AND work together 6 days a week. I get up very early and go to sleep very late. When I arrive home in the evening, I switch from employee and student to mom and "domestic goddess". It's a lot. But, I don't know that I'd have it any other way. My only regrets are Snuffy spending so much time with a babysitter and my lack of study time.

Yum Yucky said...

I'm sorry, but I can't stop looking at the steak. Forgiveness, I need.

Anonymous said...

good luck with your schedule changing... I hope your boss approves you so you can dedicate more time to your family and what you like doing more. :)
stuffed acorn looks good!

Jenn (eating bender) said...

Oy, I hear ya on having a lot going on. Good for you on taking the first step toward giving yourself more time with the ones you love - I hope you receive final approval! The sooner the better when it comes to stress!

I hope you're feeling better now. The acorn squash looks delish - I like the savory version :o)

Abby (Abbys Vegan Eats) said...

Your baked acron squash looks sooooo delightful!! How festive :)

As for a change.. the hubby will be finishing his second stint in grad school in the spring SO a big move MAY be in the works depending on the job search.. its exciting!

Follow your heart! :)

CaSaundraLeigh said...

Hope your not catching that horrible flu bug :-(

Wow, you do have a lot going on..and I thought I was busy! I def give you props for handling it all this far! Hope all works out for you.

Love the squash--as you know, stuffing things is totally my style! :-)

Kim @ Kim and Mikey said...

By now you know that the MAJOR change to my life is the impending arrival of my daughter. However, before she makes her appearance, her Daddy and I are taking on a huge remodel to our home. Yikes!

Krista said...

That's great that you are able to cut back hours at work. That shoukd be a huge help!

I love your stuffed squash. Mmmm...

K from ksgoodeats said...

Your dinner looks awesome!! I hope you're feeling 120% better - no ickiness allowed!!

I hope that cutting back allows you to have a less hectic lifestyle. When life gets really busy like that, stress is not worth it. I hope it gets approved :)

Claire Mercado-Obias said...

This looks good! Feel better =)

Dawn (HealthySDLiving) said...

That IS a lot to have going on--good for you for evaluating the situation and making the right changes for you! I hope it goes well!

Barbara said...

Clever idea for your vegetarian acorn squash. My mother always put brown sugar and butter in hers but I have gradually come to favor more savory things in my acorn squash.
Did you see 101 Cookbooks filling hers with a corn pudding?

Naomi(Onefitfoodie) said...

great choice. Sometimes when you have alot on your plate you have to take a step back and look at all the things that you can handle without driving yourself crazy. Making that list I am sure helped you see what you need to spend more time on and what you would like to cut back on!

that squash looks AMAZING!!

Anonymous said...

i am such a fan of squash anything...this looks delightful. and fingers crossed for you my friend!

Juliana said...

Oh! Sounds that you are very busy...love the acorn squash, looks very tasty and yummie...

RunToTheFinish said...

thanks for the second acorn idea! I wanted to make something easy for lunch tomorrow and that will be perfect, I just never know about baking times.

I am now working from home and going to have to figure out how to really work/move/relax all in the same space.

teresa said...

mmmm, i want to try your acorn squash, it looks wonderful! good luck with your schedule change!

Samma said...

That is great that you are able to cut back to 75%! I would love to do that- good luck!!!

Anonymous said...

Are you going thru Body Pump certification? I just got certified in September. Awesome! I love Body Attack too! Good luck w/your busy schedule!

Heather-For The Health Of It!

Diana said...

Wow good luck with these changes! Hopefully it will balance out to your liking.

I kind of want your stuffed squash for breakfast!