Easy Squash Bowls for Lunch

Work lunches are my least favorite meal.  It's always sadly reheated leftovers that are never as good as dinner the night before, an overpriced meal out that makes me feel entirely too full, or something lame from the cafeteria downstairs.  (The introduction of food trucks really spiced up my workday lunches!)  But last year at the Farmers' Market, I learned something that would brighten up my workday lunches by a factor of ten.  You can microwave personal-sized squash and have it for lunch in five minutes!  Whaaaaat??  I might be the only person in the world that didn't know that already, but enough people at work stare at me in confusion to make me think this is not a well-known squash trait.  It's insanely easy to make squash at work as long as you have a microwave.  And a really large knife (do this step at home if you have to walk through a metal detector at work!)  Any personal-sized squash will work, but the best ones are those with a flat bottom.

this variety of squash is my absolute lunch favorite!

Ingredients
1 personal-sized squash
1 tbls water
1 tbls brown sugar
1 pat of butter
Pinch of cinnamon

Directions
Cut the top off of the squash and scrape out the seeds and stringy flesh.  (Do this step at home if knives are in short supply at work.) 

Fill the inside of the squash with the tablespoon of water.  Replace the top of the squash and heat in the microwave in high for five minutes. 

Once the squash is cooked through and the flesh is soft, let the squash cool with the top still on.  Then add the butter, sugar, and cinnamon and scrape down the sides of the inside of the squash.  You'll have a little bowl with delicious squash inside.

Mix it all together and add more toppings if need be.  Sit back, relax, and enjoy your amazing workday lunch.  And this is only just the beginning.  Just think about the other toppings you could add to your personalized squash bowl.  Off the top of my head, I'm thinking that some vegetable broth, salt, and a bit of curry powder would be another stellar combination.  As would any leftover stuffing you have from the holidays.  Be creative!  But definitely head to your local farmers' market to pick up some personal-sized squash for your next workday lunch.