Day 2: Accountability Challenge

Day 2: 8-2

Breakfast: Banana Caramel Shake with coconut water
Lunch: zucchini/avacado mac and cheese
Dinner: 2 hard boiled egg whites, zucchini and a tomato
Snacks: slice of zucchini bread
Water Intake: 85oz (8 with beauty booster)
Exercise/Workout: hour of yoga mixed with abs and bonus workout below + sum
Steps (if you have a Fitbit or tracker): 6600
Today I succeeded in: Organizing my work life after missing Monday and getting a workout in
I could have done better in: taking my 10 minute breaks to go for walks instead of working through them and maybe not eating the zucchini bread

Bonus workout: DONE
20 squats x 3
30 second plank x 2
45 second skaters (or curtsy squats) x 2

Here in New England, Zucchini and all types of summer squashes are in season.  I pick a few a week from my own garden and the farm stands are fully stocked with them as well. I honestly feel like I eat it every night and I am pretty sure it is because I do.  Here is one of the ways I like to cook it:

2 Zucchini

1 heaping tablespoon Coconut Oil

Season Salt to taste

Black pepper and Sea Salt to taste

I simply heat the oil in a saute pan until hot.  I add the sliced zucchini rounds to the pan and sprinkle with season salt. I stir occasionally until lightly browned and serve with salt and pepper to taste. Quick, simple and easy!

Enjoy!

Zucchini Bread

Well, September is here and with that brings the unofficial start or the Fall season. I have a love hate relationship with Fall. I love to bake so this means pumpkin and apple everything as well as another season to redecorate for. The negative, warm weather is slowly disappearing and the cold snowy season will be here before we know it.

We had a clam boil on Sunday and spent Labor Day recovering. After relaxing all day I decides to make a couple zucchini breads to start off the baking season. I came across a very very large zucchini on our garden that me and Scott both missed somehow, so it was the perfect excuse to get baking!
I went to my favorite cookbook, a gift from my brother and soon to be sister-in-law (thanks Krystal, as I know you were the one who actually picked it out), Betty Crocker COOKBOOK, Bridal Edition Here is what you will need and how to make the breads:

 Ingredients

3 cups shredded zucchini

1 2/3 cups sugar

2/3 cup veg. oil

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 large eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon of salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons nutmeg

1 cup chopped nuts

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease the bottom only of 2 8x4 loaf pans.  In a large bowl stir zucchini, sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla until well mixed.  Stir in the remaining ingredients except the nuts.  (Now at this point I completely overlooked the cinnamon and nutmeg, so I ended up just swirling it in gently after I had already placed the batter in the pans) Lastly stir in the nuts (I used walnuts since that is what I had but Pistachios or even topping it with sunflower seeds would be excellent choices as well!)  Divide batter evenly between the 2 pans.  Bake for 50-60 minutes or until lightly browned on top and a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool loaves for 10 minutes in pan on a wire cooling rack.  Loosen the sides of the breads and remove from pans.  Place top side up on wire rack to cool completely.  Wrap tightly and store at room temperature for about 4 days or refrigerate up to 10 days.

Now, I hate my oven so of course I used the toaster oven, you can really make anything in a toaster oven. Okay okay, maybe not a baked ham or a turkey dinner, but almost anything! I let my neighbor have half a loaf, since she saved me when I didn't have enough flour, and she ate half before I even left the house! Must be good, especially since my dad said it was the best he has ever had and needs the recipe!  Enjoy


***Nutritional Info (per slice)
CAL. 95 FAT 4g CHOL. 15mg SODIUM 110mg CARBS. 13g PRO. 2g

Grilled Zucchini

There is nothing better in the hot summer months than fresh veggies from the garden!  We have planted a wide variety this season, tomatoes, cucumbers, peas, beans, swiss chard, brussels sprouts, corn and lots and lots of herbs.  When veggies are freshly picked you don't want to boil them and lose that fresh picked flavor.  So tonight when we picked our first zucchini of the season we decided to grill it.  In my opinion it is the best way I have ever had it!

So this is super easy, all you need to do is slice your zucchini into fours.  While we wanted to stick to not losing the natural fresh taste we decided to lightly brush it with olive oil and then just add some salt and pepper to taste. Place them face down on the grill and cook until lightly chard. Remove and serve as the perfect summer side.  I decided to serve these with my Sauteed chicken with Browned Sage Butter!  Enjoy!

Sauteed Squash - Farmer's Market

This time of year one of my favorite things to do is to go to the local Farmer's Market that is held every Sunday on the lawn of Fairhaven High School. All the produce is locally grown and extremely fresh and flavorful. This week I came across Zucchini Balls that I just had to try.  I also grabbed a couple summer squash to go with them.

I decided to saute them on the stove while my husband was busy on the grill cooking our citrus marinated chicken tenderloins. I began by slicing the squashes and heating about 3 tablespoons of oil on the oven.  Next I added the squash to the heated oil and added 2 tablespoons of Italian seasoning and salt and pepper to taste. I covered and let simmer for roughly 10 to 15 minutes checking frequently.  I then added two tablespoons of margarine and continued to cook covered for about another 10 minutes. 

You do not want to over cook the squash as it will just turn to mush.  This is why cooking time can vary depending how thickly you cut the slices, so always keep a close eye on it while cooking. We now have the perfect veggie to add to our citrus marinated chicken and garlic mashed potatoes! 

As always, ENJOY!