This is Labor Day weekend, the un-official end of summer here in the US.   Now is the perfect time to review what you have been eating and find some easy, new ways to naturally recharge your body and increase your energy.

 

As part of the Eat Well Enjoy Life community, I am offering you $50 off one of my most popular programs, The Complete Diet Review. This is a chance to make a big change in your health with a small taste of coaching.

 

If you are confused about what foods best support your body, or are struggling with your weight, this session will give you information and recipes you can easily incorporate into your day to not only give you energy but recharge all the cells in your body. You will feel fabulous.  And you know what, it doesn't have to take up a lot of time either once you know how.  

 

In this session we will review what you eat right now, what you like to eat, and your lifestyle. Together we will find out what your body needs to thrive. 

 

I will then create a plan just for you.  I will send you all the practical and easy steps associated with your diet to help you begin to establish a foundation of health for a thriving body, mind, and spirit. This will include recipes, processes and eating guidelines you will be able to use for months.  

 

Click here for more details.  If this feels right for you, send me an email at ingrid@eatwellenjoylife.com by Sept 8 to sign up for the session and get $50 off the normal price. 

 

 

 

This is the season for zucchini. Whether you're a gardener watching your zucchini grow right before your eyes, or a shopper seeing an abundance of zucchini at your local market, the zucchini recipes below will help you figure out what to do with all of that marvelous zucchini!.  

 

 Since I recommend eating vegetables at every meal and 2 vegetables each day at dinner, I've listed the best gluten-free, zucchini recipes from Eat Well Enjoy Life. I hope these recipes inspire you to eat your veggies. I love healthy vegetable recipes!

 

It is best to pick or buy zucchini when they are about 6"-7" long.  Sometimes I miss seeing one in the garden and the next day it looks like a baseball bat. These big ones tend to be very fibrous and full of seeds so I try to not let them get away from me.  I also like to pick the baby zucchini when I have lots of them.

 

You can find golden zucchini's  which have brilliant golden-yellow skin.

History

 

Amazingly, scientists have found squash seeds (from the genus-species Cucurbita pepo, which includes summer squash) preserved in Mexican caves for more than 10,000 years! It was that long ago when domestication of summer squash originated in Mexico and Central America. Squashes were one of the North American foods that Columbus brought back to Spain from North America, and Portuguese and Spanish explorers introduced squashes to many parts of the world.

 

Low Calorie, High Fiber - Zucchini is one of the very low calorie vegetables; provides only 30 calories per cup. It contains no saturated fats or cholesterol. It's peel is a good source of dietary fiber that helps reduce constipation aids in digestion, maintains low blood sugar and curbs overeating.

 

Cancer Prevention  - Zucchini is high in antioxidants. Zucchini skins, especially golden skin varieties, are rich in flavonoid poly-phenolic antioxidants such as carotenes, lutein and zea-xanthin. These compounds help scavenge harmful free radicals from the body that play a role in aging and various disease processes.

 

Heart Attack and Stroke Prevention - Zucchini also provides folate, a vitamin needed to break down the dangerous amino acid homocysteine, which - if levels in the body shoot up - can contribute to heart attack and stroke.

 

Lower Cholesterol - The dietary fiber in zucchini helps lower cholesterol by attaching itself to bile acids that the liver makes from cholesterol for digesting fat. Because fiber binds so well with bile acid, thus slowing down its ability to immediately digest fat, the liver is required to producing more bile acid. 

 

The liver then uses up even more cholesterol to produce bile acid, consequently lowering the overall cholesterol level in the body. Furthermore, the high levels of vitamin C and vitamin A prevent cholesterol from oxidizing in the body's blood vessels, thus hampering the onset of atherosclerosis.

 

Lowers Blood Pressure -  Zucchini is a very good source of potassium, an important intra-cellular electrolyte. Potassium is a heart friendly electrolyte and helps bring the reduction in blood pressure and heart rates by countering pressure-effects of sodium. Both the potassium and magnesium in zucchini can help alleviate the stress on the body's circulatory system.

 

Anti-Inflammatory - Vitamins C and A not only serve the body as powerful antioxidants, but also as effective anti-inflammatory agents. Along with the copper found in zucchini, these vitamins deter the development of many hyper-inflammatory disorders, including asthma, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.

 

In addition to the recipes below you can grate zucchini into your salad or make a simple water sautéed zucchini which only takes about 5 minutes.

 

Water Sautéed Zucchini

 

2 zucchini cut into ½" chunks ( cut zucchini into quarters and then slice)

3 Tb vegetable or chicken stock, or water

1 Tb extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp fresh thyme or ¼ tsp dried thyme

Celtic sea salt and fresh pepper

• Heat stock in a stainless steel skillet over medium heat.
• When broth begins to simmer, add zucchini and cover. Water sauté for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Remove from heat, sprinkle thyme, drizzle extra virgin olive oil and season with celtic sea salt and pepper.

Raw Zucchini "Spaghetti" with Vegan Pesto 

Raw Zucchini "Spaghetti" with Vegan Pesto Sauce

   

 Photo from Spunky Coconut

 

Zucchini with Squash Blossoms and Olives 

 

Zucchini Hummus

 

Grilled Zucchini with Olives and Goat Cheese

 

Quinoa with Zucchini and Basil