It’s “what do I do with all this zucchini” time. Before your zucchini looks like a baseball bat, pick it! If you think maybe it’s getting close to the right size, but you just want to wait until tomorrow – don’t! Pick it now!
We don’t like to freeze zucchini – and we’ve tried to like it (year after year), but we’ve found it’s easier to make something with the zucchini and freeze the prepared food instead. Raw zucchini just gets too watery when it’s frozen and thawed.
Today we have links to a couple of recipes, Zucchini Fritters and Zucchini-”Cheddar” Herb Muffins. The fritters make great appetizers or snacks. They’re easy to put together and they freeze really well, so you can always have a quick snack or mini-meal ready to go. The muffins can stay in your freezer, individually wrapped and ready to go for a meal, a brown-bag lunch, or a snack.
One of our favorite dishes is Ratatouille, which we serve over whole-grain pasta or brown rice, but which could also be served over a bowl of beans, or on top of chicken or fish. This dish contains nightshades, so if you’re avoiding those, you’ll have to skip this one. It freezes (minus the starch or protein) really well.
Now if someone offers you some zucchini – go ahead and take it! You’ll be able to prepare it and have some good meals in the freezer, too.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ Ratatouille Blue * Serves 8
2-1/2 pounds tomatoes (4 large)
8 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
10 fresh basil leaves, torn in half
1 Tablespoon herbes de Provence
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
salt
2 large onions, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
3 assorted bell peppers (green, red, and/or yellow), cut into 1-inch pieces
4 medium zucchini (2 pounds), quartered lengthwise and cut crosswise into 3/4-inch-thick pieces
black pepper
Cut an X in bottom of each tomato with a sharp paring knife and blanch together in a 4-quart pot of boiling water 1 minute. Transfer tomatoes with a slotted spoon to a cutting board and, when cool enough to handle, peel off skin, beginning from scored end, with paring knife.
Coarsely chop tomatoes and transfer to a 5-quart heavy pot with garlic, parsley, basil, herbes de Provence, and 1/2 Tablespoon oil. Simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally.
Toss eggplant cubes with 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large colander and let stand in sink 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook onions, peppers, and zucchini in 1 Tablespoon oil with 1/4 teaspoon salt in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5-6 minutes. Transfer vegetables to the tomato sauce.
Pat eggplant dry with paper towels. Add 1 Tablespoon oil to skillet and cook eggplant over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 7-8 minutes. Add to tomato sauce.
Taste stew for seasoning, add salt and pepper to taste. Serve over whole-grain pasta or brown rice, or as a stew with whole-grain bread. Top with soy parmesan if desired.
Optional: Saute sliced baby bella mushrooms with onion, pepper and zucchini. Add one 15-ounce can garbanzo beans or cannelini beans, drained, for protein.
MSC Cruises ushered in a new era of elegance at sea with the Poesia. Just as the Holistic Holiday at Sea™ – Voyage To Well Being is not a typical vacation cruise, the new eco-friendly MSC Poesia is not a typical cruise ship. The Poesia is an Italian masterpiece. As the name implies the Poesia brings a sense of poetry and a new dimension of enjoyment to the art of traveling by ship. Combining the Old World sophistication of European design with state-of-the-art American comforts and conveniences, at 964 feet in length and 121 feet in width, the Poesia cruises the Caribbean and Mediterranean in a class all her own. And so will you.
During your free time between lectures, yoga, Pilates, meditation, cooking classes, and workshops, refresh yourself in one of the Poesia’s sparkling swimming pools. The pool area is comprised of two large swimming pools and four whirlpools.
When it comes to live entertainment, enjoy a lavish production number every night in the Carlo Felice theatre. Or take in a movie at the open-air cinema in the pool area. Aboard the Poesia, you are never far from live music. Starting in the late afternoon and continuing into the wee hours, live music can be found at seven locations throughout the ship.
Always make an effort to purchase an item you’re interested in at its sale price. This requires a little time, effort and research.
Right now, school supplies are at their cheapest prices of the year. Stock up for next semester, too!
Check outlet stores for clothing. Shop on their back-to-school discount weekends (best if you’re on the mailing list). They’re expecting you. Go early for the best selection.
Get on your favorite department store’s mailing list (email lists are better – less waste) and cash in on your coupons. Store clerks are happy to tell you when the discount days are coming. Always ask if the item you want to buy will be discounted soon. Sometimes all you have to do is put it on hold for a couple of days to get 20% off.
Side note, because we have to warn you about this: We don’t like the “open an account with us and we’ll give you 15% off today’s purchase” deals. First, once you open a credit card, it never goes off your credit report. If you have a lot of cards (active or inactive or even closed) they still count against your credit score. Second, it’s one more temptation when you’re close to overspending. And finally, it’s one more bill to track and pay. If you must use credit, use one card and be honest with yourself about how much you use it. And pay it off every month. If you can’t pay it off, you can’t afford the purchase. Bottom line – a new card is not a bargain opportunity.
Sometimes you want something that just needs to wait. Then let it wait. The amazing winter coat that costs as much as your rent for the month? Can wait until you can save up for it. It’s not cold yet, and the coat isn’t on sale yet, either.
Take your time. Remember that not every single back-to-school thing needs to be purchased in August. It’s fun to get new school clothes in mid-September and mid-October, too. Space out your purchases to fit your budget, and it will be fun for you, too.
“What Would Marilu Do?” is the next class at Marilu.com starting Wednesday, September 8th.
If you’ve ever been faced with a choice in your eating, exercise or lifestyle habits, and wondered What Would Marilu Do? – this is your chance to find out.
Marilu will be sharing the details of her life: her health and beauty routines, her food and exercise choices, the responsibilities of her career and her personal and family activities.
Do you think you could benefit by spending a few weeks following Marilu throughout her day? Be sure to be with us on September 8th for a look inside Marilu’s daily life…and an incredible opportunity to make positive changes in yours! This will be a no-holds-barred, take-no-prisoners, kickass class. You’ll be challenged to amp up your commitment to healthy living in every area of your life. Are you up for it?
Members are automatically enrolled in online classes.
Not a member? Join now! Be part of this ALL NEW, EXCLUSIVE class with Marilu!
Videotape yourself today doing all the activities you want evaluated – like walking, talking, dancing, singing, and taking out the garbage. Or sitting at the computer, cooking, brushing your teeth, wearing your favorite outfits.
This is a wonderful tool for spotting bad posture, speech ticks, voice pauses, and fashion faux pas.
It might seem a little egotistical or persnickety, but get over it – because it works! You’ll be able to improve because you know what to fix.
Take-out often means Chinese food that’s over-salted and under-veggied. It may seem like a quick and easy dinner option, but making your own Chinese food is just as quick and easy (and far tastier, and cheaper).
This vegan recipe provides plenty of protein from the edamame (soy beans) and brown rice. It’s good served hot or at room temperature, which makes it a great brown bag lunch option (still with a small ice pack in there), or a dinner that can “hold” until kids get home from practice or performances.
To thaw the edamame, just put it in a colander, run some warm water over it, and shake it a little.
To make this meal especially quick, cook brown rice ahead of time, and freeze it in 1-cup or 2-cup portions. Just let it cool, spoon it into freezer weight bags, and flatten. Freeze flat – then you can stack them in the freezer, or even “file” them in a cardboard shoebox in the freezer. (The cardboard won’t crack in the cold like plastic storage containers can – plus, that shoebox came free with your last pair of really cute shoes!)
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ Kung Pao Rice & Veggies Green * Serves 6
1 Tablespoon peanut oil
1 medium red onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and cut in 1-inch pieces
8 baby carrots, halved lengthwise
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-inch piece fresh ginger, minced
1-1⁄2 cups frozen shelled edamame, thawed
12 small ears canned baby corn
5 cups cooked brown rice (about 1-3/4 cups dry, cooked in water or vegetable broth)
Sauce
3 Tablespoons orange juice
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1⁄2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Make the sauce: In a small bowl, combine all sauce ingredients and mix well. Set aside.
In a wok or large, heavy skillet, heat oil over high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, carrots, garlic and ginger and stir-fry 2 minutes. Add edamame and corn and stir-fry until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 3 minutes.
Stir sauce and pour into vegetables. Stir-fry until thickened, 30 seconds.
Divide rice among 6 shallow, wide bowls. Spoon vegetables over rice and serve hot or at room temperature.
Practice presence * Make a sacred space in your home. Spend time there daily, paying quiet attention to life. The sheer abundance, diversity, complexity, beauty, fragility of life ought to take your breath away.
A human health crisis is brewing on our nation’s farms. An estimated 70 percent of antibiotics used in the United States are fed to animals that are not sick, a practice that breeds antibiotic-resistant bacteria and causes costly, painful, and sometimes deadly human diseases.
Last year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) acknowledged the scientific consensus on the connection between human health and this nontherapeutic antibiotic use on the farm. Yet the FDA’s actions, including a recently released set of principles on this subject, have not yet tackled the problem.
Remember the “good old days” when we all walked to school? Okay, maybe we took the bus – but our parents and grandparents probably walked to school. And it didn’t hurt them to get that exercise every day.
So – if your kids live within a mile of their school, why not have them walk?
Now, we know it’s a different world. There’s a lot more traffic, and there are definitely dangers out there we don’t want our kids anywhere near. But what about a group walk? With adult chaperones (you see where this might be going for you, right?)?
In a town we know, the Walking School Bus is a very successful community fitness program. Retired folks have taken on most of the escorting, getting to know the kids in their neighborhood, and allowing the kids to get to know some of “those old people” who live nearby. The not-a-bus starts at the farthest point from the school where adults wait for the first kids to gather. As they walk toward the school, and past more homes, other kids join in. It’s kind of like a neighborhood carpool – without the car.
There’s safety in numbers. There are adults present to manage intersections. There’s community building. And there’s fitness. (And a way to get the wiggles out each morning and afternoon!)
What’s your new beginning? Each day is a fresh start. Each day brings a new opportunity.
Don’t wait for Monday, or the first of the month, or the new year. Your new beginning starts today. Celebrate it with a song (thanks to Coach Heather and Tracy Chapman) and a smile.
Then… and this is big… go change the world.
When you know your place, when you’re fulfilling your dreams and living your truth, when the message inside you is consistent with the way you live in the world, then you have something to share, to contribute. You have a mission. We’ve seen it happen to many of our members – regular people living regular lives, who come to Marilu.com to get their bodies in shape. And that requires changing the way they think. And that changes the way they live. And that changes the world.
It’s time for your new beginning. We’re cheering for you.
Join Marilu.com and meet our members. See how they’re changing their own lives, and the difference they’re making in the world. Our 30-day online class starts each Monday, with powerful, personal coaching and full menus and recipes to start changing your body and how you feel in it. Get started now!
