It’s that time of year where, if you grow zucchinis, like some of us do in Spokane, you have to start doing something with them, and if instead, you find copious quantities available at the farmer’s market or the grocery store, it’s time to enjoy them a lot, while they’re fresh, in season, maybe local, and inexpensive.

But healthy, good tasting, low fat recipes can be a challenge even for a basically healthy vegetable like zucchini. And, eating healthy is an important part of dieting, and diet is an important part of fitness. So let’s get started.

For myself, I have just one zucchini plant in my Spokane garden, and apparently not enough bees, or neighbors also with zucchinis. This requires me to manually go out and help fertilize every morning at dawn. The male flowers and female flowers last only one day and are open for only a short time in the morning, so unless you get both types blooming and successfully doing their mating thing every day, the little zucchinis never grow up to become big zucchinis. So, I’m out there with my paint brush helping them along at first light. The reward is a decent crop and a need for good recipes.

Zucchinis are low in fat and cholesterol, high in fiber, and have an assortment of good vitamins and minerals, such as Vitamin A, Calcium, Vitamin C, and Iron, also useful amounts of Folate, Potassium, and Manganese. Keep them that way, by not smothering them in cheeses, butter, and salt, and by cooking them gently. I found this recipe in Vegan Planet, by Robin Robertson. It was way better than I had originally expected and so had to share it (and the finished product) with friends and now with you.

Tuscan Style Pasta with Chickpeas, Zucchini, and Rosemary (from Vegan Planet)

2 tablespoons olive oil (the best for heart health!)

2 small zucchinis, halved lengthwise and cut into ¼ inch thick half moons

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon chopped, fresh rosemary leaves (I used half that of dried, ground)

One 14.5 ounce can plum tomatoes, drained and chopped

1-1/2 cups cooked or one 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Salt and fresh ground black pepper

1 pound penne or other short tubular pasta

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the zucchini and cook until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the rosemary, tomatoes, chickpeas, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes to blend the flavors.
2. Meanwhile, cook the penne in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dante, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and place in a large, shallow serving bowl, Add the sauce and toss gently to combine. Serve at once.

My variations. I did find the recipe to be a bit long on pasta and short on sauce. So, the second time I made it I doubled the recipe for the sauce for 1 pound of pasta (alternatively, you can use only ½ pound pasta). To me, it was perfect this way.

The other thing I did was use canned diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano, instead of plain, and requiring no additional chopping. And I didn’t drain them. Rather, after the 10 minutes of cooking, I spooned out the veggies into a colander to drain, and poured the liquid that drained off back into the pan to cook down to a thick sauce. After the veggies and pasta are tossed together, this sauce makes a nice, flavorful addition on top.

This recipe is amazingly quick and tasty, as well as healthy. The only fat is from the olive oil (plus a very little bit in the zucchini itself and a little in the chickpeas), which is an excellent, healthy form of fat—low in saturated and trans fats, and high in monounsaturated fat. The chickpeas provide good protein. The not-so-secret ingredient is the red pepper flakes that keep it interesting. My friends want me to make it again, and even liked eating it cold (although I prefer it warm). And what do you know? I’ve got plenty of the main ingredient, Spokane-grown zucchini!

If you want to learn to eat healthy, train properly, and achieve your weight and fitness goals, besides eating zucchini in low fat recipes, come and check out Physzique in Liberty Lake, Washington. Zach Hunt will augment your Spokane zucchini recipe with a complete recipe for fitness!!

Having children in Spokane is a blessing to the heart and a shock to the body.They are so special and bring so much joy, but the pregnancy also brings unwanted pounds. I suppose after having five children I felt  like there was no way that I could regain fitness after children.

So What Exactly Did Having Children in Spokane Do To My Body?

I know from experience that having children remakes the body and not always for the positive. I usually would gain about 25-40lbs for each child, but immediately after delivery I would lose 10-15lbs.

So what about the other 10-20 lbs?  Well I just kept adding those pesky pounds on with each baby. So that’s how I got an extra 70lbs of baby weight. Not only was I having children but I made poor choices in the food I ate so at one point with my 3rd child I weighted 280lbs.

For  most of my life I weighed 135lbs so with so much extra weight my whole body was in shock. I never imagined having children and eating poorly would bring about so much weight gain. I felt like it was hopeless and I was helpless to do anything about the situation I was in.

So What Is The Solution?

Besides chasing the little ones around the house I am learning how to eat nutritious foods. It is critical that I learn a new healthy lifestyle. Making  changes in all areas of my life is hard and really takes committment but with time and effort I will see the difference in my life and my body.  

I always have to rememger that it’s the little changes like replacing coffee with water and white bread with whole wheat.  Snacking on protein instead of refined sugary foods. I know that healthy food isn’t always the most tasty at first but believe me there are cookbooks out there that will make your mouth water for the foods that help you lose weight and eat a whole new way. One such cookbook is the  Light Basic Cookbook: The Only Cookbook You’ll Ever Need If You Want To Cook Healthy.  Give a couple of it’s receipes a try and you’ll see that healthy eating isn’t always boring and tasteless.

Exercise in Spokane

Along with eating right it is impairative that I exercise. No matter what shape your body is in there are always simple yet effective ways to start working out. At first I could only walk about 10 blocks before I was exhausted, but with persistance it became 20 blocks. Then I invested in a membership at Curves in Spokane. There I learned that I could workout for 1/2 hour with an intensity that kept my heart rate above 140, which is a good aerobic workout.

But I wanted more. That’s when my prayers were answered. I found Zach Hunt, personal trainer at Physzique in Liberty Lake. He knows how to work out the muscles in my body that haven’t been worked in years.   Some days every muscle in my body aches but its a good feeling. I don’t think in all my years I have ever felt so sore yet so good. After a workout with Zach I know my body is transforming.  So while you are getting fit after having children in Spokane give Zach a call. He will not disappoint.