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!!

Spokane offers many clubs for many interests from photography, to soccer, to chess, to fitness. Spokane’s clubs are a social outlet and a fun way to share information. They provide great opportunities to engage in hobbies and activities, and to develop higher skill levels, and sometimes to compete. Many of them also contribute to fitness—from moderate levels like when hunting for mushrooms or game, to intense levels when riding the trail or playing soccer. So, which Spokane club is right for you?

(The websites for the Spokane clubs mentioned here are listed at the end of this article in order of appearance.)

Spokane Clubs

Like to do outdoor activities on the water, the trail, or the backcountry? Spokane offers a Mushroom Club, a Canoe and Kayak Club, a Mountaineering Club, a Backpacking Club, a Bicycling Club, and a Trail Riders Club. All of them get you out and moving, so besides enjoying the great outdoors you get the added benefit of improving fitness.

Are you an outdoorsman or outdoorswoman? Keep your shooting in good form with the Spokane Rifle Club. Or, participate in a fishing tournament with the Spokane Walleye Club.

If fly fishing is more your line, you and your family can try the Spokane Fly Fishers or the Inland Empire Fly Fishing Club. And for the bird hunter, there’s the Inland Empire English Springer Spaniel Club.

Interested in adult sports and sports leagues? There’s the Spokane Racket Club, the Riverhawks Baseball Club, and the Spokane Basketball Club. Or you might prefer adult ice hockey for men and women at the Eagles Ice-a-Rena. If soccer is your thing, there’s the Inland Northwest Soccer Club. And the Spokane Local Sports website gives you contact information for local sports from equestrian to bowling.

There’s adult dancing too, with the Spokane Swing Dance Club and Krazy 8’s Square Dance Club.

For your children there are sports clubs for youth. How about the Spokane Splash Volley Ball club, the Spokane Soccer club, or the Club Spokane Dodgers for baseball. There’s figure skating and kendo clubs. You can find recreational and competitive teams for youth all with the Spokane Youth Sports Association.

Perhaps you prefer to sit while you play and like things that go. Boating? Try the Spokane Yacht Club. Fast cars? You’ve got the Spokane Corvette Club. Maybe little ones suit you better. There’s the RCCCS—Radio Controlled Car Club of Spokane.

Have or love animals? There’s the Spokane Dog Training Club, and the Inland Empire Pony Club, and of course the ever-present 4-H Club for Youth K-12.

Finally, for the more cerebral or artistic, we have the Rocket Club, the Chess Club, and the Camera Club.

Interested in Fitness? Getting in shape is an important part of getting or staying healthy, meeting your weight goals, and developing the body you want. There are a variety of Spokane clubs and gyms to choose from no matter what part of town you are in. If you live or work near Liberty Lake check out Physzique, it may be the best Spokane club for you!!

List of Weblinks to Spokane Clubs mentioned in this article:

Spokane Mushroom Club: http://www.spokanemushroomclub.org/

Spokane Canoe & Kayak Club: http://www.sckc.ws/

Spokane Mountaineers: http://www.spokanemountaineers.org/

The Backpacking Club: http://www.backpackingclub.macwebsitebuilder.com/page/page/5019713.htm

Spokane Bicycle Club: http://www.spokanebicycleclub.org/

Fat Tire Trail Riders Club: http://www.fttrc.org/

Spokane Rifle Club: http://www.spokanerifleclub.com/

Spokane Walleye Club: http://www.spokanewalleyeclub.com/

Spokane Fly Fishers: http://spokaneflyfishers.com/li

Inland Empire Fly Fishing Club: http://www.ieffc.org/

Inland Empire English Springer Spaniel Club: http://www.spokanehuntingspaniels.com/

Spokane Racquet Club: http://www.spokaneracquetclub.com/

Riverhawks Baseball Club: http://www.spokaneriverhawks.com/

Spokane Basketball Club: http://www.spokanebasketball.com/

Adult Ice Hockey: http://www.eaglesicearena.com/adult.php

Spokane Women’s Hockey League: http://www.spokanewomenshockey.com/

Inland Northwest Soccer Club: http://www.spokanesoccer.com/

Spokane Local Sports: http://www.spokanelocalsports.com/SpokaneCountyFindYourSport/Home.html

Spokane Swing Dance Club: http://www.spokaneswingdanceclub.org/

Krazy 8’s Square Dance Club: http://www.krazy8s.net/

Spokane Splash Volley Ball: http://www.splashvb.com/

Spokane Soccer Club: http://www.spokanesoccerclub.com/

Club Spokane Dodgers: http://www.clubspokanedodgers.com/

Lilac City Figure Stating Club http://www.lilaccityfsc.org/

Spokane Kendo Club: http://www.spokanekendo.com/

Spokane Youth Sports Association: http://www.sysa.com/

Spokane Yacht Club: http://www.spokaneyachtclub.com/

Radio Controlled Car Club of Spokane: http://www.rcccs.com/

Spokane Corvette Club: http://www.lilaccityfsc.org/htmfiles/main.htm

Radio Controlled Car Club of Spokane: http://www.rcccs.com/

Spokane Dog Training Club: http://www.spokanedtc.org/

Inland Empire Pony Club: http://inlandempire.ponyclub.org/

Spokane County 4-H: http://www.spokanekids.wsu.edu/

Spokane Rocket Club: http://sparc.rocketclub.org/

Spokane Chess Club: http://www.spokanechessclub.org/

Spokane Camera Club: http://www.spokanecameraclub.org/

Physzique: http://www.spokanefitnesscoach.com/

So as the summer starts here in Spokane what will you be eating?  As for me  I have been thinking about what kind of  food I want to eat that  encourages me to stick to the changes I am making for a  healthy lifestyle.  So I went online  and found a couple really awesome vegetarian recipes online to try. As I browsed the list of recipes I realized that there are so many healthy and tasty choices.   

Although I was  looking for recipes that are low in fat I also wanted  ones that appealed  to my taste buds. I happen to love avocados so when I found this recipe  I knew I wanted  to share it. If you like avocados and salsa you will love this,  it is absolutely delicious. I made it and enjoyed it for several days. 

Avocado Salsa

Here are the ingredients you will need:
1 (16oz) package of frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
2 (2.5 oz) cans of sliced ripe olives, drained
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 small onions chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup of sour cream

1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons of cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
4 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted and diced

Already sounding pretty tasty. Okay here’s how to prepare this great summer salsa. It is so easy and simple that you’ll want to make it more than once.  It would be really  great  for a Spokane summer picnic or potluck. Because it  is so simple  you won’t  need a lot of prep time.  However you’ll want to know that the first two step need to be done the day before for marinating.

Steps For Preparing Avocado Salsa

• 1. In a large bowl mix corn, olives, red bell pepper and olives
• 2. In a small bowl mix garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, cider vinegar, oregano, salt and
  pepper. Pour into the corn mixture and toss to coat. Cover and chill in the refrigerator
  8 hours or overnight.
• 3. Stir avocados in before serving add sourcream as desired.

So easy and so good. You can scoop it up with baked chips or top your low fat tacos with it. One serving size is  1/8 cup and this make 32 servings so I really had to be careful not to over do it, especially since I am starting to keep a food diary.  As you enjoy this remember that part of a healthy lifestyle includes physical fitness. I know that including physical exercise can be difficult at times with work and children but here in Spokane there are so many different activities during the summer that make it easy to want to go out and get physical.

 Besides walking and gardening I decided that having a physical trainer was something that would really benefit my healthy lifestyle.  So I go and workout with Zach Hunt my personal trainer.  He is located  in Liberty Lake at Physzique. The whole experience of a personal trainer is taking me sometime to get used to. However I know from some of his other client’s results and his own personal testimony  that it is well worth the sweat and hard work.

Enjoy the salsa and give Zach a call at Physzqiue Personal Fitness. He takes the time to understand each of his client’s needs and that makes him a great trainer. He also really knows his stuff so you can feel confident that you are getting intense exercise and excellent advice. Living a healthy lifestyle is important for each of us for so many reasons  and only benefits us in the long run.  Personally I want to live a long, healthy and fulfilling life. How about you?  What do you want?    I do have one more recipe I want to share, I promise it will be worth the wait.