Zucchini Cookies

I really wanted to bake some Zucchini cookies, especially since I have an abundance of zucchini. I pulled up and old recipe and was shocked at how bad it was. No wonder the hubby loved them. Trying to convert this recipe to healthy is beyond my scope of knowledge. With a little googling and taking some chances, here are my conversions.

I substituted the one and one-half cups of sugar to 1 cup of Truvia and 1/2 cup Protein powder (Any Whey that is made for baking/cooking.)

I substituted the 3/4 cup of Butter to 1/2 cup butter and 4 tsp of oil.

The recipe calls for chocolate chips. As I am not a chocolate person, I had no problem just deleting them from the recipe. If you like chocolate chips, maybe you could add carob chips instead or use 1/2 cup of chocolate chips instead of the whole cup.

The same with nuts. I feel you could delete them or only add 1/2 cup of nuts instead of a whole cup. I think nuts are a great ingredient and I added walnuts because that is what I had available and I only added 1/2 cup and chopped them on the finer side.

There are substitutions for the one egg, but I have not problem adding one egg to this recipe. I suppose you could add egg whites and a bit of oil or eggbeaters. I know there is a flax egg being used also.

Any suggestions on how to make these cookies healthier?

Cookies are done. I have not made these cookies in forever so my memory may be a big foggy. The difference in looks is that they are not as fluffy.
The difference in taste is more of a bread like cookie
What I would do different next time would be to cook them for a shorter period of time to keep them a bit moister. In addition, I think I would weight the flour instead of using a measuring cup to get some consistency. These cookies were very nutty. Fewer nuts would make me happy, as I am not a total nut person. HA!

Here is the original recipe with my substitutions in parentheses.

3/4 cup butter (1/2 cup butter and 4 tsp oil)
1-1/2 cup sugar (28 pkg. of Truvia and a tad less than 1/2 cup of Protein Powder)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1-1/2 cup grated zucchini
2-1/2 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chopped nuts (I used almonds)
1-cup (6 oz) chocolate chips (I did not use, as I do not like chocolate)

Cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla. Mix in zucchini. Stir in flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Stir in nuts and chips. Drop by heaping tsp on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until light brown. Cool on rack. Enjoy. I received this recipe from my mom. She of course bakes much better than I do. Moms are like that.

Camera is dead and I cannot change the batteries. Maybe someone will pop in and change them for me before the cookies are all gone.

I plan to put some of the cookies on a cookie sheet, flash freezing them, and then place them in a Food Saver bag to be popped in the freezer. I will update this post on how well they freeze later.

I hope you try this recipe and enjoy them. My Husband hates zucchini but he always asked for these cookies. I made the mistake one time of not peeling the skin off the zucchini well enough and a piece of the green shred popped out of the cookie. He then realized I had put zucchini in his favorite cookies. Little did he know I put zucchini in his meatloaf.

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Car Trouble and Money Saving Tips

Today was my day to have fun. Traveling to my new friends to meet her dad who has dementia and was just placed in a dementia center. I also was going to meet her mom who had a stroke; hence, the reason for placing her dad in a home for dementia patients as the mom cannot watch the dad any more. We had great plans. The hospital was letting the mom escape for a few hours.

I got up, got the car packed with intentions of getting fuel and heading to her house. I figured leaving early, I would miss the traffic.

WRONG!!!

My car and my mechanic let me down. My car was dead, deader than a typical doorbell. I called AAA and the driver wanted to tow my vehicle to the mechanic instead of jump-starting the car. I allowed this, as I had to get gas and was afraid if I shut off the car it would again not start, not giving it enough time to charge. I was also afraid it was my alternator and I would break down out of town with most mechanic shops closed for the weekend.

Thank goodness, the tow truck driver did what he did. I should have given him a bigger tip. Yes, it was my alternator. $350.00 later, my car will be fine. A whole day wasted with no transportation.

My plans are re-scheduled until next weekend. This messes up next weekend. It is one of those things you have to get done kind of things. Next week I will be fueled and ready to go. My vehicle will not let me down.

Today, I finished my Friday work and did a bit of Monday’s to make Monday a little lighter load. I started a sprouting experiment, which you can read about below. As soon as they call me to pick up my car, they close at 4:00 p.m., I will be baking bread. I have wanted to do this for a few days. I bought a new book and I am looking forward to trying this preferment procedure. Most bread takes two days to complete.

I am looking for money saving tips. Do you know any? So far, I plan to enlarge my garden adding one more square foot that is 4 X 4 and planting winter crops. I am cooking my own beans from dried instead of purchasing canned. I am reading about canning and next season plan on canning my own tomatoes. You know anything canned is convenient but expensive. I bought a new motion detector light that is an LED and is amazing!! Any more tips for me?

I would love to put a TV antenna on my roof. I am unable to find anyone to do that for me. I guess either most people have family or friends who can do it or people these days just use cable or Direct TV. I pay 81 bucks a month and getting free TV would be FREE.
I can pick up a DVD recorder to supplement as a DVR of sorts and the antennae and would be free and clear in only 2-3 months.

There you have it. Does anyone use a TV antenna? Does anyone want to come install mine? I can feed you well and take you on my road for a great workout.

Sprouting Experiment

I was told you have to buy seeds specifically for sprouting. I was also told any ole seed will sprout. I am trying an experiment with Lentils.

I purchased a prepackaged bag of lentils. I rinsed them and placed them in my sprouting jar. I also rinsed and placed in a separate sprouting jar lentils purchased specifically for sprouting.

The only different in this experiment is the jar size. I did not have two large jars available. If I find the one jar needs to be bigger, I will empty my dried crackers and switch it over.

In about 3-4 days, we should have our answer. If there is no difference in sprouting, I plan to buy some chickpeas and try to make sprouted hummus for my lovely daughter.

Do any of you sprout? Do you eat store bought sprouts? If you eat store bought sprouts, is it only alfalfa or do you venture into the mung beans, lentils and the likes?

Hiking and a New Routine

I am behind on blogging.  I will try to catch up.

Last Saturday I went hiking at a local college.  They have a cross-country trail.  It was amazing.  So many options, so many hills.  Crazy but I was told this was harder than “my road.”  I think it was a challenge but not as hard as my road.  I am going back this Saturday and I will re-evaluate.  It has been years since I have been on the Braille trail and would like to incorporate that into our hike.  A slight detour would be great.  I have to take my tiny camera and try to get a few shots.  We ended up hiking/walking about two miles.  Not much.  I still had some energy but my partner was ready to stop.  I have discovered the key to hills.  If you take them slow, you can make it WITHOUT stopping which is a better option. Stopping makes the legs cry.  My heart rate never got high on this high.  I struggled a bit, but not really.  I never felt like I could not breathe and was going to die like my road.  HA.  Let us see what happens this Saturday.

My garden is winding down and I think I am almost ready to dump the whole thing and add more soil and nutrients and start fresh with winter crops.  I have pumpkin planted on the netting but the first fruit is green and almost looks like a melon.  Maybe the plant was mistaken marked wrong.  Time will tell. Right now, it is only about five inches around.

This weekend I have to re-evaluate my workout program.  I want to incorporate my step.  I need to keep my Bowflex for my upper extremity injuries and to keep my strength up.  I want to delve in the Big Book of Exercises and change it up a bit.  I am ready for a change of routine.  Any fun things to do?

I added a few new pictures of Brooklyn’s friends and the new hiking trail I am experimenting with. Be sure to check it out.

Escaped

Brooklyn escaped the other night.  My daughter called me crying hysterically.  She had left Brooklyn at her friend’s house when they went to practice.  He has been at that house a lot.   It appeared that her friend left the window open. Brooklyn clawed his way through the screen, out the window he went.  The neighbors say they saw a couple carrying him away.  My daughter called her co-worker who lives in the area and for some reason he had stayed late at the dog park.  He had stayed late enough to talk to a person who had found a beagle.  He did not make the connection until he heard my daughter’s message. She called him at 11:30 at night.  He immediately went back to the dog park to get the phone number of the person who found a beagle.  The couple would bring Brooklyn home.

It seems they found Brooklyn sitting on a corner of two major, busy streets.  Thank goodness, he has been trained well and had not run into the street.  Since Brooklyn did not have any tags, they took him to the vet to read his chip.  Did I mention my daughter has not chipped him?  She felt a tag would be good enough and never felt an apartment dog would escape.  It also seems like Brooklyn’s tag was hanging on the window screen.  I guess it had been stuck as he was escaping out the window.  It also seems that while at this couples house he opened their back door and escaped again.  LOL… The couple found him sitting on the front step of a house, which later they found out was the exact house Brooklyn should have been inside.  I guess that little escapee went back home.

The couple fed Brooklyn a chicken breast and who knows what he ate while on his adventure.  Brooklyn is allergic to chicken. Only a two on a scale of five.  Yep, he has a bit of a tummy ache, but he is SAFE.

This little guy is soooooo smart, I am afraid he now knows how to escape out the window.  Why did he escape?  Did he have to go to the bathroom?  Was he annoyed with the dog that lives where he was staying?  On the other hand, did he just want an adventure?

All our dogs are only allowed to walk on the sidewalk and have to sit at each street before crossing.  This turned out to be a good thing.  Beagles are known to be oblivious of their surroundings when their nose is on the ground following a smell.

We are very lucky Brooklyn came home safe.  My daughter’s co-worker said the stars were aligned.  He had stayed late at the park to watch something amazing in the sky.  If he had not stayed, my daughter may not have gotten Brooklyn back and it would have been a long night for her.

Brooklyn is unharmed at home now.  Safe in his home.  He cannot escape his home.  She is on the second floor.  Although they have only lived there one week!

Brooklyn is safe.

Day 18

Here are new updated numbers. Only two days left. I am doing pretty good. I feel good that I am working out. I may not be perfect, but doing quite a bit. Summer is a busy time for me. I do a lot of yard work, which are great RT and some cardio. Brooklyn comes and we get a lot of cardio in running around the back yard. I feel good.

RT: 9/13/20

CT: 7/9/30

PG1: 13-4-30: 9/13

PG2: Eat more protein (Struggling with this. I have to do a google search and make a list of protein foods.)

PG3: Read one book (Beginning Running – 0/320 pages) My Janet Evanovich book came in from the Library so I have to read that. I only have three weeks before I have to return it.

PG4: Limit my time sitting on my ass.

My tomato plant if blooming with tomatoes. They are delicious. I am going to give a hand at canning a few jars. I am also going to try to can a few cucumbers into pickles. Next year my goals are to have a better garden to cut down my expenses. Read, Read, read and learn, learn, learn is the key.

We headed up my road this morning. A lot of people are on it on Saturday Mornings. A lot of men. Yikes. Not a place to be by yourself. No offence Men, but you know, this place is secluded. We walked slow and make it to the top in record time. I even ran a bit. LOL…Yes, watching me run is funny.

Okay, off to make some salad.

Carl’s Jr. Foot Long Burger

Can you believe it?? Carl’s Jr. Fast Food Hamburger Joint has a new burger coming your way soon. A FOOT LONG burger. FOR ONLY FOUR BUCKS!

They are trying to keep up with Subway’s foot long from what I am told. What happened to restaurants helping those who cannot and making their food healthier, not worse? Can you imagine the calories? One foot long, one jumbo fries and one jumbo drink.

Let us see, if you buy a Super star with cheese it is a whooping 920 calories and 58 grams of fat. Add french fries for 500 calories and 24 grams of fat. I was surprised there was no nutritional valve on their sodas so I got the numbers from McDonald’s. A 32 oz drink is a whopping 310 calories with 86 grams of sugar. This meal is a whopping grand total of 1730 calories and 82 grams of fat. What do you think the nutritional value will be of this foot long burger combo meal? It appears to be equivalent to three burgers… Let us guesstimate. 2760 calories? 72 grams of fat? Add the fries and drink… Ta DA… 3570 calories!!!! I cannot wait to see what the nutritional values are on this new item!

At least for those of use who have to go to a fast food restaurant they do have this…

Even this low carb version has 570 calories and 43 grams of fat.

The lesson to be learned…Nothing on a “Fast Food” restaurant’s menu is clean or worthy of eating. You can put together a great clean meal in less time than it takes to drive to a fast food place and buy their crap. I do not know many people who can ONLY but the low carb burger. Always, always some fries and a soda and/or shake will be ordered also.

Me, I just got home from the Framer’s market… Lettuce, celery, onions, okra, sweet potatoes, corn, strawberries and my downfall, sourdough bread.

I am going to try to see how many calories in my made at home turkey burger. Results coming soon.

Banana Soft Serve Ice Cream

This is an amazing recipe.  It is all over the internet. I finally tried it.

I used two frozen bananas

Threw them in the food processor

and four minutes later…    Ice cream.

I stopped the food processor once to scrap the sides.

I plan on trying three strawberries and one banana next time.

You can use your imagination.  How about a blob of peanut butter.

How about a parfait with some granola sprinkled on top.

Chia Seeds, raspberries, blackberries.

Your imagination and testing will dictate how to use this fantastic recipe.

Here are  few links with pictures of this delicious treat:

http://www.choosingraw.com/this-post-will-change-your-life/

http://www.katheats.com/sundaes-on-a-monday/

Day 6

RT: 1/13/20

CT:  2/9/30

PG1:  13-4-30:  3/13

PG2:  Eat more protein

PG3:  Read one book (Beginning Running –  0/320 pages)

PG4:  Limit my time sitting on my ass.

I did very well on eating more protein.  Lots of fresh veggies. My garden is in full production.  My shoulders are getting trim but my belly just hates me.  I am going to step up the cardio and see if that helps.

I dehydrated some zucchini for bread and made some crackers.  I also dried some zucchini and sprinkled on some pink salt. OMG, they are so yummy.  This is such a great snack without all the grease and calories.

Now for the fantastic news….  I will post it in another post to keep the recipe section cleaner.  Soft serve ice cream…  You guys will not believe the taste.  It is amazing.  Only takes five minutes to make.  I am looking forward to buying some bananas and trying different flavors.  Maybe throw in a strawberry or blueberry.  How about peanut butter.  I hope you guys try this and let me know what you think.

Here We Go…

Time to get my act together…

I am going to challenge myself daily.  I need to buy a new pair of jeans.  I want to be in a smaller size before forking over the cost of a new pair.  Here is what I came up with for 30 days.    I hope that I can get in a smaller size.  Right now, I am only inches from buttoning that top button.

I would like to do a 13-4-30. Which would be 13 RT exercise sessions lasting at least 30 minutes.  That would equate to three times a week.

That also means an RT of 13/30.

Cardio would be 9/30 or twice a week (Minimum of 30 minutes.)

In true 52DC format which works for me…

RT: 13/20

CT:  9/30

PG1:  13-4-30:  0/13

PG2:  Eat more protein

PG3:  Read one book  (Runner’s World Complete Book of Beginning Running by Amby Burfoot  320 pages)

PG4:  Limit my time sitting on my ass.

Okay, here we go.