Happy Summer Everyone! In true summer fashion I already have a sunburn on my back from last weekend’s festivities! My girlfriends and I accidentally stumbled into the annual Roll Out the Barrels event here on the Central Coast and ended up tasting and baking in the sun all weekend long with the exception of the party at Alex’s Bar-B-Q that was off the hook! I did however have sunblock on… I suppose just not enough. Lynn, Jennifer and I had a great time and later I went home and took a nap which is always the mark of a good day in Niccola land. If only I had appreciated naps when I was younger and they were forced upon by my Ma!

My trainer/friend Amy and her baby girl Charly are on vacation in Alaska, or “in the AK” as she refers to it and she challenged my circuit buddies and I to pick and stick with a goal for the few weeks that she’ll be away. At first I thought I’d pick a number goal.. like I REALLY want to be 124 pounds or something stupid like that but then I remembered how bloated I’ve felt over the past couple of weeks and decided I would give up cheese  instead. For those of you who know me well, you know that cheese and I are BFFs. We go everywhere together with our other BFF wine, but….. lately cheese has been like a “wet blanket” in our trio.

I’m guilty of categorizing cheese as a meal in itself, and some nights I’ll just have a plate stacked with various cheeses, nuts, crackers, fruit and spreads to “nibble on”. Except it’s hard to just stop there. “There are no boundaries,” as my friend Adria put it. And she’s right because after one plate, I start thinking that wasn’t enough for “dinner” and go in for more. It’s ridiculous really and I end up waking up the next feeling shitty, no pun intended! So it’s been 9 days since I had my last “cheese plate” or “nibble” of cheese for that matter… and I feel GREEEEEAT! No seriously, my stomach even looks slimmer! I’m almost fitting nicely into the coral jeans I bought at Old Navy a month ago that are just a wee bit too snug!

So for dinner, I’ve been making better choices. I’m not drinking wine Monday-Thursday as usual (so I can get rowdy on the weekend!) and I’m not snacking after dinner as a result. That damn ole’ sugar. It’s addicting is it not?! Last night I whipped up these zucchini boast in less than 30 minutes and Andy and I started watching season one of Orange is the New Black. The first episode was really good and we recognized a bunch of actors we knew including “Donna Pinciotti”… love her!

________________

Zucchini Boats- serves two 

Ingredients:

-2 zucchini squash

-1 lb ground turkey (I used Jenny O’s Lean variety)

-1 red pepper

-4 cloves garlic

-1 red onion

-cilantro

-1 T taco seasoning

-salt and pepper

-olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450.

2. Cut the zucchini length wide and scoop out the insides of it. Place the insides into a large bowl.

3. Drizzle some olive oil on the squash and place cut-side down on a baking sheet. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until they are browning and soft.

4. Chop up all of the veggies and place them, and the ground turkey into the bowl with the insides of the zucchini. Mix well.

5. In a sauté plan, drizzle some olive oil and add the mixture. Cover on medium-high and sir occasionally.

6. When the zucchini is done, scoop the mixture into it and sprinkle some cilantro on top! Healthy and ready in less than 30!

_________________________

I’ll leave you with my reading list for today. I just counted and I’ve almost read 30 books since the start of the year! I’m SO proud of myself! 40 books by Christmas was my original goal but I may have to up the ante now that I’m in a great book club and it’s lead me to read more. Do you like Wally Lamb? I think I mentioned this last week but I’m reading We are Water (about 15 pages left) and I’m clueless as to what is happening in the outside world, the book has me that consumed. I love the way he tells stories and also how he alludes to other characters and other plots from the previous novels he’s written. It’s so clever and well slipped into the story that you may miss it! This is a really GOOD read so head down to the library and check it out!

Namaste for today!