Kelly Rogers Victor

Pumpkin Butter, or How to Make a Weird Vegetable Fun

October 20, 2015 By Kelly Rogers Victor 5 Comments

At a shabbat meal at my culinarily gifted sister-in-law, Dalia’s, table, we were served homemade pumpkin butter to spread on our challah. Pumpkin is a vegetable, of course, and to see my kids slathering it thickly on their bread was a delight to someone who, like me, strangely delights in watching kids eat well. (Is that a thing?) Anyway, she sent me the recipe, which turned out to be adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Celebrates. My only tweak was to de-sweeten it a touch, since the aromatic spicing more than compensates, and we could all do with less sugar, especially our kids. Mine didn’t notice the difference.

When I told a friend about this recipe, she said she always just bought the Trader Joe Pumpkin Butter, which she says is delicious and, obviously, easier. I checked out the label, though, and despite the short ingredient list, notice in the photo that both the second and third ingredients (and they are always listed in order of descending amount) are sugar and honey. (As far as your body is concerned, these are basically the same.) Then, notice that one tablespoon of the pumpkin butter contains 9 grams of sugar! That’s over two teaspoons of sugar in there! Since 1 Tbsp = 3 tsp, this means that 2/3 of this product is just sugar. Even though it requires more work, the recipe below features vegetable with a little added sweetener, rather than—as in the Trader Joe version—sugar with a little added vegetable!

Pumpkin Butter

Ingredients:

1 cooking pumpkin (2.5–3 lbs)
1/4 c brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves (optional, my kids dislike the flavor)
1 T fresh lemon juice

Method:

Preheat oven to 375F. Rinse off pumpkin, cut in half and scoop out seeds. Spray a baking sheet, place pumpkin pieces face down and roast for about 45 minutes until pumpkin is soft enough to scoop out. Roast the seeds separately, they are delicious: spread them on a baking sheet, lightly spray with olive oil, sprinkle a little salt, and roast at 350F until lightly browned.
Let pumpkin cool slightly, then scoop out the flesh, and add to your food processor with all remaining ingredients. Puree till smooth, adding a little water if needed to get the right consistency. You don’t want it too liquidy, but it has to be spreadable.
Transfer to a pot set on low, and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Add more lemon juice, if desired, and possibly a little more sugar, if you must.
Cool and serve with whole-grain bread. Keeps in fridge for up to three weeks. I froze half and it defrosted beautifully.

Self-help: I’m Over It (But Not Really)

October 9, 2015 By Kelly Rogers Victor 12 Comments

The self-help industry is bumming me out. As a blogger, I subscribe to a myriad of health, nutrition, and wellness sites and newsletters. While this allows me to keep up with the latest thinking on a topic I love, and while some of the writers I follow are a total inspiration, I’m bombarded with postings telling me that my life falls short in the departments of mindfulness, stress-reduction, nutrition, hydration, supplementation, cardio, strength-training, flexibility-training, social connection, solitude, stillness, goal-orientation, time-management, reading, writing, cooking, parenting, spending quality time with my kids, spending quality time with my spouse, community involvement, political activism, continuing education, and, paradoxically, both altruism and self-love. Apparently, I don’t even breathe correctly.

Here’s what happens when the self-help message du jour arrives in my inbox. I quickly scan it to see if I’m guilty of the specified failing. If no, I delete. If yes, which is almost always, I read the post a little more thoroughly and reflect on my inadequacy in that area and whether it offers any realistic ideas for self-improvement. If no, I delete. If yes, I spend another few seconds reflecting on the matter, then I move on to reading more pressing emails, like my Edison e-bill or the sale announcement from J. Crew. The self-help email then slowly travels to the bottom of my inbox as new mailings flood in. From time to time as I purge the inbox, I revisit it briefly and mournfully note that I just don’t have time to deal. It continues its southern migration. Finally, perhaps months later, I banish all delusions and hit delete. But I don’t have to feel like I gave up on that particular concept; rest assured, another blogger has already emailed me on the same topic with similar advice. This new email then embarks on its journey through my email system. . .

Now, I don’t deny that K&K is guilty of some of this—we bloggers so love to share the Kool-Aid—but being on the receiving end grows tiresome. Blogland of course has a remedy for that too: don’t be too hard on yourself, accept your failings, love yourself unconditionally, etc. The question is how to address this complaint without offering more self-help advice. Is this even possible?

Further reflection suggests not really. The reason we even consider these emails is that human beings are preternaturally goal-oriented and aspirational. My dog, Mike, would tell a dog-blogger to step off at any suggestion that he should work on peeing less on my white flokati rug. But we humans can’t help ourselves at striving to be better, stronger, and smarter than we are right now.

This is actually a phenomenal gift, and we can capitalize on it by focusing on what is realistically within our power to improve—assuming we want to improve it. And here’s the rub: If you are fine with, e.g., your sedentary lifestyle, don’t hand-wring over every email that comes in touting a new workout regimen that’s “too easy to fail.” If you do not want to start working out, even the one-minute ab-blast system will fail. This should be your litmus test. Not “should” I try this new form of self-improvement, but do I truly want to improve in this area? If yes, consider whether the post offers you realistic steps for doing so; if not, hit delete.

Sticking with our workout example, what if at the meta-level you want to want to start working out? No good. Hit delete. Meta-aspirations do nothing to address your current lack of motivation and are no friend to self-esteem.

Here’s a better solution. Reflect on why you want to have a stronger, healthier body, but never get off the couch. What is stopping you? One of my coaching clients did this with brilliant success. After some deep conversations, she realized that she found working out lonely. She looked into more social forms of exercise, found a very social cross-fit studio, and now happily goes there five days a week. She actually enjoys and looks forward to it.

Another client had a different outcome, but no less important. He came to me desperate to lose weight and start turning around some of his weight-related health problems. He said he’d “tried everything.” We kept working on finding changes to his eating patterns that were small and incremental enough for him to incorporate and build upon from meeting to meeting. But he’d inevitably come back having not followed the steps he’d committed to. After a few go-rounds, and again some deep reflection, he let on about his rather heavy drinking and frequent pot-smoking habits. Despite wanting to want to improve his lifestyle, he was not willing, or perhaps able, to address the fact that his substance abuse made this virtually impossible. After gently suggesting AA and counseling, we went our separate ways. Wanting to want something will get you nowhere and, sadly, there was nothing I could do to offset that.

So I have indeed offered you self-improvement advice, which was inevitable and for which I apologize. You can overcome the annoying self-help email deluge by deleting unwelcome posts (including this one), or better yet, unsubscribing to offending sites (but please not this one!). But if you are past merely wanting to want to improve something about yourself and are actively ready to change, consider how you may be standing in your own way. Once you’ve deconstructed that issue, by all means go ahead and see if any of those formerly offending emails offers some real guidance on how to move forward. If not, there’s always delete—and the next day’s email.

Review: Emcura Immediate Care

September 29, 2015 By Kelly Rogers Victor 3 Comments

I recently picked up a chest infection from my kids, and after trying unsuccessfully to fight it at home, headed to Emcura Immediate Care in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. I was in and out in 22 minutes, with my prescription emailed and ready for pickup by the time I got to Rite Aid. Sound like your last trip to the doctor? I didn’t think so. Did I mention that the waiting room was bright, clean, modern, and delightful to be in? That the desk staff and nurses were friendly and eager to please? That the location—the NE corner of Maple and Telegraph—was the bomb?

Emcura is owned and operated by a young couple named Supak Sookkasikon and Manish Kesliker. While well pedigreed in conventional medicine and Beaumont-affiliated, their practice incorporates the concepts of complementary medicine—and, indeed, Dr. Supak, as she is called, enjoyed a fellowship at Andrew Weil’s Center for Integrative Medicine following medical school. The integrative piece gives their practice the edge of not only treating the usual illnesses and injuries, but about having a preventative angle. You can go in there for a chest cold, but you can also seek advice about supplements or stress-management, or just get a B-12 or flu shot or your child’s sports physical. They also have Dr. Jen Green on staff, a naturopathic doctor who specializes in naturopathic oncology and is known for the wonders she works with her holistic, homeopathic approach to healing, as well as nurse practitioner Jennifer Ruel, who also finished an integrative medicine fellowship.

With its clinic growing, Emcura will soon be pushing into the space adjoining it, part of which will eventually house the Kahn Longevity Center under the guidance of holistic cardiologist, Dr. Joel Kahn. It will be exciting to watch this practice grow and flourish, as it surely will, meeting a great need in this community.

Cribbing from their mission statement, Emcura’s stated philosophy is to provide high quality and empathetic care by approachable, expert physicians who believe in educating their patients in every aspect of their treatment—and all of this in a nurturing and modern environment. And speaking of empathy and nurturing, my recent illness required some follow-up care, so I found myself back at Emcura about ten days after my first visit. The clinic was a little busier as it was at 3:30 pm on a weekday, but I still waited no more than ten minutes in the lobby.

Dr. Supak was soon in the room with me, listening attentively. I did need some additional medication, which again was ready at the pharmacy by the time I got there. But more impressive was what happened the following day. I saw I’d missed a call and voicemail from Emcura. Assuming it was about my insurance, I replayed the message, but it wasn’t the front desk. It was Dr. Supak herself, personally checking in on how I was feeling and wondering if the follow-up with her had helped. Yes, it had, I gratefully called back to report, I was on the mend and doing well. I hope I don’t need Emcura’s services again anytime soon, but if anyone in my family needs medical attention, there’s no other place I’d take them.

Easy Mujadara

September 22, 2015 By Kelly Rogers Victor Leave a Comment

This mujadara recipe, adapted from Melissa Clark, is fast and easy, and it can work as a meatless entree, side dish, or lunch. Whether or not you’re partying with vegans, all will love this aromatic dish, kids included. Mujadara is a Lebanese favorite based on lentils, rice, and onions. It can sometimes get too oily when prepared at restaurants; this version is light and gets it flavor from spicing, not excess fat. As an entree, serve it with a salad and steamed vegetables, and finish with fresh fruit. I like to make it early and park it on the counter, covered, for several hours to deepen the flavors before rewarming to serve.

INGREDIENTS

1 c brown lentils (preferable soaked for an hour ahead)

1/2 c long grain brown rice

3 c water (more as needed)

1 T olive oil

1 leek, dark ends trimmed, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 t cumin

1/2 t allspice or Chinese five spice

1/2 t garlic powder

1/4 t cayenne powder

1-2 t salt (to taste)

1/4 t black pepper

1 bay leaf

1 cinnamon stick

2 c leafy greens (any greens, chopped)

1/4 c cilantro or parsley, chopped

1/4 c pomegranate seeds

METHOD

Heat 1 Tbs olive oil in a large pan until hot but not smoking. Add leek, turn fire down, and saute for 5 or so minutes, occasionally stirring. Add garlic cloves, cumin, allspice, garlic powder and cayenne; saute another minute. Add drained lentils, rice, water, salt and pepper, bay leaf, and cinnamon stick. Cover pan and simmer for about 15_–20 minutes until lentils and rice are tender, stirring occasionally. Add water if it’s getting dry. Add chopped greens and cook another five or so minutes until they look done. Remove pan from heat and let sit covered until ready to rewarm for serving. Remove bay leaf and cinnamon stick before serving. Once you transfer to serving platter, sprinkle with minced cilantro and pomegranate seeds.

Et tu, Barnes & Noble?

September 7, 2015 By Kelly Rogers Victor Leave a Comment

Despite the evidence that added sugar in the American diet is a central culprit in the diabetes epidemic, I try to stay calm while my children are plied endlessly with the stuff. I have to comment on an email from Barnes & Noble I recently received, though. It read: “It’s Jack’s Birthday! Here’s a Special Birthday Gift! FREE Cupcake or Cookie!”

Now, let’s think here: Why is a bookseller using sugared food to lure children into the store? Has their PR department not read a headline in the past ten years? Have they not seen the books on their own bookshelves explaining the role junk food has played in our health crisis, or looked up from their ledgers to notice all of the struggling, overweight kids everywhere? How about offering children a book or a $5 gift card to buy one?

Please hang on if you’re thinking, “Down, girl. It’s just one cupcake. It’s his birthday.” Because it’s not like this is an isolated incident, or even an occasional one. This is a daily problem parents face. Case in point: I took two of my boys to the dermatologist recently, in fact shortly after B&N had offered Jack junk food to celebrate turning eight. Guess what they were given for being “such good boys?” If you guessed candy, you would be correct. So, here we have a medical doctor using sugar as a reward. I guess he’s missed the past ten years of headlines, too.

One doctor and blogger who totally gets it is Yoni Freedhoff, an MD who is on the front lines, running a nonsurgical weight management center in Canada. As he continually observes, “Somewhere along the line, we’ve normalized the constant provision of junk food to children.” He estimates that his three young daughters are given “at least 600 sugar-spiked calories of junk each and every week” adding up to a weekly total of “26.25 teaspoons of added sugar. . . or more than 14 pounds of the white stuff a year.” He laments: “There’s simply no occasion too small to not warrant a junk food accompaniment. But for me, the strangest part of all is the outcry that occurs if and when I point it out. My experiences have taught me that junk food as part of children’s activities has become so normalized that my questioning this sugary status quo genuinely offends people’s sensitivities and sometimes even generates frank anger.”

People who ply junk to our kids fall back on the refrain, “Aw, don’t be such a stiff, it’s just one.” One candy. One cookie. One cupcake. But as Freedhoff dourly notes, “It’s never just ‘one.'” It’s “just one” every single day, and often multiple times daily, from people we don’t know, in any place you might take your child. Even to the doctor.

So, no Barnes & Noble, I will not be bringing Jack in for an additional sugar fix to celebrate this milestone. I will bake his favorite cupcakes with him at home, we will go around the dinner table and each talk about why we love him so much, and I think I will surprise him with a couple of new Magic Treehouse volumes—from Books-A-Million.

Is Cancer Preventable? A Top NYC Oncologist on the Perils of Junk Food

August 13, 2015 By Kelly Rogers Victor 1 Comment

I was listening to a Wall Street Journal podcast the other day in which Dr. Mitchell Gaynor, a leading NYC oncologist, was interviewed about the rise of cancer rates around the world. Although treatments are improving, the study found that “between 1990 and 2013, the proportion of all deaths caused by cancer rose from 12 to 15 percent worldwide.” This isn’t because there’s been a reduction in people dying from heart disease, which is currently the number one killer in the US: “No, it’s actual increase in the numbers.”

According to Dr. Gaynor, “we’re living in a world where about one in three people are going to hear the words, ‘You have cancer.’ And even more worrisome, it looks like that trend is continuing to increase. So, we’re probably headed toward a one in two over the next 5 to 10 years.”

Why is this happening? He continues: “Well, I think the reasons can basically be broken down into two general areas. One, we’re living in more of a fast-food, processed-food culture, and that’s spreading around the world. So, we’re eating more refined sugar, we’re eating more refined flour, we’re consuming more heat-damaged vegetable oils that preserve shelf life, and all of those turn on tumor-promoting genes, inflammatory genes which promote cancer, and promotes obesity which in turn promotes cancer.” Second: “There’s more and more environmental pollution—in the air we breathe, in the water that we’re drinking, in the pesticide and herbicide residues in food.”

So, here we have a traditionally trained oncologist, credentialed up the wazoo, pinpointing the S.A.D. (standard American diet) and its toxic environmental impact as the central culprits in rising cancer rates. With our food culture having been exported around the globe, the study found similar trends in Asia and Europe. “Over the next twenty years or so, it’s expected cancer is going to exceed heart disease as the number one cause of death.” And for us women, he added the prediction by the lead statistician at NIH, Dr. Phillip Rosenberg, that “breast cancer rates for American women by the year 2030 would increase by 50 percent.” That’s in fifteen years, not very far off.

Epigenetics is the study of how environmental and other external factors change the expression of our genes and the way in which our cells interpret our genes, and it’s central to understanding why diet impacts one’s vulnerability to cancer. We are all born with a unique genetic print, and some of us are more prone to disease and illness than others. But this needn’t necessarily be a death sentence. As Dr. Joel Kahn explains: “Our fork is so powerful it can not only transport food to our mouth, it can be used as a genetic on and off switch to alter our weight, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, cancer growth, and even our chances of healthy aging.”

You know what I find utterly baffling? Medical students do not study nutrition. My little sister, Tova, is entering her final year of med school and hasn’t spent five minutes on the topic of nutrition since she got there. She’s learning all about cutting and drugs, but absolutely nothing about foods that aid in disease prevention. Medical students are being educated to treat sick people rather than helping people avoid becoming sick in the first place.

If you’re like me, you are hearing ever more bad news about ever younger people in your community being stricken with cancer. The resources on the food/disease connection are all out there in plain sight, but perhaps the average person considers them too “fringe.” That excuse is no longer tenable as we now have a classically trained, leading oncologist supporting this concept and pinpointing a way for us to be proactive. In case feeling and looking our best doesn’t motivate us to put down the cupcake, chips, fast food, candy, and frappuccino, perhaps Dr. Gaynor has hit upon something that will.

CPR: Are You Current?

August 3, 2015 By Kelly Rogers Victor Leave a Comment

Learning CPR is one of those things we all know we should do but usually don’t take the time for. It seems so unlikely that we’d be put in a situation where it was needed, and it probably is. But you could save a life, and it could be that of your parent, child, or friend. And what if you see a stranger collapse? How would you feel just helplessly standing there, knowing you could’ve saved this person—who is someone else’s parent, child, or friend?

Here is a brief video my brother-in-law sent me that I confess has been sitting in my inbox for months. It demonstrates Continuous Chest Compression CPR—a form of CPR that’s simpler to administer and more effective than traditional mouth-to-mouth. I occasionally notice the video there, only to think to myself that I’ll watch it another time, when I have time. Today I was cleaning out my inbox and saw it, and thought to myself: What if, god forbid, today is the day?

I watched it immediately and wanted to remind all my readers that this is something they need to see. I myself have taken CPR courses at least three times since I was a teenager lifeguarding at camp, but I’ve forgotten details. The great thing about the current form of CPR is that it’s so simple, there are almost no details to forget.

Here’s the link. Let’s all invest five minutes of our day today that could save someone from disability or death. You don’t want to be the one left standing there.

DIY Bean, Veggie, and Herb Salad

July 16, 2015 By Kelly Rogers Victor 2 Comments

At Hillel Day School of Metro Detroit, I chair a Lunch and Nutrition Committee that recently interviewed food service providers to develop a healthy lunch program for the fall. Thanks to a generous donation, we have been able to install a state-of-the-art kitchen, and we are seeking a food service provider who can make wholesome, non-processed food tasty to even our pickiest eaters.

Recently we had our first “tasting” and it was so much fun, and so delicious. The entire menu happened to be vegan, although the lunch program will not exclude animal foods, and we had four picky student testers come in—one of whom said he would never have eaten anything like this food before, but that, having tasted so many delicious samples, he just needs to tell his mom where to sign up because he’s “in”!

More on this student in a moment, but as for today’s recipe, it’s a riff on a salad we sampled. I changed a few things, but basically, it’s any beans you like, a tiny dice of any crunchy vegetables, shredded carrot, salt and pepper to taste, perhaps some snipped basil or another herb, a light drizzle of olive oil, and a generous splash of apple cider vinegar. Mix well and let marinate for an hour or two before serving. Here is exactly what I put in mine this time, but please personalize. And don’t forget, beans are a nutrient-dense protein source if you’re finding yourself always relying on meat and fish. It’s good to switch things up.

DIY Bean, Veggie, and Herb Salad

1 15-ounce can black-eyed peas (the chef used navy beans; try others, too)

1 large carrot, shredded

1 stalk celery, diced small

½ red or yellow pepper, diced small

salt and pepper (to taste)

6-7 basic leaves, minced

3-4 springs parsley, stemmed and minced

1 T extra virgin olive oil

3–4 T apple cider vinegar (or try seasoned rice vinegar)

Back to this adorable seventh grader, newly awakened to the pleasures of whole food. Is it just me, or do many kids experiment with and enjoy new foods only in case their mothers have not cooked or prepared it? My own picky eater has tried foods at others’ tables that he would never give me the satisfaction of trying in my kitchen. Similarly, when I host my kids’ friends, they will often confess that they love the salad I prepared or the kale whatever, but that they never would eat those foods at home. One little girl told me that all she eats for dinner at home is pizza and fast-food chicken, but meantime she devoured a plateful of wild salmon, broccoli, and brown rice. There is a power struggle around kids and food that’s real and underlies many parents’ struggle to entice their kids with healthier fare only to be rejected and manipulated into serving junk so “at least the kid will eat.” I don’t have any easy answers—no one does—but check out Dina Rose’s helpful series of articles on this topic, beginning here.

The most important thing is to never stop serving your children healthy options and to continue modeling proper eating yourself. You are giving them an education in how to take care of their bodies when they go out into the world, and education is a slow process. I’m pleased to say that persistence has paid off for me, and that now that my son is fifteen and wants to gain strength, have energy, and look his best, it turns out that mom’s take on good food wasn’t so stupid after all. . .

Pop Philosopher, Marci Shimoff

June 30, 2015 By Kelly Rogers Victor 4 Comments

I recently attended a talk given by Marci Shimoff, bestselling author of Happy for No Reason, as well as six Chicken Soup volumes. She stood on stage in a sequined red suit, perky and funny and impossible not to like, and, it turned out, had some deep things to say about the thing that back in the 4th century BC, Aristotle described as the goal of all human activity: Happiness.

Aristotle and his fellow Athenian brainiacs concurred that Happiness is the ultimate goal of our lives, but they disagreed on what it consists of. The major contenders were virtuous activity, pleasure (of the “proper” sort), or tranquility. Aristotle was insistent that happiness had to be an activity (otherwise you could sleep your life away and be happy) and also that it had to engage the highest facets of human nature.

I’ve discussed in some detail what his actual theory of Happiness looks like, and why it’s compelling. Shimoff’s ideas come from a different, more pop-psychology angle, but are helpful reminders for where its best to direct our daily attention—namely, on our inborn “happiness set-point,” which is very malleable it turns out. In order to “move the needle” toward greater joy, we must do three things.

1. Develop a “kind mind.” We process around 60,000 thoughts daily, 95 percent of which are repeats, and 80 percent of which are negative. Shimoff surmises that this tendency is a carryover from our ancestors who lived in a state of fear and worry due to their precarious circumstances. Whatever the reason, if we focus on what’s good—for example, by every day noting five things for which to be grateful—the needle on our set-point moves toward Happy. We have read about the importance of gratitude ad nauseam in recent years, but that’s probably because it is that important. To the extent you’re focusing on what’s good and amazing in your life, you’re not complaining about what’s not.

A big piece of re-focusing your attention concerns focusing on what’s good about you. Our culture invites us to view sleek, photoshopped perfection against which to compare our own lumpy bodies and lives, which must of course come up short. The next step is buying whatever product is being sold as the remedy. Happiness does not, of course, lie in the collection of material things, but, and here goes Aristotle again, in the kind of activities we engage in, and in the extent to which our full humanity (i.e., our highest rational and emotional potential) is engaged by them. So, try engaging in the activity of showing gratitude, starting with yourself, and with the fact that you are (hopefully) breathing and moving around without assistance today—that alone is an immeasurable gift, and many would trade much to receive it.

2. Give love, service, and appreciation. For whatever reason, maybe just evolution, we are built to serve. There is something about losing yourself in loving and serving others with which self-pursuits simply cannot compete when it comes to Happiness. On this subject, Shimoff discusses some fascinating research. The first study was done at the Heartmath Institute which researches heart-brain communication. It shows that when we’re angry and negative, our heart rhythms actually become less coherent, whereas a positive, loving mindset evens them out. So our mindset feeds and correlates with our physical state; it’s not just your emotions then that feel toxic when you walk around angry and mad—your body suffers.

The second study was conducted by Dr. Masaru Emoto, a Japanese doctor of alternative medicine. This one involved talking to water. Hear me out. Dr. Emoto had people speak both negatively and positively to containers of water. Here is what the different containers looked like on the molecular level as a result. Guess which is which. And, by the way, our bodies are around 60 percent water.

The water in the first photo was told, “I hate you.” The water in the second photo had love and gratitude expressed toward it. A little unsettling, but just saying.

3. Live your passion and dreams. Put another way: Move toward what makes you feel expanded. Shimoff did a little exercise to illustrate why this is important and which you should try. First, contract your muscles up as tightly as you can and try to smile and feel joyous and happy; it’s not so easy. Next try to do so while extending your arms as wide as they’ll go, opening your chest, raising your gaze, and expanding your body wherever else you can. Can you feel the difference? Your spirits instantly rise. Check your gut and identify the pursuits in life that feel like this and go do them.

Shimoff is no Aristotle, but she’s damn smart and well worth heeding. Most of all, she’s a shining example of what she preaches: doing what she loves, serving others, and genuinely happy.

Zucchini Pizza

June 8, 2015 By Kelly Rogers Victor 3 Comments

I’ll start this post by confessing that my kids did not like this recipe, even the two among them who love zucchini. That said, I liked it a lot, and why does it always have to be about them?

Having been off gluten for a dozen years, I’m always looking at healthy options to get a pizza “fix.” This one was very easy, not to mention healthy and low-calorie. It also helps use up the surplus from your summer garden. Simply slice a firm zucchini into 1/4″ rounds (no thicker) and lay on a sprayed baking sheet. Top each round with a very light dusting of salt and pepper, and small amount of marinara and shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese. Bake about ten minutes at 350F, then top each with a shred of fresh basil. They are delicious and make a great appetizer, lunch, snack, or side dish.