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August 17, 2007
A Zucchini You Can Really Stuff
These Farmers' Market veggies are providing hours of entertainment for the entire family. The green zucchinis that are round like Christmas balls are especially fun. I hollowed them out, mixed their innards with nonfat sour cream and mozzarella and garlic and eggwhites, and then stuffed them. There was sufficient innard mix that I topped the white eggplant I bought at the same Farmers' Market with it, and all of these will be steamed, then the eggplants topped with avocado. Let it never be said that we lack for healthy fat in our house. Two teaspoons of oil for MR, one for me.
Side order of fresh yellow cherry tomatoes, so sweet and pop in your mouth type of thing.
This week at work was incredibly stressful. That's putting it mildly. With my partner in running the organization and my key staff person on vacation all week, a major kerfuffle erupted forcing me to do everyone's work plus my own. I feel like I've been run over by a train. I really couldn't sleep most of this week for worrying. I often worry that this job will kill me. The stress is unbelievable. But the rewards are so great... watching my nurses win over and over again. It's worth it. But I'm taking Pilates, meditating, doing 45 mins per day on the treadmill, and tonight after dinner I'm going for a long relaxing walk. Please post all your stress-reduction suggestions.
Stuffed zucchini. Gotta love it.
Posted by april at August 17, 2007 6:06 PM
Comments
For me, you can't beat a long, quite brisk walk in a setting with nature close at hand. The sound of wind in the trees, rushing water and birds twittering, combined with the smell of trees and various natural greenery is good for the soul. You have that lovely path along the river not far from your house that would be perfect, although I'm not sure it would be safe in the evening. Might MR go with you? Or perhaps there's a neighborhood dog who would love to accompany you (and whose owner would be happy, no doubt, to have his dog taken out for an extra walk). Long, hot baths with a good novel are also fantastic stress-relievers. :-)
Posted by: Judith at August 17, 2007 7:33 PM
Hi April!
I haven't posted here for a long while, but I wanted to offer some stress reduction ideas. I recently went to see an integrated medicine Doc who trained under Andrew Weil, and it was very helpful. have you ever read 'Why Zebra's Don't Get Ulcers"? it's a rather good look at the stress reaction on our bodies. It's quite humorous. I know that you meditate, but have you ever done any guided imagery work? I am seeing him a couple of times a month to do interactive guided imagery and it's been extremely helpful in respect to my general stress levels (it's also helping me to deal with some childhood trauma). I highly recommend it. I believe you can buy some CDs which take you through your own guided sessions. I have a medical hypnosis CD and it's great. I use it to get to sleep at night and when I do I sleep very soundly.
Hope you're well.
Alex
Posted by: alex at August 17, 2007 7:44 PM
Hey aprilita,
I got the same exact zucchinis from the market yesterday! They are great. I am going to stuff them with lean minced beef, peppers, onions and tomatoes.
stress reduction: I like to scream at the top of my lungs and take cold showers to release some tension. I scare myself with the scream (I have a loud voice, it can be a high pitched shrill too, scary) and the cold shower works as a shock, they both work for me.
Posted by: istanbulwitchy at August 18, 2007 10:02 AM
A stress reduction tip:
Sit in a chair - one with arm rests and one that allows you to can put your feet flat on the floor. Feel the chair supporting you. Feel your feet firmly grounded. Think about your arms resting on the arms of the chair. Breathe deeply. This always helps me.
Be well...
Posted by: Serena at August 20, 2007 8:47 AM