Live to Love on the Edge Blog

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Wellness Tips

I love traveling and going to the conferences but it can be tough to keep up with my usual wellness routine. It makes me worry because I’m not getting in my steps and eating out which means added salt and oils that are not normally part of my diet. Also, who doesn’t like to indulge a little while on a vacation (or at a conference). The key is to try to do what you can and to enjoy in a reasonable way. I’m happy to say that I enjoyed my time and didn’t gain any weight while I was away. I did that by keeping to my four basic habits for having a healthier lifestyle, namely:

1. Being more active. Even if I couldn’t get my usual workout in, I tried to walk as much as I could and took the stairs instead of the elevator. As for my everyday routine, I try to get in no less than 10K steps and usually do well over 15K. That means an hour walk in the a.m. and a 45 minute elliptical workout in the afternoon.

2. Cut down on carbs. I’ve done no carb diets and find that there is an awful rebound once I eat carbs again so I just cut down and focus on healthier carbs, like potatoes, sweet potato and similar carbs. Very few bad carbs like from weight bread, pastries, and sugar (although I do sugar instead of fake sweeteners).

3. Eat more fruits and vegetables. This is key. The veggies help you fill up at meals and give you needed nutrients and fiber. Fruit can help satisfy your sweet tooth instead of bad carbs.

4. Be mindful. This applies to so many things! Stop and appreciate the things around you. I always breathe in the ocean air and lift my face to the sun while taking my morning walk, grateful that I can live in such a beautiful place. When you’re eating, eat mindfully and savor the taste, smell, and texture of what you’re eating. I used to gobble down a cookie in a bite or two, now I take several bites and let the flavors linger in my mouth so I appreciate what I’m eating.

I hope that helps if you’re on a wellness journey as I am. I had lost 50 pounds before the pandemic and gained back 40. Now I’ve lost 40 all together and am working on hitting that 50 number again and then another 30 if I can. I’d love to be back to my high school weight! P.S. – There are some healthy recipes in the Cook’s Treat section of my website.

wellness tips

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Zucchini Lasagna

As you may know from past posts, I’m trying to have a healthier lifestyle and not only lose weight, but eat better. To do that, I often will play around with recipes to change up ingredients. Since I had bought some zucchini and also picked up some ricotta cheese that was on sale (I always look for a sale!) I decided to do a vegetable lasagna. I also added some spinach that was delivered as part of my first CSA package. I am so glad someone tipped me to that Community Sponsored Agriculture. We’ve gotten some nice local produce from a nearby farm. So today I’m sharing my recipe for a zucchini lasagna.

Ingredients

4-5 large zucchini
28 ounce ricotta cheese (I love Galbani whole milk ricotta)
1 lb mozzarella cheese, grated
1 cup grated parmesan cheese (or pecorino)
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup cooked spinach
salt and pepper to taste
3 cups tomato sauce
2 eggs
2 tbsp parsley, minced
olive oil

Directions

Pre-heat oven to broil.

Slice zucchini lengthwise in about 1/4 inch thick slices. Lightly oil baking sheet and place zucchini on there. Lightly drizzle olive oil and salt and pepper on the slices. Broil until lightly browned and then flip and cook the other side until lightly browned. I do this because zucchini has a lot of water which will water down the ricotta if you don’t do this. You may need to do this in several batches depending on how much zucchini you have. Set aside and cool.

Pre-heat over to 350 degrees.

Beat two eggs and add half a pound of the grated mozzarella, half of the parmesan, and parsley. Mix well. Saute onion and garlic in a little olive oil until softened and add cooked spinach. Make sure to cook until the spinach mixture is relatively dry and then add this to the cheese mixture and mix well.

Lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish. Place about 1/2 cup of tomato sauce on the bottom of the pan. Lay the zucchini slices on the bottom to cover it. Spoon about 1/3 of the cheese mixture onto the zucchini slices. Put about 1/2 cup of tomato sauce on the cheese mixture. Top with more zucchini slices and then do another layer of cheese and tomato sauce. Finish with another layer of zucchini slices, cheese, and tomato sauce. If you have enough zucchini for another layer, repeat. Once you are done layering, cover the last layer with tomato sauce and top with the rest of the mozzarella and parmesan.

Bake for 45 minutes to an hour until mozzarella on top is nice and toasty. Set aside for at least fifteen minutes before slicing and serving with some additional tomato sauce over the top.

I have to confess that I’ve been using Victoria marinara sauce lately for quick meals. It’s absolutely delicious.

If you want to change this up, omit the spinach or add some cooked ground beef or sausage to the layers. Alternatively, make a bechamel sauce and do a white lasagna. It’s all up to you!

If you liked this recipe, you can find many more in my Cook’s Treat section of the website.

free recipe

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First Road Trip Stop Florence

We hit our first road trip stop in Florence without any major issues. Minor traffic although we did run into some heavy rains about half-a-dozen times. Despite that, we made good time and got to our hotel in time to unwind for a little bit before heading out for a dinner of delicious Southern food. My friend found Julie Belle’s which wasn’t far from our hotel. The food was delicious! I had some corn fritters with honey butter and we shared a Honey Pecan Chicken Sandwich and Fried Green Tomato BLT. I also had a side order of cheese grits. Delicious!! Today we’re off to Cape Canaveral for tomorrow’s start of the Space Coast Book Lovers Event! Can’t wait!

florence south carolina

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Celebrating a Great Conference

Today was the last day of the Space Coast Book Lovers Event. I had a very nice book signing and want to thank everyone who came by! After the signing, we rested for a little bit before getting ready for the closing night celebration. The theme was the Roaring 20s and we had a blast dressing up, dancing, and just having a fun time. Here are some photos from the event!

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Cape Canaveral Book Signing

So excited for today’s book signing at the Space Coast Book Lovers Event. We set up last night and we’re ready for you if you’re in the area. Admission is free and you can visit with us from 3:00 to 5:00 pm at the Convention Center at the Radisson, Resort at the Port, 8701 Astronaut Boulevard, Cape Canaveral, FL. If you’re in the area, I hope you can make it!

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Manatees, Turtles, and Rockets

Since we had a little time before the first big event yesterday, we decided to do something we rarely get to do at conferences: See the local area. We started the morning by visiting a manatee sanctuary. Unfortunately, no manatees but some nice shells. We then went to Jetty Park and explored that area, including walking onto a pier to chat with local fishermen and search for sea turtles. Success!! We did manage to see a few sea turtles near the jetty. While looking at the turtles, we ran across a group of Fire and Rescue men training for water rescues. Wow! Can you say amazing and handsome for many of them! Finally, I was also able to see the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center and I am going there this morning to watch the launch of a SpaceX rocket. Then we had a nice lunch before hanging out with friends at the conference. With another short break, we checked out a local distillery we had noticed earlier. It was so much fun! Then it was time for the first event of the conference: a Meet and Greet where I got to make some new friends and spend time with old ones. Having a blast so far! No pun intended.

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Hola Amigas from Titusville

We picked up another friend in Florence and hit the road for the final leg of the trip before reaching Cape Canaveral and the Space Coast Book Lovers Event! We arrived with no issues and lots of rounds of the ABC game. Heavy rain kept us in and unpacking but then we hit the road again to go to the “World Famous” Dixie Crossroads Restaurant in Titusville. The restaurant is known for its rock shrimp and nom nom they were delicious. Kind of a cross between shrimp and a langostino. We also had some red shrimp that were in season and they were also so sweet and tasty! This morning we’re ready to register and see what events are happening today. Maybe we’ll even sneak in a quick trip to the coast and a park where we can see manatees. Hope you have a good day too!

dixie crossroads

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