Yummy Vegetables: Parmesan Zucchini

Following the diabetic diet, fifty percent of this specific diet is eating vegetables. Most diabetic are complex carbohydrate lovers with their favorites being breads, potatoes, pasta and rice. They have a difficult time switching to the diabetic diet due to their dislike of vegetables. The key is to find delicious recipes that can motivate people to enjoy their vegetables.

Zucchini is a vegetable that is low in calories. It is also a good source of Vitamin A, Thiamin, Niacin, Phosphorus and Copper, and the vegetable also contains fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Folate, Magnesium, Potassium and Manganese.

Here is a family recipe that we have loved for generations.

Recipe: 

I usually use one zucchini per person, but most people use one zucchini per two people.
Time: Ten minutes to prep and one hour to bake.

Ingredients:
2-zucchini
½ tablespoon of margarine (soft)
1 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese

Directions: (see below for pictures)
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Spray pan with cooking spray such as Pam.
3) Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise.
4) Take out a small piece of the zucchini for the butter to have a place to sit.
5) Like bread, spread the butter on the interior portion of the zucchini.
6) Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the butter.
7) Bake for one hour until cheese is golden brown.

Slits cut into the zucchini to hold the margarine.

Cover the zucchini with Parmesan Cheese.

Bake until cheese in golden brown, which usually takes about 60 minutes.

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~~~~~~ 5 Excuses to be Happy ~~~~~~

Happiness has been found in places overlooked in the past

1) You are unique. Embrace the differences between you and everyone else. The world would be a boring place if everyone acted the same. Don’t try to live up to someone else’s expectations, so set your own goals to make your dreams come true. The way to accomplish your big goals is to start small and slowly build up to those main goals.

2) Tomorrow can be a better day. If life isn’t going as planned, you can make changes, so that things will improve for tomorrow. I see too many people that give up when the chips are down. If times are tough, this is the moment to figure out how you can improve the situation. Forget the past, and forgive yourself for the human mistakes that you have made. You have to find a way to move on to the present and future. Many people are stuck in the past and can’t move forward to a preferable prospect. When one door closes, a better door opens.

I know a woman who lost her son in a car accident. She could have spent years thinking of what could have been, but after a period of grieving, she decided to have another child at age 45, which is not easy. Not everyone who grieves can replace the love that they have lost, but they could try to bring their love to the lonely. There are nursing homes full of people who would love someone to spend time with them. I worked two years in a long term facility or nursing home, and there are many amazingly smart people who live there due to not having a support system that could take care of them. Volunteering at the local level usually has many opportunities to help people. There are children in need of foster parents. Many of these children may have never known unconditional love.

3) Look beyond yourself and enjoy helping other people. Realizing that money doesn't make a person happy, but helping people and animals have a way of bringing joy into someone else's life and your own. Many rich people are very unhappy and find out much too late that family and friendships are more important than money. As we get older, our family and friends move away or pass away, so holidays are spent alone. It’s different when we are younger, and we chose to be alone. This gives us a sense of empowerment. Recently, I had a patient that didn’t like her birthday because it reminded her of the wonderful days she spent with her sister, but now her sister was gone. All she had was memories, and no one to celebrate the day with her.

4) Happy people are more keen and able to accomplish their goals, but depressed people have a hard time getting anything done. Meanwhile, accomplishing goals brings more happiness. Keeping busy is one way of curing basic depression naturally.

5) Find peace by appreciating what you have and the people who cares about you. The grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence. The risk of going over the fence could be fulfilling, but it could be heartbreaking. It’s best to appreciate what you have before going over the fence, so you can return if thing don’t work out. Too many people burn bridges when they leave the family, the job and old friends.

The key to happiness is appreciating what you have and not focusing on things that you don’t have. It's a difficult thing to do, but once accomplished your life will change for the better.

Life is short, so enjoy it.

For more stories see: April Riley
April Riley

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Key West, Florida

The 5 things you don't want to miss in Key West.

There are many things to do in Key West, but there are a few that you don't want to miss. I have been to Key West many times. The first time was for a few hours while on a stop for a cruise ship. Afterwards, I was disappointment that I missed quite a few destinations, so when I traveled there for a quick weekend, I had everything planned out after months of research. There are things that are hard to miss such as Duval Street and the Hemingway House and Museum, but I recommend the following sites.

1) Watch the nightly sunset from Mallory Park. People gather as the sun begins to set into the Gulf of Mexico. There are food vendors and performers trying to capitalize on the crowds, but the view is the main attraction.

2) Get up close to hundreds of butterflies at Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory. They have around 60 different species of butterflies along with finches, frogs and turtles. They also have a few flamingos that make their home at the conservatory. The center is located at 1316 Duval Street. Website is keywestbutterfly.com.

3) Walk through Key West’s 150-year-old City Cemetery. The large cemetery is full of history including a memorial to the sailors of USS Maine who were lost in Havana Harbor in 1898. The 15 acre cemetery is located at Margaret and Angela Streets. The cemetery is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

4) Have drinks or a snack at Louie's Backyard. A Louie's has terrific food and an amazing view. The restaurant is located at 700 Waddell Avenue. Website is louiesbackyard.com.

5) Southernmost Point is a cement buoy that marks the spot. It can be found at Whitehead and South Streets. There is usually a line of people trying to get a picture of this monument, so go early when the lines are short.



I hope you agree with my choices. Let me know if there are other places to add to my list.
Thanks!

A Bad Travel Day

We all have bad travel days. Nothing major happened. No one was hurt or was put in jeopardy, but things did not come together as planned.

During the last three big vacations, I have gotten sick with some kind of cold. My first day in Paris was spent in bed last summer. This trip was not any different. I had a mild sinus infection and a cough, so I wasn’t feeling my best. We needed to meet my family in Miami for my parent’s anniversary cruise. It was leaving the next morning, so we couldn’t miss it. My family drove to Miami from all over Georgia, and we were the only ones who decided to fly to south Florida.

At the airport, we didn't notice our flight was canceled due to the weather in Florida. We arrived early to have lunch. After we finished our meal, we tried to re-book our flight, but all the flights going into Fort Lauderdale and Miami were booked. They put us on a flight to Fort Myers, Florida, so we had to rent a car to make the three hour drive to Miami.

When we arrived in Fort Myers, our luggage didn't make it even after we were promised that it would be there. It was missing. The airline helped us and eventually found our luggage, but it was still in Atlanta. We had to stop in Fort Lauderdale to meet a plane coming in at 10 p.m. At the car rental building in Fort Myers, there were hundreds of people waiting to get a car, so we stood in line for an hour. The drive was long, and there wasn’t much to see in the dark.

After arriving in Fort Lauderdale, we found out that the plane bringing our luggage was delayed. By this time, it was past 9 p.m., and we were hungry again. The problem at the Fort Lauderdale Airport was that the only restaurant was in Terminal 4, and our luggage was to arrive in Terminal 1, so we walked over to the other terminal. With the plane carrying the luggage was running a half an hour late, we were happy to know that one restaurant was open. It was after 11 p.m. before we saw our luggage, and we drove to our hotel in Miami to meet my family.

We were able to return the car rental the next day before the cruise. In the end, we made the cruise along with our luggage, so we were grateful that everything worked out. I would have been happy to spend the day in bed recovering from my illness.

5 Changes to Improve Your Life

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 As I worked in the health field, I noticed many people were depressed and unhappy with the way their life was going. There are simple ways to improve a person’s outlook.

1) Smile more. 

Start your day off with the rule of having a positive attitude. It's important to believe that the day is going to be great no matter what happens. Even if you don’t feel like it, give a big smile every time you encounter a person during your day. People want to be around happy people. It’s a great way to meet new people is to have a smile on your face. Staying positive even in the dark times of our lives is the key to happiness.

2) Worry less. 

We can't control the future, so why worry about it. All we can do is hope for the best.

I once had a patient who constantly worried about his family and friends. He was so stress out that his health was not improving, so I recommended that he tell himself that everyone he knows is happy. After weeks of being sick, he dramatically improved, and he left the hospital a few days later. Stress has a major impact on our health.

In the religious world, people put their trust in God and use prayer to help deal with anxiety. It could be the reason why prayer works. By putting trust in God to deal with worry and other problems, life is free to be enjoyed. 

3) Save money. 

Putting away 5 to 10% of your paycheck will make a difference over time. It’s always wonderful to know that a small amount of mad money or rainy day money is there when you need it. Everyone should have a savings account for emergencies. Using a credit card for back-up is a dangerous situation that could cause serious debt.

4) Take care of your health. 

 You are what you eat, so try to enjoy healthy meals. Every diet and every lifestyle have an effect on your overall health. If you eat meals high in carbohydrates, you are at higher risk of developing diabetes eventually. If you eat meals high in protein, you are at risk of developing gout. The healthiest diet is eating vegetables with a few fruits. Nutritionists recommend eating more than five vegetables and fruits a day. Grilled, baked and eating raw vegetables in a salad are the healthiest ways of eating. If you are not a big vegetable eater, try finding new ways to cook them such as grilling broccoli, which gives it a nice smoked flavor.

Exercise is so important. Even if you hurt your knee or ankle, you should try to do some kind of movement to keep in shape. Building up your arms or core while your leg heals is the way to go. Gym memberships are nice, but there are many exercises you can do in the privacy of your own home. Walking is inexpensive and can be done anywhere.

5) Find a hobby that costs little money. 

There are many great things to do that are free such as chasing sunsets, star gazing and hiking. A key in being happy is finding enjoyment in the simple things. There are many hobbies that you can do in your own backyard. Gardening and baking are fun things to do that can pay off with fresh flowers and yummy desserts.

Vacation packing

When I'm really excited about a getaway, I will start packing months in advance. First, I will make a small pile of clothes that I want to save especially for the trip. As I wash clothes, I’ll see something particular that would be great to wear on a beach or ski vacation, so I put it aside. In the hierarchy of my clothes, clothes for vacation have the best status. Except for when my suitcase gets too full, then I might have to leave something behind at home or the discard bin.

I am not a big shopper, but when I do to the fashion mall, it’s for my next getaway. I am usually looking for the perfect summer dress or a cute winter coat that will spice up my vacation. The trip could be two months away, and I’m planning an impeccable outfit for the day in the mountains or the sexy bikini with all the trimmings for the beach.

On the day before we leave town, I sort through the piles of clothes. By this time, I have piles to fill three suitcases, so I need to go through everything. I keep asking myself, “Will I wear this?” I’ll put on a pair of heels to make sure that they won’t pinch my feet, so they won’t waste precious space in my suitcase. Then I’ll try on all the dresses to make sure they still fit. Hopefully, I didn’t gain any weight since the last time I wore it.

The worse part of packing is the heavy equipment. My camera and computer weigh several pounds, and I can’t put them in a backpack any more. My shoulders can’t take the weight, so my days of backpacking through Europe are over and done. Now, I use a rolling suitcase just for the important stuff. In the end, I have two rolling bags and a purse for a seven day trip. I check the clothes suitcase, and I carry on the heavy equipment to put in the overhead.

My husband has a different approach to vacation packing. On the day before we are to leave, he will do a load of laundry and then throw it into his suitcase. He makes sure he has enough undies and sock, and then he is usually done. He might pick out a dinner jacket and nice pair of pants for an elegant dinner or show. His packing usually takes an hour. There have been times when he wants me to do his packing, but I really don’t know his clothes. I would pick a pair of shorts that hadn’t fit him in two years.

Everyone has their own style of packing. Most people pack the night before they leave town. Hopefully I’m not alone. Maybe there are other planners who also start packing months in advance. Doesn’t planning lead to the best vacation yet? We will see….

 

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