It's Gonna Be A While.

Get ready to sit for a bit because this is going to be a bit long.  I have so much to tell you!  

Today is the 22nd.  That means that it's Recipe Redux day!  Recipe Redux is focused on taking delicious dishes, keeping them delicious, but making them better for you.  Every month there is a different theme.  This month's theme is 

Bars & Bites for Brown Bags
Whether you pack your lunch in a bento box, a brown bag or a retro cartoon character lunch box, don’t forget the bars and bites. Small squares or round bites can pack nutrition into a sweet or savory taste. Show us your favorite way to jazz up any type of lunch box.

With 3 kids that take their lunch every day, a husband who likes to snack and me, who wants to occasionally be able to feel like she's eating like a "normal person", I love finding healthy snack ideas.  Store bought chips don't last very long, they aren't healthy and they are so darn expensive.  I love to find alternatives to potato chips.  I've made apple chips, acorn squash chips, and banana chips before and everyone loved them.  I wanted to try to tackle a different, cheap vegetable.  Right now, zucchini is about $1.80 a pound.  So, why not make triple the chips for the cost of 1 bag of potato chips?  

This recipe is one that I call "Stupid Simple".  There's nothing to it and anyone can make it.  

Zucchini Chips
Zucchini 
2 T olive oil (alternate:  Pan spray)
herbs and spices (Possible options: garlic, onion, cumin,chili powder, cayenne)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 225
2. Slice zucchini fairly thin (I used my mandolin)
3. Toss zucchini slices with the olive oil and place on a greased baking sheet.  (Option 2: grease baking sheet then spray the slices with pan spray)
4. Option 1) Bake for 2-2.5 hours until they are crispy
5. Option 2) Spread them out evenly on the trays of your dehydrator and let them dry for about 12 hours, until they are nice and crispy

You can also soak the squash chips in equals parts vinegar and water (about 1 cup of each per large zucchini) then bake/dehydrate them.  This will turn it into a salt and vinegar chip.  For a sweet chip, sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar.

Hope you enjoy these!  I know the girls do.  

The title of my post refers to more than just the length of this post.  It also is referring to the fact that I have decided to push the date of my first competition back.  There are a few areas that are not tightening up as quickly as I want them to be and my coach and I decided it would be better to give myself more time.  Honestly though, if these problem areas don't tighten up I'm not competing at all.  The new date of my competition is November 15.  That means I have added 6 extra weeks to my training.  I'm not happy about it.  Mostly because of the fact I feel like I have had my eating restricted FOREVER.  I was really looking forward to being able to eat normally again.  I'm tired of fish and veggies.  REALLY tired of it.  I've been training since March and had my diet restricted since May.  But, I will get through it.  

Diet
Same as always.  My new plan started and I have 2 days when I'm allowed no complex carbs and that was rough.  

Workouts
I'm so sore today from pushing myself all week.  I switched my off day from Wednesday to Tuesday because Sunny didn't start school until Wednesday and I had her all day.  Next week I'll be able to take my rest days properly and I hopefully won't be as sore.

Pardon the crappy pictures.

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