friends | "zucchini will change your life, abbe!"

(Today's post was written by a sweet and very hilarious friend of mine.  The other day we started ranting about zucchini and she had me in stitches, I said " you should write a guest post for my blog", two days later this was sitting in my inbox.  And I laughed more.  Thanks Shell!  p.s.  Lovely photo from the pinterest - lovely recipe link here.)

Hello Everybody!

My name is Shell and I am so honored, I mean, Abbe SHOULD be so honored  to have me guest posting today! I am here to share with you the countless AMAZING uses for a humble, beautiful little vegetable. Enter the zucchini. Now, here is a funny thing; so many people I know don’t like zucchini. The poor thing has become the brunt of bad jokes and locked cars (note: there is a church in our area who's reputation proceeds it, when attending service, you lock your car doors and windows unless you want the backseat filled with unwanted veggies.). Why, why, why?? I guess I just don’t understand people. If they only knew that zucchini could potentially save the world, they WOULD NOT treat it in such a careless manner. So today, to begin breaking the myths surrounding my friend, I will share with you some uses of this darling of the vegetable world. Together we can break the stereotype that has trapped the zucchini.

Let’s start in the kitchen. Okay, so I know you have all made double chocolate zucchini cake or bread or whatever. But come on, can you even taste the zucchini in that stuff? All your other junk covers up the delicious, subtly earthy flavor of the sun ripened tomato, er zucchini. Really, let’s use the stuff properly. My most famous recipe is Zucchini Bars. Folks, let me tell you. Heaven in every bite, or your zucchini back. The crust is a spin on a shortbread cookie, but instead of all that bad-for-you butter, I substitute... Zucchini!! It creates this delicious flour-y zucchini layer of crunch. Can’t. Begin. To. Describe.

Then you whip together a fluffy cream cheese layer with powdered sugar, zucchini extract (look it up,
I think I got mine on Amazon) and about 8 cups of shredded zucchini. This goes on top of your zucchini
crust, and then must be chilled for two hours. Mine usually doesn't last that long. I keep nibbling at it!!
And then before serving, slice up some more raw zucchini for garnish. I like to use different sizes, so cut
up some baseball bat size zucchinis, and well as some medium and small ones. Cover the entire cream
cheese layer in the slices, and then dust with powdered sugar. Oh yes!! Pass the coffee with this one. I’m
thinking of having my wedding cake be a version of these bars, they are that good. Oh, and sorry, I can’t
give the exact recipe to you, it’s a family secret. Maybe I could start mail orders, though. Hey, there’s an idea....

How about the next time you are having a campfire and making those nuggets of goodness called s’mores, swap out your chocolate square, which by the way is full of sugar, corn syrup, and calories, (and DON’T tell me you use dark chocolate) for a beautiful slice of zucchini. This is where it’s at
girls. To take it up a level, swap out that marshmallow, (soo bad for you), and substitute a big ol’ chunk of zucchini, or you could even trade out the graham crackers for zucchini slices. The possibilities are
endless. You could even do an entire s’more made entirely of zucchini. Bliss. Pop it on a stick and get roasting. You are revolutionizing the campfire experience right here!

How about zucchini around the house??

- As a mop. Cut the biggest zucchini you can find, lengthwise, and use it to scrub your floor. Wet it if you need to. Your floor will thank you.

- As a dish scrubbie- step aside Steel Wool- zucchini has arrived! Use a medium one cut into your desired shape and get scrubbing those dishes. You won’t even need dish soap, zucchini enzymes are all the cleaning power you need.

- The list could go on...I’m working on a zucchini-based bleach right now, so stay tuned...

Okay, so how about some tips for using zucchini in the beauty world, peeps?? Zucchini, I believe, is going to be the next thing to sweep the cosmetic universe. Let’s start with some simple ways to incorporate this miracle into your beauty regime. First when doing face masks, swap out those wilted
cucumbers for some raw zucchini slices. Zucchini will bring back those bags under your eyes in no time!  Also a zucchini face mask. Mash up some cooked zucchini (I like to leave the skin on and the seeds in. They both work as a wonderful exfoliate for your skin) I also don’t like to blend the zucchini first, as you lose the beautiful chunky, mealy, and stringy texture if you do. Apply to your face. Wow, your skin will glow. Seriously, this stuff fills in wrinkle lines, minimizes pores, and lifts sagging skin. Leave the mask on as long as you like, it can’t hurt you.

So, I know, like essential oils are the rage right now, and I have been stewing about creating a zucchini essential oil. Can anyone say amen?? You could diffuse the invigorating smell of your favorite veggie all around your house! I’ll be accepting advance orders shortly.

So fans, go out and start using those zucchinis. Who knew you could use zucchini in so many areas of life? So unlock those car doors, roll down those windows, leave your garage doors open and welcome this fantastic, wonder-filled, revolutionary, world- changing little vegetable into your arms and homes today. Together we can make a difference!

 Shell

P.S. One last tip: Incorporate zucchini into your workout routine, by using them as arm weights!  They even come in different sizes for whatever stage of fitness you are at! You can then go and use them in zucchini bars, a face mask, or to clean your floor. Multi-purpose weights, who would a thunk it??