June Tally:

• Trips–3 Adventure Guy and I finally made good on our word to get away together while the kids spent time at camp and travelled to Arizona.  I visited my family in Texas, and tomorrow we leave to spend a few days on Lake Taneycomo in Missouri before attending the camp closing ceremonies on Wednesday and Thursday.
• Athletic Events–2 It’s all Adventure Guy on this category. He ran the Hatfield/McCoy marathon in West Virginia and left yesterday for the Steel Sports Rock and Roll Adventure Race in Mineral Wells, Texas.  The lack of a call so far today makes me think he’s still on the course, though I hope not! since the race began at 7:30 a.m.
• Massages–2(.5?) I indulged in one of my favorite activities both while on vacation in Arizona and once we got back.  I’m justifying the extra one I had here because of the weird soreness in my neck and alignment issues that made my trainer say, “You should really get a massage to work that out.”  She didn’t have to suggest it twice.  In an effort to save some money, I tried to schedule that appointment with my MIL’s therapist since I have a gift certificate still waiting from Christmas.  She was booked, so now I have another one to look forward to in the first week of July.
• Home Projects–5 We wrapped up several tasks around the house that needed completion.  I am thrilled that the kitchen cabinets are repaired and stained and that the trim outside is repainted.  Adventure Guy did the taping in DD2’s room, and will be painting once she gets back.  I’m sure that will lead to additional painting in the other kids’ rooms as well.
• Meals cooked–1  I know, it’s an embarrassing statistic to share.  I’m likely to be in a bit of shock once the kids return.
• Letters received from Soccer Boy–2 He’s not the best correspondent.  We’ve received about twice as many letters from each of the girls.
• Zucchini recipes tried–2 I ended up with an abundance of this particular squash from the farmers’ co-op I belong to.  So far today, I made zucchini/carrot muffins and roasted zucchini and garlic spread.  Yum!
• Blog posts–8 so far.  I promise, I’ll try to do better.  We will have wireless at the lake, so updates are a possibility.  I might even take the laptop.

And, in case anyone is just dying for the zucchini recipes, here they are.

Roasted Zucchini and Garlic Spread

1 1/4 lb. medium zucchini, sliced 1-inch thick

1 small, sweet onion, cut into wedges

2 medium garlic cloves, peeled

1/3 c. low fat, plain yogurt

2 Tbs. chopped parsley

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1 pinch salt (to taste)

1 pinch ground cayenne pepper (to taste)

Arrange zucchini, onion, and garlic in a single layer on a greased, foil-lined pan.  Bake at 445 degrees until vegateables are very tender (about 25-30 minutes).  Process vegetables in food processor until coarsley chopped.  Stir in yougurt and parsley.  Season to taste with lemon juice, salt and cayenne pepper.  Serve with assorted dippers. Note:  I substituted cajun seasoning for the salt and cayenne pepper.

Carrot Zucchini Muffins

1 egg

3/4 c. orange juice

1/2 c. applesauce

1/4 c. sugar

1 cup white flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 c. shredded carrot

1 c. shredded zucchini

1/2 c. raisins

Beat egg in large bowl.  Add orange juice, applesauce and sugar, beat well.  Combine dry ingredients.  Stir dry ingredients into egg mixture, and mix until moist.  Gently fold in shredded carrots, zucchini, and raisins.  Spoon into well-greased muffin pans, about 2/3 full.  Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. 

* Adaptations:  For the muffins, I substituted chopped pecans for the raisins.  I also threw in cloves and nutmeg in addition to the cinnamon when combining the dry ingredients.  One mistake to avoid:  I used liners for the muffin pan but forgot to spray them with Pam.  Be sure to grease the pan or the liners because these will stick!