Zucchini Pizza Boats

My youngest sister, who I never see because she left me for the warm weather of Arizona, (smart girl) is a huge runner and super into fitness.  She's constantly finding new fitness activities and she's always great at them.  Yes, she's that girl. Currently she's gotten big into lifting but will soon start training for her full Ironman later this year. I know, she's crazy just like my husband.  

I will say though, even though she works out all the time she never really focused on her nutrition that much, and my husband always says something along the line of, "...if you want to get the best out of your workouts you also need to eat properly..." Yaddy yadda... I eat what I want, but of course I'm not training for an Ironman either.  But she is! So here is a recipe for all of you, that my sister tried out and loved, and bonus because it's nice and healthy for all you people trying to get fit for the new year!

Here is what Laura has to say:

I decided to start eating healthy because last year I was going to the gym at least six times a week, but only eating healthy half of the time. I decided, "...if I am going to use so much energy and time at the gym, I need to go 100% and not only work hard in the gym but also eat healthy!" In my opinion, your diet is 85% of what you need to transform your body to what you want. 

In addition to eating healthy I'm also focusing more on lifting.  I am hoping to keep this up for about six months and then I will slowly transition into my Ironman training. This way, I can have established more muscle mass, be a healthy weight, and rock out a good body. By doing this, I am hoping to be able to utilize all my strength and mass into the Ironman training and be that much stronger going into my race. 

I know it is so much easier to grab a handful of chocolates or a coke as you are leaving your house, but trust me, stay with your goal, keep discipline, and the results will start coming. HAPPY TRAINING!!!

I like this recipe because it is a paleo item, it is very healthy, and I LOVE pizza! I'm mostly eating seeds, nuts, veggies, fruits,and meats so I am limited to what I can take in. Sometimes you have to modify recipes in order to enjoy food and stay healthy. Here is my version of the original Zucchini Pizza Boats.

Ingredients:
4 Med Zucchini
1/2 C Marinara or Pizza Sauce
1/4 C Nutritional Yeast (optional)
1/4 Red Onion/Sliced
1/2 C Cherry Tomatoes/Sliced
2 T Fresh Basil

Instructions: 
1. Preheat oven to 400 F. 
2. Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise and scoop out the inside seeds. 
3. To help them lay flat on the pan, you can also cut a piece off the bottom of the "boat" to create a flat surface. 
4. Mix tomato sauce and nutritional yeast (if using). 
5. Spread a light layer of sauce (about 1 tablespoon) inside each zucchini. 
6. Top with onions, olives, and tomatoes. 
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until zucchini is tender but not mushy. 
8. Top with basil and serve. 

To modify the toppings and still keep it Paleo and healthy, you can add avocado, mushrooms, bacon, or sausage.  I added some avocado to mine and I loved it!