I’m writing to you from Rancho la Puerta in Tecate, Mexico where I’m completing a week as a guest chef.  It’s repeatedly voted as the “World’s Best Destination Health Spa” by Travel + Leisure. Nestled at the foot of Mount Kuchumaa with 40 miles of hiking trails, world-class fitness classes, and farm-to-table dining being able to teach and cook here is one of my greatest career experiences.

Chef Reyna Venegas and I prepared a food and wine dinner featuring ingredients from the garden and wines from Mexico. (It was so much fun!!) This Grilled Zucchini Stuffed with Feta and Herbs was one of the appetizers. It looks fancy — and is with the sexy tuff of zucchini flower — but remove the flower and you have an easy make-ahead nibble perfect for summer entertaining.

This recipe is a great way to showcase summer squash in a way that is not simply a grilled vegetable or a cheesy squash casserole.

This issue of Good and Good for You™ also shares: 

• The Best Life Living Tip: How to Walk it Off 👟
• The Self-Care Technique: Take a Look at Eye Yoga 👀
• Ideas and Inspiration: A 102-year Mover, Shaker, and Wall Mover 💪🏻

Read on for more — including this recipe for Grilled Zucchini Stuffed with Feta and Herbs. 

Best Life Living Tip

Several times this week, I’ve walked over 9 miles in a day.  I’m much more fit now, but I am certainly not a huge athlete or superwoman.A few years ago I walked the Seven Mile Breakfast Hike and learned a great lesson in the process. The only reason I could do that was because of my morning walks.

Morning walks have changed my life. Walking is simple, free, and one of the easiest ways to get more active, lose weight, and become healthier.

Sometimes overlooked as a form of exercise, walking offers tremendous benefits, including improving your mood, managing your weight, increasing your energy, and reducing your risk for disease.

Henry Ford Health shares great tips on how you can start a morning walk routine. You can do it!

Self-Care Technique

Isn’t that photo astonishing? These are the doors of the administration building. Everywhere you look here there is art and beauty.

We often take our eyesight for granted until there’s a problem. One way to combat concerns and challenges with eye health is eye yoga.

Eye yoga refers to specific exercises that engage all of the ocular muscles that support eye movement. Yoga eye exercises are designed to strengthen the eye muscles, increase flexibility, and improve the coordination between the eyes and the brain.

Common eye yoga exercises include: deliberately and repeatedly looking up and down, then left and right.

Read all about eye exercises on  Yoga International to improve your eye health. The exercises are easy and something so simple you can do right after you brush your teeth in the morning!

Ideas and Inspiration

Deborah Szekely, age 102, is the co-founder of Rancho la Puerta. She’s undoubtedly her own best advertisement. Born in Brooklyn in 1922 she is the “Mother of the Wellness Movement.”

Her biography is extensive and inspiring! My new favorite tidbit of info about her is that she was tremendously instrumental in preventing the border wall from crossing the holy mountain. There’s a wall on the Mexican side closest to Tecate and another on the US side, as well as a guard station on top, but the actual mountain has been left unblemished by this manmade barrier.

Rancho la Puerta has been a huge part of my health and wellness journey. I strive to “take the ranch home” and create additions to my life that allow me to live my best life and be the person I want to be. With women like Senora Deborah and Chef Reyna leading the way, it’s a worthy goal to follow for not only my own life but for my community and the world at large.

For more ideas and inspiration, make sure to follow Chef Reyna and @RancholaPuerta on Instagram

Add it Up

You may wonder about my use of the phrase “Good and Good for You” comes from. Good and Good for You is my wellness philosophy that originated out of my experience with weight loss and injury. The idea is that as long as you are doing something that is good and good for you more often than not, you are on the right track.

It’s a real-life approach to health and wellness and one that is continuously inspired by the Ranch’s motto, siempre mejor or “always better”.

This nibble comes in seemingly pretty high in calories at 390 per serving for vegetables and cheese, but it’s due to the oil in the marinade that you don’t consume.

Thanks so much for reading! For more sites and sounds of Rancho la Puerta, please check out my Instagram feed @virginiawillis 

Bon Appétit Y’all!

Virginia Willis

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Marinated Feta and Grilled Zucchini Roll Ups

The calorie count seems high as it includes the entire 1/2 cup of oil. You will likely not consume 2 tablespoons of oil, so know that it will be slightly less.

Prep Time1 day d 10 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer, hors d'oeuvres, Salad, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: American, greek

Keyword: easy appetizer, feta cheese recipes, grilled zucchini

Servings: 4

Calories: 390kcal

Author: Virginia Willis

Ingredients

• 6 ounces Feta PDO cheese cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes or to taste
• Finely grated zest of 1 orange
• 1 garlic finely grated or chopped
• 1/2 cup best-quality extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 sprigs dill more for serving
• 2 fresh bay leaves
• 4 small zucchini
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• Place the feta in a sealable airtight container or glass jar. Add the cumin, coriander, red pepper, orange zest, garlic, and olive oil. Tuck in the dill and bay leaves. Tilt or stir to coat and combine. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Meanwhile, prepare a charcoal fire using about 6 pounds charcoal and burn until the coals are completely covered with a thin coating of light gray ash, 20 to 30 minutes. Spread the coals evenly over the grill bottom, position the grill rack above the coals, and heat until medium-hot (when you can hold your hand 5 inches above the grill surface for no longer than 3 or 4 seconds). Or, for a gas grill, turn on all burners to high, close the lid, and heat until very hot, 10 to 15 minutes. Lastly, heat a grill pan over medium high heat.
• When ready to grill, slice 4 small zucchini lengthwise into even strips about 1/2 inch thick. Brush both sides of each strip with some of the seasoned feta oil. Season with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• When cool enough to touch, roll up 1 feta square inside each strip of zucchini. Secure with a toothpick or skewer. Remove to a warmed serving place. Garnish with additional dill and serve immediately.
• Place on the grill and cook until just tender and lightly charred, about 3 minutes. Turn the zucchini over and cook until the strips soften, about 2 minutes more. Remove to a rack to cool slightly.

   

Nutrition

Calories: 390kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 22g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 507mg | Potassium: 565mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 694IU | Vitamin C: 36mg | Calcium: 253mg | Iron: 2mg