zucchini

Zucchini Brownies and Peach Smoothie- kid friendly recipes for the summer!

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This summer I have been taking cues from my kids…slowing down, fostering creativity and play, letting go of “perfect” and focusing on present instead.  Recently they revived their old swing set playhouse that was abandoned as they grew older.  They redecorated with comfy pillows, wall hangings and signs and dreamed of cool things they could add like lights and a beaded door.  Even if they don’t get all of their wish list, I think it’s cool they are dreaming and being creative.  But they also love their electronics and screens.  While it’s easy to say no and tell them to just go outside and play like I used to when I was little, I also think we need to embrace what’s in their world now and help them learn moderation and to use their creativity in new ways.  This weekend we had a compromise.  I said they can use their iPads to take pictures and create a guest blog post of something they make in the kitchen.  They could be my guest bloggers!!  Win, win for me.  I’ve been hung up on my photography not being good enough and inspiring and not posting unless I have something I think is relevant to say.  Silly excuses really.  Sharing recipes is something I enjoy and I choose not to because of insecurities or not living up to some made up expectations.  Whatever your passions are, let’s take some cues from the kids and just do it and have fun in the process!!

Here are the posts from my 9 and 10 year old…in their words!!

Peanut Butter Zucchini Brownies

Hi, I’m Alexa. I’m 10 years old and going into 5th grade. I’ve always loved cooking. I also love sports such as, lacrosse and swimming. I used to help my mom cook stuff by just putting the ingredients in the bowl, but now I’m the one cooking stuff and it’s really fun. The first thing I started making was homemade granola bars. Everyone loved them and that’s when my passion for cooking started. We had so many zucchinis in our garden and my mom showed me the recipe for these amazing zucchini brownies. I jazzed the recipe up and added peanut butter. We took these brownies to church and the plate was cleaned off. No one even noticed that there was zucchini in the brownies. I am also a very picky eater and hate chunks and weird tastes in food. These are the complete opposite of that. You can’t even taste the zucchini! They’re AMAZING! Now here’s the recipe!

Ingredients

  • 2 cups chopped zucchini
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1-1/4 cups sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup of peanut butter
  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • ½ unsweetened dark cocoa powder
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ c chocolate chips (optional, for topping)
  • ½ chopped pecans (optional, for topping)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9×13 pan. In blender or food processor, puree zucchini, oil, yogurt, sugar, peanut butter and vanilla. Set aside. In large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Add pureed wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until well incorporated. Pour into greased pan, spread evenly, add any toppings you desire (I added chocolate chips and chopped pecans) and bake for 20-25 minutes until toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Let cool for at least 5 minutes. Enjoy!!!!

 

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Summer Peach Smoothie

Hi, I’m Elise and, I am 9 years old and I am going into 4th grade.  I decided to make this peach smoothie because I LOVE peaches, they are one of my favorite fruits. I like this smoothie because it is super easy to make. There are only a few ingredients. It is also really good because it is really healthy. I really like to cook. I usually cook with my Grandma because she is at my house a lot. When I grow up, I want to be a baker. People say I’m really good at taking pictures. This drink is a really good summery drink. This smoothie is good for pool parties, appetizers, and just for refreshment. I just made it today and I loved it. I am going to make this drink a lot this summer so all of our peaches will be gone. I don’t like most kinds of smoothies that my mom makes, but this one I really like.

Ingredients

1 peach, peeled and cubed

1/2 frozen banana

4 oz. almond milk

2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt

3 ice cubes

Blend together and enjoy!!

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Zucchini Pizza Crust and Some Thoughts on Clean Eating

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I have been having many conversations with friends and family around healthy and clean eating lately. It’s probably the impending warm weather that will eventually come that is inspiring people to give more thought to what they are eating.  The visions of fresh, local produce dancing in our heads…UM, or maybe that’s just me. Or it could just be that we all sat around this LONG, COLD winter eating the bread, milk and eggs we got in preparation for the next snow storm.  Whatever the reason, I have given my “list” of foods to a couple of people who are contemplating their eating habits.  Inspired by the book 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker where she writes about excess in food, clothes, spending, waste, possessions, media, and stress, I made a list of 7 food categories that I would eat for 7 days. JH (that’s what I call her because we are tight now…I follow her on Instagram) went so far as picking 7 foods and ate only those foods for 30 days.  So I’m not that crazy, but my little experiment made me think about the foods I was eating and totally eliminated processed foods and sugar.  That’s good!  But I also felt really weak and headachy so I added some grains to the mix because I’m just not good with totally eliminating grains.  It’s just not sustainable for me personally.  So here are my adjusted food categories:

1. Fruits/Vegetables

2. Meat/Eggs

3. Nuts (inclues nut butters and almond milk)

4. Plain Greek Yogurt

5. Beans

6. Grains (sprouted grain breads, oats, brown rice and quinoa)

7. Healthy fats (Like Olive Oil and Coconut Oil)

I’m not a nutritionist and I know that these categories are broad and up to interpretations, but in general if I eat this way, eliminating processed foods and sugar, I feel good.  You can adjust the list to what works for you.  I’m certainly not perfect, and have a hard time eating like this all the time. One way our family can keep on track to start off the weekend is to have pizza night on Friday night.

Friday nights we are usually tired and just want to get take-out, but if we plan to make our own pizza we can have something that is healthier.  And it takes the guess out of what to make for dinner.  Sometimes I make my own whole wheat pizza crust and sometimes we get already made pizza crusts from a local bread maker-Thom’s Bread.  We get it at a market close by and it’s really good and made with simple ingredients- flour, water, olive oil, salt and yeast.  Today I wanted to try another gluten free option.  I’ve made cauliflower crusts in the pasts, but this time I tired a zucchini crust and it turned out great.  Now, this is not real bread pizza crust….I think I will always prefer real bread, but for gluten free and veggie-packed, it’s good!  Give it a try!  Top with your favorite pizza ingredients.  I put turkey sausage, kale, tomatoes and cheese on this one.  I know that cheese is not on my list…case in point that I’m not perfect and have my weaknesses!!

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Ingredients

2 smaller zucchinis, shredded (or one larger/med zucchini)

1/2 c. almond flour

1/4 c. parmesan cheese, grated

1 egg

1-2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

salt and peper

Preheat oven at 450 degrees.  Grate the zucchini and to and get as much moisture out as possible, lay out a dish towel with a paper towel on top.  Put the zucchini on the paper towel and dish towel, wrap it up and really wring it out.  You want the zucchini to be as dry as possible so the crust does not get soggy.  Then mix all of the above ingredients together.  Place a piece of parchment paper on a pizza stone or a baking sheet and brush with olive oil.  Spread out the mixture to form the crust.  Brush crust with olive oil. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.  Then flip the crust over right on to the pizza stone and bake another 5-10 minutes on the other side.  Then put on the pizza ingredients of your choice and bake another 5-10 minutes until your cheese is melted.  Enjoy!!

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