(Yet Another) Zucchini Roundup

I know, this time of year everyone and their brother talks about all the things you can possibly make with zucchini and tomato. I'm just gonna go ahead and jump on this bandwagon, because I've been lucky enough to eat half my body weight in zucchini and summer squash this year. 

In my personal opinion, zucchini and summer squash are delightful just as they are, and can be consumed with pleasure in just about any form. My husband disagrees. 

In the interest of fairness (also because for the first time in five years it was a mild enough summer for me to spend more than 38 seconds in my kitchen), I decided to bake some of those delightful vegetables into delightful treats. 

The first thing I made was a coconut zucchini bread.

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It was tasty, especially if you like coconut. Dan wasn't crazy about the texture (the coconut flakes were on the chewy side) but Sister and I thought it was delicious. Unfortunately, the fiendish dog struck, and we only got to eat about half the loaf. 

Next up was this absolutely incredible double chocolate zucchini bread. They call it bread mostly because you bake it in a loaf pan--but it's basically cake. And decadently delicious. 

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Mine didn't bake quite long enough, so it didn't have that perfect crumb, but it was still amazing. Very rich, but hey, you're sneaking a veg into your dessert! 

Then I decided to go the route of plain old zucchini bread. I tested out two recipes. First, from The Kitchn. 

Recipe here! 

I'm generally a big fan of the Kitchn, I think they have great tutorials and consistently delicious recipes. They are actually a go-to for me when we are having company and I want something on the more impressive side. 

Thus, it was quite a surprise that this recipe wasn't fantastic. It made a perfectly fine zucchini bread, but not the moist, crumbly treat that I associate with the title. Instead it was a little dry, and (dare I say it?) cardboardy. Not my favorite. 

Finally, I found this recipe from Good Housekeeping (go figure). This was exactly what I was looking for in a zucchini bread recipe--moist, just a little sweet, perfect texture. This is now my go-to recipe. 

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Those has been my squash-related escapades this summer...do you bake in the summer? Have a go-to summer recipe? 

Sunday Food-Day

(Just a heads up that posts may be slowing down now that school has started...thanks for continuing to stop by!)



I love the new school year for a lot of reasons, but one of them is pretty simple--it feels like a fresh start. I basically get an extra "new years" to make (and break) promises to myself and others. One of those promises is usually about eating well.

I actually love vegetables (probably thanks to parents who always encouraged us to be in the kitchen, and having a large veggie garden in the backyard that taught me about the wonders of sun-ripened summer tomatoes). So, it's not terribly difficult to eat my veggies, except...



it kind of is.



This is my two-week old method of getting my veggies in. It's nothing mind-blowing, and it's pretty fool proof:

Cauliflower and broccoli (my personal favorite)

Yellow squash and zucchini

Sweet potatoes (Dan's favorite)!

Roast 'em!



Honest to goodness, roasted veggies feel like a treat. Nothing else I've tried brings out the glorious flavors and textures. I use these basic implements,

And add these guys as I see fit (sweet potatoes with paprika and garlic is heavenly, even Dan agrees).

I'll divide up these goodies into little bowls with brown rice (I'm a big fan of a shortcut here: I use Uncle Ben's Ready Rice and just nuke a couple packs. There are no preservatives, and while they don't have a ton of flavor, they're perfect with a hearty serving of roasted veggies) and have lunch all week long.



Best part? It takes me about an hour, start to finish, on Sunday afternoon.



Then I get to make some cookies with these babies.

I can't make any promises as to how long this system will last, but so far it's delicious, and it's actually training my body to crave vegetables every day. I'm not packing myself any sweet snacks, just fruit and maybe a granola bar or something salty.



Let the healthy(ish) eating commence! What's your favorite thing to pack for lunch? Or are you lucky enough to buy or make at home?