Hi everyone! I’m finally done with my summer class and back in the kitchen making some new recipes! As you might know, zucchini is in season currently. We have a ton growing in our garden, so we had to find use for it all! My goal was to create a healthier-than-normal-but-still-delicious recipe for zucchini bread. This recipe has 3.5 servings of fruits and veggies per batch, and is also full of fiber, protein, and vitamins. Check it out:

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup plus 2 tbsp applesauce (I used unsweetened, but you can use sweetened or cinnamon if you have that on hand)
• 3 eggs
• 3 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups shredded fresh zucchini
• ½ cup shredded fresh peeled carrots
• 1 ½ cup whole wheat flour
• 1 ½ cup white flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 4 tsp cinnamon (more or less to taste)

Preheat the oven to 350°F, and grease and flour two 9×5″ loaf pans. Mix the wet ingredients together in a mixing bowl, and then gradually stir in the dry ingredients. Mix until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated into the wet ingredients. It should look like this:

Divide the batter equally into the two loaf pans, and bake for 50 min to an hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean.

Remove the loaves from the oven and set on a cooling rack until the pans are fully cooled. Then, run a knife along the edge of the loaf and turn the pan upside down so that the loaf falls out onto the cooling rack. Next step: eat it to your heart’s content, knowing full well that you’re getting your daily servings of fruits and veggies from this bread!

To go along with the zucchini bread, I made a quick batch of sweet tea, which was a brand new adventure for me! This recipe is super simple.

Ingredients:

• 2 tea bags of your choice (I used Lipton black decaf)
• 1 quart boiling water from the kettle
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar, more or less to taste

Put the tea bags in a quart container and pour the boiling water over them. Let the tea steep for about 5-7 minutes, and pour the sugar in while the tea is still super hot. Stir the mixture to dissolve the sugar. Then, remove the tea bags and let the tea cool.

And then, of course, you can enjoy your sweet tea with your favorite straw! Mine just happens to be a color changing one. You can’t go wrong with a fun straw!

These recipes are so simple, but so yummy! The zucchini bread is perfect for young kids who don’t like to eat fruits and veggies (and everyone else, too!), and the tea is a delicious treat on a hot summer day. I hope you’re all enjoying your summer as much as I am, and I hope you get to try these recipes!