Classic Healthier Zucchini Bread

So many posts need to be written, and I will get to them I swear!  However, right now it’s 9:00pm, I’m still in my sweaty gym clothes after a kick-butt kick boxing class, and bed time is fast approaching. 

This is when I choose from that small pool of posts that are half written, or merely notes from a recipe that I intended to become a post. 
I’ll even include cute Bromley pics and an outfit at the end :)
Now, I can’t always blow your mind with crazy delicious new things like nectarine and feta flatbreads ;)  BUT this is still delicious, and if you by chance have a little veggie garden (like me), you probably still have more zucchini than you know what to do with (like me).

I made this bread last month!!  But plan to make another batch as soon as I get the chance this week :)  I loved how it came out, and it uses up a whole big zucchini!
P.S. use a food processor (if you have one) to shred your zucchini.  Sometimes I’ll just shred whatever I have and freeze the extra!
Classic (healthier) Zucchini Bread Adapted from Cooking Light
Makes 2 8”x4” loaves or 1 large 10”x5”

• 1 1/2 cup White Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 cup All Purpose Flour
• 1/4 cup ground flax
• 1/4 quick oats 
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• few shakes of nutmeg (optional)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3 cups shredded zucchini
• 1 egg + 1 egg white
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup toasted walnuts or pecans, chopped

1. Pre-heat oven to 350
2. Combine flours, flax, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar into a large mixing bowl, whisk together.
3. In another bowl combine shredded zucchini, egg and egg white, maple syrup, yogurt, canola oil, lemon zest, and vanilla.  Mix together.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry, gently stir together just until combined.
5. Fold in nuts, saving 1-2 Tbsp for the topping
6. Grease loaf pan(s) with canola oil spray, and pour batter into pan (or divide evenly among the 2 pans), and top with a sprinkling of nuts and/or coarse raw sugar.
7. Bake for 55min-1hr, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Let cool slightly, cut, and enjoy!

Wish I had a slice right now. 

Experimenting with flavors can be fun, but sometimes you just want the classics, and this is just that!
Bromley: Resting his head through the chair back…

Wet dog on hurricane day!

And as my favorite fashion accessory!
 
Most definitely an “office” look :)  I actually wore this same outfit for my interview at this company except I swapped out the cardigan for a khaki blazer.  I usually prefer a cardigan though…warmer/comfier.

• dark teal sleeveless cowl neck top – Target
• navy pencil skirt – Banana Republic
• cream wool cardigan – Banana Republic
• Tan/Red toe pumps – Pour La Victoire from a small shop in Portland, OR

I love those shoes.  Got them in 2008 and hope they never wear out on me!! 
That is all my friends!
You can feel Fall in the air, especially these chillier mornings…I LOVE it!  Although it does make getting dressed a little more challenging. 

Ok, I have 2 beer/Fall related questions...

1. Favorite pumpkin beer?  I'm on the hunt to try a bunch and determine my favorite!
2. And along those lines...anyone in the Boston/or surrounding areas know if any places are serving any pumpkin beers served in a cinnamon-sugar rimmed glass yet....???   Want it! 

Nectarine and Feta Flatbread

Remember when I received that boat load of Euphrates Feta cheese??

First there was the delicious Whipped Feta & Roasted Red Pepper dip.  Then I started adding feta into my salads, sandwiches, and pastas dishes!  All were delicious, but nothing really worth it’s own post…until now!

Ever since the Feta arrived, I knew I wanted to make some sort of flat bread, but I wanted to try out some new flavors instead of the usual go-to feta pairings...lemon, tomato, capers, etc.  Not that they aren’t delicious, but I tend to eat them all the time.   

I actually consulted my copy of The Flavor Bible to get inspired.  This book is great if you’re looking for a new way to mix things up.

The Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs

 

 

 

 

I also knew I wanted something with a sweet/savory blend, and I came out with pairings of honey and grapes from my search of feta cheese.  I still do want to try this out with grapes, but nectarines/peaches are so good right now and the combination just sounded delicious to me!

Ripe nectarine, fresh thyme, salty feta, and a drizzle of sweet honey…

For the dough, I used a batch of homemade white whole wheat dough I had in the freezer, back from when I made grilled pizza last month.

You could use homemade dough, or any fresh dough you want to buy from the grocery store or your favorite pizza shop!

Get your pizza stone in the oven and preheat for at least 30 minutes, at 500 degrees.

Rolling/stretching your dough onto parchment is the easiest way to transfer your pizza to the stone.

Toppings:  brush of olive oil, sliced fresh nectarines, crumbled feta, chopped thyme, and a drizzle of honey.

8 minutes in the oven, and you have a chewy crisp crust, bubbling hot feta, and even juicier fruits.

Nectarine and Feta Flatbread
Served 2 as a meal, but I had a smallish batch of dough equivalent more to a “small” size pizza, therefore my quantities of toppings were for that size of a flatbread.  Adjust to cover whatever size you make.

Prep time – inactive 30-45 min for the pizza stone
                       active – 10 min
Cook time – 8-10 min

• 1 batch/ball of pizza dough
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 ripe nectarine, halved and sliced
• 3-4oz feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme (3-4 sprigs worth)
• 1-2 tsp honey, just a light drizzle over the whole flatbread

1. Pre-heat oven with pizza stone inside (if using) to 500 degrees, for at least 30 minutes.
2. Place a piece of parchment paper on top of a pizza peel or unrimmed backing sheet.
3. Roll or stretch out your dough as thin as you’d like.
4. Brush dough with olive oil
5. Evenly place your nectarine slices around the dough, then crumbled feta, followed by a sprinkling of thyme.
6. Finally, lightly drizzle honey over your flatbread. 
7. Slice parchment and flatbread onto hot pizza stone in your oven.
8. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until cheese is bubbling and crust is just getting golden. 
9. Let sit for a few minutes before serving.

Brian and I easily polished this off.

I LOVED this flavor combination!  This flatbread is best served hot out of the oven while the feta is nice and melty :) 

I really want to make this again soon…like now, just need more dough, because lord knows I have enough feta! 

Flexitarian Friday

Happy Friday!!  Is everyone ready for Irene??  I love a good dose of extreme weather sometimes…as long as no one is hurt of course, and there are no $$ damages ;) 

First, the winner of the $20 Eversave credit… @marciebeth!!

Congrats!!  I’ll send your email address over to the people at Eversave!  I hope the rest of you took advantage of the free $10 credit…which has been extended until today!!! 

This post is one of those times I just want to catch up on the week and such.  However, those don’t make for good titles, and so I tried to find a theme…Flexitarian!

I’m sure by now you’re sick of reading all the Healthy Living Summit recaps from around the blog world, and if you are then I know you read about the keynote speech given by Dawn Jackson Blatner, author of The Flexitarian Diet.

To sum it up in one sentence: pro-vegetables, not anti-meat!  I’d say this would describe me most of the time.  Hey, I still like meat and I don’t see that changing, but it can be expensive and I do love meat-free meals as well.  I can easily go days without eating meat and not even be trying. 

Turns out there was a lot of that this week too!

It started Monday night!  I remember a mention of Zucchini and Black Bean quesadillas somewhere in Dawn’s speech, or in something I read about her…either way this idea sounded fantastic!

I happened to have way more summer squash than zucchini that day from the garden, so I used the summer squash instead. 

Once the squash and onion were chopped, this came together in no time!

Black Bean and Summer Squash Quesadillas
Inspired by Dawn Jackson Blatner

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 small onion, diced
• 2T canned green chilies
• 1 small summer squash, chopped (about 1/4” cube)
• 1/4 cup vegetable broth
• 1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp paprika or smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• crushed red pepper to taste (optional)
• 4 whole grain tortillas
• sliced or shredded cheese of your choice (we used 1 sliced of Havarti cheese per quesadilla)
• sliced avocado
• Salsa
• sour cream or plain low-fat Greek yogurt

1. Heat oil in a medium sauté pan over med heat.  Add onions, sauté for 3-4 minutes.  Then add summer squash, sauté for 3 more min.
2. Add cumin, smoked paprika, chili  stir to combine.
3. Add broth, stir, cover pan and simmer on low for about 5 min to soften up summer squash.
4. Remove cover, turn heat back up to medium, and add beans.
5. Cook for 2-3 more minutes or until squash is tender, then set mixture aside on a free burner.
6. Grab another sauté pan and heat over med heat, spray with canola oil spray.
7. Place tortilla in pan, add cheese, 2 sliced of avocado, then add 1/4 of the bean filling over half of the tortilla.
8. Fold the other half over, cook for 1-2 min, carefully flip your quesadilla and cook for another min, or until golden brown.
9. Cut into 3rds and serve with sides of salsa and sour cream!

Really though, I love anything I can smother in salsa and sour cream!

Both Brian and I really enjoyed these!  Definitely going to keep this one in mind…so fast and easy!

Leftovers were enjoyed for lunch the next day.

 Some other meat-free gems this week…

Wednesday night I had my most FAVORITE salad ever!  I had 2 hours to kill after work and parked my butt at the bar of my favorite North End restaurant…Antico Forno…home to the salad that introduced me to my love for goat cheese.     

So simple, yet so perfect.  Mixed greens, tomatoes, soft goat cheese, balsamic and olive oil, grilled zucchini, all on top of pieces of aromatic flatbread. 

Breakfast is the easiest Flexitarian meal of all…for me anyways.  A lot of times it looks like this…

• plain non-fat Greek yogurt
• a drizzle of maple syrup
• chopped nectarine
• Lovegrown granola (from my HLS swag bag!) 

I’ll wrap it up with TWO outfits of the week :)

Greens and Blues

• green eyelet skirt – Old Navy
• navy t-shirt – Banana Republic
• light blue cardigan – Banana Republic
• Navy belt – was my grandmothers
• nude peep toe pumps – Rampage

And saving the best for last…not because it’s my favorite outfit, but it’s definitely my FAVORITE photo…with a special fluffy accessory!

• white cotton v-neck dress – Old Navy
• navy/floral scarf – Nordstrom
• wedges – Banana Republic
• Fluffy pup – Bromley :)  Doing the Murphy one leg-out pose

Happy Weekend! 

Have you done any Hurricane prep??  Do you think you’re a flexitarian??

HLS Part 2: Cocktail Party and Speakers

Unfortunately I’m writing this post from my plane, that is sitting in the runway waiting to take off and will continue to be sitting for about another hour…awesome.

Delays are bad enough without being stuck on the plane during it!

EDIT: We waited in the plane for about 1.5 hours before finally taking off…it’s so amazing to be home.

AND to come home to a super clean house!!  Best husband ever :)

Anyways, lets not let this one bad event ruin my recap of the rest of the Healthy Living Summit! 

I left off Friday evening just as we were heading out to the cocktail party!

The cocktail party was also at the Reading Terminal Market where Elizabeth and I had had lunch earlier that day!  It was so cool to see it at night after all the shoppers and workers had gone home.

Everyone waiting to be escorted to our area

We were in the center where the tables were and had tables of food as well as passed hors d’ourves. 

There were veggies, cheeses, different pizzas, fruits, and crackers.  The passed hors d’ourves consisted of beet salad, Philly cheese steak empanadas, corn and crab fritters, and pretzel crusted chicken!

I tried most of the items and everything was delicious.  I also had a local beer: Walt Wit White Ale from Philadelphia Brewing Co.  Really liked this beer.

It was fun catching up with some bloggers I haven’t seen in a while and also meet some new faces!

(roomie picture!)

Elizabeth and I didn’t stay out too late that night, however, we had made plans with some people to do a 5ish mile run at 6am the next morning!

It really hit me when we had to wake up when it was still dark out!!  NOT fun…but once we were running we felt way better.  It was perfect running weather, cool and not sunny.

At one point, Elizabeth, Ali and I branched off because our mission that morning was NOT just a run…it was to see the Rocky steps!

Ali and I running up!

Then obligatory posed photos with Rocky himself

  

That was a blast!

None of our Garmin’s were really working that great, but we estimated that we did around 5.5 miles!  Nice!!

Once we returned, iced coffeed (yes I just turned that into a verb), showered, and changed…it was breakfast time.

Fresh fruit

Cereal, provided by Quaker and Attune.  Yogurt and milk.

  Love this…but might change it to “Breakfast is my other happy hour”

Then it was time for the sessions to begin.

The first one I went to was Budgeting for a Healthy Lifestyle presented by Lauren.  

I thought she was a great presenter.  She seemed very comfortable with public speaking and spoke clearly and with ease.  I really enjoyed it.

Although there wasn’t really any new or groundbreaking ideas on how to save money while eating healthy (and she said that as well)…it was really helpful to just hear all the information again.  Sometimes you just need to be reminded of how to budget, meal plan, use coupons, and other methods. 

I know I need to work on my meal planning skills.  I think that one thing would really help us cut down on the food, specifically produce, that we pick out and then end up throwing out because it never made it into our lunches or dinners.  I hate throwing out food, but it happens.

Also this picture in her slideshow was classic and hilarious

Hard to see but the woman is standing there smiling happily with her big bag of groceries, and the husband is looking at the receipt with an expression of “flipping out” haha! 

During the break we had after this session, Elizabeth, Ali, and I snuck out for a few.  First stop was City Sports for Philadelphia t-shirts, and then I wanted to checkout the Rittenhouse Sq Farmers Market per suggestion from Sabrina! 

Beautiful day, and wish I could of actually bought more at the Market.  I did buy 1 apple for a snack.

There was one other session before lunch, but I’ll get to that next post.  I’ll wrap up with lunch!

Salad, quinoa and chickpea salad, and 4 different vegetarian sandwich options with bread provided by Great Harvest!!

I love GH bread, but it sounded like a lot of people had never had it before.  It sounded like everyone was going nuts over this fresh bread. 

I chose a roasted veggie sandwich and a caprese sandwich.    

Not surprisingly this post is already too long…and it’s bed time! 

Really wish I had one more day off to relax before work, but it was a great weekend. 

Big shout out to Meghann for organizing the whole thing…amazing job girl!!