Zucchini Pancakes -- easy and healthy breakfast! (or lunch, dinner, snack...)

This weekend a new friend blessed us with a whole BIG bag of zucchini - 16 of them! They were fresh out of her moms garden, and I'm determined to use every bit and not let any go to waste!
(I'm especially thankful because we have a mystery pest in our own garden eating the leaves of all of our squash! ....and cucumbers ....and parsley)

I was going to whip up some zucchini fritters, but discovered just before breakfast that we had no eggs.....sooo, I went to Pinterest to find a "zucchini-breakfast-with-no-egg" recipe.  Not as easy as I thought, but I came across this recipe for Zucchini Pancakes and decided to try it -- SO glad I did!  I made just a few changes and they were fantastic!

They were a perfect texture - not too fluffy, not too dense, just right....and really filling!  They had just a hint of sweetness, and while we tried it with some butter and real maple syrup, the boys said they both preferred it without the syrup (yay)! It would be great to make a big batch, freeze the extra, and have on hand for a quick and easy breakfast when school starts.  They're perfect to grab on your way out the door.

It was just me and the boys at home this morning and they loved them!  Here are some quotes from breakfast....
Lucas (3), after taking one bite:  "Make again!" (which he then repeated every few bites from the highchair, lol)
Jacob (9): "Waaay better than normal pancakes."  "Those are the best pancakes I've ever had in. my. life."
Elijah (13 - and tough to impress): "Wow, those are really good."

Now that I've done my best to oversell them, lol, here's how to make your own...


Zucchini Pancakes (makes 24)

4 cups all purpose flour (I used non-GMO, unbleached, all-purpose)

4 tbsp sugar

4 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp salt

4 cups milk (I used coconut milk because that's what was in the fridge, but you could use any other kind of milk -- and use a little more or less if you want to change the consistency)

4 tbsp coconut oil*

3 cups shredded zucchini (I shredded with my KitchenAid, then pushed it into a wire sieve to get rid of excess liquid. You could also squeeze it out with a kitchen towel or cheesecloth after shredding)

Mix together all the dry ingredients, then add the milk and coconut oil. Stir in the zucchini until combined.

Grease the pan/griddle (you could use a spray, but I used coconut oil, and my favorite pieces were the ones that got a little crispy on the edge from the oil) and heat over medium heat.  Drop by 1/4 cupfuls, then after about a minute (or when bubbles start forming around the edges), flip and cook other side.

*I used this coconut oil because it's what I have on hand, and because it's refined it has no coconut flavor, but still has the benefits of coconut oil.  This unrefined oil is one of my favorites though, and I think the hint of coconut would just be delicious with these!



Linked up at:

Cheap April Fools Day Ideas for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner!

I know you're not supposed to let your kids "play with their food", but April Fools Day is a day to encourage it - and Mom and Dad even get to have fun with it!  =)

Last year I whipped up some funzies to entertain the kids for April 1st....I like that these are easy and quick to put together with what you have on hand - a nice last minute "prank" in case you forget.

"Fried Eggs" for breakfast.....Greek yogurt and apricot halves (you could also use marshmallow fluff or Cool Whip for the "whites", and peaches for the "yolk")

{I thought they were quite convincing!!}

{Greek Yogurt + Apricot halves}

Surprisingly, my kids were not too fond of apricots, so I might try peaches next time, but it was still a funny way to start the day.

Meatloaf and Mashed Potato "Cupcakes" for supper....

I just made up a normal recipe for meatloaf and cooked them in a cupcake pan.  First though, I added a Ritz cracker to the bottom of the liner to soak up any extra grease*.

While the meatloaf was cooking, I scrubbed, cut up, and boiled some potatoes until they were nice and smushie.  Then I drained them, threw them into my KitchenAid, and mixed in some cream cheese, salt and pepper, milk....the usual, until smooth.  I added some red food coloring to make them a little more believable as "cupcakes".

When the "frosting" had cooled enough to handle, I scooped it into an icing bag and piped it onto the "cupcakes".  They were a big hit --  the kids were asking the other day if they could have them for supper....almost a year later.  =)  

It was a lot of family fun and laughter, for free!  ....well, the food cost money, but no more than we would have spent for normal meals!

*I used the ground beef I had on hand, which was not lean enough for this, so the grease soaked the cracker and liner and was kind of a mess to eat.......but the kids loved it anyway and I just used a fork for mine.  I would suggest though to use a lean meat!


You can see some more April Fools ideas here from last year's post - Octopus mac n' cheese and Jell-O "juice" I made for my littles (you could make for lunch or dinner), and more ideas from around the web.

What are your favorite pranks - food or otherwise - to play on April Fools Day??


Linking up.....

Jalapeno, Bacon, and Pepper Jack Stuffed Chicken Breast Recipe = Amazing!! {Trim Healthy Mama = S meal}

*Edit:  I forgot to include one of the best parts about this meal!  It was so cheap to make!  The entire meal (including the cucumbers and cherry tomatoes on the side), only cost $3.50 for both of us!!  Compare that to going out to eat at a restaurant.....it could easily cost over $20 + a tip!
What a delicious way to save money!  ;)  And it's perfect for Trim Healthy Mama -- a super yummy "S" meal! (I've lost 45 pounds so far on THM, mostly in about 6 months!)

My darling husband made us the. yummiest. dinner. last night!  I went to Zumba and Rite-Aid with my sister, so got home kind of late and I thought I'd just heat up some leftovers or something....but no way....my "live-in chef" had grander plans. ;)  He whipped up this stuffed chicken breast that was really creamy and flavorful.....it was so yummy, I couldn't believe the calories and carbs were so low!

We've been eating low-carb and low-fat -- focusing on lots of fresh fruits and veggies and lean meats.  So far it's been going really well, and we're feeling great!  We've found some yummy recipes, and come up with some healthier tweaks to the "regulars".  This recipe meets our nutrition requirements (low-fat, low-carb, high protein) and is EASY and delicious!!  It will definitely be on regular rotation!  =)

Jalapeno, Bacon, and Pepper Jack Stuffed Chicken Breast (THM - S)
(Recipe makes 2 servings.  Takes about 15 minutes.)

2 chicken breasts*
2 slices bacon, cooked and diced**
1/2 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded
1 jalapeno, diced
1/4 cup onion, diced
3 Tbs. olive oil
Garlic powder (to taste)
Seasoning salt (to taste)
Onion powder (to taste)

1. Butterfly chicken breast and fill with bacon, cheese (saving a small amount to add to top of chicken when finished) and jalapeno.

2. In a skillet, heat olive oil on medium heat, then add chicken. Season with garlic powder, seasoning salt, and onion powder. Flip half way through (about 5 minutes, depending on size of chicken breast). Cook until chicken is done and cheese is melty and amazing.  ;)

3. Add onions to skillet after flipping. Top chicken with remaining cheese and sauteed onions. Enjoy!


Notes:
* Our chicken breasts were about 6oz. each.  We could've shared, but it was so yummy and I missed a meal earlier due to a busy day.....so we didn't.  ;)  Next time we'll probably use a smaller breast.  The nutrition facts would obviously change if you used smaller pieces of chicky.
** If you can stand turkey bacon (we are not fans, lol), that would reduce calories and fat even more.


I've been using SparkPeople.com (a great free tool!) to track my fitness and what I eat.  I plugged the chicken recipe into "dinner" last night and here's the nutrition data per serving.....(columns are l-r: calories, carbs, fat, protein)

Just in case you can't see the picture:

• Calories = 346
• Carbs = 3
• Fat = 14 (use turkey bacon/low fat cheese for less)
• Protein = 49

If you try it, let us know how you like it!  It's really so easy (especially when your husband makes it)  ;), inexpensive, and easily customized with some variations......I'm thinking maybe spinach, bacon and mozzarella.......ham and cheddar.......lots of possibilities!  =)


Linking up:

What's for Dinner? Mini Corn Dog Muffins!

I discovered this delicious idea when I had some cornmeal I wanted to use up and went looking for recipes.  I've always had a hard time buying corn dogs at the store.  While I love them, the box always seemed so empty for what they charged (and they're not the healthiest choice)! 

I didn't really want to take on the sticks and batter and frying to make my own......but then, I came across this inspiration from Heavenly Homemakers to make them into muffins - yes!  So easy for the kids to eat......and so much cheaper and healthier since you can choose what goes into them. 

If you have a favorite cornbread recipe, feel free to use it - if not, I recommend this recipe for "World's Best Honey Cornbread" from Money Saving Mom - so yummy and super easy to make!  I changed it just a little by using half whole wheat flour and half all-purpose flour.  I think I might try it with less honey or sugar next time because they're plenty sweet, but they're delicious as they are too!

The kids helped me mix up the batter and cut the hot dogs.  We filled the muffin tins 1/2 to 2/3 full (should we call them "muffin silicones"?), then added the hot dogs. We tried some full size muffins with a piece of a hot dog (about a 1/3 - whatever fits in your pan), and also some mini muffins with slices of hot dogs mixed in.  I preferred the slices in whatever size we made since the "bread to dog ratio" was better.  =)

I used Angus hot dogs the first time we made them, and the second time I used Oscar Meyer turkey hot dogs - both were good!

 My husband (who's not a huge corndog fan.....crazy, but true) wanted to spice them up a little and added diced fresh jalapenos to some of the muffins.  We all liked them that way! 

{and yes, that is our 3 year old helping add jalapenos while my husband holds a knife nearby and I take pictures documenting the apparent lack of supervision......}

We baked them at 400 for about 12 minutes for the mini muffin size (15 for the regular?).  Grace and Emma were drooling over the freshly baked corn dog muffins - they could not wait to eat them!

They were a huge hit!  The whole family liked them and the kids have even asked for these for their "birthday treat" at school!




Linking up to:




{Recipe Roundtable}