Meals On The Go: Homemade Zucchini Bread

Breakfast is particularly challenging around here.  Despite my best efforts to wean my little one, she's still nursing overnight.  So in the morning, instead of mowing down on breakfast, she grazes.   Her appetite really doesn't pick up until later in the day.  

To encourage weaning, we've been enjoying a lot of outdoor play.  My hope is that by giving her lots of exercise and distraction, she'll start to drop one nursing at a time and opt for the healthy foods that I offer.  It's a slow process, but it works most of the time.  I just make sure that I have plenty of snacks ready to go in my cooler bag.  

The latest addition to my mealtime arsenal is a homemade zucchini bread.  I love making it.  On days that my toddler is particularly curious, I set her up in her highchair so she can watch as I explain what I'm doing.  Other times, I measure and sift all my dry ingredients while she naps so that I can quickly put it together later.  It's a fantastic breakfast item or snack on the go.

Homemade Zucchini Bread 

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup apple sauce
• 2 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 cups grated zucchini (don't press to remove moisture)
• 1 cup chopped almonds or flax seeds (optional)

Directions

1. Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
3. Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.
4. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool and remove from pan.

The recipe makes two loaves and freezes really well.  You can also substitute some of the zucchini for grated carrot for added nutrition.  I'm still tinkering with other healthy substitutions and will post an update if I find something that works really well.  For now, this is a big hit in our home.

Enjoy!