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Zucchini Cookies

7/24/2018

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​Have you joined Veggie Buds Club yet?! Teach your kids to love a new veggie each month through hands-on activities delivered right to your door. Learn more and join the club by clicking here. July is Zucchini month here at Veggie Buds Club and we hope you enjoy this healthy and delicious zucchini-packed recipe from our monthly contributor Noelle Martin, MScFN RD, of Motherhood and Meals!
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Zucchini is one of those vegetables that has limitless possibilities. It works as a meal side when sautéed, a pasta alternative when spiralized, a nutrient density booster in "zoats", and a variety of baked goods. One of our family's favorite recipes that includes zucchinis is for Peanut Butter Oatmeal Coconut Cookies. These cookies are packed with nutrition from zucchini, pumpkin seeds, oats, and more! They are free of milk, eggs, refined sugar, and flour which means they are safe for Dairy-Free and Gluten-Free diets. And for anyone with a peanut or legume allergy, the peanut butter can be replaced with Almond Butter, WowButter, or SunButter. 

Enjoy the recipe, and be sure to check out a few home school tips at the bottom for times when your children help you make them!

Zucchini Cookies

Ingredients
  • 2.5 cups of oats
  • 2 cups shredded zucchini
  • 1 cup peanut butter (or alternate nut or seed butter)
  • 3/4 cup unsalted pumpkin seeds
  • 3/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
  • 2/3 cup honey 
  • 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (I use the MadeGood dairy free ones)
  • 3 Tbsp hemp hearts
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 Tbsp baking powder
Instructions
  1. Mix all ingredients together. 
  2. Form small balls about 1-2 Tbsp in size and place on baking stone or cookie sheet. 
  3. Bake at 375 F for 12-14 minutes (time with vary with ovens). 
*Serve with a glass of milk or crumble over your favorite yogurt with a few more pumpkin seeds and hemp hearts sprinkled on top. 
*Storing Guidelines: Cookies will remain fresh longer if stored in the fridge or freezer.
​I always love to include a learning component for my children when we make a recipe. While making this recipe Rhett and I talked about the letter Z, the color green (and also yellow since some zucchinis are yellow), the texture difference between whole and shredded zucchini, and we practiced numbers by counting the ingredients as we added them in. 

I hope you get to try making these with your little ones this summer. They are sure to be a crowd pleaser!

Noelle Martin is a Registered Dietitian and mom of three young boys. She has a passion for education, inspiring, and empowering moms to make healthy choices for themselves and their families. Noelle loves involving her children in food planning and preparation for their home and sees the kitchen as a perfect area for teaching both academic and life skills. Follow @MotherhoodandMeals on Instagram for Noelle's nutrition tips, recipes, product reviews, and motherhood moments.
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Kids Love Yellow Veggies!

7/19/2018

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We are excited to bring you this month's post from Katie Blauser, the creator of Eat Pretty Darling. Each month on our blog we feature a "Color of the Week" that corresponds with Veggie Buds Club's veggie of the month. July's veggie is ZUCCHINI so we're focusing on YELLOW veggies this month!
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Katie Blauser is the mama of two boys, wife of a picky eater, and food lover at Eat Pretty Darling. She believes in making food fun, healthy, & pretty! Katie’s not only outnumbered by boys in her little family, but also by picky eaters. She loves trying to find new ways to get both kids and adults to eat healthy while making food pretty yummy, pretty healthy, and pretty fun! Find Katie on Instagram (@eatprettydarling), where she shares colorful and cute food ideas for both picky and adventurous eaters.

Color of the Week - YELLOW

​So you might be thinking, why is the color of the week yellow when zucchini are most definitely green? Zucchini are yellow inside! Sometimes the insides of fruits and veggies are the prettiest part. Think of all the fun produce that can fit more than one category! We think of kiwi as green although they are brown on the outside. This week we rounded up yellow squash, lemons, bananas, and of course zucchini. Zucchini is one of those awesome veggies that can be turned into just about anything! One of our favorite ways to eat it is in our baked goods. We all know that yummy zucchini bread, but add in a few other ingredients and you have a new twist on an old favorite!

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Lemon Poppy Seed Squash Squares

Ingredients
  • 2 cups old fashioned oats*
  • 2 ripe bananas
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup honey (or maple syrup)
  • 1 cup shredded zucchini (moisture rung out)
  • 1 cup shredded yellow squash (moisture rung out)
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 lemons (juice and zest)
  • 1 Tablespoon poppy seeds
 Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 325 F and grease a 9 x 13 pan. Place oats on a baking sheet and toast until lightly browned (about 8 minutes) stirring halfway. Let oats cool. Pour oats into a food processor until oats become a flour like consistency.
  2. Turn oven up to 350 F. Mash bananas until there are no lumps (or beat with a mixer on medium speed). Add eggs, honey, squash, almond extract, vanilla extract, and lemon juice.
  3. Add the dry ingredients (oats, baking powder, baking soda) to wet ingredients. Mix until just incorporated. Fold in poppy seeds and lemon zest. Pour mixture into greased pan and bake for for 45 minutes. Let cool completely before slicing into squares.
*You can also sub in whole wheat flour or all purpose flour and skip step 1.

Yellow Food Ideas

There are more out there, but here’s a list to get started! 
  • Bananas
  • Yellow Pepper
  • Lemon
  • Pineapple
  • Yellow Squash
  • Zucchini
  • Golden Beets
  • Corn
  • Turmeric
  • Saffron
  • Potatoes
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Zucchini Brownie Bites

7/11/2018

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July's featured veggie is ZUCCHINI at Veggie Buds Club! We hope you enjoy this delicious recipe from this month's Veggie Buds Club subscription box.
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This recipe was developed by Heather Staller, a mom of two boys, ages 5 and 3, and cooking instructor specializing in bringing cooking into preschool classrooms. After college, Heather knew she wanted to be a teacher, but first followed her lifelong dream of going to culinary school. Teaching cooking combines both of her passions, and she truly enjoys introducing young children to the joys of cooking with fresh ingredients. Find Heather on Instagram (@heather_kidskitchen), where she shares inventive kid-friendly recipes and ideas for cooking with kids at home.
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Chocolate and zucchini?? Yes! You know kiddos are going to love making this one! Have them help grate the zucchini, measure, stir, and top each brownie bite with a couple chocolate chips. 

Zucchini Brownie Bites

Makes 24 Brownies
Ingredients
  • ½ cup whole wheat flour*
  • ⅓ cup cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 medium sized zucchini
  • 2 eggs**
  • ⅓ cup neutral oil***
  • ½ cup coconut sugar or granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt or coconut yogurt
  • ¼ cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions 
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a mini muffin tin (silicone ones work best) with oil or line with baking cups/cupcake liners.
  2. Add flour, cacao powder, baking powder, and salt to a medium bowl. Whisk ingredients together to combine and break up any clumps.
  3. Trim the ends off your zucchini and grate it using the small side of a box grater. Chop the grated zucchini a few times to make the shreds a little smaller. Using a kitchen towel or paper towel, remove some of the extra moisture from the zucchini (you don’t need to ring it out and remove all the liquid).
  4. In a second bowl, mix eggs, oil, sugar, vanilla, yogurt, and grated zucchini until combined. Add flour mixture and half of the chocolate chips to the bowl and mix together.
  5. Scoop batter into prepared mini muffin pan filling each cup almost to the top. Place the remaining mini chocolate chips on the top of each brownie. Bake until puffed and just set, about 12 minutes.
  6. Once brownies are cool, remove from pan and enjoy! Store brownies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or freeze for up to one month.
*King Arthur white whole wheat flour works great but any flour (gluten-free or paleo blends) can be substituted.
**Substitute flax eggs for egg-free version. (2 tablespoons flax meal mixed with 5 tablespoons water)
***Any vegetable, avocado, or melted coconut oil will work well.
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