Wondering how to solve the never-ending dilemma of what to pack in all those lunches to go? Become the packed lunch hero in your house, give your kids something serious to trade, be the envy at the office and switch it up with a never-ending lineup of quick breads! They come together in no time, freeze beautifully and best of all – you can load ’em up with all sorts of powerhouse ingredients.
So bypass the empty calories at the lunch counter, give your kids something nourishing, and make your own souped up breads that’ll hold you all straight through ’til dinner. And for a chocolatey twist, swap the lemon & almonds for coconut & pistachios. Eating to fuel you isn’t so bad afterall!
1. Get your zucchinis washed and ready to go.
2. Leave the stem on, it makes grating much easier and saves your fingers in the process.
3. Put the grated zucchini in a colander while you prep the dry stuff.
4. Put the dry ingredients in a sieve to work out all the lumps.
5. No more lumps.
6. Add the grated zucchini.
7. And stir it all around with a fork – it keeps the zucchini from clumping.
8. Zest a lemon right over the bowl.
9. Just like this and mix that in.
10. Whisk up the wet stuff in a measuring cup or small bowl.
11. Add the wet to the dry.
12. If the batter seems a bit stiff (like mine did) add a little milk to loosen it up.
13. Time for any add-ins – I’ve got some lightly toasted chopped almonds, feel free to use any nut, chocolate chips, coconut, dried fruit – whatever you like.
14. In go my nuts.
15. Batter up, put it into the prepared pan and bake until golden.
16. 50-60 minutes later – let it cool before removing from the pan.
17. It smells glorious!
18. Slice and serve.
19. And slice again – to make mini sammies, spread with preserves, a nut butter, cream cheese or tuck in a slice of mozzarella, havarti or brie – sure beats a P,B & J!
zucchini bread with lemon zest & almonds
Preheat the oven to 350° and grease a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan.
1. Grate the following and let rest in a colander before adding to the dry ingredients below:
- 2 cups grated zucchini, loosely packed
2. Place a sieve over a mixing bowl and sift the following, using a spoon to gently tap it through to remove any lumps:
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. salt
3. Add the grated zucchini and gently stir using a fork, coating the zucchini with the flour mixture.
4. Stir in and set aside:
- the zest of one lemon
5. Whisk the following in a medium bowl and add to the dry ingredients: do not overmix:
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. lemon extract
6. If batter seems too stiff add the following to loosen:
- 1/4+ cup milk
7. Fold the following optional add-ins into the batter and mix until just combined:
- 1/2 cup coconut, shredded
- 1/2 cup nuts, toasted & chopped
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan & bake until a tester comes out clean, about 50-60 minutes. Cool in the pan before inverting onto a wire rack. Run a knife around the edge for easy removal.
get creative
- Switch up the flavours and push them with extracts: lemon, coconut, almond, maple
- Switch up the nuts: almonds, walnuts, pine nuts, pecans, peanuts – or any other nut that strikes your fancy!
- Switch up the fruit – coconut, apricots, prunes, dates, figs, raisins, ginger, mango, pineapple
- Add some sweet stuff – chocolate chips, cut up mini marshmallows, finely chopped candy bars like skor
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