We have a new favorite snack around here, and fortunately it's a healthy one. So I felt pretty good about giving it to the kids (and eating a whole lot of it while pregnant, too). Based on
this recipe, I made several modifications, and I think it turned out pretty well. Thanks to Angie for the recommendation.
It tastes a little like traditional zucchini bread, but not as sweet and it is much denser. And I'd say a whole lot healthier, too. It was a perfect mid-morning snack with a tall glass of milk. Despite not being very sweet, the kids gobbled it right up. Next time I'll make a double-batch to freeze, as it was moderately time-intensive. However, nearly everything was a pantry staple, so no fancy ingredients or shopping required.
Ingredients:1-1/4 cup unbleached white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup steel cut oats, ground in the Cuisinart to make oat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
3 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup honey
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup grated zucchini (about 2 small zucchinis)
1 cup grated carrots (a few handfulls of baby carrots)
3/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup flax seed (optional)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I was out today, but will add next time)
Directions:1. Preaheat oven to 4oo degrees
2. Sift together white flour, wheat flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and allspice. Stir in steel cut oat flour.
3. In a separate bowl, beat eggs. Add vegetable oil, applesauce, yogurt, sugar, honey, and vanilla and combine well. Mix with dry ingredients. Fold in zucchini, carrots, nuts, raisins, and flax seed.
4. Pour into 24 prepared muffin cups and bake 18-20 min. OR, if you're feeling lazy like I was, divide mixture between a loaf pan and an 8x11 baking pan until batter is roughly the same height. Bake at 400 degrees for 23-28 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean (because we never have toothpicks around!)
5. To heck with cooling - eat while steaming hot with a tall glass of milk!
Little Sprout Cable Newborn Hat
Left: Pattern from Itty-bitty hats by Susan Anderson. Right: Stella Pixie Hat (free on Ravelry).
I've been wanting to try this Trapeze Dress pattern for some time now, and I finally got my hands on a copy of Weekend Sewing from the library. With my free pattern and my 40% off coupon from the fabric store, I was able to make this dress in one afternoon for a grand total of. . .wait for it. . . $8! (and it could have cost even less because I had 1/2 of a yard of fabric left over, but that's neither here nor there).
I chose a breezy seersucker fabric in green and white vertical stripes. It is so comfortable that I'm considering making several more, and only wearing dresses for the remainder of the pregnancy. Well, not really, but it is a nice thought. It really is that comfortable! And did I mention it has pockets? I really love a dress with nice, deep pockets.
So this is not a maternity dress pattern per se, but it was roomy enough for my 24-week pregnant belly. (I swear my belly is bigger this time than the last two pregnancies. . .I wonder how big baby #3 will be?!) Anyway, I made a few modifications, including gathers on the front instead of box pleats. This was mainly because the pleats fell into strange-looking points around the fullest part of my belly, so the gathers have a much softer effect. And I added the sash so I didn't feel as though I was wearing a humongous circus tent.
And here's a picture of Isaiah's bottom teeth coming in. This picture is about 10 days old; now he has one top tooth and another due to arrive any time.
It feels like the Mondays are coming faster than I can keep up -- where does the time go? Before this one ends, though, I'm determined to get a weekly menu completed. I found a cool vegetarian cooking website where many of these recipes are from.
