Zucchini Bread Oatmeal Bake

 Ingredients

• 1/2 cup shredded zucchini
• 1 3/4 cups plain unsweetened almond milk
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 2 large eggs, whisked
• 3 Tablespoons melted coconut oil, cooled slightly (butter may be substituted)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 finely chopped walnuts
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degreed F. Grease a 10-inch oven-safe skillet or an 8x8 inch pan with cooking spray. 

Place the zucchini in the middle of a cheesecloth or paper towel, wrap it up, and squeeze any excess moisture out. Place the zucchini in a large mixing bowl with the milk, maple syrup, eggs, coconut oil, and vanilla. Whisk until blended. 

Combine the oats, walnuts, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Stir to combine. 

Pour the dry oat mixture into the prepared skillet. Pour the wet ingredients and gently pat down any remaining dry oats on top to submerge in the wet ingredients. 

Bake for 45 minutes, or until the top is firm and the edges are golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes. Slice into 6 large or 12 small triangles. Serve warm. 

Enjoy! 

Feeding Littles and Beyond (pg. 41)

Roasted Vegetable Pasta with Pesto

 Ingredients

• 3 cups broccoli florets
• 4 carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally into 1 inch pieces
• 1 medium red onion, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped into 1inch pieces
• Extra-virgin olive oil, to drizzle
• 1/3 teaspoon garlic powder 
• Salt and pepper
• 1 box casarecce pasta (or rigatoni, fusilli, ziti, etc.)
• 1/3 cup pesto sauce

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. On the baking sheet, toss the broccoli, carrots, onion, and pepper with olive oil. Season with the garlic powder and salt and pepper, and toss again. Roast for 35 or until all the vegetables are fork-tender, tossing every 10 minutes. Once roasted, roughly chop the broccoli, carrots, and pepper. 

Ten minutes into cooking the vegetables, bring a pot filled halfway full with water to a boil. Add the pasta, stir, and let it cook according to package instructions. 

Drain the pasta into a colander and place it back in the pot, along with the roasted vegetables and pesto. Toss thoroughly to combine. 

Enjoy!

*Feeding Little & Beyond (pg. 98-99)

Sheet Pan Eggs

Ingredients

• 16 eggs
• Salt and Pepper
• 1/2 cup finely chopped broccoli florets
• 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Thoroughly grease a large sheet pan by brushing with olive oil. 

In a large bowl, beat the eggs and then add your desired fillings: 

     Broccoli and Cheddar: Heat a Tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook the broccoli until bright green, about 3 minutes, then add to the eggs. Season with salt and black pepper. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, making sure the eggs are distributed evenly. Sprinkle with cheese. 

Bake for 10 to 13 minutes, until the eggs are just set. Remove from the oven and slice into 8 squares. 

Enjoy! 

Other suggested filling combos in Feeding Littles & Beyond (pg. 47-48) 

-Southwestern: 1/2 diced ham + 1/2 cup diced green and red bell peppers

-Pesto Zucchini: 1 small zucchini, sliced into rounds + 3 Tablespoons pesto sauce

-Pizza: 1/4 cup sliced pepperoni + 1/2 cup quartered cherry tomatoes + 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

Spicy Party Pretzels

 Ingredients

• 1 16 oz. bag mini pretzel twists
• 1 cup canola oil
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 packet of Ranch Dressing Mix

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. 

In a small bowl, whisk together oil, cayenne, garlic, and ranch. 

Spread the pretzels in a single layer on a baking sheet. (You'll probably need two sheets.)

Pour oil mixture over the pretzels and stir well to coat. 

Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. 

Remove from the oven and let cool. Store in an airtight container for at least 1 week. 

Enjoy! 

Pepper Jack Pesto Pasta

 Ingredients 

• 1 lb. cooked pasta
• 1 4 oz jar pesto
• 1.5 cups Greek yogurt (3 individual containers)
• 2 small blocks Pepper Jack cheese, grated (1/4 mixed in and 3/4 on top)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

Mix together ingredients. 

Pour in 9 x 13 baking dish and top with cheese. 

Bake for about 15-20 minutes until hot and bubbling. 

*Shrimp or chicken make great add-ins* 

Enjoy! 

Pumpkin Nutella Muffins

 Ingredients

• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup Nutella spread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray the bottoms of a muffin tin with a non-stick baking spray. 

Add the pumpkin, eggs, oil, and sugar to a large bowl and mix together. 

Stir together the flour, baking powered, sale, and cinnamon. Alternately add the flour mixture and milk to the pumpkin mixture until everything is mixed in. 

Spoon the muffin batter evenly into 18 muffin cavities. 

Place the Nutella in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 20-30 seconds. Stir until creamy. Drop the warm Nutella in the center of each muffin. Use a toothpick to swirl the chocolate gently on top. 

Bake the muffins for 22 minutes. Remove and cool in the pan for 2 minutes, and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in a sealed container. 

Enjoy! 

Saucy Tuscan Butter Shrimp

 Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 lbs. shrimp (peeled and deveined, tails removed)
• Salt and Pepper
• 3 Tbs. butter
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
• 3 cups baby spinach
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup basil, thinly sliced
• *Serve over linguine

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil. Season shrimp all over with salt and pepper. When oil is simmering but not smoking, add shrimp and sear until underside is golden, about 2 minutes, then flip until opaque. Remove from skillet and set aside. 

Reduce heat to medium and add butter. When butter has melted, stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add cherry tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook until tomatoes are beginning to burst then add spinach and cook until spinach is beginning to wilt. 

Stir in heavy cream, Parmesan and basil and bring mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer until sauce is slightly reduced, about 3 minutes. 

Return shrimp to skillet and stir to combine. Cook until shrimp is heated through, garnish with more basil. 

Enjoy!