A Burnt Ring Finger & Brown Sugar to the Eye

I must have a case of the Mondays. It's the only thing I can think of that would result in upping my all time injuries in the kitchen tally from two to four in one day. First, I accidentally tipped a pot of freshly cooked rice vermicelli into the sink. What was my next thought process? Oh, let's scoop them all up with my bare hands! Folks. Don't do that. It's a TERRIBLE idea. Then just now, I somehow flung brown sugar all up on my shirt, my hair, and in my eyes! Crazy, I know.

However, at least these mishaps led to hearty eats! I now have lunch (or dinner) set through Friday-- Asian noodle stir-fry filled with soft tofu, sugar snap peas, and zucchini. Continuing with the zucchini trend, I went and tried out a new zucchini bread recipe and a "secretly healthy chocolate cake" recipe.

I made very few modifications to the recipes, but so that you can keep track at home here are my baking notes!

Zucchini bread (16 servings, 4 WW+ points each)

• Used the oil option rather than butter
• Used whole wheat flour instead of AP
• Used fat free greek yogurt in place of plain yogurt or sour cream
• Did not add craisins
• Did not top with glaze
• Will grease and flour the pan next time; a liberal coating with a non-stick spray does not get the job done with this bread!
• Yields a dense, shorter slice of bread

A great little snack that I intend on pairing
with a fresh smoothie for breakfast this week!

Dark Chocolate Zucchini Bars (9 servings, 3 WW+ points each)

• Used all whole wheat flour instead of AP
• Used fat free greek yogurt in place of apple sauce
• Substituted a "chia" egg (1 tbs chia seeds + 3 tbs water) for the egg
• Added 1/8 tsp of cayenne pepper
• Did without the optional chocolate chips
• Removed from the oven when the toothpick was not quite clean, so that the bars were more fudgey and brownie-like

Topped with fresh strawberry and ice cream!

And the best part of all? Not only do these treats sneak in an extra bit of vegetable to your daily diet, but you can bake these simultaneously since they both call for a preheated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit! Now what's stopping you? Try these recipes out!