Pumpkin Zucchini Bread with Chocolate Chips

I came up with this recipe after looking at several different recipes for Pumpkin Bread and Zucchini Bread but wasn't able to find just what I was looking for.

This is a delicious bread to have with your morning latte. I like mine lightly toasted. Using applesauce in place of the oil cuts down on the fat and the pumpkin & zucchini are just plain good for you! And of course you can't go wrong with the addition of the mini chocolate chips!

Did anyone else over-stock on canned pumpkin when there was talk of a shortage last year? I still have at least 4 cans to use. We'll be making this bread often!

Pumpkin Zucchini Bread with Chocolate Chips
Serves: 32 | WW PointsPlus 3 per slice
2 regular sized loaves* or 4 mini loaves

Ingredients:
1 egg
2 egg whites
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 cups grated zucchini
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour two loaf pans. (I use PAM for baking)

Shred zucchini and squeeze in paper towel to removed excess moisture.

Mix together egg, egg whites, and sugar. Add vanilla, pumpkin, and applesauce. Mix well.

Stir together dry ingredients and slowly incorporate into wet ingredients. Mix well.

Stir in zucchini and mini chocolate chips. Divide evenly between loaf pans. Bake 50 minutes or until done. Cool 10 minutes in pans then remove to wire rack to cool completely.

*once cooled I like to cut each large loaf in 1/2 and keep individually wrapped in the freezer so we don't eat it all at once!
The mini loaves are the perfect size for gifting to friends & neighbors.

Blueberry Bars, Booties, and a Baby Shower

This weekend was a flurry of activity - and we had more than a few flurries of snow! We started the weekend with a fundraiser on Friday for Big Brothers Big Sisters in our community, and then on Saturday we hung out with our "little." He and I made baby booties for his soon-to-arrive new baby sister. He's 12 and had never used a sewing machine before and just loved it. Later on Saturday I made an additional pair of pink booties, and a batch of blueberry bars for my niece's baby shower that was on Sunday.

Blueberry Bars & Booties

aren't these the cutest booties you've ever seen?!

Lacy and a Pittsburgh Steelers onesie she got from a friend.

Blueberry Oat Bars
adapted from allrecipes.com

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used white whole wheat)
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup cold butter
pinch of salt
3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons lemon juice

In a bowl, combine flour, oats, 1 cup sugar and baking soda. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Reserve 2 cups for topping. Press remaining crumb mixture into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan; set aside.
In a saucepan, combine blueberries, cornstarch, lemon juice and remaining sugar. Bring to a boil; boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Spread evenly over the crust. Sprinkle with the reserved crumb mixture. Bake at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool before cutting.

My notes: These bars are awesome! Every time I make them someone requests the recipe. They come together quickly too. I've upped the blueberries to 3 cups. You just can't have too many blueberries! I've made them with butter and sugar, and also made them with butter sub & Splenda and both ways are okay. Although they are a little more crumbly on top when you use Splenda.

Patience? Not so much.

Did you see the adorable commercial this year for the Rice Krispie treats shaped as eggs with M&M's inside? It seemed like a fantastic idea and how hard could it be really?! Hard? No. A test in patience? Yes. Very much so.

As you can see, I made a total of 6 of the eggs and then to save my sanity spread the rest of the Rice Krispie mixture in a rectangular pan. The recipe said it would make 12 of the eggs. I must have had small plastic eggs because I could have easily (no, not really easily) made a total of at least 20 eggs with the amount of sweet marshmallowy goodness I had left over. Getting the krispie mixture into the plastic eggs was kind of like when you open something that is wrapped in shrink-wrapped plastic and it gets all staticy and won't come off your fingers. Making the little cavity inside the eggs was even harder - even using cooking spray on my fingers.

They tasted delicious, like fresh Rice Krispie treats do. A couple of them even rattled when you shook them. They were really cute, but...

Hidden Surprise Easter Egg Treats
original recipe RiceKrispies.com 

3 tablespoons   butter or margarine 
1 package (10 oz., about 40)  regular marshmallows
- OR -
4 cups miniature marshmallows 
6 cups   Kellogg's® Rice Krispies® cereal 
1/2 cup   M&M's® Easter colored chocolate candies 
Canned frosting or decorating gel (optional) 
12 plastic snap-apart 3 x 2-in Easter eggs 

1. Clean, then coat inside of plastic eggs with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In large saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.
3. Add Kellogg's® Rice Krispies® cereal. Stir until well coated.
4. Using greased hands, firmly press 1/4 cup of Rice Krispies® mixture into both halves of each plastic egg. Use fingers to make hollow center in each half. Remove from molds. Place on wax paper. Cool slightly.
5. Place about 6 M&M'S® Brand Chocolate Candies in one half of each egg. Gently press two halves of each egg together until they stick. Cool completely.
6. Decorate with frosting and additional M&M'S® Brand Chocolate Candies (if desired). Best if served the same day. Serving size is 1 egg.

MICROWAVE DIRECTIONS: Follow step 1 above. In microwave-safe bowl heat butter and marshmallows on HIGH for 3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Follow steps 3 through 6 above. Microwave cooking times may vary.

Notes:
For best results, use fresh marshmallows.

1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow crème can be substituted for marshmallows.


Cal: 180
Fat: 4.5
Carb: 33
Fiber: 0
Protein: 2