cutest cherry tomatoes

I picked these cherry tomatoes from my back yard this week... They are beautiful!! :)

Tomatoes are the only thing I am growing this summer, so I am especially excited about them.

Do you have a garden? What are you growing?

blueberry zucchini bread with crumb topping

every year, when we plant a garden, the zucchini always grows wild!! & thats great, because i love zucchini. :) you can do a lot with it & it's yummy. this summer, we have already had fried zucchini, zucchini lasagna, stuffed zucchini, zucchini hash browns & chocolate chip zucchini bread, plus we have given some away... but we still have tons of zucchini.... we are always a little bit tired of zucchini by the end of the summer... haha!!


anyway, this morning i made the best blueberry zucchini bread...
it's amazing!!
here is my cute photoshoot!! :)

& isn't the vintage blueberry loaf pan so perfect!?!? i love it.

ingredients:

3 eggs

1 cup canola oil

2 cups sugar

3 cups grated zucchini

2 cups blueberries

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

3 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

& the topping:

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup flour

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 cup oatmeal
directions:

grate zucchini. when the 3 cups are grated, set the zucchini aside. grease and flour 2 loaf pans. preheat oven to 325°F.

 

mix all topping ingredients together first. cut butter into other ingredients and mix using your fingers. when mixed, set aside.

 

add eggs to a large mixing bowl and beat together until slightly foamy. add the oil and sugar to the beaten eggs; beat with the mixer until well blended. add the grated zucchini, blueberries and vanilla; stir by hand until it is well mixed into the egg and sugar mixture.

in a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. stir to mix evenly. add the flour mixture to the egg and zucchini mixture; stir just until evenly mixed. sprinkle a little bit of the crumble topping in the bottom of your loaf pans, then pour even amounts of the batter into the loaf pans. sprinkle the remaining crumble topping over the top of the batter in each pan.

place the loaves into the preheated oven and bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

& that's it! yumm. i think i am going to eat another piece right now!!

 

:)

food from the weekend...

fresh snap peas, summer squash, & zucchini right from the garden...

 yumm... these were perfect in our summer chicken stir-fry! :) 

also, over the weekend, i made a "healthy(ish)" carrot cake!!!

it was so good. :)

carrot cake recipe ♥
{ingredients}

2 cups whole-wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

3/4 cup nonfat buttermilk*

1/2 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups grated carrots

2 peeled & grated apples

{frosting}

12 ounces fat free cream cheese

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

{instructions}

1. To prepare cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat two round baking pans with cooking spray.

2. Whisk flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Whisk eggs, sugar, buttermilk, oil, & vanilla in a large bowl until blended. Stir in carrots. Add the dry ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula just until blended. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, spreading evenly.

3. Bake the cake until the top springs back when touched lightly and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

4. To prepare frosting: Beat fat free cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Spread the frosting over the cooled cake.

*no buttermilk? just mix 1 tablespoon lemon juice to 1 cup skim milk