Tag: vegetables

My Zucchini Bake or Slice recipe

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Today I’m going to share another recipe. Last night Scott and I got together with a group of friends and I brought along a Zucchini Bake, sliced to share. I received a number of requests to post the recipe today, so here we go.

This Zucchini bake can be made gluten free, it is a healthy meal option and is great for lunch boxes.

The recipe is easy to make and is one way to get children (or fussy adults) to eat vegetables. You can substitute or add different vegetables depending on your preferences. However, I think Zucchini should always be included for the bake to work.

Nutritionally, the Zucchini is one of the very low-calorie vegetables and its peel is an excellent source of dietary fibre. Zucchinis are an excellent source of potassium, and also contain moderate levels of the B-complex group of vitamins.

Ingredients

3 x medium sized zucchinis

2 x medium carrots

1/2 onion or 2 spring onions finely chopped

2 x rashers of bacon finely chopped

(alternatively, I have made this using chicken and also tuna)

1/2 cup grated tasty cheese

1 x tbsp mixed herbs

a little bit of chilli or peppers gives a nice bite

1 x garlic clove – crushed

1 x tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup flour (I use coconut flour)

5 x large eggs

extra grated cheese to sprinkle on the top

 

Method

First preheat your oven to 180c

I use a grater attachment on my food processor to quickly grate the zucchini and carrots. If I don’t have grated cheese, I put  a small piece of cheese in as well.

Put the grated ingredients into a large mixing bowl and add the bacon, onion, garlic, cheese, herbs and mix together.

Add the eggs, oil and flour and mix to combine. Transfer the mix into a baking dish and bake for 40 minutes.

At the 30 or 35 minute mark, sprinkle the extra grated cheese on the top of the slice and return it to the oven.

This bake works really well as a main meal. We cut it into 6 large pieces and serve it with a salad. It also is great as a slice to share , as it tastes equally good cold. Just let it cool a bit before cutting it into squares.

It’s really easy to swap out the meat ingredients or add extra ingredients. Mushrooms and cauliflower also work well. If I add cauliflower, I only put in 1 carrot. The trick is to get the right balance of vegetables and eggs, otherwise it won’t hold together. I have found this out by experience.

I hope that you enjoy this recipe and have fun putting your own spin on it.

 

Until the next post,

 

Live Clean n Prosper

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Science has proven Grandma knows best!

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First of all, Happy Mothers’ Day to all the Mum’s.

Second, it seems that our Grandmothers know best! Of course.

According to a recent newspaper article, scientists are finally proving what our grandparents have known for years. Many of us have that been advocates for these lifestyle changes are often viewed with skepticism. It is great to have science backing us up.

food, garden, washing, walking

Some of the most notable changes mentioned, are things that Scott and I have been doing for some time. I thought I would share these with you, quoting from the article as I go.

Easy lifestyle changes

  • Cooking from scratch, using real food ingredients. “This will save you kilojoules and having a raft of additives in your meals.”
  • Using old recipes and cookbooks. “Cornwell University in the USA compared recipes from the 1936 and 2006 editions of ‘The Joys of Cooking’. They found that recipes in the 2006 version had an average 63% more kilojoules.”
  • Grow your own fruit and vegetables. “Helps kids to eat more and home grown tastes better. Less chemicals and gardening is great for reducing stress.”
  • Eat at the dinner table. “Helps a child’s vocabulary, develops table etiquette and creates an opportunity for family communication.”
  • Switch off screens. “Studies have shown that excessive screen-time impairs brain structure and function. Mostly in the frontal lobe, which controls our sense of empathy.”
  • Ditch the chemicals. “Research into lung function found that it was 14% worse in people who used modern household cleaning products regularly, than those that didn’t.”
  • Hang out the washing. “The suns’ rays actually help to disinfect clothes and remove stains. It is also an opportunity to get some Vitamin D.”
  • Go for walks. “Research from Harvard University shows that people who walk regularly live longer and have a lower risk of heart disease and stroke. They are also more likely to have a healthy weight and stronger immune system.”
  • Get to sleep early. ‘Studies have shown that those who don’t stay up late are more optimistic, patient and productive. They also have stronger immune systems than night owls.”

We don’t have children, but for those that do…..

2 more changes.

  • Let kids be dirty. “Microbiology Professor Brett Finlay and Immunologist Marie-Claire Arrieta, authors of ‘Let Them Eat Dirt’ say – Keeping children too clean can weaken their immune systems by depriving them of valuable microbes.”
  • Play outside. “Time outdoors is beneficial for adults and kids alike as it improves concentration. Exposure to sunlight also reduces a child’s risk of developing near-sightedness.”

These are all easy changes to make that can have a long-term impact on your health and wellbeing.

We have found that ‘cooking from scratch’ has encouraged us to have a more varied diet, as we try different recipes. It actually saves us money when we plan our meals in advance as we only buy the ingredients we need for the week.

Scott has found that spending time in our small fruit and vegetable garden lowers stress. It is also great to be able to add home grown vegetables to our meals.

Finally, it is great to read that more studies are finding that constant exposure to modern chemicals is having an adverse effect on our bodies.

Till the next post,

Live Clean n Prosper

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