What to bake with a 20 inch zucchini- Part 1- Chocolate Zucchini Bread

You're like.... WHAT? That's right. I returned home from Sturgeon Falls with a giant zucchini, a parting gift if you will! So, what do you do with such a thing??? I even showed you a comparative scale so you can see the impact of it's giantness! That's a 12 inch chef's knife on my cutting board... so just imagine!

So, I knew I was going to grill some on the BBQ, but for the rest, well I knew I had to bake. How about a delicious Zucchini bread? Or, what about a chocolate zucchini bread? Fantastic Idea!

When you start shredding your zucchini you are going to see just how much moisture it holds.... and that is why it makes such a nice moist bread.

So here's a great recipe I found online.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

(adapted from http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/chocolate_zucchini_bread.html)

Ingredients

•1/2 cup chopped walnuts

•1 cup all-purpose flour

•1 cup whole-wheat flour

•1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa, preferably Dutch-process

•1/2 teaspoon baking powder

•1/2 teaspoon baking soda

•1/2 teaspoon salt

•3 large eggs, lightly beaten

•1 1/2 cups sugar

•3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

•1/4 cup canola oil

•1 teaspoon vanilla extract

•1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, melted

•2 cups grated zucchini, (1 medium)

Here are all the delightful, healthful ingredients, now here's what you do:

Preparation

1.Preheat oven to 325°F. Coat two 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch loaf pans with cooking spray.

2.Spread walnuts in a pie pan and bake until fragrant, 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside to cool.

3.Whisk all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.

4.Whisk eggs, sugar, applesauce, oil, vanilla and melted chocolate in another large bowl until blended. Add to the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined. Fold in zucchini and the reserved walnuts. Spoon the batter into the prepared pans, smoothing the tops.

5.Bake the loaves 55 to 60 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert onto rack and cool completely.

and 60 minutes later...

Et voila, nice and moist and good for you!

Here's the nutritional info:

Per slice : 239 Calories; 8 g Fat; 1 g Sat; 3 g Mono; 40 mg Cholesterol; 38 g Carbohydrates; 4 g Protein; 3 g Fiber; 143 mg Sodium; 97 mg Potassium

Amazing Celebretion.... takes you back to warm, sunny days!

As the days get shorter and darker, I thought it would be appropriate  to share this last little bit of early Fall celebration with you. Melanie and Julie double celebration.. which we shall call the Virgo Birthday Party!

Amazing but true. Brent made it to a pool before it was closed. He felt so free and 'back to normal' after months and months of no water because of his foot surgery, he was as happy as a little guppy.

... and what about this little cutie pie offering me a flower...

...wait, no... don't eat the flower Stephanie!

Look ma tante Chantal, I have 2 flowers for you!

Gorgeous!

Let's smell it Stephanie!

Ok... now onto the food, you know, the focus of all celebrations! This time I made a couple of healthy alternatives salads- no leafy greens this time-  cucumber, honeydew salad...

...and the famous quinoa salad... recipes to come!

My mother served lamb and some mint jelly of course.

... and made the girls favourite treat- Frozen Yogurt Pie with a Rice Crispy, peanut buttery crust! Fantastic way to celebrate with the most beautiful girls in the world!

Happy Thanksgiving- Amazing Adventure Apple Picking

Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian and ex-pat friends, family and followers!
On this special day of giving THANKS, I wanted to spread some love and say that I am grateful for each and everyone one of you and mention that without all your love and support I would not have come so far on my healthy living journey! Merci, Gracias, Thanks!

On this Fall Festival of the Harvest, I wanted to share some of our own harvesting we recently dig. One of our favourite Fall activities... the Amazing Adventure that is 'Apple Picking' at our  favourite Milton Farm- Williams Orchards.

This time was an adventure of a different kind because it was Stephanie's first time apple picking. Well, first off, she LOVED the cart.

...she loved trying to eat a whole apple for the first time.

...so did Melanie, but it wasn't her first time !

...so did  my Mom! It got pretty warm and we started peeling off our layers onto the wagon.

Mother- daughter picking moment.

... and I love this 'oooooh' face of hers... so cute!

...maybe she'll try another again?

I love my sister!

...my sister loves apples!

So much fun placing the apples gently into the baskets, right Stephanie? LOL, she was pitching them in... so we had to intercept, and for those bruised ones that got by... well I just cut them up right away. I'll show you below.

Stephanie the Farmer sitting on her big tractor. It was a wonderful day and we were blessed with gorgeous weather.

Then I got home and knew I had to do something with this half bushel of apples. I read somewhere that if you cut up the apple in and place them in a large bowl with water and about 1 tablespoon of vinegar and they won't go brown. It worked! I placed these apples on a cookies sheet all separated, and then once they were frozen, I placed them in large freezer bags. So now I have bags full of frozen, sliced apples ready to go any time I have the urge to bake some crisps!

... and of course, I had to make my delicious apple crisp too... you know, quality control. Had to make sure they were good enough to be called McIntosh!

Beauty Guru's Birthday Celebration

This year' s12th birthday celebration for my tween was sooo grown up... yes... my little girl is growing up!

I thought I would surprise her with making one of her 'beauty guru' dreams come true! At the moment, she wants to be a makeup artist, so what better way to support that than to take her for her very own makeover at the coolest, trendiest store for makeup - Sephora.

First a breakfast birthday treat!

.... oh and, why not take her to the biggest Sephora in Canada- downtown Toronto at the Eaton Centre.

... here is the before shot with some of her favourite makeup- Benefit- in the background.

Here we sit before getting started, such 'tourists' eh? And look at the makeup artist just scratching her head!

Here she skillfully created the 'Smoky' Eye Melanie wanted.

and ta da!!!! The 'after look', now that's a grown up looking girl, and look at those perfect eyes. You know they say that hazel eyes are great (like Melanie and I have) because you can wear any colour eyeshadow!

Here's the beautiful Sasha- makeup artist extraordinaire- who, by the way, studied in the fashion academy in Dubai.  She was wonderful!

The night of her birthday, Melanie decided to forgo the usual cake and decided to celebrate with the frozen yogurt bar close to our home- Yogurty's.

This is Melanie's 'over the top' mixture... pink and mango and white chocolate chunks.

Mine was a little more focused, chocolate fro you, chocolate brownie, red velvet, chocolate peanut butter cups and chocolate sauce... OMG it was decadent and a perfect way to celebrate my baby's big day! She loved it!

Sturgeon Falls- Evening Rituals

So ladies and gentlemen.... this is what you do at night in Sturgeon Falls.  You PARTY at McMacken's Pub!

Ok, well, it could be that our lovely little host has his first job there working as a restaurant helper. So we made the treck to their downtown and of course, I had to make Melanie pose in front of the sign!

So Nicolas said he would take care of us if we went to his restaurant. Well, if you saw a joyful young man like this, all dressed in his Pub workwear outfit, wouldn't you go ahead and venture in?

WE DID!

...and his mom and dad did as well, here's a little bit of a decadent spinach dip thingy he made for us.

...and this was my own little bit of decadence. A delightful pulled pork naan pizza with some peppers and a side of greek salad. Ooooooh, it was good. Pub food up north is delicious!

then when we got home Gaetane offered us a pedicure/foot soak/foot scrub.

...ok, my turn, look at her face, it's like... this is serious business Chantal... your feet need some work!

It was an awesome long weekend with great friends, great food, great movies and foot massages and look... we even got to take home some delicious 'loot bag'. Paul sent us home with his own preserved banana peppers, sweet pickles, pickled beets and fresh veggies from his garden, awesome!!!!! I know!

Sturgeon Falls Part 2- Amazing Adventure to Lac Clair

Here's the most fantastic, beautiful lakeside beach I have ever had the privilege to of enjoying. My second trip to Lac Clair (just a few minutes away from Sturgeon Falls), proved to be just as awesome as last summer's memory.

I love kids, they just walked right into the lake, no cares or worries at all!

Let me tell you, it was a gorgeous day, but it was cool. I would say the water was probably 68 degrees....
Nevertheless, these guys know how to soak it all up!

Lac Clair, means Clear Lake, seriously.... it's so gorgeous and clear and seaweed free, it looks like you are looking through glass.

Serious natural beauty!

Here's another beauty, their cute little grandchild.. ready to enjoy some beach-bumming!

Nicolas, trying to convince his nephew to come into the cold water... not so much!

Instead, he was excited to put water in the bucket and then dump it out.

Picnic blanket ready to go!  Tickles from Grand-Papa... now what else???

oh, yeah, horsey ride.... this could have kept him entertained for hours... but at some point, Grand-Papa has to have a break!

Lunch time with some garden fresh carrots and cucumber.

Now it was time to convince the young boy to have a nap... good luck with that grand-parents... nature, beach, seagulls, sand... or nap???

Well, eventually it worked, he did fall asleep... which he? Both!

Post Nap family portrait! What a fantastic day at the beach with great friends!