The zucchinis in my yard are taking over so it must be time for zucchini bread. Most of you know that I have an unhealthy sweet tooth. It’s a battle to control the beast. You may not know that the combination of a simple carb (like sugar and white flour) paired with a fat (butter) fires up the army in your brain telling you to keep eating. This is why eating one serving of potato chips, cookies, or pizza is nearly impossible.
When I went on my weight loss journey I was determined to” healthify” everything I ate. I knew giving up sweets would be impossible. Also, knowing sugar is terrible for our brains, I made it a goal to lower my sugar intake as much as possible.
My go-to changes were to start using whole wheat flour (white whole wheat if your family is resistant). I also researched how much sugar you could cut out of a recipe before it didn’t bake properly. The last step in learning how to bake healthy was to find substitutes for butter and sugar.
All of this research also taught me the benefits of using Greek yogurt in my baking. You get much less fat and the added benefit of protein. Now, much of my sweet treats fill me up. I can be the person that is happy with two cookies. Success.
This recipe uses all of the methods I discussed. 1/2 cup of sugar isn’t a lot when you divide by the number of servings. Apple sauce, Greek yogurt, whole wheat flour, and zucchini all give you fiber that also fills you up. I hope you enjoy it!
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup quick oats
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 whole egg
- 2 egg whites
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups shredded zucchini (I use my hands to squeeze out the excess water)
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350º
- Mix egg, egg whites, sugar, applesauce, yogurt, vanilla & zucchini. Set aside.
- Mix all dry ingredients, then stir into the wet ingredients. Mixing well.
- Scoop batter into a muffin tin or bread pan. Don’t overfill as I do.
- Bake for about 15 minutes for muffins, 30 or so for the bread pan. I used a mini one and a convection oven so times will vary.
- Cool and enjoy!
Another reasonably healthy Zucchini bread recipe.
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