Parmesan Zucchini Sticks

Over the last few weeks, I've had several people ask what to do with the abundance of zucchini from their garden or farmer's markets. This is one of my and my kids' favorite ways to cook it =)

1/2 cup fine, dry Italian breadcrumbs (I sometimes use panko to change it up)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 medium zucchini
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Canola oil or Olive Oil
sprinkle of salt
Optional: I like to serve them dipped in marinara or spaghetti sauce.
( I scaled it down to one zucchini in the pics bc I made it for lunch for just me and the boys)

Combine breadcrumbs and Parmesan. Cut zucchini in half crosswise; cut each half into 8 sticks. Like this:

Dip zucchini sticks in egg; dredge in breadcrumb mixture.
Pour oil to a depth of almost an inch into a Dutch oven or large heavy saucepan (medium high heat). Just wanted an excuse to show off my favorite cooking piece! ;)

Fry zucchini sticks in hot oil just until coating is golden. Drain on a wire rack over paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and a little more Parmesan cheese and serve immediately. Can serve with marinara or spaghetti sauce...really good!

Find 2 cute little boys to help you eat them =)

Super Healthy Summer Smoothie

This is our go-to smoothie recipe in our house during the summer. I love how healthy it is! It's naturally sweet this time of year because all of the berries are ripening =) It's easy to tweak if you want to change some ingredients up.

Toss all of these ingredients in a blender:
1 banana
2 heaping handfuls of berries - I usually do a mixture...strawberries, blackberries, rasberries, and blueberries.
1 cup of low fat greek yogurt - I use plain bc it has no sugar. Feel free to get vanilla or flavored to sweeten it up a bit.
2 handfuls of ice
splash of juice - Here I used apple bc it's what I had, but my favorite is orange juice.
1 TBS Wheat Germ -I always sneak this into my kids snacks for the health benefits, and they never know =)
Handful of Sliced Frozen Peaches - I didn't have these on hand this time around, but I find that they make it so much creamier...yum!
Drizzle of Honey (optional for a sweeter taste)
Blend Together.