For those that want to try their hand at growing a garden, but don’t have a green thumb: zucchini is one of the easiest plants to grow. Every year I end up with more than I can handle and now that it’s late summer, I am always thinking of ways to use up my zucchini! It has great versatility and can be used in so many sweet or savory dishes, even delicious desserts. Have you tried zucchini cookies? What about zucchini brownies?

I’ve always thought that since zucchini is a vegetable, it has to be healthy. Well, I now know that zucchini is actually technically a fruit and it has health benefits that I wasn’t aware of! According to Health.com, one cup of zucchini has about 19 calories and includes Potassium and Vitamin C. This makes it the perfect alternative to pasta and it’s fun for kids! You can make noodles using a spiralizer and call them zoodles (zucchini noodles)!

Sliced Potatoes and Zucchini

 

Of course you can also eat zucchini raw and dip it in the new Opadipity dips by Litehouse™ for a snack under 100 calories! Late summer also means it is back-to-school time! Almost one year ago I posted a Thai Chicken Noodle Brown Bag lunch that featured none other than zucchini, so you can imagine around this time I’m trying to put zucchini in everything!

Sauce Made With Opadipity Dip

 

Since it is back-to-school time again, I am looking for quick and easy recipes because the school year always seems busier for our family. I can usually find healthy, main dishes that my family will eat, but I get stuck on the side dishes. This Spinach & Parmesan Scalloped Potatoes and Zucchini side dish has the added health benefits of spinach and zucchini, unlike traditional scalloped potatoes. Even if you have some zucchini-haters in your family (like I do), they won’t complain about these deliciously, creamy scalloped potatoes!

Ready to Bake