Running a Facebook page with over 200,000 school mums I am reading constantly about the daily challenge of the lunchbox. Most of us want to make healthy and tasty food our kids will eat but this isn’t always as easy as it sounds.
I know for quite a number of mums one major frustration is that their kids don’t like to eat sandwiches for lunch everyday. This can be quite stressful at times as it is such an easy lunchbox solution, take that out and you feel like you are left with limited options or something requiring a lot more preparation.
I recently stumbled across a delicious solution having tweaked it “school mum style” which may be the perfect solution for those days when the kids or adults don’t feel like a sandwich. The good part of this recipe is you still get to include some bread, which is a great source of healthy carbohydrates that give your kids energy. Tip Top The One is great not only because it is high in fibre which keeps your kids fuller for longer, it also has added Vitamins & Minerals and is Lower GI than regular white bread to provide longer-lasting energy.
I call them Zucchini and Parmesan Cheese Minis. They do require some making and baking in advance however you can make a big batch, freeze them and put them in the lunchbox when needed and once defrosted they taste as good as fresh.
Ingredients:
3 Small-Medium Sized Eggs
1/2 Medium Onion Diced
2 Cups of Finely Grated Zucchini
3/4 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
3/4-1 Cup of crumbs made with fresh Tip Top The One bread
Salt
Instructions:
1. Preheat Oven To 200 degrees
2. Finely grate 2 cups of Zucchini. I grated the Zucchini on a plate, which was covered on the bottom with paper towel. Once the Zucchini is grated place another paper towel over the top and squash down to suck up and remove as much moisture as possible. You may need to use multiple paper towels to remove all excess moisture. This is important to ensure the muffin does not end up too soggy on the inside. (see pics below)
3. Finley dice half a medium onion
4. Take 2-3 slices of Tip Top bread, tear it into chunks, place into food processor / magic bullet etc and make into fresh crumbs.
5. Combine Zucchini, onion, grated parmesan cheese, fresh crumbs, eggs and salt in a bowl and stir with wooden spoon until it becomes a consistent mixture
6. Spray your mini muffin tray with cooking spray to stop the muffins from sticking
7. Spoon the mixture into each of the mini muffin trays to the top pushing down on the filling with your spoon so it’s nice and compact which will stop them falling apart when you take them out of the tin.
8. Bake for 16-18 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
9. Use a knife or rubber spatula around the edges of each mini muffin to help remove them from the tray.
*Recipe makes 18 Zucchini and Parmesan Cheese Mini Muffins
EAT and ENJOY and freeze once cooked for later consumption!!
Recipe by Sam Shazzam AKA School Mum
