Happy October, Everyone! (Zucchini Orange Bread recipe)

Here in Portland, it JUST started feeling like fall. I must say that I'm welcoming October with open arms! I'm ready for the bulky sweaters and rain boots. But mostly, I'm ready for the BAKING!!! I've waited a long time now for the weather to cool down enough so that I can turn the oven on... and now I can.

"What do we do now?" No more long walks or afternoons at the park. To caregivers with a toddler, the loss of these activities seem like a crisis. Don't fear, there are ways to get through the autumn and winter to come. My favorite activity, as you might have guessed, is to cook with my toddler. They learn so many Montessori skills during this activity such as:

-Transferring and Pouring (Science and motor skill development)

-Mixing (motor skill development)

-Measuring (motor skill development, pre-math skills)

-How Kitchen Things Work: Oven, mitts, pans, pots, etc. (practical life skills)

Cooking and Baking (especially) can be an all afternoon activity. I recently did this with the toddler I work with and she was completely enthralled and busy the whole time. No tantrums and no boredom. 

Tips:

-Let your toddler do as much as possible. I know it's easy to look at the mess and worry but just let the mess happen. It only takes 10 more minutes to clean up and will save you stress in that your toddler will be busy the whole time.

-Get your toddler involved with clean up too! They can sweep and wipe as well as the next person, let them. Even if they don't do much cleaning, they learn the responsibility of cleaning up their own messes.

-Get the ingredients and supplies out before hand. I like to do this when the child is napping. 

-Try to use a recipe you have already tried so that you don't run into any surprises along the way. If you are bent on trying something new. Make a batch while your child is napping so you can iron things out before they get involved.

A GREAT recipe to try for Autumn is Zucchini Orange Bread. Here's the recipe:

3 eggs, beaten until foamy
1 c. vegetable oil
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 c. grated, unpeeled, zucchini
2 tsp. almond extract (or 3 tsp. vanilla)
3 c. flour (I suggest half wheat flour and half white)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
1 c. chopped nuts (optional)
1 orange (peel the orange over the bowl. mush it up over the bowl, squeezing all the juice out. chop the pulp up and put in the bowl. grate and use as much of the peel as desired.)

Mix together. Pour into 2 greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or so. Makes 2 loaves of bread. Don't store until completely cooled.