We love when Nicole cooks. It always looks as good as it tastes with this fabulous photographer, and we think the things she tries out are just amazing. She’s creative in the kitchen and we’d love to take a page out of this mama’s book! If you liked her Beet Chip Massacre and her Baked Butternut Zig Zag Blackbean Taquitos, you’re going to loooooove the Chicken Zucchini Poppers! But let her tell you herself:

If you’re like me, you TRY to get your kids to eat as many fruits and vegetables as possible. Now I admit, my kids are actually pretty good about this however I do know some who are not. I am ALL about packing in anything extra that I can though, because well it certainly can not hurt right? When a recipe also works out so that making extra and freezing it for nights that are hectic (hello, baseball season is upon us – between practices, games and my daughter’s ballet classes I am all for quick and easy dinners).

I have even crazy things like lightly sautéing freshly chopped spinach and tossing that in too. Like I said, I am all for tossing veggies in where ever I can! This is totally a Pinterest find (Adapted from http://www.onelovelylife.com/chicken-zucchini-poppers-gf-df/) that I actually made, and daresay improved upon if for no other reason then I sort of combined it with another recipe I have for sausage balls.

To make ahead for those crazy nights I double the recipe.

What you need:

-1lb Chicken breast
-2 medium zucchinis (grated, peel on)
-2-3 green onions sliced or 1 small onion finely diced
-1-3 tbls Taco seasoning (this is to taste, or you can use just about any seasoning that is a favorite in your family)
-1 clove minced garlic or 1tbs garlic powder
-4oz ricotta cheese (or you can use cream cheese)

Optional: Toss in a tablespoon or so of Milled flaxseed not only does it work well to help “bind” but it’s full of healthy nutrients kids and adults need!

What you do:

Preheat your oven to 400°. Mix the ingredients all together, scoop into meatballs and place onto greased pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Depending on the seasonings you use – kiddos of all ages can dip these into ketchup, salsa, sour cream (my daughter’s choice, regardless of seasoning), guacamole or even barbecue sauce. Really you can take this in any direction you want!

To freeze and reheat: cool and place in a Ziploc bag and toss in the freezer. Depending on your microwave, I typically heat 4 at a time for roughly 1:30.