Goodbye, Terrible Twos!

My sweet Lainey turned three last week. It's almost impossible to believe. I can barely wrap my brain around the memories of my life without her in it, yet at the same time it feels like these three years have passed in the blink of an eye.

This year we kept her birthday celebration simple: family, pizza, and cake. For the sake of the cake, I try to let go of my healthy cooking ideals, really I do...but it's really hard for me! I feel like I can totally let go for store-bought treats; a Klondike Bar is a Klondike Bar...there's not much I can do but just eat it and enjoy every bite. :) But when something is homemade (by me), I find I just can't bake something sinfully (as in, not one single healthy ingredient) delicious. I pore over recipes, looking for the dessert that will taste sinful, but actually be not-so-bad. For her 1st and 2nd birthdays, I made a Chocoalte Beet Cake (from Deceptively Delicious); it was tasty, but not a knock-your-onesie-off chocolate cake. This year, I totally achieved what I'll call Sinfully Nutritious. Woohoo!

CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI CAKE

another fantastic find on allrecipes.com

2 c all-purpose flour (I used half whole wheat)

2 c sugar

3/4 c cocoa power

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

3 + c grated zucchini

1 1/2 c vegetable oil

4 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a 9x13 baking pan.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add the eggs adn oil, mix well. Fold in zucchini until evenly distributed. Pour into prepared pan.

3. Bake 50-60 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

I topped with this frosting, it was fast, easy, and soooo good. Happy Birthday, my sweet girl!