Knead to Cook

Food & fitness obsessed girl.

Walnut Hemp Blender Muffins. Vegan. GF.

by Filed Under: Breads, Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Gluten Free, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Muffins, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Wheat Free 2 Comments

Well this has certainly been an exciting/drama-filled week thus far & these muffins were oh-so-necessary.  My youngest has torn a ligament in her ankle on Tuesday and of course that meant doc appointments, X-rays at the hospital so on… & so forth.  She’s good, sore and has a very swollen and colorful ankle but back to school hobbling around on crutches.  That interspersed with some colorful emails… I was done with the week by Tuesday night.

Wednesday I shipped out food to clients and went into the kitchen to just create.  Not job-related… just for me to bake something for my family.  I’ve been obsessed lately with blender muffins and my family eats them at rapid speed… I was in need of a fresh batch.  I focused on healthy fats and a bit of decadence (hello chocolate) and my youngest gave these 5 stars!  I knew I better blog them before I forgot what I used to make them… #bloggerproblems

Okay so let’s get started…

 

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— Knead to Cook

Banana walnut muffins. Vegan. GF.

by Filed Under: Breads, Breakfast, Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Muffins, Nuts, Quick Bread, Running/Races, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free 2 Comments

Banana walnut vegan & gluten free muffins. These muffins were inspired by a recipe from the Minimalist Baker.  In my house of 5, I’m constantly in an uphill battle with making healthy snacks to have on hand.  Breakfast on-the-go before school, pre or post workout fuel, snacks with lunch or after-school.  Sound familiar?  I’m always on the hunt for new recipes to work with & after the day I had yesterday (sore from my Monday TRX workout then falling on my run)… I wasn’t in the mood to get creative in the kitchen.  I wanted a tried and true recipe and this recipe hit that target.  I did make some modifications as noted below.

These muffins are packed with protein, omegas and fiber.  Each one has about 326 calories, 16 grams of fat, 7.2 grams of protein and sugars at 12 grams.  These muffins will rival your favorite coffee shop counterpart but without the overload of fats/sugars and gluten/dairy.

These muffins are perfect food gift ideas for friends, new moms or someone in need.  Hearty and quite filling.  

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— Knead to Cook

Spice and herb bread. Vegan. Gluten Free.

by Filed Under: Breads, Fitness., Gluten Free, Nuts, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Wheat Free Leave a Comment

This herb bread became my legit obsession last week.  I made some for clients and had two loaves left for my family. I love cubing it up and keeping it in my dessert cloche on my counter.  My daughter takes it for breakfast at school (post early morning swim practice).  My husband eats it after dinner.  I snack on it whenever I need a pick-me-up.

Heart healthy fats, vegan & gluten free.  This bread is a wonderful companion to soups as well.  Adapting the seeds/herbs will completely transform this bread into your favorite too!

This week my Invisalign arrived so I’ve been pretty much relegated to eating two big meals per day with absolutely no snacking.  Taking the liners out to eat and then brushing them and my teeth every time really deters you from mindless eating.  This may be a good thing! Ha.  So I need to stop wasting time and get back to my kitchen and cooking.  Oh and if you don’t follow me on Insta-stories or Snapchat (kneadtocook) – I’ll be sharing an earth-shattering, awesome vegan and gluten free lasagna recipe I made yesterday.  It was mind-blowing!

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— Knead to Cook

Lucy Let’s Go Vegan Eggnog Bread with a Spiced Rum Glaze.

by Filed Under: Breads, Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Lucy Let's Go Post, Quick Bread, Snacks, Sponsored, Vegan 4 Comments

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Eggnog bread was a creation of mine from about 15 years ago-  long before I was plant based or an athlete.  Truth be told, it was my go-to holiday food gift for friends/teachers & neighbors for years.  Everyone I shared it with clamored over the flavor and moist texture of this treat.  Plus, it was a nice disparity from the sea of cookies everyone had in their kitchen.  You can find the original, vegetarian recipe here.

As time has passed, I’ll admit, I hadn’t made this treat in several years.  Going plant-based, I never quite found an equal counterpart to a traditional eggnog until now.  I’ve tried this recipe with several vegan eggnogs and I found success with most brands.  I’ve suggested the versions below, in the recipe, that worked best in my opinion.  I prefer to make small loaves for gifting.  They are the perfect size and let’s face it, most people are drowning in other holiday sweets & treats.  However, this recipe would work perfectly in a regular size loaf pan.

This recipe can be subbed out with traditional products like butter and eggnog but I wanted to take a healthier approach as much as possible while keeping with the integrity of my original recipe. I hope you give this recipe a try.  Also perfect on Christmas morning amidst the wrapping paper flying and children giggling for a fun and easy breakfast or brunch idea.

Happy holidays!

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— Knead to Cook

Candy Cane Green Tea Chocolate Muffins. V GF.

by Filed Under: Breads, Breakfast, Brownies, Brunch, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Muffins, Snacks, Sponsored, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Wheat Free 4 Comments

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Candy Cane Green Tea Chocolate Muffins. V GF.

As December approaches, we transition from all things pumpkin spice into the crisp & refreshing flavor of peppermint. It’s rather coincidental how it aligns with the seasonal temperatures.

I wanted to take a different, albeit, healthier spin to a minty treat that would be perfect during the holiday season especially for snacking or your holiday breakfast, brunch menu or a gift-giving idea.  Let’s face it, cookies will be everywhere so why not take a different & healthier approach.  These muffins have a secret special ingredient – Peppermint Green Tea from Celestial Tea.  Green tea has been known to improve blood flow and lower cholesterol. Studies found green tea helped prevent a range of heart-related issues, from high blood pressure to congestive heart failure as well as many other health benefits.  Healthy and heart happy makes this little treat even better.

Through much recipe testing, I’ve found that adding the tea to warm coconut oil also makes this unique combination more flavorful and it yields a muffin that rivals a moist brownie in texture & flavor.  Plus these muffins are grain and gluten free as well as vegan.  Freeze nicely and are perfect prep ahead for the holidays.

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— Knead to Cook

Oat Banana Chocolate Bread. Vegan. Gluten free.

by Filed Under: Breads, Brunch, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fitness., Gluten Free, Nuts, Running/Races, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Wheat Free 2 Comments

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I’m working full throttle today on several recipes for a new client delivery tomorrow.  I think they’re going to love this recipe. I don’t know about you, but when I have many ripe bananas and haven’t frozen them – I quickly turn my sights to banana bread or muffins.  Easy grab and go breakfast for kids heading off to school, snacking after a long day or when your craving a punch of protein and chocolate… ummm me daily!  Ha.  The nut butter & hemp hearts add heart healthy fat & proteins to help you rebuild muscles & keep you satiated.  Seriously… no better combination than banana, nut butter and chocolate… right? Okay, okay… let’s get started.

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— Knead to Cook

Sugar-free banana bread. Vegan. GF.

by Filed Under: Breads, Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Gluten Free, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free 2 Comments

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I’ve been bound and determined to revamp recipes removing sugar lately.  The more I study the effects of sugar, I am really focused on removing it as much as possible in my recipes especially where fruit can be used as a natural sweetener.  This sugar free banana bread turned out great and my family didn’t even miss the sugary sweetness.  The key, when using bananas, is to use them when they are very ripe state so that the natural sugars take over and sweeten your recipe.  This banana bread is fairly easy to make.  I did add the sliced bananas on the top but next time I will opt for slicing them.  Some reserved liquids came out post baking that can add a mushy texture to the bread – just my observation. I’ve made this bread in traditional bread pan, mini loaf pans and muffin tins.  You just need to adjust your baking time and keep a watchful eye out.

This sugar free banana bread is great to freeze and pull out when you need it.  I always have about 30 bananas on my counter and invariably some are very VERY ripe.  I made several loaves to freeze while I’m on bed rest post meniscus repair surgery last week.  It makes life a bit easier for my family not to worry about one more dish to make or bake. I love having healthy baked goods ready for snacks after school or swim practice.  Plus breakfasts on the go are a bit easier too.

As for me, I’m on day 7 of bed rest. I’ve gotten through the rough patch post surgery crazy pain. I have to admit, I did opt for a nerve block in my leg post op and it didn’t help.  Wednesday evening was really hard – REALLY and I handle pain well.  I didn’t sleep and cried a bunch.  I did rebound and had my first PT on Friday.  I was able to bend my knee/leg to 90 degrees – which is expected around 2-3 weeks post op.  I’ve been doing 500 quad lifts per day.  Today is my 3rd PT visit and I look forward to weighted leg lifts and regaining mobility again.  And to be honest…  I’m excited to get out of the house.  Okay enough of an update… let’s get on to the recipe.
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— Knead to Cook

Banana PB Chia Bread. V. GF.

by Filed Under: Breads, Breakfast, Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Nuts, Quick Bread, Running/Races, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Wheat Free 5 Comments

 

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I have a thing for banana bread.  And with the volume of bananas we have in our house… I pretty much always have super ripe bananas and that means banana bread or nice cream.  I needed an after-school snack so I whipped up this super easy recipe in my food processor.  Made mini loaves – one without chocolate and three with. My kids love banana bread.  My dad has it with coffee and my husband always eats it as dessert after dinner.  I typically like a piece before my runs because it’s easy.  I added some chia and flax to this to amp up the Omega’s and protein.  Totally plant-based and gluten free as the oats serve as the flour.  Can be made in your blender or food processor so that makes it easy to clean up too.

I hope you guys had a great weekend.  Our youngest went on a church retreat.  We had a nice relaxing weekend.  Dog walks, bike rides and a run through Amish country.  This week begins my three week taper/recovery after last week’s peak of 86+ miles.  My body needs a recovery, refueling and a reboot.  I’m still struggling with the new meds I was put on for my restless leg so I’m going to deal with that and focus on lots of stretching and rolling.
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— Knead to Cook

Chocolate Chunk Banana Walnut Muffins. V. GF.

by Filed Under: Breads, Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fitness., Gluten Free, Lucy Let's Go Post, Product Review., Quick Bread, Running/Races, Sponsored, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free 6 Comments

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Returning to reality yesterday after a weekend away with family celebrating Easter was hard.  Training.  Laundry.  Dogs.  Grocery shopping.  You know the drill.  My oldest was off Monday and my youngest is off till mid-week.  I knew I needed a good healthy snack to grab when the munchies hit.  They requested banana bread and I whipped up these up to satisfy teenage hunger.

These are refined sugar-free.  Gluten free and completely vegan.  You can use mini chips or chunks for the vegan chocolate aspect.  I made some without for my husband and topped with banana slices.  These are hearty enough for breakfast or pre-run.  You can also half this recipe for 6 regular muffins or prepare as is for 12 large muffins.
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— Knead to Cook

Banana Overload Muffins. Vegan. GF.

by Filed Under: Breads, Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fitness., Fruit, Gluten Free, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Muffins, Quick Bread, Running/Races, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Wheat Free 2 Comments

Banana Overload Muffins. Vegan. GF.

Banana Overload Muffins. Vegan. GF.

If you love bananas… brace yourself.  These are the moistest, dreamy banana muffins I’ve ever created or made ever. Seriously.  Pair these up with your favorite nut butter and it could be heaven on earth.  Wow! I’m so excited.  I cannot keep muffins in my cake stand for my family for more than a few hours.  With 5 people living here including two teens… it’s an uphill battle.  No joke.  Plus with my oldest doing double swim practices and leaving my house at 5am – these are great pre-workout snack.  The next time you have a bunch of very ripe bananas… you gotta try these!  Ohhhhh and I forgot to mention – all made in your food processor.  Easy peasy! I did eat one before my run today and they were great. Enough to give me some fuel without any stomach upset -that I typically experience.
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— Knead to Cook