Knead to Cook

Food & fitness obsessed girl.

Almond cutout cookies. V. GF.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Cookies, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fitness., Gift ideas, Gluten Free, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Nuts, Party Foods, Running/Races, Snacks, Valentine's Day, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free Leave a Comment

Almond cutout cookies that are vegan, gluten free and oh so delicious.  Looking for some simple Valentine’s Day treat to share with your Galentine? Valentine?  Or some special people in your life?  These are perfect!  You can get fancy and cut the dough out into BIG or little hearts, I didn’t use a cookie cutter just my knife, or roll into traditional rounds.  Top with melted chocolate or icing and sprinkles or leave plain. These cookies are my new favorite!

This recipe is inspired by Marco Borges.  Refined sugar-free.  Really simple to make and totally kid-friendly. Would be fun with some red or pink (even a few drops of beet juice for natural coloring) to make pink!  These cookies will replace the old butter cookie recipe ANNNNND won’t blow your gym efforts.  1 cookie is around 60-70 calories and has 2 grams of protein!

Okay without further adieu… let’s get started!
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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

Cutout Sugar Cookies. Vegan. Gluten free.

by Filed Under: Brunch, Cookies, Dressings, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fitness., Gift ideas, Gluten Free, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Party Foods, Vegan, Vegetarian, Wheat Free Leave a Comment


Cutout sugar cookies that are vegan & gluten free… ummm yes, please!  I found this recipe after a quick google search over at Unconventional Baker.  I have no time this week to play around with sugar cookie experimentation and I needed a full-proof recipe that would save me time & yield the perfect cookie.  I did make some minor adjustments to the original recipe -please see below.

Okay so everyone is in a mad dash this week.  Finish shopping.  Wrapping.  Shipping.  Whatever.  I’m done with all of that but need to get cooking/baking done.  You see every year I make (crappy sugar) cut out cookies for our annual ugly Santa cookie contest.  Everyone decorates them… we choose the winner, normally my husband, and the winning cookies are left out for Santa on Christmas Eve.  The rest get pitched.  This year, avoiding waste and opting to use the finished cookies for dessert on Christmas – I knew I needed a good cookie that was both vegan and gluten free.  This recipe was super easy & required no chilling.  Baked up perfectly and they’re in my freezer till Saturday when they will be unveiled & decorated for our contest.  Okay… let’s get on to the recipe without further delay…
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— Knead to Cook

Walnut & Chocolate Muffins. Vegan. Gluten Free.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fitness., Gluten Free, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Muffins, Nuts, Quick Bread, Running/Races, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free Leave a Comment

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Walnut chocolate chip muffins.

These muffins were inspired by The Minimalist Baker’s Banana Chocolate Pecan muffins.  I’m admittedly not a fan of pecans so I made a few adaptations.  Mainly, I reduced the sugar necessary in the original recipe and increased the baking time a bit.  These muffins are insanely tasty and a perfect morning muffin or snack on the go!

As my oldest heads back to school this week, her final year of varsity swimming is upon her.  I obsess about her nutrition each week because she does many double practices a day and I love to have plenty of options at her disposal.  These muffins will be perfect – transportable, packed with protein and healthy fats along with great nutrition to keep her moving throughout her day & prepared for thousands of meters in the pool.

As I mentioned, I reduced the sugar from the original recipe.  The bananas and chocolate chips, I find, add plenty of sweetness.  These are dense muffins and quite filling.  I store these on my countertop in my cake stand but the fridge would also work well.  Plus freezing these in a ziploc would also work well.  This recipe yields 11 muffins.
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— Knead to Cook

Triple Bean Salad. Vegan. GF.

by Filed Under: Beans, Breakfast, Fitness., Gluten Free, Mexican, Running/Races, Salads, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free 17 Comments

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Happy World Vegan Day! I figured I better post a recipe today in honor of the day. Beans are such an integral part of a plant-based diet that this recipe, easy and beautiful as it is was perfect to share. This is one of those recipes to make on the weekend and have all week for quick lunches or side dishes for dinner. Even perfect for a savory breakfast alongside some scrambled tofu “eggs”.

Today I was reflecting on so many aspects of a vegan lifestyle. I’ve never taken the aggressive approach with friends of my blog/social channels. I firmly believe that each person’s journey must be respected. Personally, over the past year I’ve adopted a firmer stance of a vegan lifestyle not purchasing any items derived from animals. I’ve been selling all of my high-end, designer purses, shoes and accessories. I haven’t purchased any leather goods, including shoes etc. I make conscious decisions more so than ever. It’s a migration and not something that happens overnight. I’ve been very happy with the ever-expanding faux, vegan leather products carried at my favorite stores and love the MUCH lower costs associated with them!

With that being said… I just finished up cooking for my clients for the week. I’m looking forward to our trip this weekend (late anniversary jaunt) and will be sharing all of the fun with you on my social channels. So let’s get rolling on this super easy recipe… and how perfect will this be on your taco bar tonight?

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— Knead to Cook

Fall running favorites. Garmin Fitness Vivoactive HR Smartwatch Giveaway.

by Filed Under: Fitness., Friday Favorites Series, Gift ideas, Giveaway!!!, Running/Races, Sponsored 110 Comments

 

 

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Not a food post but an exciting giveaway with Garmin Fitness. If you follow me on Instagram I announced a fun giveaway for this beauty last evening.  Vivoactive GPS Heart Rate Smart watch.  You can read all about it here.  Retail is $249.99.  I realize some people aren’t on Insta so I wanted to share this giveaway here as well. Please comment on this post or any recipe posted from now till November 6th.  8p EST a winner will be announced, tagged and emailed.  A 24 hour reply is mandatory or we randomly select another winner.  U.S. residents only.

I also wanted to share some fall running favorites with you all before fall is over & I miss my opportunity.  I run at 4:30a or so & require lots of reflective & WARM gear.   These are my top favorites.

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— Knead to Cook

Apple Pie Spice Protein Bites. V. GF. Raw.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fitness., Gluten Free, Nuts, Running/Races, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free 4 Comments

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Welcome fall with these Apple Pie Spice Protein Bites. (vegan, gluten-free & raw)

I’m smitten with October.  The weather, especially in the morning, is getting much more crisp.  I’ve broken out the long sleeve running shirts, sweatshirts and even my running gloves.  The leaves are changing, heartier dishes and stews are getting prepared in our kitchen and all is right with my world.

Lately, I’ve been back to cooking for several clients over the past month and these are definitely in rotation.  The combination of ingredients is so powerful, energy-sustaining & heart healthy packed with protein, omegas and necessary fats to keep your body balanced & running smoothly.  These bites are perfect pre or post training & are a favorite to keep on hand when you just need a sweet treat but don’t want to blow your healthy eating regimen.  You can also roll these into bites, like I did or into a lined loaf pan and sliced like snack bars.  I’ve also used this as a crust for some raw pies.  The ideas are simply endless.
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— Knead to Cook

Butternut Squash Vega Protein Smoothie. V & GF.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fitness., Gluten Free, Health & wellness, Nuts, Running/Races, Smoothies, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Wheat Free 6 Comments

 

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Butternut Squash Vega Protein Smoothie. V & GF.

I recently fell in love with butternut squash – clearly I had issues. I always tolerated it, but never really gravitated to it.  This fall… I’m now crazy for it.  I’ve been roasting up all of ours from our garden and had about 2 cups mashed leftover from a food job.  I was thinking hummus but then recalled my love of smoothies, I haven’t really been drinking them lately, and got to work immediately on creating this recipe.  And my goal:  be fall inspired and NO bananas or dates.

Butternut squash is high in Vitamin A, C, iron and potassium.  Great for a post workout meal.  This smoothie is creamy, slightly sweet and packed with protein.  Think of it as fall in a glass.  If you need a break from pumpkin or PSL’s this may do the trick!  Rich and creamy… reminiscent of a decadent dessert.  Yum!

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— Knead to Cook

Lima Bean Garlic Hummus. V. GF.

by Filed Under: Beans, Brunch, Condiments, Dips, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fitness., Gluten Free, No bake/cooking required!, Side dish, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Wheat Free Leave a Comment

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Lima Bean Hummus. Vegan & gluten free.

I love to cook seasonally.  I shop at farmer’s markets at least 2 times a week and love buying local seasonal produce.  I’ve been seeing tons of lima beans popping up & wanted to put a spin on their preparation v. the traditional boiling method.  Plus my girls will eat hummus but not a lima beans.

We consume a lot of hummus in our house.  I love it on my daily monstrous salad as an extra boost of protein & because I don’t use dressing – I like the flavor punch hummus provides.  My husband uses it daily on his veggie sandwiches he takes to work.  Plus of course, dipping veggies, crackers and chips is a must.  Lima beans are buttery in texture and are a wonderful source of Thiamin, B6 and folate.  The blend down to a lovely consistency in hummus… and if you like to mix up your beans, and plant based proteins – you will love this one.
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— Knead to Cook

Lucy Let’s Go Blog Post: Pumpkin Protein Pancakes. Vegan. Gluten Free.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fitness., Gluten Free, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Lucy Let's Go Post, Vegan, Vegan proteins 7 Comments

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Fall is approaching.  The weather is cooling down & the kids are back to school.  Workouts migrate outside to embrace the cooler temps & the vibrant scenery.  All of these things bring me to my favorite seasonal ingredient to use – PUMPKIN!  Pumpkin is chock full of vitamins and is very low calorie.  Vitamin A, potassium and antioxidant rich.  Plus vitamin C & fiber which help promote a healthy blood pressure & heart.  So many benefits in this vibrant-colored ingredient.  Plus along with everything else that grows, it has protein.  Protein!  Never has one ingredient been so controversial for people.  If you’re vegan like me – the typical question is… “Where do you get your protein?” to “How much is necessary in a diet?”

How Much Protein Do I Need?

The US Department of Agriculture recommends that all men and women over the age of 19 should get at least 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day (or 0.37 grams per pound). That means a woman who is 130 pounds should get at least 48 grams of protein but some recommend 70-80 grams if you’re athletic.  Depending on your daily activities, you still may not be getting enough to help your muscles recover from your workouts.

If you get too little protein, you can suffer from fatigue, weakness or muscle loss. Your metabolism slows down and you put yourself at risk of gaining weight. It also weakens your immune system. This breakfast can be made ahead on the weekend so that you can refrigerate or freeze them and defrost as needed.  Plus this makes a perfect quick & healthy breakfast for your kids too.  And let’s face it… homemade trumps store-bought daily.  These are vegan & gluten free.

Click here to get this recipe!
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— Knead to Cook