Balsamic grilled chicken and plums.

by Filed Under: Asian inspired, Chicken, Fruit, Gluten Free Leave a Comment

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Like everyone on the planet who eats/prepares chicken, the search for a new, fun recipe is always a mission.  My husband was coming home from being away all week on business, I had chicken defrosting and originally thought it would be fun as shish kabobs but I didn’t have time to soak my sticks so I opted to grill (indoors due to a bit of rain) on my grill pan. This dinner came together perfectly and in one pan, which hey, is a big score in any kitchen!  I topped the final product over leftover quinoa I had in the fridge but it would be great over some brown rice too.

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— Knead to Cook

Almond Butter Banana Bread.

by Filed Under: Breads, Breakfast, Desserts, Fruit, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Muffins, Nuts, Quick Bread, Snacks, Vegetarian, Yogurt Leave a Comment

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I have an abundance of ripe bananas in my kitchen right now.  I’ve whipped up some smoothies and next up with a healthy banana bread as an after-school snack.  This bread is packed with protein, courtesy of my favorite Greek yogurt, healthier oil instead of butter and a reduced amount of sugar.  Pipping hot from the oven, my family couldn’t wait to dig in and it was well-received by all.  Think of this as breakfast, snack or dessert!  It is so good.

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— Knead to Cook

Banana Peanut Butter Yogurt Smoothie with a twist.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fruit, Gluten Free, No bake/cooking required!, Smoothies, Snacks, Vegetarian, Vitamix, Wheat Free, Yogurt 4 Comments

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Can’t get your kids to eat “good” foods?  How about sneaking them in to what they love?  I posted a recipe for a smoothie a few months ago that had an avocado in it and I had several people email me questioning the taste and my sanity.  Ha!  Then they tried it on their 2, 3 and 4 year olds and guess what… the kids were asking for more!  Now I don’t go telling my kids what I put in their smoothies because then they would complain or not drink them.  Today was the perfect example… my oldest daughter went to the gym yesterday to workout with my 75 year old dad.  He kicked her tush!  I got a text this morning that stated simply “I’m broken.”  Ha ha.  Now, I shouldn’t laugh but every day of my life I have a sore muscle or muscles.  The constant pursuit of fitness will yield these results.  So with a chuckle, I knew I had to make her a nice big protein smoothie to help her sore muscles rebuild.  She, along with the workers that I have in my house today installing our pool table, all gobbled it down and loved it.  None the wiser of the ingredients!

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— Knead to Cook

Cherry Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. {clean eating}

by Filed Under: 4th of July/Patriotic, Desserts, Frozen Pops, Fruit, Gluten Free, No bake/cooking required!, Party Foods, Vegetarian, Vitamix 5 Comments

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Okay the dog days of summer are here and that calls for ice cream, right?  Of course!

My clean eating journey continues but that doesn’t mean I can’t have ice cream (or at least a healthier version of it).  PLUS no ice cream maker required! I love that this creamy “ice cream” hits the sweet spot plus bananas are filled with fiber and potassium, cherries are a natural anti-inflammatory fruit (we can all use that) and the creaminess… oh you had me at the first spoonful.  Great treat for the kids too!  Also a perfect way (without making banana bread) to use up ripe bananas.  Go grab your bananas and get them into your freezer~ you’ll be so happy you did!

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— Knead to Cook

Overnight Peanut Butter and Banana Oats. {no cooking or baking.}

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fruit, Gluten Free, No bake/cooking required!, Nuts, Vegetarian 11 Comments

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I need to add more oats to my diet.  I am a total creature of habit.  I pretty much have the same breakfast and lunch every day.  I needed to mix it up – variety is the spice of life, right?  I kept seeing overnight oats everywhere I looked – like a subliminal message, I thought I would make a batch last night (after three days away in three states for a short holiday) and see how it tasted.  Well as you may or many not know, I’ve been clean eating for about 8-9 months.  Avoiding pretty much anything processed, loaded with preservatives, meat and striving to be as clean as possible.  Okay enough about that!  So I wanted to add only clean ingredients to my overnight refrigerated oatmeal.  It took me about 2 minutes to assemble and have in the fridge.  I anxiously awaited the morning and the taste test… to be continued.

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— Knead to Cook

Mango Raspberry Zoku Popsicles.

by Filed Under: Desserts, Frozen Pops, Fruit, Gluten Free, No bake/cooking required!, Party Foods, Vegetarian, Zoku Popsicles Leave a Comment

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Clean eating and knowing what you are giving your children and family to eat is so important.  Most of the frozen treats in the grocery stores are filled with preservatives and funky ingredients that I prefer not to serve my family.  Last week I finally bought a Zoku popsicle maker.  An investment but you can certainly use regular popsicle molds if you have those on hand (they just require freezing time).  Plus, kids of all ages love making their own versions of their treats.  This is my daughter’s 3rd or 4th popsicle that she’s made.

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— Knead to Cook

Triple berry pie.

by Filed Under: 4th of July/Patriotic, Desserts, Featured, Fruit, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Pies, Vegetarian 12 Comments

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It’s berry season!!!  This, in my mind, is a BIG reason to celebrate.  Everyone in my family can seriously just eat and eat berries without ceasing.  Today, on our way home from swim practice I thought we would swing by our favorite berry farm to see what goodies they had to sell.  My youngest and I were quite pleased to find black, red and blue berries.  I have to admit, we started eating them on the way home… lack of restraint for certain.  So then my mind started racing… a berry buckle, cobbler, tart… no let’s make a pie!  Triple berry sounded lovely.  I rushed off to the store and bought my very special Irish butter and organic cream (needed for whipping later) and I got to work.  Now I have to admit, I have been eating and preparing cleaner dishes for my family however there are just some recipes that I cannot “healthify” (yes I know, not a real word) but there are just some recipes that you don’t tinker with, plain and simple.  This recipe for crust is very old and I cherish it.  It is certainly indulgent but not something you eat everyday – it’s just that…. a summer treat.   Perfect for the 4th of July too!

I love the rustic looking crust.  Not perfect but unique to itself.  It smells heavenly and now I better go and whip up some fresh whipped cream for topping this beauty.

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— Knead to Cook

Banana Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cupcakes. {dairy free}

by Filed Under: Brunch, Desserts, Frozen Pops, Fruit, Gluten Free, Ice cream, Vegetarian, Vitamix, Wheat Free Leave a Comment

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These are the easiest and one of the healthiest ways of enjoying one of summer’s most treasured treats… ice cream!  BUT, these are healthier, dairy-free, and packed with so much protein!  Three ingredients.  Takes only about 2 minutes to make – the worst part is waiting for them to freeze!

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— Knead to Cook

Strawberry & Peanut Butter Protein Smoothie.

by Filed Under: Beverages, Breakfast, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fruit, Gluten Free, No bake/cooking required!, Smoothies, Vegetarian, Vitamix 1 Comment

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It’s been a bountiful strawberry season for our garden.  Huge bowls of strawberries are being filtered into my kitchen daily.  So after my run this morning, I thought I would whip up a breakfast smoothie for my girls and I thought a peanut butter &  strawberry (a take-off of pb and j) would be a fun.  My girls loved it and drank them down in record time.  Packed with fruit, which provides necessary vitamins and energy, protein for muscles – its a great way to start the day.  A lower calorie option would be to replace the peanut butter with dried peanut butter (4 tablespoons) to reduce the fat/calories.

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— Knead to Cook

Banana Almond Butter Ice Cream. {Dairy-free.}

by Filed Under: 4th of July/Patriotic, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Featured, Fruit, Ice cream, Vegetarian, Vitamix, Wheat Free 14 Comments

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We all have them… the bananas on our kitchen counter that are starting to spoil right in front of our eyes.  I buy so many bananas at the farmer’s market for smoothies and snacks, invariably some remain that look rather dismal and taunt me.  I typically freeze them (for future use) or I whip up some banana bread but with soaring 90 degree temps this week – I thought I would blend them up with some almond butter and make some healthy ice cream.  This recipe is so insanely easy and customizable – you will fall in love, fast & hard for this treat!

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— Knead to Cook