Archives for December 2013

Chicken Teriyaki in the Slow Cooker.

December 5, 2013 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Asian inspired, Chicken, Crock Pot, Wheat Free 8 Comments

Slow cooker, crock pot, whatever you call it – it is a lifesaver for busy families. This week has been totally nutty for me. Lots of swim commitments in the afternoon and evenings and this weekend starts our weekend meets. I’ve also been quite smitten with my slow cooker as I got a brand new one that does all of these great things so today is my second day testing it out. This recipe is so easy and so flavorful. You can easily toss all of the ingredients into your slow cooker and make rice ahead of time and you will have dinner the minute you get in the door after work/taxiing or whatever you do. During the busy holiday season, recipes like this are a must to be the ultimate time saver and who can’t use more time?

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— Knead to Cook

Caramelized vanilla blondies.

December 4, 2013 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Brownies, Cookies, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Party Foods, Vegetarian 7 Comments

These blondies are perfect for baking and holiday gift-giving. They have a caramelized flavor making them irresistible. Not clean-eating by any stretch of the imagination but everything in moderation. With a husband who is allergic to chocolate (yes, gasp!) these are the perfect treat. I’ve had this recipe for about 20 years – my little stained index card. A true favorite I always make around the holidays. Flaky tops. Ooey gooey centers, does it get any better? Commence drooling.

So in my house, I always try to have a wide variety of “treats” for my kids and I made protein bars yesterday… today I knew I had to make a fun sweet for an after-practice/dinner dessert option. Perfect wrapped up in a cellophane bag with a plaid ribbon. Pay a bit of happiness forward and make someone’s day extra special or eat them all yourself and then hit the gym hard tomorrow…. it’s your choice!

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— Knead to Cook

Coconut Milk and Chickpea Stew.

December 3, 2013 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Crock Pot, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Soups, Vegan, Vegetarian, Wheat Free 4 Comments

Last Wednesday, before Thanksgiving, our family went out to dinner to celebrate my mother-in-law’s birthday. We went to my favorite local hot spot that has some really clean, vegan dishes and I had the most amazing soup. It was the inspiration for this stew. I’ve been tweaking and fine-tuning hoping to even come close to the magnificence that was the soup I had last week. Although vegan, this stew is really filling, thick and delicious. Even my most staunch carnivores, who tasted my soup at dinner, were raving about it. I’m so anxious to have dinner tonight. Even better – I put all of my ingredients into my new crock pot and let it cook all day. Easy peasy.

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— Knead to Cook

Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars.

December 2, 2013 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Cookies, Desserts, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Snacks, Vegetarian 12 Comments

Peppermint is so reminiscent of Christmas to me. It seems like I only really use it in recipes late November and December despite a deep love for it. As I sit here, on the Sunday prior to Thanksgiving, I’m rushing today to get three new recipes created, cooked/baked and photographed and then blogged so that I can take some down time this week with my family. This is my final recipe. It’s indulgent. Not clean eating. I created this recipe for my daughter to take to a sleepover tomorrow night. The girls have all been swimming so much that the calories don’t matter (ah to be a teenager) and it’s a special treat to enjoy with girlfriends at a sleepover. On top of using some mint in this recipe, I also added a fun little extra to this recipe. A fun baking holiday idea that is a must try!

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— Knead to Cook

Our black Friday tradition…

December 2, 2013 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Life. 2 Comments

Our black Friday tradition, I realize, is a bit different from many. We spend Thanksgiving home with our family. Enjoy the day and the night – home. We aren’t fans of rushing out at midnight, or now 6pm to go shopping for Christmas (not that there is anything wrong with it if you do). I value sleeping too much and there isn’t a deal great enough to tear me away from the coziness of my bed, especially after training hard. This year was, however, a bit of a departure as my youngest had her braces put on first thing in the morning. We opted to do lunch instead of breakfast and then go hunt for the perfect tree. And that’s just what we did.

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— Knead to Cook

Holiday Cheer Giveaway!

December 2, 2013 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Giveaway!!! 204 Comments

It’s definitely the season of giving! This is the second holiday giveaway Knead to Cook is participating in. So excited to work with these awesome bloggers! This giveaway is for a $600 Visa gift card. I’m sure that will certainly make a dent in your holiday gift giving. The giveaway runs from December 2nd – 15th, 2013 and a winner will be announced on December 16th, 2013.

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— Knead to Cook