Archives for February 2014

Taco bar.

February 28, 2014 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Brunch, Chicken, Gluten Free, Ground Turkey, Mexican, Party Foods, Turkey, Vegan, Vegetarian, Wheat Free 2 Comments

Taco Tuesday is a staple in my house. My kids have requested it forever and now it’s a staple… at least for the most part. We missed Tuesday this week due to my daughter’s swim banquet for high school but I made up for it on Wednesday. Having a taco “bar” is easy when your family has a divided diet as mine does. My husband recently adopted a vegetarian diet, much like myself but my girls and father all eat meat. Having a multitude of toppings makes it easy if your a vegan, vegetarian or meat lover to happily partake in this fun theme dinner.

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— Knead to Cook

Tropical Green Monster Smoothie.

February 27, 2014 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Beverages, Cabot Fit Team, Fruit, Gluten Free, No bake/cooking required!, Smoothies, St. Patrick's Day, Vegan, Vegetarian, Vitamix, Wheat Free Leave a Comment

As most of the U.S. is now covered with yet another polar vortex (I cannot tell you how much I despise that phrase), my kitchen is springing me forward with thoughts of warmer weather. I’ve been inundating myself with tons of fresh fruit (even frozen) for my smoothies and they totally give my body a much needed Vitamin C boost and fool my tastebuds into thinking of spring and even summer. Mangoes are priced so low at the grocery store, I can’t stop buying them and eating several per day. The color, the flavor… undeniably good and great for you!

Channel your inner tropical and travel to a tasty tastebud vacation… so necessary after a super long winter! I will give you a few options below in the recipe. I made this tonight as an immune booster as two of the five members of my family are sick and prefer to stay on the healthy team.

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— Knead to Cook

Healthy corn bread.

February 26, 2014 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Breads, Chili, Mexican, Snacks, Vegetarian 8 Comments

Corn bread is one of those things that just pairs up with chili so perfectly. Nothing else really fills that void. Like chocolate and peanut butter – there is no better match. So on Monday I made a batch of vegan veggie and bean chili and that coincidentally meant that I had to whip up a batch of my healthy corn bread. I’ve been mixing this recipe up trying to make it healthier v. my standard I’ve always used and this one was good enough to “blog” about. Plus with the addition of Greek yogurt… it has protein, which as a vegetarian, I really focus hard on getting enough in my diet. No oils, butters necessary!

This comes together pretty fast and then you need to bake. I like it a bit on the toastier side of golden but you can certainly adjust your baking time and once the bread is done (insert a toothpick to check) you can remove it. Let it cool for a few minutes then serve it up. My family loves it with honey butter (mix butter with a few teaspoons of raw honey or maple syrup) until blended. I’ve always loved corn bread muffins… the graininess and texture captured my attention during a college internship many years ago and I’ve remained a devout fan. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we have and make it the next time you whip up a batch of your favorite chili.

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— Knead to Cook

Crock Pot Vegan Bean Chili.

February 25, 2014 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Chili, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Mexican, Vegan, Vegetarian, Wheat Free 11 Comments

Chili is one of those super comforting meals for me and I have many, many recipes for different versions. To me… it’s the perfect Monday meal – I have no idea why… probably because I can fix it and walk away. I love dinners that are ready when you are with little fuss. Yesterday I woke up thinking it was Sunday -admittedly, this was NOT good as it was Monday and the start of the week. I lost a weekend day because Sunday our swim team hosted the longest Championship meet (or what seemed to be) and it was just draining after months of preparation.

So yesterday was Meatless Monday and I was really craving a big bowl of chili. Monday was also our very first night since September that we didn’t have swim practice or commitment so it was lovely to make dinner, do homework and just chill out for the night. Tonight we celebrate our freshman swimmer at her high school banquet and her earning her very first letter and once again, off we go. Very thankful we have leftovers from last night! This recipes yields about 10 servings.

This recipe can easily be adapted if you wish to have it with meat by adding ground turkey or beef (cooked) to it. It is already protein-packed with beans and was so filling that you honestly won’t miss the animal protein if you go that route. This recipe took me about 8 minutes to prepare and I let it slow cook in my crock pot for 4-6 hours and just served it up once everyone was home. Also makes great leftovers.

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— Knead to Cook

KIND Granola Bars.

February 20, 2014 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fruit, Gluten Free, Nuts, Product Review., Vegan, Vegetarian 8 Comments

I’m always whipping up granola bites, balls or bars in my kitchen. I really dislike the store-bought versions chock full of preservatives and chemicals that I can’t pronounce. The fine people over at KIND sent me some granola to create with and that’s just what I did. They turned out quite tasty and with all of the different varieties they offer, the flavors can be customized to your preference. I used vanilla blueberry clusters.

These took only minutes to make and chilled up in the fridge in about 30 minutes. Great on-the-go breakfast, snack, post workout treat, after-school snack or dessert idea. My kids love granola and it’s a great way to pack in some healthy ingredients. You can use whatever granola or trail mix you prefer. You can also add mini chocolate chips, raisins, dried fruit, nuts etc. Totally customizable!

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— Knead to Cook

Wheat Berry Stuffed Bell Peppers. Vegan. Vegetarian or Meat Lovers.

February 19, 2014 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Ground Turkey, Pork, Turkey, Vegan, Vegetarian, Wheat Free 3 Comments

The count in my family is now 2 vegetarians and 3 carnivores. I have to admit, somedays its just hard enough getting one dinner on the table versus two different options to satisfy everyone’s needs/wishes. This dish works really well because you can prepare the base and use that for the vegan/vegetarian option and add your protein for the meat lover versions. You can make as many as you need working essentially between the two dishes. This dish can easily be prepared ahead of time as well and then just baked/broiled right before serving dinner. Plus it’s packed with protein and vitamins to keep you humming along healthy and happy!

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— Knead to Cook

Very Veggie Marinara Sauce.

February 17, 2014 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Italian-inspired, Pasta, Sauces, Vegan, Vegetarian, Vitamix Leave a Comment

Happy President’s Day! This week will be an absolute blur for me – too many meetings, a very special 15th birthday, her party, and our swim team is hosting a very large, all-day swim meet that I’m on the board for… lots of planning on tap this week. I’m very happy to have a post ready to go today. It’s actually our dinner for tonight and I’ll admit that I’ve eaten a bowl of this sauce already (you know, quality assurance). It’s perfect for meatless Monday! And if you puree it – it makes it kid-proof so they can’t pick out veggies or even detect them AND it thickens the sauce up nicely so your most voracious carnivores get the same thick, meaty sauce feeling in their mouth that will fill them up sans the meat.

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— Knead to Cook

Training. Valentine’s Day. And yes, more snow.

February 14, 2014 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Running/Races Leave a Comment

First things first, Happy Valentine’s Day to my awesome husband, best friend and supporter of my insane life. Without him, I would truly be nothing! He cheers me on, he encourages me to be my best and he is the shoulder that I collapse into when I need support. I’m blessed beyond words with this guy.

Now today is Valentine’s Day and post NorEaster snow storm that proved to be a two-punch whack to much of the East Coast. For the past two days I’ve surpassed 31k steps on my Jawbone Up band and quite frankly… I’ve done half marathons and not hit this amount of steps. I’ve only hit this marker three times in the past year and two times have been in the past two days. I’m on target to do it again today… post shorter training run (because my legs have just been abused this week) and from chopping at ice that was plowed across my driveway making it impossible to get out this morning. Thank you hubby again for the help!

But I wanted to start blogging more about my training (I already share a ton of Instagram if you follow me) but this was my shorter run of the week. I have one more to go this weekend sometime. For the week I’m at 23 miles. Want to break that 30 mile mark by Sunday. Monthly I’m at 41.18 miles. I’m doing all of my running on the treadmill at my gym because its either too cold out, too icy or too snowy. Can’t wait for spring or even just a mild warm-up at this point.

— Knead to Cook

Black bean and sweet potato bake in the crock pot.

February 14, 2014 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Cheese, Crock Pot, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Mexican, Potatoes, Vegan, Vegetarian, Wheat Free 32 Comments

This was our dinner from Monday but after a week of pure madness with the weather again, I’m finally sitting down to blog about it. My husband has now embraced the vegetarian lifestyle (for the moment) and I’ll admit, it’s becoming a balancing act between three carnivores and two vegetarians for dinner. I’m having flashbacks of when my kids were younger and everyone wanted something different for dinner. Moms out there know exactly what I’m talking about! So Mondays are strictly Meatless Mondays here now. It helps me out a tremendous amount – taking the guesswork out of what’s for dinner and my kids know not to look for the elusive meat choice of the night. Plus one night without meat won’t kill them, despite what they think.

This recipe takes seconds to get together and put in your slow cooker/multi cooker/crock pot. I’ll admit, not a gorgeous dish but it rocks your tastebuds! I’ve been eating the leftovers and it just gets better every day. Plus it’s loaded with beans for protein and great vitamins! A good friend of mine dropped off some of her special Indian rice and we served this over that. All I can say is HEAVENLY!

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— Knead to Cook

Running. Training. And the Cabot Fit Team 2014.

February 13, 2014 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Cabot Fit Team, Life., Running/Races 4 Comments

I’m so honored and excited to announce that I’ll be representing Cabot Fit Team for another year and running in the Keybank Vermont City Marathon this May. As an avid runner and health fanatic, I love representing Cabot! As a company, their philosophy embodies everything I support. They utilize local farmers for their incredible products. The farmers are small, know their cattle and love what they do. We had a wonderful opportunity to meet one of the farmer’s last year and I still cherish that opportunity. Their cows are named and treated like valuable members of their family – not just a number like in larger, corporate farms.

Cabot also supports bloggers who have a passion for fitness. You can read more about the Cabot Fit Team for 2014 with their press release by clicking here. Last year we ran the Beach to Beacon Race in Maine and I have to admit, that experience, meeting new friends and Olympians, exploring a new state, running an incredible race and experiencing the hospitality of Cabot was one of the most cherished experiences. Along with some returning teammates from last year – we’re excited to add some fresh faces. Can’t wait to meet you all in person!

Kelly from http://www.kellytheculinarian.com
Carissa from http://www.fit2flex.com
Joanne from http://joanne-eatswellwithothers.com
Marlow from http://www.glutenhatesme.com
Nicole from http://www.preventionrd.com

And returning Cabot Fit Teammates:

Carolyn from http://alldayidreamaboutfood.com
Katie from http://www.healthyseasonalrecipes.com
Kristina from http://www.loveandzest.com

I hope you get a chance to check out all of these awesome, healthy bloggers and share some love. They are all great inspirations for fitness and clean eating… I’m honored to represent alongside them!

I love training in the winter, admittedly I’m not a fan of running in the heat. I run early mornings – like 5 am because I totally dig the peace and quiet of the world. Yes, I know, some people just don’t get it. I pray, I meditate and I get into my own head and sort things out. Sometimes I just run and don’t think. But there is something quite peaceful when it’s dark… and the hustle and bustle hasn’t quite started yet. Lately due to the horrendous winter we’ve been experiencing, I’ve been relegated to the treadmill at my gym for my runs. I’ve been progressing right along and will continue to blog more about that. Now let the training continue… at least on the treadmill (because winter may never end).

— Knead to Cook