Food & fitness obsessed girl.
Today is National Banana Bread day. Who would’ve known?! I had some overly ripe bananas and thought why not! These adorable little muffins make the perfect after-school snack or breakfast on the go. It is a hands down favorite in our house.
— Knead to Cook
Okay this recipe just came to me this morning. I had some leftover Honey Crisp apples and started to make it work. I wanted to sneak in some healthy aspects to these pancakes. My eldest daughter was off to swim practice for her Championship meet next weekend and I wanted to give her a great, filling start that wasn’t overwhelming and filled with sugar (unlike my pancakes for her birthday breakfast).
Ingredients:
1.25 whole wheat flour (I use King Arthur’s whole wheat)
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tsp of flax seed meal
2 tsp of ground cinnamon
1 egg, at room temperature
1 c low fat or non fat milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tbl of white granulated sugar
1 apple, cored, peeled and grated
1 carrot, washed, peeled and finely grated
1/4 c of chopped walnuts
Directions:
Sift together flour, baking powder, flax seed meal and cinnamon. Set that bowl aside. In large measuring cup or smaller bowl add milk, egg, salt and sugar. Add the wet ingredients to the dry mixture. Whisk until combined. Then add apple, carrot and walnuts. Mix again. The batter will be slightly lumpy and thick.
In your sauté pan add a tiny pat or butter (I used I can’t believe it’s not butter) or non stick spray. Add a scoop of your batter and let cook until bubbles appear throughout the pancake. I kept this at a low to medium flame and kept a watchful eye. 2-3 minutes later, flip. Cook an additional 1-2 minutes.
— Knead to Cook
Ingredients:
1.5 c all purpose flour
3.5 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tbl white sugar
1.25 c of low fat or non fat milk
1 egg, room temperature
3 tbl I Can’t Believe It’s Not butter or regular butter, melted
1 tsp of vanilla extract
In a large bowl, sift together all of the dry ingredients and set aside.
In another bowl, mix milk, 1 egg, melted butter and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients and whisk until blended. It will be lumpy.
OPTIONAL: You can add 1 c of fresh fruit like blueberries, strawberries, chopped bananas etc. I used one large baking bar of Ghirardelli 4 oz baking bar 60% cacao chocolate chopped. Add to the finished batter an whisk till combined.
In a skillet, heat over low -medium flame a pat of I Can’t Believe It’s Not butter or regular butter. Once melted. Add a ladle full of batter. Cook 2-3 mins or until the batter is getting bubbles throughout. Flip for another minute or so and serve.
— Knead to Cook
I LOVE homemade granola! This has been my hand’s down favorite recipe. We make this every other month (kept in an airtight container) it is perfect! I make half the batch with dark chocolate and half without (hubby is allergic). It does make a lot of granola I promise, it won’t last long 
Perfect for yogurt parfaits for breakfast. Top ice cream for dessert or just eat a handful when you need a snack. This is also a wonderful gift idea for friends or during the holidays. Totally addictive!
Ingredients:
8 c of rolled oats
1.5 c of wheat germ
1.5 c of oat bran
1/4 c of chia seeds
1/4 c of flax seed meal
1 c of sunflower seeds
1 c of slivered toasted almonds
1 c of cashews
1 c of chopped walnuts
1 tsp of sea salt
1 1/4 c of maple syrup
1 tbl of raw honey (or processed honey or agave)
1 c of vegetable oil
1 tbl of ground cinnamon
1 tbl vanilla extract
2 c of dried tart cherries (or blueberries, raisins or craisins)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.
Combine the oats, wheat germ, flax, chia, oat bran, sunflower seeds, cashews, almonds, walnuts and salt in a very large bowl. In a separate bowl (or you can use your sauce pan) combine the maple syrup, honey, oil, cinnamon and vanilla. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Whisk until completely blended. Then remove from the heat and pour over dry mixture. Mix well and then spread on 2 baking sheets. Make sure you have one layer in each pan. You can bake additional cookie sheets as needed.
Bake until crispy and toasted brown. 1 hour and 20 minutes. Cool and then add your mix-ins. Chocolate, dried fruit etc. Store in an airtight container or ziploc baggie.
— Knead to Cook
Today my youngest daughter is having some teeth extracted and I wanted to make her a super special, yummy breakfast to load her up with some calories before her procedure. These, although look over-the-top, indulgent, aren’t as bad as they could be I like these for a special birthday breakfast or on a snowy morning. They are always well-loved.
Ingredients:
1 c of chocolate low fat almond milk or regular low fat milk works well
1 egg
2 tbl of I can’t believe it’s not butter
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1 c of all-purpose unbleached flour
1/3 c of unsweetened cocoa (I used Wilbur)
1/4 c of sugar
1/2 tsp of baking soda
1/2 tsp of salt
1/4 c of chocolate chips
Powered sugar for dusting
Directions:
In a bowl combine milk, egg, vanilla and butter. Whisk until blended.
In your mixer bowl with the paddle attachment on, combine flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda and salt. Mix that for about a minute.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and blend until incorporated but avoid over mixing. The batter will be slightly lumpy.
Get your sauté or griddle pan nice and hot and spray with a nonstick spray or place a pat of I can’t believe it’s not butter in the pan. Once melted, add the batter. Once bubbles appear on the pancake – flip. This should take 1-2 minutes or so. Watch closely to avoid burning.
I topped these with a dusting of powdered sugar and Chobani Vanilla with chocolate chip yogurt for added protein. Let your imagination run wild with toppings
Enjoy!
— Knead to Cook
I love steel cut oats made in the crock pot. I simply throw everything in before bed & have this wonderful breakfast all ready when we get back from our frigid run. This recipe is so flexible. You can use what you have in your pantry, as I do each time I make steel cut oats.
I use my small crock pot but if you don’t have one, the larger model is fine.
Ingredients:
Non stick butter spray (I use Pam)
1 cup of steel cut oats
3 cups of cherry cider (I use Trader Joe’s) but you can use apple juice, cider, cherry juice
1 cup of water
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch of salt
One apple, cored and chopped into bite-sized pieces
1/4 cup of dried tart cherries (raisins or other dried fruit will work beautifully too)
Directions:
Spray the insert to your slow cooker then add all of the ingredients. Stir gently. Cover and cook overnight on low. I normally make this around 8 pm and eat around 6-6:30 am. I like to remove the lid of the slow cooker for about 10 minutes prior to serving – helps release the condensation that’s built up.
Top with your favorite nuts, chia seeds, honey, brown sugar, agave… whatever you like! My daughter gobbles this up in the morning. Great way to start your day off
— Knead to Cook
As most of you know, my husband and I are training for our second marathon. This training program we are utilizing is totally different than the first and it is daunting to say the least. With all of the running, we eat a lot. I’m always looking for great, low sugar options that are high in protein. He is also, allergic to chocolate, so when making recipes, that is a concern.
Every morning, Bill eats something before our run. I eat nothing. I know this isn’t good. But with short or medium runs, it never bothers me. Tomorrow we are slated for a15 miler and I know that my ways need to change and I need to start adding fuel before we head out. We also run super early… so I’m not in the mood to be whipping up any kind of breakfast at 5 a.m. Last time we trained, I would eat a tablespoon of peanut butter, a bite of a banana and have my gel for my runs. Today I thought it would be fun to whip up a low sugar bar that we can both eat prior to heading out the door. This turned out to be perfect and I made half with chocolate chips (for myself and my girls) and half w/o for Bill.
Ingredients:
4 cups instant cooking rolled oats
3 tablespoons chia seeds
2 tbl of flax seed meal
1 or 2 pinches of salt
1/2 c peanuts, chopped
1/2 c agave syrup
1/4 c of raw honey (you can use regular honey as well)
1 c of natural peanut butter, melted in the microwave
1/3 c of dark chocolate chips
Preheat over to 350 degrees. In a your mixing bowl with the paddle attachment, mix the oats, chia. flax, salt and nuts. Then add the agave & honey. Mix until combined. Add melted peanut butter. If using chocolate chips, add them until incorporated. If your mixture doesn’t seem moist enough (try pinching it in between your fingers to see if it sticks together) – add a tsp of agave or honey until it reaches the right consistency.
Spray non stick spray in a 13×9 glass pan. Pour the prepared ingredients into the pan and flatten with the back of a wooden spoon until flat. Bake for 25 minutes or so, until golden. Remove and cool for 30 minutes then cut into bars.
— Knead to Cook
We just got home from our run and I wanted to whip up something warm to eat. This was a super quick recipe and bakes up in about 30 minutes. This is definitely one way to get your week started off on the right foot!
Ingredients:
2 c of quick cooking oats
1/4 c of brown sugar
1 tsp of cinnamon
1/4 tsp of pumpkin pie spice
2 tbl of slivered almonds (any nut would work)
1 tsp of baking powder
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1.5 c of almond milk (vanilla)
1/2 c of pumpkin puree
1 egg, beaten
Cooking spray
Preheat oven to 375 degree. Spray a 9×9 pan with non-stick spray and set aside.
In one bowl, combine all of your dry ingredients (oats through baking powder). In your mixing bowl, add vanilla, milk, pumpkin @ egg. Once mixed, incorporate your dry ingredients and mix until combined. Pour into your prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes. It should be spongy to the touch but set in appearance. Serve in individual bowls or ramekins. Enjoy!
— Knead to Cook
Okay I have one child that lives to eat & one that eats to live! My youngest daughter doesn’t have a huge appetite ever! So, with that, I try to make every bite as vitamin packed & healthy as possible. This smoothie is super healthy & delicious. I promise… the kids have no idea how good it is for them!
In a blender, add a handful of baby spinach leaves, two cups of fruit – frozen, fresh – whatever. I added peaches/strawberries/cherries & 1 banana. I scoop of Whey protein powder. Optional – you can add a scoop or two of low fat frozen yogurt or ice cream (I normally do this but didn’t today) or a scoop of yogurt. I also add one cup of almond milk (you can use regular low fat milk) and 2 tsp of flax seed meal and then start to blend it. My blender has a smoothie setting so I use that. Once it starts to combine, I will drizzle more milk in to get the consistency that I wish to achieve. Pour into a glass, add a straw and enjoy!
There is so much flexibility that you have when making smoothies. You can go all green – spinach, green apples, avocados etc. You can add or delete what you like. Have fun with it but my only suggestion is if you’re adding the spinach… whip the smoothie up before the kids see it
— Knead to Cook
Dare I say it? Yes! These are heavenly! I kept thinking that I wanted to make a muffin with Nutella for my kids. One child just had a yucky orthodontic contraption put in her mouth & she’s barely eating. The other child, eats to live unless it blows her away… & this will! Okay so Nutella reigns king in my house. I grew up eating this, it is after all an Italian staple. My kids enjoy it just as much as I did growing up. So it starts there… okay but what to pair it with? Banana, of course! And mix in a few Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips & how bad could it be?
Again. Heavenly!
Ingredients:
1/2 c of granulated sugar
1/2 c of I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter or Butter
2 eggs, at room temperature
1c of whole wheat flour
1c of unbleached all purpose flour (I use King Arthur)
1/2 tsp of kosher salt
1 tsp baking powder
3 ripe bananas
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 c of non fat, plain Chobani
1/2 c of Nutella
1/2 c of chocolate chips or chopped up chocolate bar
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray your muffin pan with non stick baking Pam.
In your mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar together. Beat in eggs. In a separate bowl, whisk together both flours, salt & baking powder. Add to the sugar mixture. Blend together until incorporated. Add bananas, vanilla, Chobani & Nutella. By hand, mix in the chocolate chips.
Fill each chamber 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Insert a toothpick and when it comes out clean… they are ready. Remove and let sit on the counter for 4 minutes. Then remove and place on a platter & enjoy!
Yum.
— Knead to Cook