Knead to Cook

Food & fitness obsessed girl.

Clean Cherry and Walnut Granola Bars.

by Filed Under: Brunch, Cookies, Desserts, Gluten Free, Holiday, Nuts, Snacks, Vegetarian 5 Comments

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My friends over at Oh Nuts!  sent me a care package of some of their products.  I’ve been a long-standing customer, I love their nuts/dried fruits, and was thrilled to start making some favorite recipes with their goodies.  I’ve been meaning to whip up some granola bars that are very clean and wanted something that would have a good consistency and not be overly sweet.  I’ve been eating clean,  no refined sugars amongst other things for eight months now with huge changes to my body and the way I feel.  PLUS, I prefer my family eat non-processed foods/snacks and they love granola so it was a must.  These make a great road-trip snack idea too!  We are headed out for two trips this week and I will have these on hand for the beach!   [Read more…]

— 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

Healthy Carrot Date Coconut Muffins.

by Filed Under: Breads, Brunch, Muffins, Quick Bread, Vegetarian 12 Comments

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I love healthy muffins! These are packed with great ingredients without all the guilt of fat-ladened traditional muffins.  The Medjool dates add a bit of sweetness (think of raisins in muffins), the carrots add some great texture and the coconut oil and flakes is a double whammy of flavor!  Plus using coconut oil is so much healthier for your heart than tradition butter.  I promise you will be reaching for these every time you sit with a cup of coffee or tea.  Also great for a breakfast substitute.
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— Knead to Cook

Oatmeal PB and Chocolate Chip Scones.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Cookies, Desserts, Easter, Snacks, Vegetarian 7 Comments

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After cuddling up  with my daughter to start reading a book authored by a dear friend, I decided to start my creative juices flowing in the kitchen.  It has been a crazy week!  So scones came to mind on this rainy day.  Healthy?  Well, I would definitely say these are MUCH healthier than the traditional scones that you buy at a local bake shop. I still used butter because I feel that it is an integral component of the recipe.  Other than that… I did keep it healthy using powdered organic peanut butter, dark chocolate is good for you and by using whole wheat flour.  As this recipe is cooling on my rack, it smells heavenly!  It even caused my youngest to pause and ask what I was baking.  Definitely a lovely treat with tea or for a weekend breakfast or mid-morning snack.

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— Knead to Cook

Cookie Butter Chobani Banana Bread.

by Filed Under: Breads, Brunch, Cookies, Quick Bread, Valentine's Day, Vegetarian, Yogurt 4 Comments

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I always have a lot of bananas on hand.  I eat several a day.  But by the time Monday rolls around, I’m feverishly cleaning out my fruits and veggies to prepare for my Farmer’s Market trip tomorrow morning.  While out walking Sam (our dog) I thought COOKIE BUTTER!  Why not?!  Okay so not everything I make is crazy healthy, although this bread isn’t THAT indulgent and has NO sugar in it except for the cookie butter and cookie fragments.

This is a special week, my daughter turns 12 and I wanted to make recipes all week that I know are favorites or creations that she will flip over.  Extra bonus…. my teeny tiny almost 12 year old is finally going through a growth spurt and eating like a champ.  This bread will send her over-the-top, along with the rest of my family.  {my thought process.}

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— Knead to Cook

Pesto egg a la baguette.

by Filed Under: Breads, Breakfast, Brunch, Cheese, Easter, Egg dishes, Holiday Baking Ideas, Party Foods, Vegetarian 8 Comments

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This is such an oldie but goodie recipe and I haven’t made it in about a year.  My family loves it for dinner and then for breakfast the next morning.  I added some leftover kale pistachio pesto (from last week) into the eggs – click here for that recipe and this was over the top.  The pesto adds so much flavor to the eggs it will make them unbelievable good.  Thankfully I made enough for leftovers this morning which made the start of the day seamless (love when that happens).

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— Knead to Cook

Turkey Quinoa Mini Meat Loaf Muffins.

by Filed Under: Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Ground Turkey, Italian-inspired, Party Foods, Turkey 4 Comments

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Tuesday night was a busy night for us.  One kid going in one direction and the other going in the complete opposite.  My husband and I were running equally split with them.   I needed a fast and easy dinner my father could throw in the oven for me that would be ready when we all got home. This one worked perfectly, especially with my leftover quinoa and shredded zucchini I had in the fridge.

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs of lean ground turkey (94% lean)
1 cup of quinoa (cooked)
2 shredded carrots
1/2 shredded zucchini (skin on)
1/4 onion, diced finely
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of Worcestershire Sauce
1 egg
1/4 cup of panko or bread crumbs
2 tablespoons of flaxseed meal
1 teaspoon cumin
Salt and Pepper
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon parsley (dried)

Directions:

Blend all of the ingredients in your stand mixer.  If the mixture is too wet, add additional bread crumbs.  Spray your mini muffin pan with olive oil and scoop the meat mixture into each well.  Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or more.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Bake these for 25-30 minutes or until no longer pink on the inside.  Serve with veggies, a salad or whatever you like.

— Knead to Cook

Bill’s homemade cereal.

by Filed Under: Beverages, Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, No bake/cooking required!, Nuts, Vegan, Vegetarian 4 Comments

My husband, Bill, has been making this cereal for about 10 years.  Within that timeframe, he has pursued a very focused healthy lifestyle.  Working out 6 days a week, lifting, running and eating very clean.  He slimmed down, losing about 15 lbs and dropped his cholesterol.  Now I could never insinuate or claim that this cereal will lower your cholesterol because I cannot substantiate the claim with medical studies or trials but in our house… we have all lowered our levels and have seen the benefits.  Now, with all of the fiber you need to be well aware… this is also quite good for your colon health.

Ingredients:

3 cups of wheat bran
2 cups of rolled oats
1 cup of oat bran
3/4 cup of wheat germ
3/4 cup of flax seed meal
1/2 cup of sliced or slivered almonds
1/2 cup of chopped pecans or almonds
1 cup of dried tart cherries (or raisins)
1/2 cup of apricots, chopped
1 cup of dried blueberries
1 scoop of protein powder or Arbonne essentials Vanilla Protein Shake Mix (3 packages of 1.48 ozs)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and then store in a gallon ziploc baggie or tupperware container.  You can keep in your pantry or in your refrigerator (although not necessary).  Serve with milk or atop of your yogurt.

— Knead to Cook

Fresh strawberry, banana, Chobani Mango smoothie.

by Filed Under: Beverages, Breakfast, Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, No bake/cooking required!, Smoothies, Vegetarian 2 Comments

We picked 12 lbs of fresh strawberries yesterday.  This morning’s smoothie idea was given!  So easy and such a flexible recipe.  My daughter said this was the best smoothie ever!  Love that!

Ingredients:

2 cups of fresh strawberries, washed with tops removed
2 ripe bananas
1 -6 ounce container of Chobani mango yogurt
1 cup of vanilla almond milk
1 scoop of protein powder (vanilla Whey protein powder)
6 ice cubes

Directions:

Blend everything (except for the ice cubes) on high or a smoothie setting on your blender.   Add the ice cubes for the last 30-45 seconds of blending.  Pour and enjoy!

— Knead to Cook