Giveaway!!! – Page 2

Bathroom Remodel on a budget.

March 2, 2016 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Giveaway!!!, Life., Running/Races 9 Comments

bathroom6

I know this is a food blog, right? Well not exactly. It’s what I’m making and eating at the moment. It’s my journey from carnivore to plant-based athlete. It’s my running and training journal. It’s my life. A little bit about me before I begin. Over the past 4 years, mainly when I turned 40, I realized that I needed to pull my life back a lot and refocus. Quality over quantity. I didn’t need as much anymore. I began focusing on the important things in life and narrowed my circle of friends exponentially. This is an ongoing process and evolution. I think everyone can relate to the journey. Cutting out the noise and living a bit more in silence to really hear what’s important.

I’ve begun pairing down my possessions as well. I never thought I would be the person who would ever downsize, embrace a simpler life but I’m seeing it and getting excited. As my girls get older, and one will be heading off to college, I see us selling our home and getting a condo or brownstone and living without as much. This concept has been totally reinforced with the latest remodel of our master bathroom. I thought it would be easy and quick but reality soon set in… 3 weeks later I can say we are done! I have surmised that training for a 50 mile race and renovating is just too taxing… at least for me 🙂
[Read more…]

— Knead to Cook

Flourless Salted Peanut Butter Cookies. V. GF.

February 29, 2016 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Cookies, Desserts, Easter, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fitness., Giveaway!!!, Gluten Free, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Life., Nuts, Party Foods, Valentine's Day, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free 37 Comments

Happy Leap Day – let’s celebrate an extra day with a cookie! I’m so happy to finally be working back in my kitchen – it’s seriously been over 3 weeks that I’ve been renovating/updating/face-lifting my master bathroom. The last piece of the puzzle gets delivered today – my shower door and fingers are crossed that it fits! But I digress, I’m locking myself in my kitchen today and making several recipes while I await the delivery call.

I always make muffins as a go-to snack for my family but I’ve been craving salt lately. Why? Well I’m a bit of a salty runner and that seriously drives my craving. I know you typically see salted caramel but I wanted to do a salted pb cookie. Peanuts… a touch of salt… sounds good to me! Again, I used a very small amount not to offend my kids by the addition.

These cookies come together really quickly and I will warn you that the dough is quite heavenly if you accidentally sample it 😉 Totally safe to eat as there are no eggs in it or risk of food contamination. Okay onto the recipe and my next recipe is awaiting my attention.
[Read more…]

— Knead to Cook

Almond Butter Banana Oat Muffins. V. GF.

February 25, 2016 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Breakfast, Fitness., Giveaway!!!, Gluten Free, Muffins, Running/Races, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins 37 Comments

I’ll begin by apologizing for being blog-absent for the past two weeks. I mentioned that we were renovating our master bathroom and it has become all-consuming to say the least. Life with a puppy who just got spayed, teenagers, food jobs, ultra marathon training, life and a bathroom in disarray has left me missing my kitchen. I did take about 30 minutes earlier this week to whip up some muffins – per everyone’s request and I managed to snap a few pics for a blog post in between cabinet painting. These muffins are nice and moist. Packed with my favorite protein – almond butter and are in mini muffin form so they can be popped in your mouth as you run to your next task, errand or nearby paint brush 😉 I share a lot of muffin recipes as my family seems to gravitate towards them for snacking or on-the-go breakfast ideas. I also love them pre-run.

[Read more…]

— Knead to Cook

Friday Favorites Series. 12 February 2016.

February 12, 2016 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Friday Favorites Series, Giveaway!!!, Running/Races, Sponsored, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Yogurt 13 Comments

friday favorites

Friday is always a reason to celebrate, right? I’m excited for the weekend because my husband has been working exponentially more the past two weeks and with my early training schedule – our paths haven’t crossed all that much. We’ve communicated more by text than in-person. We aren’t big into big Valentine’s Day celebrations – dinner, gifts etc. Our plan is going for a breakfast date and farmer’s market shopping Saturday morning and demo in our master bathroom during the day. We’re revamping three projects and will do all the work ourselves – we love it. May not be the typical romantic weekend but spending time together will be very much appreciated at this point. And sledgehammers – well that’s just plain fun! Hoping the weather allows us a run outside on Valentine’s Day but we shall see. May be running side by side on treadmills.

So over the past two days I’ve been thinking about my favorite things this week. I’m really excited to share them with you so let’s get rolling!
[Read more…]

— Knead to Cook

Friday Favorites. Series.

January 8, 2016 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Friday Favorites Series, Giveaway!!!, Running/Races, Sponsored, Vegan 144 Comments

friday favorites

I’m sticking to my Friday Favorites in the new year every week! Call it a resolution or a goal but I’m on it. I got up and hit the gym early (actually was standing in line, in the rain before they even opened). Eminem blasting on the radio as I pulled in to the parking lot which completely energized me. Ha! So let’s get this started. My favorites for the new year so far and oh yeah… a rocking giveaway! DON’T MISS OUT!
[Read more…]

— Knead to Cook

Peanut Butter and Co. Mighty Nut PB Overnight Oats. Vegan. GF.

October 15, 2015 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fitness., Giveaway!!!, Gluten Free, No bake/cooking required!, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free 19 Comments

Peanut Butter & Co. Mighty Nut PB Overnight Oats. Vegan. GF. *Sponsored.

I made a big batch of this last night so breakfast was ready for teenagers that leave no time for breakfast in the morning and for me who had a long run on tap. In the morning I put out various toppings and they can grab and go. Nutrient and protein dense – just what they need for their day at school and practice afterwards. Plus I love oatmeal so much for pre-run fuel. This recipe is super forgiving just add what you love. I added Peanut Butter & Co. Mighty Nut powdered peanut butter , which is a great protein source without a lot of the fat that traditional nut butters have. I also love adding it to pancakes, smoothies or cookie recipes. #eatmighty

I’m also giving away one container of Peanut Butter & Co. Mighty Nut powdered peanut and measuring spoon. MightyNutDisclaimer

Please leave a comment on this post of which flavor you would like if you win the giveaway. Please leave your email for me to contact you on October 26th. U.S. Residents only.

[Read more…]

— Knead to Cook

Nada Moo! Vegan. Gluten Free. Giveaway.

September 14, 2015 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Giveaway!!!, Gluten Free, Product Review., Snacks, Vegan, Wheat Free 2 Comments

Happy Monday! Yes, as tired as I am – thanks busy weekend – I do love the clean slate of a new week. PLUS, super bonus Monday… the weather has turned to a crisp fall. Gah! I’m in love. Seriously like 50’s in the morning. It’s so nice to sleep with my windows open at night and run without copious amounts of sweat pouring into my eyes.

As a blogger I have many opportunities to test out new products and review them. I only share products that I truly love, am passionate about and/or want to share with all of you. So about a week ago I received an email from Nadamoo! about a vegan/gf ice cream that they wanted me to taste test. I will admit, I’m not a huge ice cream fan but definitely wanted to try it out. My daughter (who is gf/df) is and we have found a few that she likes but nothing that really replaced the dairy ice cream she grew up eating. I asked them to select the best and favorite flavors and send them along. Delivery was this past Friday all the way from Austin, Texas. Why does this amaze me so? It was frozen solid at 10 am on Friday after being shipped the day before in unbearable Texas to Pennsylvania heat. Wow! It’s the little things.
[Read more…]

— Knead to Cook

Let’s talk training and Vega Sport fueling. Plus a giveaway!

June 26, 2015 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Fitness., Giveaway!!!, Gluten Free, Knead to Cook Promotions, No bake/cooking required!, Running/Races, Smoothies, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Wheat Free 103 Comments

I was thinking about how long it’s been since I went vegetarian and then vegan. I became a vegetarian 3 years ago and one month. It was shortly after that, about 5 months, that I realized dairy was wreaking havoc with my stomach. My husband suggested I tested out removing it. Once I did, it was the most enormous change in the way I felt. The way I preformed. The way I looked. But my next big question was… how do I train on a vegan diet? How would I get enough protein to rebuild muscles and turn them over fast enough for training. I’m not a fan of processed foods. I avoid ingredients I cannot identify. So I turned to my running friends/advisors that help me all the time and they all suggested Vega. I made a few connections and my journey with Vega Team began there.

I train 6 days a week. Strength. Running. Cycling. I have trained for my second full marathon completely fueled by a vegan diet in March with over an hour personal record. Training now for something larger. I eat completely plant-based with my fitness fuel all from Vega Sport exclusively. Now I’m running about 40-45 miles per week. Strength training 2-3 times per week. Cycle once per week with my husband. It’s relentless but I love it.
[Read more…]

— Knead to Cook

Oatmeal Banana Pancakes. Vegan. Gluten Free.

February 18, 2015 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Giveaway!!!, Gluten Free, Vegan 6 Comments

Oatmeal Banana Pancakes. Vegan. Gluten Free.

These were our President’s Day sleepover breakfast. Pancakes are always requested and well-received by our guests. It’s also my chance to sneak in some good, healthy ingredients to fuel my family. This recipe makes a nice big batch so you will have extras to refrigerate for easy morning breakfasts on-the-go. Love these for the weekend too or perfect if you’re hosting a brunch.

[Read more…]

— Knead to Cook

Herbed Tempeh Meatballs. Vegan. Gluten Free.

February 16, 2015 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Beans, Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Giveaway!!!, Gluten Free, Running/Races, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free 8 Comments

Tempeh Herbed Meatballs. Vegan. Gluten Free.

On Sunday I barricaded myself inside as the temps were in the single digits not including the 50 mph winds. Seriously, I was so happy that I had an easier training week and did my long run on Thursday. This weather has been insane. In my pursuit to be productive, I opted to make a huge batch of meatballs and sauce. Wait! What? You’re thinking I’m vegan. Yes, I am. But my best friend had back surgery on Wednesday and has been in the hospital ever since recovering. I asked what I could do to help the family and she requested meatballs. So I made a lot of meatballs. A huge batch of red sauce. AND I also made chocolate chip cookies. I respect everyone’s dietary choices and when helping out… you do what you can. But I wanted to make some “meatballs” for my husband and I to have with our sauce for dinner.

I’ve made vegan meatballs before but none of which I was that impressed with to be honest. I opted to give some tempeh a whirl. The result – pretty delicious as I loaded it up with a lot of spices. And the key is to steam the tempeh first to soften it up which helps, in my opinion, make it more receptive to seasoning that you’re adding.
[Read more…]

— Knead to Cook