Knead to Cook

Food & fitness obsessed girl.

Cookie Monster Blue Energy Bites. Vegan. Gluten free.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Gift ideas, Gluten Free, Holiday, Nuts, Raw, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Wheat Free Leave a Comment

Hi there my friends!  I wanted to get this post up yesterday but I got hit with a crazy 24 hour flu/craziness & so here I am posting it today.  This is one of those recipes that just doesn’t photograph the color as beautifully as it is in real life but this is a must make recipe 🙂 with tons of health benefits.

So if you follow any forms of social media – you’ve seen the onslaught of blue hued foods/drinks/bowls etc.  Where do they get that lovely color?  Well Blue Majik is the answer.  Here is the low-down on this magical powder:

Pop Sugar shares: Derived from spirulina, Blue Majik is a proprietary extract of the blue-green algae Arthrospira platensis. Much like green spirulina, Blue Majik is prized for being nutrient dense; full of vitamins (especially B12), enzymes, and minerals, it gets its bright blue hue from C-phycocyanin, a type of storage protein rich in amino acids. C-phycocyanin is also what puts the blue in Blue Majik and so much of the value in the trendy ingredient. Studies show C-phycocyanin to be rich in antioxidantswith anti-inflammatory properties, and it may promote brain health.

I’ve been experimenting with this blue powder for the past two months.  I’ve been diagnosed with an auto-immune disease and anything anti-infammatory is my focus.  Plus, it is a powerful pain reliever (natural) which I prefer versus OTC pain relievers.  Lastly, this powerful powder does have a strong odor in the bottle however is undetectable in recipes.  Seriously.  I find this absolutely crazy how it has no flavor but I enjoy it in smoothies, bowls and these bites.  Plus that color… is everything.

[Read more…]

— Knead to Cook

Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars. Vegan. Gluten Free.

by Filed Under: Brunch, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free, Your Life Edit Foundations Leave a Comment


Peanut butter chocolate bars.  Vegan. Gluten free.

Happy Monday my friends!  Happy to be home & back in my kitchen cooking.  We’ve been traveling over the past several days for a quick trip to my daughter’s university to meet her academic advisor and schedule her classes this fall.   As much fun as it was, 10 hours in the car each way was quite enough for family bonding for me.

Today was back to normal life.  Up early to hit the gym and then home to cook for clients.  My daughter shared this recipe with me a year a two ago, sadly I don’t know the original source but I’m trying to identify to him/her credit.  This is a fun, and super easy, recipe that kids and easily prepare.  It’s also a lovely cool treat as you store in the freezer or fridge.  Sweet, salty chocolatey perfection.  These are wonderful for parties, BBQ’s, a foodie treat for a friend –whatever or whenever you need a treat.  They store nicely in an airtight container for weeks on end (esp. in the freezer).
[Read more…]

— Knead to Cook

Tahini Coconut granola. Vegan. Gluten free.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gift ideas, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Pantry, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free, Your Life Edit Foundations Leave a Comment

 

Hello my friends & happy Tuesday!  I had this post ready to roll yesterday and forgot to hit publish.  So let’s start out today with a fun twist on a classic recipe.  I’ve been up since 4a and got my run in, volunteered at my local polling place (we have voting today) and got 3 recipes prepped and packaged for a client.  Can you say PRODUCTIVE?  Ha.  Rare but all good.

So let me focus.  I love making granola to stash in my pantry and for clients.  It’s nutrient-dense, protein-packed and low in sugar versus grocery store options.  We love it on top of muffins we bake, for a yogurt topper or for ice cream.  My husband keeps a baggie in his office for when he needs a snack.  It’s just good food, fast.

Let me share a bit about tahini if you aren’t familiar.  Tahini has the texture and consistency of a creamy nut butter.  It’s made from sesame seeds, similar to nut butter but without nuts.  Rich in magnesium, potassium and iron.  Great source of calcium.  High in vitamin E, B1, B2, B3, B5 and B15.  It has a high alkaline content.  Packed with healthy fats.  Easily digestible.

This recipe is for those seeking easy food that is healthy and good for you.  You can add in what you need or remove what you don’t… its a very forgiving recipe.  Also perfect for a teacher or hostess gift wrapped up in a Ball glass jar.  Just an idea.  Okay… let’s get on to the recipe.

[Read more…]

— Knead to Cook

Walnut Hemp Blender Muffins. Vegan. GF.

by Filed Under: Breads, Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Gluten Free, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Muffins, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Wheat Free 4 Comments

Well this has certainly been an exciting/drama-filled week thus far & these muffins were oh-so-necessary.  My youngest has torn a ligament in her ankle on Tuesday and of course that meant doc appointments, X-rays at the hospital so on… & so forth.  She’s good, sore and has a very swollen and colorful ankle but back to school hobbling around on crutches.  That interspersed with some colorful emails… I was done with the week by Tuesday night.

Wednesday I shipped out food to clients and went into the kitchen to just create.  Not job-related… just for me to bake something for my family.  I’ve been obsessed lately with blender muffins and my family eats them at rapid speed… I was in need of a fresh batch.  I focused on healthy fats and a bit of decadence (hello chocolate) and my youngest gave these 5 stars!  I knew I better blog them before I forgot what I used to make them… #bloggerproblems

Okay so let’s get started…

 

[Read more…]

— Knead to Cook

Chocolate chunk cookie bars. V. GF.

by Filed Under: Brownies, Brunch, Cookies, Desserts, Easter, Gluten Free, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Wheat Free, Your Life Edit Foundations 6 Comments

Chocolate chip cookie bars.  Vegan. Gluten free.

I made these bars for my family & for a friend today to spread a bit of joy through food.  I often do this as a kind and unexpected act.  It’s funny how something so small can impact someone so greatly.  These are a bit on the decadent side but I cut these into small cubes and a little goes a long way.  Plus, removing all treats from your diet isn’t practical.  A treat, especially those protein-packed like these, are a wonderful little departure when necessary from clean eating.

I made this entire recipe in my stand mixer with minimal cleanup.  These bars freeze and package to ship nicely.  I’ve shipped these to friends/clients many times and would make a great care package treat for a loved on.  I’m already thinking of care package ideas for when my daughter is off to college this fall.

Okay so without further adieu… let’s get on to this recipe.

[Read more…]

— Knead to Cook

Chocolate chunk banana blender muffins. Vegan. GF.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Fruit, Gluten Free, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Muffins, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Wheat Free 5 Comments


Blender chocolate chunk banana muffins. Vegan. Gluten free.  

Oh blender muffins how I love you so!  Incredibly easy prep and clean-up.  Tender and moist… these muffins are to die for.  And did you check out that chocolate swirl around the coconut sugar on the chocolate chunk?  HOLY yum!  Seriously.  I made this recipe and literally 5 were gone while cooling. Ha.

I make a lot of muffins and cookies during the week for clients and my own family.  They get packed in breakfast bags (hello 5a swim practice), lunch bags or they serve well as an after school snack or dessert.  My dad grabs one with his coffee in the afternoon.  Endless eating opportunities.  Be warned… these go fast!  I also freeze these perfectly in an airtight ziploc or plastic container.

 

[Read more…]

— Knead to Cook

Blender Carrot Ginger Baked Donuts. V. GF.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Gluten Free, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Quick Bread, Running/Races, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Wheat Free, Your Life Edit Foundations Leave a Comment

Blender carrot ginger baked donuts on this marathon Monday.  Everyone needs a donut post Easter weekend, right?  Well my day was filled with running, nervously tracking friends/clients running the Boston Marathon.  So I baked.  A lot!  Then I was glued to my tv and computer tracking.

So donuts.  Let’s chat.  I’m not a huge sugary, sweet kinda gal. Knowing I wanted these for my kiddos and husband’s breakfast – I wanted to do a healthier version that had just the right amount of sweetness to keep my girls interested.  These are a spicy/sweet combination that are moist and quite decadent.  Perfect for breakfast or a snack.

Let’s get on with it 🙂

[Read more…]

— Knead to Cook

Protein blender brownies. V. GF.

by Filed Under: Brownies, Brunch, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Running/Races, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Wheat Free, Your Life Edit Foundations 2 Comments


Protein blender brownies.  Vegan & gluten free.

I was terribly excited to get my hands on my talented friend/blogger’s Armen Liew new cookbook.  Arem is the genius behind the blog The Big Man’s World.  His is absolutely phenomenal & I highly recommend it.  This is NOT sponsored in any way, shape or form but my opinion.  If you love sweets but don’t love the calorie bomb/destruction to your eating.  Aren’t a huge fan of sugar-overload.  Check his blog and cookbook out.  Today I whipped up his 4 ingredient flourless brownies in my Vitamix and man… I’m in love!

These brownies came together super fast.  Perfect when you need a treat in a hurry… in fact the waiting for them to cool/slice took longer than prepping and baking!  I hope you enjoy these as much as we do!

[Read more…]

— Knead to Cook

Boxed cake hack. Vegan. GF.

by Filed Under: Brunch, Cakes, Easter, Fitness., Gluten Free, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Running/Races, Valentine's Day, Vegan, Wheat Free 7 Comments

Does anyone make cakes from scratch anymore?  I mean seriously.  Who has the time unless you’re a baker by choice.  I have to admit 2 things.  I hate baking – now I don’t mean muffins, bars or granola.  NOT that.  Cakes in particular which then leads me to revelation number 2 about me… I hate cake.  I don’t know what it is but if I never saw another one the rest of my life I wouldn’t be sad.  Some times, on rare occasions, cupcakes are fine but they honestly leave me despondent.  I don’t know… maybe there is something wrong with me.  And apparently this cake-hating is genetic or something.  My kids are the same.  They’ve always asked for cookie cakes or ice cream cakes to celebrate their birthdays.  Even my husband…. it’s a no-go!  But today is my dad’s 79th and he LOVES cake.  So I suck it up & make one.  Well, a box one but he doesn’t know.

So I instal-story a lot.  I asked my watchers if they would be interested in my hack for the boring box cake and within 1 hour I had received over 100 DM’s letting me know they were interested so here it is!
[Read more…]

— Knead to Cook

Best of… vegan snacking.

by Filed Under: Best Vegan..., Breakfast, Brunch, Candy, Cookies, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Ice cream, Nuts, Party Foods, Running/Races, Vegan, Wheat Free Leave a Comment

This week’s best of series focuses on all things vegan snacking.

So when I say vegan snacking, I wanted to share the best of great snack ideas not genetically modified *clears throat* crap that coincidentally is vegan like Oreos.  I wanted real, vegan and gluten free snacking.  I wanted to cover chips to ice cream and everything in between so everyone from sweet to salty palates are covered.

As clean as your eating is, it’s important to build in treats or desserts into your diet. Balance is key.  I shared favorites that are all gluten free and vegan.  Easily found at Whole Foods or your favorite markets (or online).  This is just a list of my top favorites and honestly the list could go on & on if you let me.

[Read more…]

— Knead to Cook