Knead to Cook

Food & fitness obsessed girl.

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.

 

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— Knead to Cook

Banana walnut muffins. Vegan. GF.

by Filed Under: Breads, Breakfast, Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Muffins, Nuts, Quick Bread, Running/Races, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free 2 Comments

Banana walnut vegan & gluten free muffins. These muffins were inspired by a recipe from the Minimalist Baker.  In my house of 5, I’m constantly in an uphill battle with making healthy snacks to have on hand.  Breakfast on-the-go before school, pre or post workout fuel, snacks with lunch or after-school.  Sound familiar?  I’m always on the hunt for new recipes to work with & after the day I had yesterday (sore from my Monday TRX workout then falling on my run)… I wasn’t in the mood to get creative in the kitchen.  I wanted a tried and true recipe and this recipe hit that target.  I did make some modifications as noted below.

These muffins are packed with protein, omegas and fiber.  Each one has about 326 calories, 16 grams of fat, 7.2 grams of protein and sugars at 12 grams.  These muffins will rival your favorite coffee shop counterpart but without the overload of fats/sugars and gluten/dairy.

These muffins are perfect food gift ideas for friends, new moms or someone in need.  Hearty and quite filling.  

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— Knead to Cook

Cashew Banana Blender Muffins. V. GF.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fruit, Gluten Free, Holiday Baking Ideas, Muffins, Nuts, Quick Bread, Running/Races, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Wheat Free, Your Life Edit Foundations 11 Comments

 
Cashew banana blender muffins.  I swear I may have an addiction to making muffins in my Vitamix.  NO joke!

Once you whip up a batch of muffins in this manner, I promise, you will not want to go back to using your stand or hand mixer.  It’s literally the easiest thing on the planet and they come together instantaneously.  With a family of 5 that I cook for… we require healthy snacks to have on the counter when running late/pre or post workout, with coffee or tea & breakfast on the fly for teenagers.  I have a batch cooking in my oven right now as I type this 🙂

These muffins are refined sugar-free.  Although I use maple syrup, the banana adds a nice sweetness.  The flax/chia and hemp add omega’s and necessary fats for your diet.  Fats are critical for hormonal balance and to help keep you full longer! The benefits are endless.  Okay onto this recipe so I can go and grab mine out of the oven.

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— Knead to Cook

Candy Cane Green Tea Chocolate Muffins. V GF.

by Filed Under: Breads, Breakfast, Brownies, Brunch, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Muffins, Snacks, Sponsored, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Wheat Free 5 Comments

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Candy Cane Green Tea Chocolate Muffins. V GF.

As December approaches, we transition from all things pumpkin spice into the crisp & refreshing flavor of peppermint. It’s rather coincidental how it aligns with the seasonal temperatures.

I wanted to take a different, albeit, healthier spin to a minty treat that would be perfect during the holiday season especially for snacking or your holiday breakfast, brunch menu or a gift-giving idea.  Let’s face it, cookies will be everywhere so why not take a different & healthier approach.  These muffins have a secret special ingredient – Peppermint Green Tea from Celestial Tea.  Green tea has been known to improve blood flow and lower cholesterol. Studies found green tea helped prevent a range of heart-related issues, from high blood pressure to congestive heart failure as well as many other health benefits.  Healthy and heart happy makes this little treat even better.

Through much recipe testing, I’ve found that adding the tea to warm coconut oil also makes this unique combination more flavorful and it yields a muffin that rivals a moist brownie in texture & flavor.  Plus these muffins are grain and gluten free as well as vegan.  Freeze nicely and are perfect prep ahead for the holidays.

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— Knead to Cook

Walnut & Chocolate Muffins. Vegan. Gluten Free.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fitness., Gluten Free, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Muffins, Nuts, Quick Bread, Running/Races, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free Leave a Comment

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Walnut chocolate chip muffins.

These muffins were inspired by The Minimalist Baker’s Banana Chocolate Pecan muffins.  I’m admittedly not a fan of pecans so I made a few adaptations.  Mainly, I reduced the sugar necessary in the original recipe and increased the baking time a bit.  These muffins are insanely tasty and a perfect morning muffin or snack on the go!

As my oldest heads back to school this week, her final year of varsity swimming is upon her.  I obsess about her nutrition each week because she does many double practices a day and I love to have plenty of options at her disposal.  These muffins will be perfect – transportable, packed with protein and healthy fats along with great nutrition to keep her moving throughout her day & prepared for thousands of meters in the pool.

As I mentioned, I reduced the sugar from the original recipe.  The bananas and chocolate chips, I find, add plenty of sweetness.  These are dense muffins and quite filling.  I store these on my countertop in my cake stand but the fridge would also work well.  Plus freezing these in a ziploc would also work well.  This recipe yields 11 muffins.
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— Knead to Cook

Cinnamon and Spice Blender Muffins. Vegan. GF.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Gluten Free, Muffins, Nuts, Quick Bread, Running/Races, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Wheat Free 25 Comments

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Cinnamon & spice… & yes everything nice!  These muffins are so delectable.  Nutritionally dense, grain & refined sugar free.  I make these muffins for my clients who don’t like sweets. Each & every time I get a call/text exclaiming joy for these.  They are so stupid easy… it’s insane.  If you have 5 minutes to spare – you can totally whip these up for a heart healthy snack for you & your family.

Also, consider making more to freeze or for a foodie gift for a teacher/friend or family member.

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— Knead to Cook

Superhero Muffins. Vegan. Gluten Free.

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

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Often, I’m sent cookbooks to review & test out.  I won’t lie… this was one I was really excited about receiving.  The From the Run Fast.  Eat Slow. Cookbook by Shalane Flanagan and Elyse Kopecky is filled with wonderful recipes, information and nutrition information for runners.  The cookbook is filled with many healthy recipes that can easily be adapted for a plant-based diet.  These muffins are one example.  I subbed out the butter & eggs to make these work for my family.

These muffins are dense in texture.  Packed with healthy & very thrifty priced vegetables.  Protein-packed thanks to the almond meal & oats.  These muffins are perfect pre or post run/workout fuel.  My girls enjoyed these on the go to school or after dinner when you just need a little extra treat.  My dad loves them with a coffee.  Heart & waistline healthy.

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— Knead to Cook

Protein Packed Banana Muffins. Vegan. Gluten Free.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fruit, Gluten Free, Muffins, Quick Bread, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free Leave a Comment

 

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If you follow my blog, you know I’m always making banana muffins or bread.  My family loves them.  I always have a bountiful supply of ripening bananas on hand.  Plus, banana bread of any type allows you to add major healthy ingredients to them without your family realizing it.  Plus, with modern families always on the run… who can’t use a banana muffin to brighten their day? Right!

I make muffins every single week to have on my countertop for quick go-to snacking.  On the way to school.  After practice.  When hunger strikes.  Plus these aren’t filled with tons of sugar or preservatives.  I also packed these with healthy fats and protein to help fill you up and keep you balanced.  Don’t be afraid of fats – I removed them from my diet this summer to horrible results. Your body needs healthy fats to keep hormones in balance, skin moisturized and looking good, plus keeping your system running in perfect order.  Trust me.  Okay let’s head into the recipe…
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— Knead to Cook

Purely Elizabeth Banana Nut Butter Muffins. V. GF.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Giveaway!!!, Gluten Free, Holiday Baking Ideas, Muffins, Nuts, Product Review., Quick Bread, Running/Races, Snacks, Sponsored, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free 16 Comments

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When Purely Elizabeth reached out to me to ask if I would like to try their new grain-free, over-the-top, new granola —-well of course I would!  They promptly sent me two flavors (1 Banana Nut Butter and 1 Original Grain-Free Granola), both of which are heavenly and totally addictive.  I created two different recipes, this being the first I wanted to share as they released the product online today!  These muffins were made exponentially better but the crunch from the granola clusters.  These muffins are packed with healthy, delectable goodness that your whole family will enjoy.
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— Knead to Cook

Almond Butter Banana Oat Muffins. V. GF.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Fitness., Giveaway!!!, Gluten Free, Muffins, Running/Races, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins 37 Comments

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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.

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— Knead to Cook