Knead to Cook

Food & fitness obsessed girl.

REM-Fit 300 Foam Mattress Review.

by Filed Under: Life., Product Review., Sponsored, Vegan 4 Comments

IMG_2250
Pillars to successful athletic performance are fairly simple, right?  Train hard.  Fuel your body with the best food available.  And get enough sleep to restore and rebuild.  We all know how important sleep is but the fact remains that 40% of Americans get less than the suggestion 8 solid hours per night.  Many getting less than 7 hours.  That isn’t taking into consideration the quality of sleep either.  Do you remember how old your mattress is?  The average life of a mattress is 7-10 years.  Sadly, if you’re like me… that timeframe has slipped through the cracks of a busy life.

I recently had the opportunity to test out the new REM-Fit 300 with the Motivate Collection system, which tracks all of your sleeping data.  Now I will say that this product arrives in a different manner than your typical, old school mattress…
[Read more…]

— 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

IMG_0510

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.
[Read more…]

— Knead to Cook

Chocolate Chunk Banana Walnut Muffins. V. GF.

by Filed Under: Breads, Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fitness., Gluten Free, Lucy Let's Go Post, Product Review., Quick Bread, Running/Races, Sponsored, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free 6 Comments

IMG_0147

Returning to reality yesterday after a weekend away with family celebrating Easter was hard.  Training.  Laundry.  Dogs.  Grocery shopping.  You know the drill.  My oldest was off Monday and my youngest is off till mid-week.  I knew I needed a good healthy snack to grab when the munchies hit.  They requested banana bread and I whipped up these up to satisfy teenage hunger.

These are refined sugar-free.  Gluten free and completely vegan.  You can use mini chips or chunks for the vegan chocolate aspect.  I made some without for my husband and topped with banana slices.  These are hearty enough for breakfast or pre-run.  You can also half this recipe for 6 regular muffins or prepare as is for 12 large muffins.
[Read more…]

— Knead to Cook

My first Ultra Marathon. Blues Cruise 50k.

by Filed Under: Product Review., Running/Races 24 Comments

12067305_10206714896264049_450261145_n
So back in May, in a text conversation with my friend Emily, I decided that trying a trail race might suit my personality because I seriously hate road races.  I love training but the nerves, the pressure and all of that wasn’t making me happy… so why was I doing it?  I have no dreams of Boston.  I’m not fond of shorter distances because I never seem warmed up in time.  And I had started my heart rate training which you can read about here and loved running 3-4 hours.

As I’ve mentioned before, I started to train in my lower heart rate zones therefore allowing me to go greater distances without a turnaround.  As a matter of fact, relatively no turnaround.  I could run 22 or 24 today and do 8 or 10 the next day without being sore.  I was sleeping better.  I felt great.  So Emily suggested an ultra.  AN ULTRA MARATHON?  Me?  I hated doing my last marathon and this was 5 more miles.  Who after running a marathon wants to run 5 more miles?  Apparently, I did.
[Read more…]

— Knead to Cook

Chipotle BBQ Quinoa Chili. Vegan. GF.

by Filed Under: Beans, Chili, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fitness., Gluten Free, Mexican, Product Review., Running/Races, Soups, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free Leave a Comment

Chipotle BBQ Quinoa Chili

Chipotle BBQ Quinoa Chili.  Vegan. GF.

I recently received a copy of Mary Mattern’s first cookbook and already being a huge fan – I couldn’t wait to dive in.  This was my first recipe I wanted to test and it was a huge hit for my Meatless Monday menu.  I cooked for a group that encompasses carnivores, v/gf, df/gf and vegan diners and it was enjoyed by all! My husband was also quick to pack it for lunch today as well.  Seriously, cooking at my house resembles that of a diner.  Ha ha.  So bring on fall and this delicious sweet chili recipe.  Congrats Mary on a wonderful cookbook! [Read more…]

— Knead to Cook

Nada Moo! Vegan. Gluten Free. Giveaway.

by Filed Under: Giveaway!!!, Gluten Free, Product Review., Snacks, Vegan, Wheat Free 2 Comments

IMG_2008

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

Product Review – Garmin Multi-Sport Fenix 3 Smartwatch

by Filed Under: Product Review., Running/Races 4 Comments

 

Product Review - Garmin Fenix 3

Product Review – Garmin Fenix 3

I recently received this Garmin Fenix 3 as a upgrade from my Garmin 620 running watch.  I wanted to wear/use/run in this watch for more than a week before giving a cursory review.  I’ve now worn it running on trails, roads and on the treadmill.  I haven’t swam or biked with it yet – I need to get the swimming hrm yet.  But let’s dive in and let me share a basic review on the product…
[Read more…]

— Knead to Cook

Vega Sport Vanilla Granola Hemp Smoothie.

by Filed Under: Beverages, Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fitness., Gluten Free, No bake/cooking required!, Nuts, Product Review., Running/Races, Smoothies, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Wheat Free Leave a Comment

Vega Sport Vanilla Granola Hemp Smoothie.

Vega Sport Vanilla Granola Hemp Smoothie.

I’m so sorry that I didn’t get to share this last week when it was released.  Life has thrown me a curveball that derailed me.  So my sincerest apologies but here it goes PLUS a new smoothie recipe I’ve been obsessing over lately.

My absolute favorite vegan pre-workout, workout and post workout recovery fuel is Vega.  I’m not getting paid for this – it is just my honest review and testimonial.  I’m not fond of chemicals and weird ingredients to fuel my body.  Plus I have a sensitive stomach, as I’ve mentioned before.  My stomach revolts especially during training.  Vega works like a charm.  In fact, I just trained and ran a marathon using all of their products and I loved them.  They just came out with a totally free resource for new to experienced runners.  The Vega Sport site will be jam-packed with free resources including 8-weeks of training guides, meal plans, recipes, playlists, and nutritional education for preparing for your first or 30th 10K race, Half or Full-Marathon.  From playlists, training programs, to fueling – it has EVERYTHING!  Seriously – if you’re looking to training, work on speed, finding your comfortable pace to tackling race day… the information is all here.  If I didn’t love Vega – I love them more now!  All this information in one place… one resource created by experts.  Love it!

So let me get on to my recipe and then share a little bit more about how to sign up for this free running resource.

wIs1kHiXZ73Rxh7Ts1Vo_MD5PdHEdpSVvadZkbcEJlM
[Read more…]

— Knead to Cook

OXO Spring Gardening.

by Filed Under: Product Review., Sponsored, Vegan, Wheat Free Leave a Comment

MarketingAtOXO_OXOT_TopLogo

The weather has turned insanely springy and just lovely.  Temperatures are supposed to be in the high 70’s and low 80’s.  Perfection. We’ve been working on the garden little by little. Thus far chives, kale, spinach, cilantro, mint, radishes, strawberries, garlic, Swiss Chard carrots, basil, Rosemary and peas are planted and in full gear.  This week we plan on hitting up the nursery for flowers and the rest of our veggies and herbs to plant.

OXO sent me some awesome tools to try out in the garden.  We are very fortunate to be able to compost all of our refuse from our kitchen.  Veggies/fruit as well as other items like coffee grounds, tea that we don’t throw out.  Our soil is rich and packed with nutrients from all of the scraps.  The tools helped to churn up the soil and get it ready for more plants and seedlings.   I want to share some fun pics from today’s gardening.
[Read more…]

— Knead to Cook