Knead to Cook

Food & fitness obsessed girl.

Let’s Go Lucy Blog Post Mediterranean Summer Salad. V. GF.

by Filed Under: Brunch, Dressings, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Italian-inspired, Lucy Let's Go Post, Salads, Side dish, Sponsored, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vinaigrette, Wheat Free Leave a Comment

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Summer is here! I’m so excited.  Warm, sunny longer days.  All the fresh local fruits and vegetables. Farm stands.  Gardening and get togethers with friends and family.  After what seemed to be an endless winter, as it always is in the Northeast, I’m so ready for carefree summer days.

We love eating dinner outside in the summer.  Weekends are made for slow-paced evenings with friends- eating, laughing, time by fire just enjoying special moments.  To be honest… food is always on my mind.  I love hosting and my food always needs to be easy, fresh and seasonal.  Because so many people have various dietary restrictions, and with most of my family being plant-based, I love to infuse my menu with food that is allergy-free for most.  No nuts, seeds, meat and dairy-free.  This salad is a twist on a classic salad that is protein-packed and infused with the brightness of fresh lemon.  This salad is great on it’s own for lunch or an easy dinner or to take to a pot luck or pool party.  I also will share tips on how to keep this salad crunchy and fresh without it getting soggy after a few hours.  This recipe is very flexible with the ingredients so you can get creative infusing flavors you love.  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do.

Click here to view the recipe.
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— Knead to Cook

NOW Foods. Giveaway.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brownies, Desserts, Fitness., Giveaway!!!, Gluten Free, Knead to Cook Promotions, Nuts, Pasta, Product Review., Sponsored, Travel & eating, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vegetarian, Wheat Free 76 Comments

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As a blogger, I have opportunities to join forces with companies in both the food and supplement industry.  I’m very selective about the products I share on my blog and use in my life.  I was thrilled last week to attend the NOW Foods Ambassador event in Chicago.  There is so much I want to share with you all and an awesome giveaway too!

Let’s start with a little history of NOW Foods.  In 1968, NOW Foods was founded under the belief that good health was not a luxury available only to the wealthy. For the past forty-five years, we have made it our life’s work to offer health food and nutritional supplements of the highest quality, at prices that are fair and affordable to all those who seek them.

Today, NOW Foods is one of the top-selling brands in health foods stores, an award-winning manufacturer, a respected advocate of the natural product industry, and a leader in the fields of nutritional science and methods development. And while we have grown considerably over the past four decades, one thing has never changed – our commitment to providing products and services that empower people to lead healthier lives.
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— Knead to Cook

REM-Fit 300 Foam Mattress Review.

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

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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…
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— Knead to Cook

Lucy Let’s Go Seed and Nut Brittle. V. GF.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fruit, Gluten Free, Holiday Baking Ideas, Lucy Let's Go Post, Nuts, Party Foods, Snacks, Sponsored, Travel & eating, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free Leave a Comment

 

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Planes, trains and automobiles.  Travel season will shortly be upon us and planning not only locations and friends/family to visit, clothes your going to wear but food/snacking is critical.  Never thought of packing snacks?  Smart snacking will keep your journey fueled and help keep you on track avoiding the pitfalls of fast food stops and convenient store goodies.  Nuts & seeds are rich in energy, protein, packed with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and much discussed omega-3 fatty acids. Chia is packed with protein, fats, potassium, fiber and magnesium just to name a few.  This snack is sweet, salty, crunchy and is totally portable.

Click here for the full recipe and post.
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— Knead to Cook

Muscle Recovery Green Protein Smoothie. V. GF.

by Filed Under: Beverages, Breakfast, Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, No bake/cooking required!, Nuts, Running/Races, Smoothies, Snacks, Sponsored, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Your Life Edit Foundations 2 Comments

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I pretty much have one to two protein smoothies per day.  With the intensity of my training, running in excess of 80 miles most weeks plus strength workouts — this is my easy go-to, quick prep meal.  Plus packing in 4 or more cups of greens, is a great boost for my system post hard training.  This smoothie used a new protein powder I was testing, Amazing Grass Protein Superfood Chocolate Peanut Butter with some of my added spices for an extra boost of healing properties. #FeelAmazingEveryday

Amazing Grass Protein SuperFood contains a unique blend of USDA Organic pea, hemp, chia and quinoa, delivering 20g of complete plant-based protein per serving plus 7 alkalizing organic greens and two-full servings of wholesome fruits and vegetables. Each flavor is also grain-free, paleo friendly, and can be enjoyed alone with water, added to a smoothie or almond, cashew or coconut milk. The line’s unique pea protein is the only available source that is 100 percent grown, harvested and processed in the USA, providing one of the smoothest, best tasting plant-based proteins on the market.

To this super protein I add turmeric, which is a natural anti-inflammatory (hello, please help my leg muscles recover) and has been shown to help with Rheumatoid Arthritis (which I also suffer from) with joint pain and swelling.  Also, adding chia packs an Omega, calcium, protein and fiber punch to your diet.  And some ground cinnamon to help regulate sugar in the body. This smoothie is quick to make and has so many health benefits for your body.
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— Knead to Cook

Granola Oatmeal Cookies. V. GF.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Holiday, Nuts, Sponsored, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free Leave a Comment

 

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Hi again!  It’s hard to be believe but the weeks seem to be flying by. Our weather has been so crazy lately.  Freezing days and it finally seems that spring is making it’s 2nd appearance and hopefully, a lengthier stay this time.  We had snow Saturday… April has been colder than December.  Mother Nature is a bit crazy.

Well, I’ve been training like a madwoman the past two weeks.  I did find some time to get in the kitchen last week to test out some cookie recipes.  This one was by far the favorite pairing it up with Purely Elizabeth’s new grain-free granola.  The granola and oats are a nutritional punch along with the nut butter adding valuable nutrients and proteins to your diet.  My kids were grabbing these for their lunches, after-school or before work snacks and before they headed out the door to school.  Gluten-free too using the oats as the binder so no funky gf flavor or after-taste.  I hope you enjoy these!
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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

Vanilla Chai Cinnamon Energy Bites. V. GF.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Holiday, No bake/cooking required!, Nuts, Raw, Sponsored, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free Leave a Comment

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A new bite recipe was been rattling around in my mind for about two weeks. One of those things that I think about but then life gets in the way.  Bound & determined today, while I had a break in the weekend activities, I grabbed my ingredients and food processor and made these delicious, nutrient-dense treat.  I love grab-n-go, healthy snacking.  And these are date-free.

So hemp protein, do you know all the benefits?  Crazy but hemp is an excellent source of plant-based protein (33% per serving).  It also contains 35% of essential fatty acids including Omega’s 3, 6 and 9.  Contains all 9 essential amino acids.  Has more Omega-3 than raw tuna! Rich in trace minerals and high in fiber.  Many people use hemp protein in smoothies but I wanted to put a fun twist on it.  Plus I covered some of the energy bites with hemp seeds for extra nutritional punch.

I cannot stress this enough… food is your fuel.  It helps you heal.  Recover.  Food is power.
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— 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

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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.
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— Knead to Cook

Key Largo Vegan Getaway.

by Filed Under: Holiday, Sponsored, Travel & eating, Vegan, Vegan proteins 2 Comments

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Our amazing sunset from our hotel.

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I’ve had wonderful opportunities to travel to the Keys multiple times as a child right up through my adult life.  I always enjoy either a week-long sojourn or a weekend away from the snow and frigid temperatures of Pennsylvania. My girls love it.  My husband and I find it very tropical and relaxing.  Honestly, how could you not?  We had a recent, quick, secret get-a-way and I’m excited to share some background and travel info with you all for planning your holiday getaway.  I also am thrilled to share my vegan recommendations that are musts on our dining lists while in they Keys.
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— Knead to Cook