Food & fitness obsessed girl.
I was meandering through the organic, gluten free section of my grocery store yesterday and stumbled up on this little treasure. Black rice. Hmmm… looks interesting enough. Gluten free. Good nutritional profile. I was sold! Plus I thought my family would be intrigued as well and they were. Especially when they all tried identifying what they thought it was… black quinoa? No. It’s too big. No one guessed black rice but everyone loved it.
— Knead to Cook
This week I happily acquired two new cookbooks (I have a bit of an addiction to them). One with a focus for runners/training/recovery and the other was Giada’s Feel Good Food. I’ve long been a fan of her and her recipes. As I’m embarking on packing and getting my family ready to hit the road this weekend for race that I’m doing ~ I’ve been preparing healthy snacks for the road. I’m not a fan of prepackaged foods. I also eat a lot of nuts, as they are a valuable protein source for me with my vegetarian lifestyle. This recipe grabbed my attention immediately, funny enough I just saw this on her show yesterday, and knew I had to make it. It was easy, I customized it to the nuts/seeds I wanted to use and of course, used less sugar than noted in the original recipe as it wasn’t necessary.
Think of these as a great game day snack or treat to put out this Thanksgiving for a healthy snack option. Also packs well for road trips.
*Adapted from Giada De Laurentis Giada’s Feel Good Food cookbook.
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— Knead to Cook
Today was a rainy, dreary day. Now, it has turned into a lovely, sunshine-filled afternoon. Once again, this fall weather has me perplexed. It is however the beginning of my rest days as I prepare for my half marathon this Sunday. I admit, I’m not a fan of “rest” days as I get very antsy and prefer to keep myself active either running or at the gym but for now – I’m taking it a bit easier, hydrating and eating lots of protein in preparation.
If you’ve been a follower of my blog, you know that about seven months ago I opted to change my diet and focus on becoming more vegetarian based foods. To my chagrin, I haven’t missed the meat at all. Actually, I’ve felt better without it. Now my family however, are quite the carnivores. My kids especially. They swim a lot and I realize that the best option for protein (as they don’t consume the amount of beans/veggies I do) is lean meats (organic). I do have one caveat and that is that a few times a week, everyone eats vegetarian or vegan. No one seems to mind or really even miss the meat as I make hearty options that are super filling. Plus the homemade cornbread is always a hit/distraction.
This recipe is very versatile using up whatever veggies you have on hand or like in your chili. Adjust the spices to your taste as well.
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— Knead to Cook
I’m coming up on my one year anniversary or epiphany that changed the way I was eating. It was last November. I had put on a ten extra pounds and basically was disgusted with how I felt. I worked out 6 days a week – running, weights, spinning, cardio – you name it! Then one day it all changed. It all came into focus and I realized that it wasn’t my effort that needed to change it was my diet. In particular, how much I was eating. You know, snacking here or there. Walk by and grab this or that. I started to keep track and I have to admit, I was flabbergasted. I just changed. I was tired of it. I had lost 20 lbs two summers prior and I knew I just wanted a change. I was also sick of hearing how when you turn 40 it’s all over. If you know me well… I don’t take well to accepting things that I can change. I don’t roll over and play dead easily. I’m a fighter by nature and this was not going to knock me down.
So one year, here I sit. I’m now a vegetarian for the past 7 months. I’m down 30 lbs total. I run about 1.5 minutes faster than I did before. I feel awesome. I’ve discovered through my evolution the friends who support me and those who sadly don’t. I’ve inspired people so that they can do the same and receive hundreds of emails that inspire me to continue from fans of my page. It’s a cycle… pay it forward. Pay your energy forward. Pay you knowledge forward. Build up and don’t tear down! That’s the whole gist of my blogging. Inspire others to do good, eat good and pay it forward.
Okay now off my soapbox (for now). So here sits this granola bar. Doesn’t look more special than any other granola bar out there I’m sure. But when I created this granola bar I strived to make it as healthy and clean as possible. Packed with tons of vitamins and minerals. Great for recovery after a walk, a run or a workout. It can be made vegan or simply vegetarian. It’s packed with goodness. No preservatives. No ingredients that you can’t pronounce or let alone be able to identify like the store bought counterparts. It’s also gluten free. Even the crumbles that break off the bars when slicing can be stored and used to top yogurt or eat straight up. Okay enough… time to move onto the recipe.
— Knead to Cook
I haven’t eaten meat in about 6.5-7 months. I enjoy salads for dinner because they are relatively light but packed with vitamins/protein. I whipped up a big batch of this salad that works for me for lunch or dinner and as a side for my carnivore family. This recipe, like most of mine, is very flexible and can be made to suit your taste or what’s in your refrigerator. I added the veggies I had but would vary that week to week. Also using roasted veggies would also be wonderful. This salad is perfect served at room temperature or straight out of the refrigerator. Perfect for your holiday buffet.
— Knead to Cook
I’ll be honest, I’ve always stayed away from the spaghetti squash for some reason, not sure why but it scared me. My self psycho-analysis is I had this fear because anything that replaces pasta could never compete with the real deal. But since my new found love of everything healthy, avoiding as many processed foods as possible- one night I bought one and roasted some tomatoes and figured I would suppress my Italian pasta girl and try this with my sauce. Funny, when I served dinner I asked my husband if he wanted to try it too with sauce and he obliged. He did half pasta and half squash. He actually loved it. YES! These little victories make me happy. Another foodie fear conquered.
— Knead to Cook
This recipe is so versatile. It can be served with tortilla chip at your next soiree or atop fish or chicken for a healthy option. You can control the spice level with the amount of jalapeño you use or if you remove the inner seeds which contain all the heat.
Ingredients:
1 bell pepper (I used red), diced
1/2 pineapple, chopped into bite sized pieces
1 cup of cilantro leaves, washed and roughly chopped
1 jalapeño, finely chopped. If you want more heat – leave the seed in, if not, remove before chopping
Drizzle of good olive oil
Directions:
Combine all of the ingredients and place into a bowl. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to let the flavors enhance and combine to make their magic.
— Knead to Cook
Thanksgiving is next week and this is one of my favorite recipes. So easy, yet so flavorful. I love cranberries and oranges together. Perfect as a side or on your leftover turkey sandwiches. My youngest daughter loves to make this dish – so it’s totally kid-friendly. Great way to get everyone to pitch in and help with dinner prep. Also, this can be made up to 4 days in advance and stored in the fridge.
— Knead to Cook
My father, Bob, is a chestnut aficionado. He loves this time of year when they’re sold at the farmer’s market so he can partake. This week I found some and finally, with the completion of our kitchen, he was able to roast these up. I don’t care for chestnuts but for those of you who do… enjoy this super easy and flavorful recipe.
Ingredients:
1 lb of chestnuts, with a cut in the top (about 1 inch long)
Pinch of salt
Water
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Set aside a baking sheet. In a saucepan, add your chestnuts, salt and just enough water to cover. Bring to a simmer and then remove from the heat. Drain and place the chestnuts on your baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes. Remove and let cool. Peel and enjoy!
— Knead to Cook
We are bracing today for Hurricane Sandy to hit Pennsylvania. I wanted to whip up a bunch of snacks that didn’t require refrigeration just in case we lost power. Easily accessible and something everyone would eat. These are easy to whip up and you control the heat so you can make them more to your liking. I hope you enjoy these. Also, they will be perfect for the upcoming holidays. The smell of cinnamon is perfection!
Ingredients:
2 cups of raw almonds
3 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons of brown sugar or coconut palm sugar
1 teaspoon of ground cayenne pepper (up to 2 tsp if you like more heat)
4 tablespoons of organic agave or maple syrup
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Sea Salt
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment or foil.
Into a bowl place your almonds. Then add cinnamon, sugar, cayenne, agave or maple syrup and vanilla. Toss to coat each nut. Spread the nuts evenly on the cookie sheet lined with a baking liner or parchment. Sprinkle with sea salt and then bake for 10 minutes. Remove and toss (they will be sticky) and then place back in the oven for an additional 10 minutes. Let cool and store in a covered container.
— Knead to Cook