Sweet Potato, Pear and Sage Soup.

by Filed Under: Brunch, Featured, Fruit, Soups, Stocks/Broths, Thanksgiving, Vegetarian, Vitamix, Wheat Free 12 Comments

 

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As many of you know I was unfortunately down and out last week.  I had surgery on my finger the week prior and contracted a staph infection that landed me back in the hospital this past week hooked up to IV’s.  I’m so thankful to be home surrounded by family and good friends.  Boy the things we take for granted!  Despite my finger being bandaged and unable to really get in the kitchen and cook up a storm – I have to rely on my wonderful husband to help me, which he gladly obliged!  After my run on Sunday we whipped this up (had just picked up some fresh sweet potatoes and pears) and thought it would be the perfect dish on our first chill-in-the-air fall feeling Sunday.  It turned out beautifully and even my pickiest loved it.  Winner!

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— Knead to Cook

Pineapple Spinach Yogurt Protein Smoothie.

by Filed Under: Beverages, Breakfast, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fruit, Gluten Free, No bake/cooking required!, Smoothies, Snacks, Vegetarian, Vitamix, Wheat Free 4 Comments

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Sneaking vegetables into your kids has never been so easy!  I say this over and over again but your kids will not detect the spinach as the other flavors over-power it and make it virtually undetectable.  Plus, if you are trying to add more leafy greens to your diet, this is yet another fun way to do it.

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— Knead to Cook

Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk.

by Filed Under: Beverages, Breakfast, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Nuts, Vegetarian, Vitamix, Wheat Free 14 Comments

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I’ve never really been a fan of cow’s milk, even when I was a child.  Now cheese – I love and often proclaim that I can eat my body weight in it!  When almond milk hit the scene a few years ago, we switched over to that and my family enjoyed and actually preferred it.  Because I’ve cut out most sugar in my diet, I switched over to the unsweetened milk.  I’m not a cereal eater but I do make overnight oats for breakfast and eat that everyday and use the milk to soften the oats in the recipe.  I started making my own almond milk about a year now, since I got my Vitamix machine and I love it.  First, it is so easy to do and two, it costs less to make it at home – win, win!  It also only contains three ingredients, which I clearly can pronounce.  Now, if you want to sweeten the milk you can easily add some maple syrup or honey versus using a refined sugar (start with a 1 tablespoon) and add to your preference.  Okay now onto the recipe…

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— Knead to Cook

Banana Peanut Butter Yogurt Smoothie with a twist.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fruit, Gluten Free, No bake/cooking required!, Smoothies, Snacks, Vegetarian, Vitamix, Wheat Free, Yogurt 4 Comments

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Can’t get your kids to eat “good” foods?  How about sneaking them in to what they love?  I posted a recipe for a smoothie a few months ago that had an avocado in it and I had several people email me questioning the taste and my sanity.  Ha!  Then they tried it on their 2, 3 and 4 year olds and guess what… the kids were asking for more!  Now I don’t go telling my kids what I put in their smoothies because then they would complain or not drink them.  Today was the perfect example… my oldest daughter went to the gym yesterday to workout with my 75 year old dad.  He kicked her tush!  I got a text this morning that stated simply “I’m broken.”  Ha ha.  Now, I shouldn’t laugh but every day of my life I have a sore muscle or muscles.  The constant pursuit of fitness will yield these results.  So with a chuckle, I knew I had to make her a nice big protein smoothie to help her sore muscles rebuild.  She, along with the workers that I have in my house today installing our pool table, all gobbled it down and loved it.  None the wiser of the ingredients!

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— Knead to Cook

Cherry Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. {clean eating}

by Filed Under: 4th of July/Patriotic, Desserts, Frozen Pops, Fruit, Gluten Free, No bake/cooking required!, Party Foods, Vegetarian, Vitamix 5 Comments

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Okay the dog days of summer are here and that calls for ice cream, right?  Of course!

My clean eating journey continues but that doesn’t mean I can’t have ice cream (or at least a healthier version of it).  PLUS no ice cream maker required! I love that this creamy “ice cream” hits the sweet spot plus bananas are filled with fiber and potassium, cherries are a natural anti-inflammatory fruit (we can all use that) and the creaminess… oh you had me at the first spoonful.  Great treat for the kids too!  Also a perfect way (without making banana bread) to use up ripe bananas.  Go grab your bananas and get them into your freezer~ you’ll be so happy you did!

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— Knead to Cook

Gazpacho.

by Filed Under: Appetizers, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Mexican, No bake/cooking required!, Party Foods, Soups, Vegetarian, Vitamix, Wheat Free 4 Comments

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I love making vegetarian dinners for my family.  It’s important to me to do this a few times a week.  This one, I admit, is super easy when you have a bounty of fresh tomatoes flowing from the garden daily.  I typically make salsa or roast my tomatoes for sauce but I thought it would be a nice night for a cold soup with some crusty bread and tons of flavor!  If you love salsa, you will totally flip over this soup.  Also, great to make the night before or a few hours before dinner and let the flavors mingle while chilling.  Also great for an appetizer idea served in tall, thin glasses as shooters.  You can top this with fresh sliced jalapeños or cold shrimp would be perfection too!  Plus another great thing about this recipe, no heating up your kitchen and preparation is super fast!   Vegan.

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— Knead to Cook

Dried Fava Bean Hummus.

by Filed Under: Appetizers, Condiments, Dips, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Indian-inspired., Party Foods, Snacks, Stocks/Broths, Vegetarian, Vitamix, Wheat Free 4 Comments

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I often buy bags of beans (thanks to Bob’s Red Mill) that look interesting or something I haven’t tried before.  Now I’ve eaten fresh fava beans but never dried so I grabbed the bag and vowed to make something this week (and not let it get buried in the back of pantry never to be seen again).  This is a crazy (yes, another) week with three swim meets, one of which we are hosting amongst construction in our house, training and our swim banquet.  My eye is twitching in stress as I type this (ha ha).  So in my free hour that I was blessed with today, I grabbed the beans and cooked them according to the package directions.  It only took about 40 minutes.  The texture is similar to a baked potato when done.  They are packed with protein, fiber and iron!  Perfect as I haven’t been eating meat in the past few months.  And this is what I did with them after draining…

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— Knead to Cook

Tomato Basil Vinaigrette.

by Filed Under: Condiments, Dips, Gluten Free, Italian-inspired, No bake/cooking required!, Salads, Salsas & Guacamole, Vegetarian, Vinaigrette, Vitamix, Wheat Free 4 Comments

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This is like a fresh burst of garden flavor. I just love the flavors.  Now I know the color may be deceptive (thanks to the yellow tomatoes I used and the dark balsamic) but don’t be swayed.  The flavor is incredibly summer.  Packed with freshness that will make your tastebuds dance!  Great for topping your favorite greens, proteins or for dipping veggies into.  I keep dipping my veggies into it… so good!  Easy, clean and vegan!

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— Knead to Cook

Roasted red pepper balsamic vinaigrette.

by Filed Under: Condiments, Gluten Free, Italian-inspired, No bake/cooking required!, Salads, Vegetarian, Vinaigrette, Vitamix, Wheat Free 9 Comments

 

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I have always loved making my own vinaigrettes.  I use them for topping salads, veggies, meats – whatever!  This one is a favorite as my family really loves the flavor of smoked paprika.  This dressing has a dark, earthy flavor – which pairs up beautifully with greens or mixed vegetables.  I prepared a mixed green bean salad and topped it with this dressing last night for dinner.  It was so good.  In fact… everyone kept dipping veggies into the dressing despite my efforts to photograph it for this post.

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— Knead to Cook

Oatmeal Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies.

by Filed Under: Cookies, Nuts, Vegetarian, Vitamix, Yogurt 3 Comments

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Actually these cookies are NOT a “big mistake” – I just loved the plate and couldn’t resist.

I’ve been eating very clean for the past 8 months.  I’ve been searching and creating recipes that are better tasting, healthier options not only for me but for my family.  These cookies are healthier than your average oatmeal chocolate chip cookie – but are packed with flavor.  These are made with Greek yogurt and coconut oil, which adds protein and healthy fats to your snack.  They are moist and oh so good!  I made about 38 cookies with one batch – I make smaller cookies, and they are mostly gone.  My kids right up to my father (75 years old) loves them.

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— Knead to Cook