Cinnamon Pecan Granola

Guys I think breakfast is well on its way to becoming my favorite meal of the day.

I'm not always a fan of nuts, but toss them in oats and cinnamon...

and coat them in coconut oil, honey, and maple syrup...

And I just might reconsider my devotion... or lack there of..

I could eat this granola all the day long. And the best part about this recipe?

I promise it will make your house smell ah-mazing!!

Cinnamon Pecan Granola
Recipe from: Shannon, I Knead to Bake

2 c. rolled oats
1/4 c. spelt flour
2 Tbsp. chia seeds
2 Tbsp. ground flax seed
2 Tbsp. almond flour
1/4 pecan halves, coarsely chopped
1/4 - 1/2 tsp sea salt, to taste
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 c. coconut oil, melted
3 Tbsp honey
1/3 pure maple syrup

Directions:
Begin by preheating your oven to 250 degrees F.

In a bowl toss together the rolled oats, flour, chia seeds, ground flax seed, pecans, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.

In a separate bowl combine the melted coconut oil, honey, and pure maple syrup. Add the mixture of wet ingredients to the bowl of dry ingredient and stir with a rubber spatula.

Spread the mixture out as much as possible onto a large cookie sheet. Bake for 1 hour stirring every 20 minutes to ensure even baking. Once you remove the granola from the oven, do not stir until it has had time to cool, allowing larger granola clusters to form.

Serve with bananas or dried fruit if desired. Store in an airtight container. Enjoy!


Shared HERE.

Healthy Berry Syrup

Remember how I have a pancake obsession???



Well I decided if I was going to be eating pancakes obsessively that I better come up with a healthy topping alternative. I'm just not one of those people who can eat pancakes without coating them in delicious sticky syrup.

And while pure maple syrup is free of refined sugar... lets get real friends... it's still sugar, and that's how your body will metabolize it.

Luckily this recipe has only 81 calories and 14.5 grams of sugar per 1/4 cup, compared to the maple syrup alternative of 210 calories and 53 grams of sugar!

Make a big batch, store it in your fridge and let your pancakes lap up the strawberry-raspberry goodness.

Healthy Berry Syrup
Recipe from: Shannon, ikneadtobake
Makes 1+1/2 cups

2 cups strawberries, frozen
2 cups raspberries, frozen
1/4 cup pure maple syrup

Directions: In a saucepan heat berries, covered, over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the berries are thawed and soft.

Turn the heat up to medium and add the maple syrup and cook until the berries begin to break down, about 3 minutes stirring constantly.

Carefully add the hot mixture to a food processor or blender and pulse until you have reached your desired consistency. (I prefer the fruit to be mostly puréed with a few small pieces of whole fruit remaining.) Serve warm.


Syrup can be stored in an air-tight container in the fridge up to one week. It is recommended that you reheat only what you plan on using. 


Shared HERE.

Cinnamon Peanut Butter Vegan Protein Shake

This shake is one of my favorite breakfasts for crazy mornings with even crazier toddlers.

Super simple -- toss everything in a blender, and with 20 grams of protein, its sure to keep you full.

Cinnamon Peanut Butter Vegan Protein Shake
Recipe from: Shannon, ikneadtobake

1 banana, frozen
1 c. almond milk
1 Tbsp. natural peanut butter
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 c. plain soy protein powder

Directions: Add all ingredients to a blender. Blend until smooth. Transfer to a cup and enjoy! It doesn't get easier than that my friends.

Shared HERE.

Vegetarian Chili

After a decadent and delicious holiday season I have come to one very important conclusion...

...I need some major vegetables in my life!

Here's to a happy and healthy new year!



Vegetarian Chili
Recipe by: Shannon, ikneadtobake
Serves: 6

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 small onion, large dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp diced jalapeño
2 Tbsp olive oil
15 oz can whole kernel corn, drained and rinsed
15 oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
15 oz can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
28 oz can crushed tomato
2 c. water
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
garlic salt, to taste
optional toppings: cheese, cilantro, diced green onion, diced red onion, avacado, sour cream

Directions: On a cast iron skillet* heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat and add chopped bell pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the skin of the bell pepper has small spots of char on it but still have a little bit of a "crunch" - about 3 minutes. Remove from pan. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil and add onion, jalapeño, and garlic. Cook until onions are soft and translucent. Remove from pan.

In a large pot over medium heat add the cooked bell pepper and onion mixture, along with the remaining ingredients. Simmer for at least 10 minutes to allow flavors to combine. Adjust seasoning to taste. Serve with desired toppings.

Shared HERE.

Homemade Naturally Sweet Applesauce

I love our neighborhood this time of year. All the homes look so festive adorned with pumpkins and fall wreaths. Kids are running up and down the sidewalk trying to soak in the last bit of sunshine before the winter. And come Friday we will have oodles of little trick-or-treaters.

This year we had a bunch of neighbors share all sorts of homegrown produce with us - zuchinni, squash, tomatoes, jalapeños, and two bags full of apples!

My girls eat applesauce like there is no tomorrow so I decided a homemade batch would be the perfect way to use all those apples!

Homemade Naturally Sweet Applesauce

Recipe from: Shannon, ikneadtobake

Yield: about 2 quarts

4 lbs apples, chopped, peeled and cored

3/4 c high quality apple juice (100% juice)

juice of 1/2 lemon

Directions: Place all four pounds of peeled, chopped apples, apple juice, and lemon juice in a large pot. Cover and simmer until apples are cooked through - about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Place cooked apples and liquid in a blender or food processor and pulse until you have achieved desired consistency. 

Process in a water bath to make applesauce shelf stable, or divide into containers and keep in the fridge.

Shared HERE.

Chocolate Pudding Parfait for Two

So Tyson has been beyond busy with school and work. So the other night I thought he deserved a little break so we had a little at-home dessert date action. For these yummy treats I decided to try a new natural, gluten-free brand.

So with my whisk in hand I threw together some milk, whipped cream and Better Bowls Chocolate Natural Instant Pudding and the results were delicious! I was totally impressed with the Better Bowls pudding. The results were a rich velvety pudding with a truer chocolate flavor than other brands I have tried <<probably because it had less of the artificial stuff and more of the good stuff!>>

Definitely going to have to try their strawberry gelatin mix next... To give their products a try grab some on Amazon. And as an added bonus use coupon code: LIVEBTTR to receive 20% off your order from now until the end of June.

In the end, a mini-date night with Ty was just what the doctor ordered. Here's to having a full-blown-mega date once he's done with finals!

Chocolate Pudding Parfait for Two

Recipe from: Shannon, ikneadtobake

4 oz Better Bowls Chocolate Natural Instant Pudding

1 c. whipped cream

1 1/2 c. milk

1/2 c. fresh strawberries or raspberries

Directions: In a large bowl combine scant 1/2 c. pudding mix and 1/2 c. milk. Whisk for two minutes. Carefully fold in 1/2 c. whipped cream until combined. Divide between two serving cups. 

In a separate bowl combine the remaining pudding mix and 1 c. cold milk. Whisk two minutes and refrigerate until pudding it set up. Layer pudding as the next layer in your serving cups. 

Next place fresh cut strawberries or fresh raspberries and top each parfait with 1/4 c. whipped cream. Chill and serve. 

This post was sponsored by Better Bowls. The opinions and words are my own.

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Top 3 FAVORITE Recipes of 2012

Happy New Year! 2012 was a pretty great year if I do say so myself. Our year looked a little like this:

The arrival of our first little munchkin.
Half marathon.
Moving across the country... and back.
Tyson's barefoot running obsession.
Playing with friends and family.
Another year closer to Ty's graduation.
Yankees game.
California, Idaho, Utah, Connecticut, New York, Vermont, Massachusetts.
Learning more about faith and family.

There were also some dang good recipes we picked up along the way. Here are my top 3 crowd-pleasing favorites from 2012!

Chicken Sesame Pasta Salad

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Sweet Slaw Salad

Almond Nutella Hot Chocolate

Hope you had a very merry Christmas! This year was baby girls first of many and we had so much fun watching her unwrap presents. What can I say? Santa was pretty good to her! But Santa was good to me too.... I can't wait to try out these cookbooks!



And he left me this goodie in my stocking! So naturally I had to make some hot chocolate with it because my  motto is to put Nutella into as many things as possible.



...or just eat it plain, with my finger. That works too.



Almond Nutella Hot Chocolate
Recipe from: Shannon, ikneadtobake
Serves: 1

1 1/2 c. almond milk
3 Tbsp Nutella

Directions: In a small saucepan heat almond milk over medium heat. Stir occasionally. Once the almond milk is steaming whisk in the Nutella one tablespoon at a time. Continue to whisk until completely combined. Pour into a serving cup and top with whipped cream.

Breakfast Omelette

One of Tyson's all-time favorite things about the holiday season is Hickory Farms....also eggnog. I'm just really not an eggnog person. Our first Christmas together he FORCED me to try it. Still not converted. But I do love Hickory Farms Summer Sausage. Also those little mints. Who doesn't love those??

My favorite thing to do with the summer sausage is cook it up in a frying pan and put it in an omelette. Throw in a little onion, cilantro, cheese, and broccoli [YES broccoli] and prepare yourself for a deliciously satisfying breakfast.

Breakfast Omelette
Recipe from: Shannon, ikneadtobake
Serves: 1

1/4 c. summer sausage salami, diced
1/3 c. onion, diced
1/4 c. broccoli
2 Tbsp green onion
2 Tbsp cilantro
1/4 c. cheddar cheese
1 egg
1 egg white
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions: In a small bowl combine 1 egg and 1 egg white. Whisk together. Set aside.

Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add sausage, onion, and broccoli. Cover and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes. Add cilantro and green onion to the pan. Cook, for about 15 seconds then remove from heat and set aside. Heat another pan over medium heat and add the eggs. Allow them to cook for about 15-20 seconds, the eggs should still be a little runny on the top.

Add cheddar cheese and fold the omelette in half. Top with cheese and cover. Cook for an additional 30 seconds - 1 minute. Top with fresh cilantro and enjoy!

Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting

Dear Husband,

Remember how my birthday is this week?? Well here you go. I know, pretty subtle huh? I tried to send baby girl with a hint-dropping note...but lets be honest, she would probably eat it. She likes paper. But I like cake. With cinnamon frosting. I promise to act surprised.

I love you!

Love,
Your Wedded Wife

Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting
Recipe from: Shannon, ikneadtobake

1/2 c. butter, softened
2-4 tsp. milk
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 c. powdered sugar

Directions: Begin by combining sugar and cinnamon. Set aside. In a mixing bowl combine butter, milk, and almond extract. Slowly add sugar mixture to butter mixture until all ingredients are well incorporated.

Our Favorite Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

This recipe makes enough for about 8 servings so I always end up portioning it out and freezing it for a future meal. Don't get me wrong... I love cooking, but some days I am just not in the mood. Or I'm feeling lazy. Or I don't feel like cooking and THEN having to clean up the mess after. And on those days, I pull out some frozen spaghetti sauce, throw it in the microwave, boil some pasta and call it a good days work.



Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
Recipe from: Shannon, ikneadtobake
Servings: 6-8

1 Tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 pound hot Italian sausage
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
About 1/2 c. chicken broth, as needed
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp crushed rosemary
28 ounces canned tomato sauce
14.5 ounce can fire roasted tomatoes
salt, to taste

Directions: Brown Italian sausage in a pan until cooked through. Drain fat. Set aside. In a large pot heat olive oil. Add garlic and onion and saute for about 2 minutes. Add cooked sausage and red wine vinegar. Finally add tomato sauce, fire roasted tomatoes, chicken broth, basil, rosemary, and Italian seasoning.

Allow sauce too simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring about every 10 minutes. Salt to taste. Serve over desired pasta (we like whole grain spaghetti or rotini) and finish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

White Chocolate Pumpkin Cookies

I love how Fall hits and suddenly everything turns pumpkin. These cookies are, of course, no exception--another variation of cake batter cookies with just a hint of maple. Whip these together quick for a Halloween party or just because. Happy baking!

White Chocolate Pumpkin Cookies
Recipe from: Shannon, ikneadtobake
Yield: 4 dozen
Calories: 79 per cookie

1 box spice cake mix (18.25 oz)
1 can pumpkin (15 oz)
1 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 tsp maple extract

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a mixing bowl combine the pumpkin puree and maple extract. Next add the cake mix using a large spoon or rubber spatula. Finally add the white chocolate chips. Place dough on a greased baking sheet using a cookie scoop or spoon. Bake for 9-12 minutes. (Bake for a shorter amount of time for more fudge like cookies and longer for a more cake like texture.)

Bruschetta Grilled Chicken

Remember Kortnie?? She came over for dinner and we had a lesson on rice?? Well sweet Kortnie is getting married!! And turns out we are going to share a wedding date!!

She and Ricky make an adorable couple! I had a sneaking suspicion those two were meant to be and I'm so happy that now its official! {Congratulations guys!!}

ANYWAY... as you will remember I made some bruschetta chicken when Kort came over last for dinner... but I wasn't entirely happy with it. So I decided to play around in the kitchen a little and here is what we came up with. We ended up pretty satisfied with the results and gobbled it all up!

Bruschetta Grilled Chicken
Recipe from: Shannon, ikneadtobake
Serves: 2

2 chicken breasts (about 1 pound)
1/3 c. water
1/3 c. olive oil
1/3 c. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. garlic salt

Bruschetta Topping:
1/2 c. grape or cherry tomatoes, quartered
2 tsp. garlic, minced
1 tsp. dried basil
1 Tbsp. olive oil

balsamic vinegar, to taste
parmesan cheese, to taste

Directions: Combine 1/3 cup each of water, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil as well as the garlic salt. Allow the chicken breast to marinade in the mixture for at least 2-3 hours.

When you are ready to cook, fire up your grill over medium-high / medium heat. Allow it to get nice and hot and then place your marinated chicken on the BBQ. Cook until the meat has reached an internal temperature of 150 degrees F. or until there is not longer any pink on the inside.

Allow your cooked chicken to rest (so it will stay nice and juicy) while you quickly make your bruschetta topping. **If you have all of your ingredients prepped and cut before hand it will make life loads easier**

In a small pan heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the minced garlic and allow it too saute for about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, and dried basil to the pan. Allow to cook for 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Plate one chicken breast with about 1/4 c. of bruschetta topping over the top. Finish with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and parmesan cheese.

Pesto Chicken Pizza

Pizza is one of our favorite ways to get creative around here. This rendition of Pesto Chicken Pizza is our latest creation. The tomatoes were a last-minute add and we sure didn't regret it!




Pesto Chicken Pizza
Recipe from: Shannon, ikneadtobake

pizza dough
pesto
grilled chicken breast
red onion
tomato
mozzarella cheese, shredded
parmesan cheese
balsamic vinegar

Directions: Roll out pizza dough to your desired thickness. Begin covering the dough first with pesto.. (we like a little less sauce since pesto can be a pretty strong flavor). Next add chicken, diced red onion, chopped tomato, shredded mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese.

Bake at 450 for about 15 minutes or until the cheese is beginning to brown on top. Slice it up and serve with balsamic vinegar for dipping.

Oven Fries

I've said it before and I'll say it again... we are food network junkies. A favorite is Jeff Mauro sandwich king extraordinaire--AKA Season 7 winner of Food Network Star! 

Well we love love making oven fries and apparently so does Jeff! Usually our fries are pretty dang good but with the help of our beloved Sandwich King these were the best yet! The trick is to cook them covered for 10 minutes, uncovered for 10 minutes, then flip and cook for the final 10 minutes. The result is crispy oven fries that are cooked through to perfection!

Oven Fries

Recipe from: Ty, AKA the husband

Cooking Method from: sandwichking
Serves 2-3

2 potatoes, scrubbed and cut into thin fries
3 Tbsp. olive oil
garlic salt with parsley (We used Lawry's), to taste
pepper, to taste
fresh cilantro OR fresh parsley

Directions: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Soak cut potatoes in a large bowl of cold water for 10 minutes. Pat dry. Toss with oil and season liberally with garlic salt and pepper.

Spread evenly over a foil-lined baking sheet. Cover with foil and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for another 10 minutes. With a spatula flip the fries and cook for the final 10 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro or parsley and enjoy!

Sweet Slaw Salad

So this summer the munchkin, Ty, and I are out on the east coast with Tyson's family while he does an engineering internship. I threw this together one night while we were in the process of moving and it has quickly become one of our favorites! This week I made it for the in-laws and it was a big hit! Its also great with some grilled chicken should you feel the need to give it a try.

Sweet Slaw Salad
Recipe from: Shannon, ikneadtobake
Serves: 6-8

2 granny smith apples, diced
6 oz slivered almonds, toasted
8 oz dried sweetened cranberries
4-5 green onions, diced
12 pieces thick sliced bacon, cooked until crispy and then diced
1 medium head of green cabbage, sliced thin
lite poppysead dressing

Directions: Place apples, almonds, cranberries, onion, and bacon together in a large serving bowl and mix together. Then add cabbage and toss everything together with your desired amount of poppysead dressing. ** When dressing a salad, always start with less than you think you need, toss, taste, and then adjust.

Cranberry Almond Green Beans

So apparently it was a mistake to tell you that T is learning to sleep through the night... because here I am up feeding the little munchkin. So I figured, why not share a recipe while I'm at it.

I'm gonna be honest. I was a terribly picky eater as a child and veggies were the worst! But don't you worry, I love em now and these I could eat all day! This recipe was inspired by some veggies

I once had at The Blue Moose Cafe. Its a combo of beans, sweetened dried cranberries, slivered almonds, and {of course} butter and salt. I could seriously eat a bowl of just these for dinner and be fine with it ;)

Cranberry Almond Green Beans

Recipe from: Shannon, ikneadtobake

Serves: 4

1 lb fresh green beans, ends snipped

1/3 c. slivered almonds

1/3 c. dried cranberries, sweetened

1/2 Tbsp butter

Salt, to taste

Directions: Steam the green beans in a large bot of boiling water. 

Next place your almonds in a small pan over medium-high heat to toast. Stir them frequently to avoid burning. Continue until they are a light-golden brown color. Remove from pan.

Once the green beans are done, use a colander to drain the water. Finally toss the beans together with the almonds, cranberries, butter, and salt. Serve and enjoy!