Edmond Native’s Real Food Cookbook (50% Off)

Edmond native Kathryne Taylor is the personality behind the hugely popular blog Cookie and Kate (cookieandkate.com). The blog is the No. 1 vegetarian cooking blog in the country. In six years, the vegetarian and all-natural food blog has grown from a hobby to a full-time project, and now garners more than two million visits per month. Kathryne researches, develops, cooks, photographs and writes every recipe on the blog. With the success of the blog, Kate has now published her cookbook  “Love Real Food”.

Offering over 100 approachable and delicious meatless recipes, Kathryne’s cookbook makes fresh, wholesome, and sustainable food easy.

For a limited time, Amazon is offering up to 50% off the Love Real Food cookbook. You can get Kindle ebook version for $12.99 (save $14.51) or the Hardcopy version for $16.32 (save $11.18).

If the discounted price wasn’t enough to convince you to order your own copy, here are a few recipes from the “Love Real Food” cookbook.

Lemony Almond-Blueberry Cake

This almond-blueberry cake is lightly sweet and possesses an almost graham crackery flavor and lemony tang. Plus, it’s studded with gorgeous, jammy blueberries. It would be a great treat to serve as dessert for any occasion, but it’s wholesome enough to pass for breakfast or a mid-afternoon snack. It’s also easy to make and gluten free, which means that I can share it with more of my friends!

Makes 1 loaf cake (about 8 slices)

2 cups (8 ounces) plus
1 tablespoon packed almond meal
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 eggs
2/3 cup maple syrup or honey
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 ½ teaspoons grated lemon zest (from
2 medium lemons, preferably organic)
1 cup blueberries
(6 ounces), fresh or frozen

Lemon-Maple Glaze
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons maple syrup or honey

Time Warning:
This cake is very simple to make but requires about 1 hour 45 minutes combined baking and cooling time.

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Generously grease a 9 × 5-inch loaf pan and dust it with almond meal to prevent sticking.

In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of the almond meal, the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk to blend.

Crack the eggs into a medium bowl and beat with a whisk until the yolks and egg whites have blended together. Add the maple syrup, olive oil, and lemon zest and whisk to blend. Pour the wet ingredients into the almond meal mixture and stir until there are just a few clumps remaining.

In a small bowl, toss the blueberries with the remaining 1 tablespoon almond meal (this helps prevent the blueberries from sinking to the bottom of the cake). Gently fold the blueberries into the batter.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the cake is deeply golden brown, the center is firm to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, to make the lemon-maple glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and maple syrup until blended. (If you’re using honey and having a hard time blending it into the lemon juice, place the bowl on top of your stove to warm it up while the cake bakes, or warm it briefly in the microwave until you can whisk them together.)

Once the cake is out of the oven, place the cake, pan and all, on a cooling rack. While the cake is warm, use a pastry brush to brush the glaze over the top of the cake. It should soak right in. Let the cake cool for at least 30 minutes before carefully inverting it onto a serving plate or cutting board. Carefully flip it back over, then use a bread knife to cut it into 1-inch-thick slices.

Store any remaining cake in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 4 days.

Roasted Strawberry, Basil, and Goat Cheese Crostini

If you haven’t experienced roasted strawberries yet, you’ve been missing out—they’re sweet and jammy, like the inside of a strawberry pie. Roasted strawberries collide with tangy goat cheese and fresh basil to create this simple and sophisticated summertime appetizer. You could also serve these with a big green salad for a light summer meal.

Makes about 2 dozen crostini

4 to 5 ounces goat cheese
1 pound strawberries, hulled and cut into bite-size pieces
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 whole-grain baguette or small loaf of crusty whole-grain bread (about 14 ounces), cut into ½-inch slices
Small handful of fresh basil leaves, torn into little pieces
Freshly ground black pepper
Tip: If you don’t love goat cheese, alternatives include mascarpone, cream cheese or ricotta.

Preheat the oven to 350°F with racks in the middle and upper third of the oven. Line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper for easier cleanup. Set the goat cheese on the counter to soften up a bit.

On one baking sheet, toss the strawberries with the honey, then spread the strawberries into a single layer. Bake on the upper rack until the fruit is tender, juicy, and collapsing on itself, 20 to 25 minutes, tossing halfway. Watch the fruit on the edges of the pan, as the honey can burn quickly.

Meanwhile, on the remaining baking sheet, brush the olive oil lightly over both sides of each slice of bread. Bake on the middle rack until the toasts are golden on top, 10 to 12 minutes.

Once the toasts are cool enough to safely handle, top each one with a smear of goat cheese, followed by a spoonful of roasted strawberries and their juices. Finish off the crostini with a sprinkling of torn basil and black pepper. Crostini are best served immediately.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins {Gluten Free}

The links in the post below may be affiliate links. Read the full disclosure.

Just last summer, Olympic marathoner Shalane Flanagan and her childhood friend Elyse Kopecky released Run Fast. Eat Slow.; an amazing cookbook full of nourishing recipes highlight ingredients that fuel and replenish. I’ve made many of the recipes from the book and each one was as satisfying and delicious as the last.

One particular recipe that has been quite popular is called Super Hero Muffins. The muffins are made with almond flour, shredded carrots, zucchini, and delicious spices. They make for a quick breakfast or snack that’s filled with tons of “good for you” flavor and leaves out all the empty sugar.

The Change Up

With a busy week ahead and a wicked chocolate craving I had every intention of making Super Hero Muffins and adding some chocolate chips. However, a very key ingredient wasn’t available at my grocer. The spot on the shelf where I grab almond flour on the reg was empty. I briefly contemplated the option to create my own almond flour, but realistically I don’t have a food processor and it just seems like more work than I’m willing to put in. As I scoured the isle for an flour alternative I spotted a new product the grocer was carrying, quinoa flour. I know nothing about quinoa flour but it seemed like a good alternative.

Now that my plan required slight alterations, I decided to go full out on this chocolate craving and picked up some cocoa powder too. I wanted to experiment to see if I could create a delicious treat that satisfied my chocolate addiction and that I didn’t have to feel completely guilty about.

So that’s basically how I ended up with Chocolate Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins. Check out the recipe below.

 

Ingredients

2 cups quinoa flour

3/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats (gluten free)

1 cup Nestle Toll House Baking Cocoa

2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 cup chocolate chips

3 eggs, beaten

1 cup grated zucchini

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup dark amber maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper muffin cups.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the quinoa flour, oats, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
  3. In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, zucchini, butter, maple syrup, and vanilla.
  4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients mixing well until just combined.
  5. Fold in the chocolate chips. The batter will be thick.
  6. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups filling each to the brim. Bake until muffins until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. 25 to 35 minutes.

 

The Results

I was pretty pleased with how the muffins turned out. Although I find almond flour quite tasty, the quinoa flour acted a bit more like regular flour in comparison. For example the muffins made with the quinoa flour were slightly lighter and fluffier and less of a nutty taste than muffins made with almond flour.

I’m still working on my family and friends to eat food without refined sugar. One of my kiddos and husband will normally eat one muffin but still would rather have a regular muffin. Oh who am I kidding. They would rather have a cupcake. But for me, I prefer the “NO REFINED SUGAR” option and am kind of pleased that I got this chocolate chip muffins all to myself to eat for breakfast or as my afternoon snack for the entire week.

Speaking of afternoon snacks and cupcakes. I did recently discover that my local grocer, in addition to the quinoa flour also has fresh ground peanut butter. Oh my heavens. You grind the peanut butter right there on the spot. It comes out all warm and gooey and smells amazing. Well I decided to add a tasty dollop (giant scoop) of the peanut butter on top of my muffin. It acted as peanut butter frosting on top of a delicious chocolatey cupcake. It was like heaven I tell you. Pure and simple heaven.

If you decide to make this recipe, I hope you enjoy.

Have you tried the Run Fast. Eat Slow. cookbook? Which recipe is your favorite?

Inspiralized Cookbooks for Less Than $10

The links in the post below may be affiliate links. Read the full disclosure.

 

An important aspect for any runner is nutrition. The food you use to fuel up prior to a run is just as important as the food consumed after a hard workout to make sure recovering muscles get what they need. I like to keep things simple so a way that I make sure my body is getting adequate nourishment is by filling up my plate with mostly vegetables. I know, I know, vegetables aren’t always the most appetizing foods. A boring bag of frozen veggies used to be the most common way I incorporated vegetables into my diet. However,  I’ve found one woman that has made veggies interesting.

The Inspiralizer

I’ve been following Ali Maffucci, the Inspiralized Founder, for a while. She uses this spiffy little gadget called  The Inspiralizer to do cool stuff with vegetables like turning zucchini into noodles, sweet potatoes into rice, and much more.

No more boring bags of frozen veggies for me. I’ve been cooking out of the Inspiralized: Turn Vegetables into Healthy, Creative, Satisfying Meals cookbook lately and have enjoyed many of the recipes. It’s been fun trying new ways to incorporate vegetables into meals. My family doesn’t even notice half the time. With Ali’s cookbooks you can expect beautifully easy meals such as
THE BEST CHICKEN ZUCCHINI NOODLE SOUP, EVER!

 

 

Two Cookbooks for less than $19

You can now grab the New York Times best seller, Inspiralized: Turn Vegetables into Healthy, Creative, Satisfying Meals, for just $9.99 (it’s 50% off).

You can also get her second book, Inspiralize Everything: An Apples-to-Zucchini Encyclopedia of Spiralizing, for just $8.87 (it’s 60% off).

Amazon is running this deal for a short period of time so get your copies before it’s too late.

Chili-Lime Glazed Ham {21 Day Fix Approved}

The links in the post below may be affiliate links. Read the full disclosure.

 
The trouble with cooking a glazed ham is that the recipes often include brown sugar and some sort of fruit juice. If your goal is to reduce sugar intake then a traditional glazed ham is not really a part of your meal planning… until now.

The holidays left me with a sugar hang over and frozen hams just begging to be cooked up. So after searching the internet for hours, I couldn’t really find any recipes that met my need for reduced sugar and only used the minimal amount of spices I happened to have on hand. Therefore, I had to do some creative thinking and came up with the following Recipe

Chili-Lime Ham

Because this recipe only uses a minimal amount of REAL maple syrup, there is NO refined and meets those 21 Day Fix clean eating recommendations. It’s also important to note that unrefined natural sweeteners like maple syrup contain higher levels of beneficial nutrients, antioxidants and phytochemicals than white table sugar or high fructose corn syrup. This glaze has so much flavor and isn’t sticky sweet.
The proportions here are not hot spicy and my kids gobbled this one up.

Ingredients

1 Tbs dark real maple syrup (not Mrs Buttersworth but the REAL stuff. The darker you can get it, the more nutrients)
1 tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp cumin powder
1/8 tsp red pepper powder
Pinch of salt
1/4 tsp Adobo sauce and half of an Adobo chili sliced (use more if you like it spicy)
1 tsp fresh lime juice
Fresh lime zest
These are the measurements I used to glaze a 3.5 pound ham so increase measurements for a larger ham.

Directions

Bake the ham according to packing instructions. In the last hour of cooking begin to glaze the ham with your glaze mixture. I like to mix the glaze with the ham juices that accumulate in the roasting pan as well and pour that over the ham. Cover ham and continue cooking. Also, I leave my ham uncovered for the last 15 minutes or so of cooking to get a nice “crust” on the ham.

Run Fast. Eat Slow. Only $3.99 and Other Deals

Run Fast. Eat Slow.

After her sixth place finish at the 2016 Olympics Marathon, Amazon has decided to celebrate Shalane Flanagan’s achievements and offer a discount on her new cookbook, Run Fast. Eat Slow.: Nourishing Recipes for Athletes. From world-class marathoner and 4-time Olympian Shalane Flanagan and chef Elyse Kopecky comes a whole foods, flavor-forward cookbook that proves food can be indulgent and nourishing at the same time. Finally here’s a cookbook for runners that shows fat is essential for flavor and performance and that counting calories, obsessing over protein, and restrictive dieting does more harm than good.run fast

Hurry and grab the Kindle version, on sale for only $3.99 (an 80% discount), before the sale expires.

 

New Balance Discounts

Today only Joe’s New Balance Outlet is offering up FREE Shipping on ANY Order at checkout – no promo code required! Plus, be sure to check out Joe’s Daily Deal. Today you can score these Men’s New Balance Running Shoes for just $36.99 (regularly $89.99)! Also spotted Women’s Tech Tees for $8.99 (reg. $19.99), Women’s Fashion Tanks  for only$10 (reg. $39.99) and more!

product photo shoot Camera Angles include: 14.Default 1,15.Default 2,16.Default 3

 

Planning to Get a Flu Shot?

Don’t let the flu sideline your training this fall and winter by getting a flu shot and a $5 Target gift card. Now through March 31st, 2017, you can score a FREE $5 Target Gift Card after you receive a flu shot at CVS Pharmacy or MinuteClinic locations in Target stores! The gift card can be redeemed for Target merchandise or services at Target stores orTarget.com. Go here for details and to find a clinic near you.

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*Gift card valid for Target merchandise only. Offer available only at CVS Pharmacy locations at Target from 8/15/16 through 3/31/17. Limit one per customer. Gift card cannot be issued in AR, NJ, NY. Flu shots available when immunizing pharmacist or MinuteClinic health care provider is on duty.

 

Oh So Easy BLT Salad

It’s summer time in Oklahoma and the cooking ain’t easy. The heat and humidity are a great excuses to “cook” cereal for dinner. Or if you’re feeling fancy you can make this “Oh So Easy BLT Salad.

blt salad

Ingredients

1 bag of salad of your choosing. Romaine or field greens work best.

1 medium tomato, diced

1 medium avocado, diced

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

6 slices of bacon, cooked, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

Lime juice, to taste

Salt and Pepper, to taste

 

Instructions

Toss greens, tomato, avocado, feta, and bacon together in large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and squeeze fresh lime juice over the top. Toss again. Top with salt and pepper and enjoy!

 

Like I said, this is an incredibly easy salad to prepare but with the avocado, feta, and bacon it’s pretty filling as well.

Keep cool, friends.

via GIPHY

Slow Cooker Beef Stew {21 Day Fix Approved}

21 Day Fix Approved Beef StewWow, what a crazy few days here in Oklahoma. The freezing rain that has taken down many trees and power lines in the metro area and left so many without electricity has really wrecked some serious havoc. I can’t think of a better meal for these cold days than beef stew. It’s so filling, comforting, and when you make it fresh (not from a can) it can really pack layers of great flavor.

I was able to adapt the Beef Stew recipe from Autumn Calabrese’s 21 Day Fix Cookbook, Fixate, to create the following slow cooker recipe. With busy family schedules, I turn many recipes into slow cooker friendly recipes. There is nothing better than a balanced, 21 Day Fix approved meal ready in your slow cooker once you get home from work.

 

 

Ingredients – Beef Stew

1 tsp olive oil

1 lb. 10 oz raw lean beef stew meat

1 medium onion chopped

2 medium carrot, sliced

1 medium celery stalks, chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

8 cups low-sodium beef broth, divided

1/2 cup red wine

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

3 bay leaves

1 can diced tomatoes

2 large sweet potatoes or parsnips, cut into 1 in cubes

 

Directions – Beef Stew

  1. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat
  2. Add stew meat; cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until browned
  3. Add onion and celery; cook stirring occasionally, for 5 to 6 minutes, or until onion is translucent.
  4. Add garlic; cook stirring frequently, for 1 minute.
  5. Add 1 cup broth and wine; cook, stirring constantly scraping bottom of pan so beef doesn’t stick, for 5 to 8 minutes, or until liquid is reduced in half.
  6. Place contents of saucepan into slow cooker. Top with salt, pepper, bay leaves, carrots, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and remaining broth.
  7. Cook in slow cooker on low for 8 hours or high for  5 hours

21 Day Fix Beef Stew

 

Butterfinger Shakeology

That left over Halloween candy can be enticing. Good thing there is Shakeology with its benefits of reducing cravings, boosting the immune system, and improving digestion to help give you strength to stick with your health and fitness goals. Here is a great Shakeology recipe to have instead of that guilt of eating the rest of that candy.

1 Scoop of Chocolate Shakeology
1 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk

1 1/2 Tbsp of Butterscotch Pudding Mix

1 1/2 Tbsp of Peanut Butter

Add ice and blend to taste.

Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup

Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup

What I love about this recipe is that it is sooo simple but packs big flavor. I also love to make this soup because it’s gentle on the wallet. Many of the ingredients I typically already have around in my pantry anyway so if I’m in a pinch, I throw this recipe in the ol’ slow cooker.

PchickentortillasoupIngredients

2 tsp olive oil
½ cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups chicken broth
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1 15oz can no salt added black beans
1 14oz can fire roasted tomatoes
2 cups frozen corn kernels
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp ground oregano
1 pound chicken breast

For serving:
Tortilla strips or tortilla chips
Shredded cheddar or monterey jack cheese
Diced avocado, diced roma tomatoes, sour cream (optional)

Instructions
Heat olive oil over medium heat, add onion and garlic, stirring until soft, about 3 minutes.
Add all ingredients to slow cooker.
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.
Remove chicken from soup and shred,
Return to slow cooker.
Allow to cook until heated through.
Serve warm with tortilla strips and cheese and other optional ingredients.

chicken enchilada soup

Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas

Pork carnitas are so versatile. They’re an easy and filling meal you can enjoy all year round. Sometimes when meals are cooked in the slow cooker all day they can end up bland and mushy. The chipotle peppers, spices, and juice come together nicely to create a slightly spicy and sweet heat that isn’t overpowering. After the first time I made these, they quickly became a family favorite.

Ingredients:

  • 1 (3-pound) boneless pork shoulder, trimmed (I substitute pork loin cause I can get those packages of two for one at Sams)
  • 10 garlic cloves, sliced (Substitue 1 and 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder)
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3/4 cup orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 2 chipotle chiles canned in adobo sauce, drained and chopped
  • Fresh Salsa, pico de gallo, lime wedges, and Carb Smart tortillas for serving

Directions:

  1. Combine garlic, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Place roast in a 3 1/2 quart slow cooker. Sprinkle pork on all sides with spice mixture.
  2. Combine juices and chipotle chiles. Pour juice mixture over pork. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours or until pork is tender.
  3. Remove pork from slow cooker; shred with 2 forks. Skim fat from cooking liquid (if you use pork loin there will be no fat and very little cooking liquid). Combine Shredded pork and 1/2 cup cooking liquid; toss well.

Spoon pork into Carb Smart tortilla, top with salsa, pico de gallo, fresh lime juice. Serve with black beans, brown rice, or a sauté of corn and zucchini.

Adapted from Cooking Light Slow Cooker Tonight
Adapted from Cooking Light Slow Cooker Tonight