cookiestokale

HI FRIENDS!!!! Ok, Ok, I know it’s been a while, but I have some really good excuses! For the last three weeks I was working on a workshop of an awesome new musical! I literally would come home from rehearsal, make something fast to eat, and fall asleep (roughly around 9pm). It was exhausting, but was such an incredible experience. Everyone, from the cast to the creative team, was not only overwhelmingly talented, but kind and generous too. Sometimes I have to reflect on how lucky I am to do what I do!

Oh yea, and I’m getting married in three weeks. WILD!!!! I’ve been so crazy with planning, appointments, finalizing, and organizing, that I haven’t even thought about getting creative in the kitchen. I promise that I’m back. This blog is so special to me and I really don’t want to lose hold of it!

Since my time has been so limited, I wanted to make something fast and easy. I happened to have some leftover coffee on hand and decided to utilize it. I find that chia seed puddings are always a hit!  Cherry Coconut Chia Seed Pudding Parfait and Strawberry Shortcake Chia Seed Pudding  are both favorites of mine, so why not add another option to the rep list!?

This Parfait includes some of my favorite ingredients: Chocolate, Coffee, Oatmeal and Chia seeds.  I am in love with how these parfaits look and had so much fun getting creative with the layers! The chia seed pudding has an amazingly creamy coffee flavor. Since I am obsessed with coffee, I decided I wanted the oatmeal to boast a delicious java taste as well! Combining cacao powder and coffee lends to a perfectly flavored oatmeal.

I wanted there to be some crunch, so I added cacao nibs, and Dark chocolate covered espresso beans (*yes these are a bit of an indulgence, but they are also awesome… go for it). Thin layers of banana give this a beautiful hint of sweetness and add anther texture to the dish.

Not only is this delicious, but it is packed with protein, healthy fats, and slow release carbs. It’s a great way to start your day! If I were eating this for breakfast, I may replace the chocolate covered espresso beans with cacao nibs, or even some coffee beans. If you’re cool with a little indulgence for breakfast, then go crazy!

Have an amazing weekend!!!

WELCOME SPRING!!!!! Finally, mother nature is giving us East Coasters a break from the dreary winter. This weather instantly puts me in a good mood! I don’t know about you, but I find when the weather is nice, I’m even more motivated to get up and workout. I’m definitely a morning workout lady, but when it’s cold, wet, snowy and dark, it’s hard to find the inspiration to get my butt out of bed and to my workout.

This morning, I woke up early, and took a nice long walk over to Flywheel for a flyBARRE class! “Barre” workouts are the best. They utilize small pulsing movements and light weights to target specific body-parts. This class is hard, but it kicks ass.  A lot of people are intimidated to try a new workout, but the instructors at this studio are amazing, kind and welcoming. Do yourself a favor, try something new. Your body will thank you!

After my barre class, I noticed that my friend Bree Branker was teaching a FlyWHEEL class(spinning), and quickly jumped on a bike. If you live in NYC, do yourself a favor and get to her class. She is seriously one of the best instructors I have ever had the pleasure of taking! Productive/sweaty spring morning complete!

Clearly, this post isn’t all about working out. I mean if it was, would I be adding these mouth-watering photos of these yummy quesadillas?

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I had my bachelorette party last weekend! To start the night off, my gorgeous friends took me to a delicious Mexican restaurant called “Dos Caminos.” Ever since that night I have been craving quesadillas, and who am I to deny this craving?!

One of my favorite things about a good quesadilla is the texture. The outside is fantastically crunchy, and the insides are gooey and satisfying. Since I am clearly in love with butternut squash, I decided that the perfect quesadilla should highlight this perfect squash! The combination of simple flavors lends to a serious blast of flavor. GET INTO THIS RECIPE!

Hope you’re all having a fantastic Saturday!

Thanks for stopping by 🙂

I have always been seriously allergic to peanut butter. If I ingest anything with peanut, I go into anaphylactic shock.

“Anaphylactic shock: A widespread and very serious allergic reaction. Symptoms include dizziness, loss of consciousness, labored breathing, swelling of the tongue and breathing tubes, blueness of the skin, low blood pressure, heart failure, and death. Immediate emergency treatment is required for this type of shock, including administration of epinephrine in the case of bee or wasp stings.”

It’s absolutely terrifying, and for a really long time I avoided ALL nuts. A couple of years ago, I learned that peanuts aren’t actually nuts but are legumes. I have subsequently discovered that I am not allergic to nuts at all, and that legumes are the culprit!! I still till tend to avoid most nuts, but I do feel comfortable eating pecans and pistachios.

I’ve always wanted to make my own nut butter. I absolutely love sunflower seed butter, but mot brands have added sugar.  I LOVE pecans, and have rarely seen pecan butter on grocery store shelves. Homemade pecan butter sounded pretty perfect to me! By making my own, I  avoid any unwanted ingredients and am aware of exactly what I’m putting into my body!

Sometimes, to save calories, I will mix sunflower seed butter with pumpkin puree. I adore the taste, and it bulks up the volume of sunflower seed butter without adding any calories or fat! I decided to combine pecans and pumpkin to make a deliciously sweet, lower calorie nut butter!

This is my new favorite treat. Today I ate it on a banana before my workout and I felt amazing! It’s light, sweet, and perfectly satisfying!

Hope you’re having a fantastic Tuesday!

Happy Mothers Day!!!!

I am lucky to have such an incredible mother. She has always supported my dreams, and has helped me become the person I am today. My mother is strong, beautiful, intelligent, other oriented, selfless, giving, dependable, kind, loving, supportive ….I could go on and on. I love and admire my mother more than she could possibly know, and am grateful that we have such a strong relationship! So to all of you Mothers, or Mothers to be:

So,  New York has been quite warm lately!! HORRAY FOR SUMMER APPROACHING!!! When it’s hot outside, I crave cold snacks! (surprising I know). I mean what is better than a frosty popsicle on a summer afternoon!? NOT MUCH.

You can buy lots of popsicles at the grocery store. Lots of them are made with all natural ingredients, and are pretty good options when it comes to snacking. That being said, they can be expensive, and usually have added sugars.

About a week ago, I went on amazon and ordered these bad boys:

These popsicle molds were exactly what I needed to create  refined sugar-free, all natural, homemade popsicles! This is a great way to make a guilt free treat! You can add any fruit you want, or even throw in some greens. It’s a great way to sneak in some extra vitamins and nutrients into your kid’s (or in my case fiance’s) diet!

I will admit, the ones I made are pretty tart. I love anything sour, so I wanted to make these super flavorful and “zingy” ( I may have made that word up, but I’m allowed because it’s my blog!) I added some coconut milk yogurt to balance out the sourness of the lemons, and just a bit of thyme to add another layer of subtle flavor. I also snuck some chia seeds and hemp seeds in there for an extra nutritional punch!

I am going to warn you all, Be prepared to see more popsicle recipes in the near future. I’m kind of obsessed with these now, and I have lots of fun idea’s for yummy frozen treats!!!

Now go call your mom and wish her a Happy Mothers day!!!

I think I am about to share my favorite creation EVER. Bold statement? Perhaps, but I can say with 100% confidence that these little guys are absolutely amazing.

I remember being a kid, and getting so excited when pizza bagels were being served for lunch at school. I used to drool over that thick doughy bagel, tangy sauce, and melty cheese… Ok, maybe I still do. I mean, pizza bagels combine Pizza, and Bagels… the two greatest foods of life! If I could eat pizza bagels every single day, I would. Thankfully, with this recipe, if I really wanted to I could!

This recipe utilizes the oh so diverse cauliflower. I think I was most impressed with the texture of these. The bagels came out thick, and chewy! I especially loved that I could eat these with my hands. Often times, cauliflower crust has to be eaten with a fork and knife because the crust falls apart. Even after taking a bite, these pizza bagels totally held up! SUCCESS!!

Another amazing thing about these pizza bagels, is that they are still delicious the next day. I made them last night, and put the left overs in the fridge. My mom came over today and I was so excited to share my creation with her (she too, is a pizza bagel lover). I popped them in the microwave for about a minute and they came out perfect! I think they would be even better re-heated in the oven, but the important part is that they didn’t get mushy over night, or after re-heating. These things are magic. They are magic pizza bagels.

Hope you’re all having a fantastic day! If you need me, I’ll be in my kitchen making mass amounts of pizza bagels.

I know I know, it’s been forever! I apologize for the lack of posts and new recipes. I have no excuse other than I have been uninspired. I don’t know if it was the dreary winter weather, or the fact everything I have been eating is pretty boring and “un-postable”, but I literally could not think of anything interesting to share with you all…until yesterday.

After my morning workout in the Union Square area (side note: check out Y7 yoga… its amazing!) I stumbled upon my one of my favorite New York City gems; the Union Square Farmers Market!

With the beautiful weather finally upon us, the farmers market is packed with gorgeous veggies, fruits, breads, flowers and just about anything else delicious and fresh you can think of! I walked straight to my favorite stand and bought some fresh spinach, rainbow chard, and parsnips.

When I got home, I had a real craving for fries. I will admit, french fries are a SERIOUS weakness of mine. I rarely order them when I’m out, but if someone else at my table has them, all bets are off. There is absolutely no way I can resist stealing 1…(or 20) of them off another plate. So, what is a girl to do when she wants fries, but doesn’t want all of the oil and fat that goes along with them? Grab a parsnip, cut it into fry shapes, season, bake and EAT.

These are not only the EASIEST to make, but they have an incredible texture. They really mimic a traditional french fry! The outside is crunchy, and the inside is perfectly soft. I have to say, in my humble opinion, that parsnips are the best veggie substitute for a french fry!

So, as I was waiting for my “fries” to bake I realized that I had no ketchup. I could not POSSIBLY enjoy my parsnip fries properly without a delicious condiment to dip them in. I quickly whipped up a SUGAR FREE and SIMPLE ketchup and the day was saved!

Let me tell you a bit about the guy I’m going to marry! Keith is from Texas.  Therefore, Keith loves spicy food. I’m not saying the two go hand in hand, but I must admit that Texas knows how to do spicy food right. Before dating him, I never ate anything spicy. In fact, I absolutely hated anything that would leave me with a burning mouth. Now, I can’t get enough! I’ve even found myself searching for ways to make my already spicy food spicier! I blame Keith. I also thank him.

One of my favorite spicy foods is Kimchi. Never heard of it? Kimchi is sort of like a Korean sour kraut. It’s actually fermented cabbage, but some people think that sounds disgusting. In reality, this stuff is great. It’s got a really distinct spiciness that adds a gorgeous flavor and texture to food. I really wanted to highlight this stuff because a) its awesome b)more people should know about its awesomeness!

The other day, my friend Julianne came over and said that she wanted to help me whip up a Cookies to Kale creation! I thought that spring rolls would be perfect. They are fun and easy to make, plus they are satisfying without being overly filling. I think they are a perfect mid day snack or meal. After making these, we decided that they would ideal to bring to a party! Complete with a sweet mango coconut dipping sauce, these spring rolls are winners! Plus, they are spring rolls, which means that spring is almost here!

These are a new fave of mine. The spicy rolls and sweet dipping sauce perfectly compliment each other. They are also super healthy, vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar-free and low-fat! Besides, if you make spring rolls, the warm weather will come sooner. It’s a fact.

**I’ve been told that normally spring rolls are fried and summer rolls aren’t, but I liked that way Kimchi Kale Spring Rolls sounded! Besides, I made them so I can call them whatever I want 🙂 hehehehe

Good morning! Yup, I’m writing this post at exactly 9:23 am on Tuesday morning. Often times, I like to write my posts while enjoying my breakfast and morning coffee. “Kelly and Michael” are chatting in the background and I am starting my day with a big bowl of Blueberry Pie Overnight Oats!

Well, now that I’ve confessed that I’m sitting in my PJ’s, I’ll get on with my ramblings!

I bought a spaghetti squash a couple of weeks ago (exciting I know). Never tried spaghetti squash? The stuff is awesome. When you bake this sort of squash, the insides turn into little spaghetti like threads! It is a great veggie replacement for traditional pastas, or if you’re ever wanting to try something different from Zucchini Pasta.

note: I LOVE my zucchini pasta, and they will ALWAYS have a very special place in my heart.

Ok, so this is seriously how this recipe came to life:

Synthia’s thoughts:  I should use my spaghetti squash… My spaghetti squash is sitting right next to a pie plate… I should make a crust using my spaghetti squash…I will call it “spaghetti squash crust pie”

Deep I know, but sometimes our most random ideas lead to the most magical outcomes.

It’s that time of year again. It’s “New Years Resolution” time! A time where gyms are packed, grocery stores are selling out of kale, and everyone is trying to drop that pesky holiday weight.

While, I don’t typically make a New Years Resolution myself, I whole heartedly support those embarking on a commitment of health and wellness. It is important to show our bodies some love, and if it takes a New Year to do that, then AWESOME!

When we come home after a long day, the easiest option isn’t always the healthiest. When we are tired, cooking is the LAST thing we want to do.  Picking up the phone and ordering in, or putting our hand into a bag of chips may seem like the easiest way to wind down.

The best way to succeed in these sorts of situations is to be prepared. My advice: cook once, and eat 3 or 4 times! It is so easy to come home, starving, and reach for the quickest option. Let’s make the easiest option healthy by being prepared!

Friends, meet the best roasted veggies you will ever eat. When I say best ever, I MEAN best ever….as in I could probably eat these for every single meal. They are super filling, warm, and have incredible flavor…I’m talking serious comfort food!!! Most roasted veggies are loaded with olive oil. While I am a HUGE advocate of healthy fats, I don’t typically cook with much oil. This recipe goes to show that you don’t have to glob on the fat!  I make a bunch, leave them in the fridge, and enjoy them multiple times. When I come home late from a workout, or a long day in the city, I love knowing that I have something already made that is healthy, delicious and guilt free!!

Winding Up:

This recipe definitely takes a while to make, that being said, it is super easy, and you can kind of forget about it until the timers remind you! I promise that it’s worth it. If you’re a meat eater, pair the veggies with some chicken or shrimp. For non-meat eaters, bulk up the protein with some beans! I’ve even topped the veggies with egg whites and it was DELICIOUS.

Try this veggie dish! Being prepared truly helps to maintain a road to success!!!

I have a serious love affair with Chocolate. I eat a little bit of chocolate every single day. My hubby calls it my “nightly chocolate snack”. I am not even a little bit ashamed of my chocolate snacks because they not only make me ridiculously happy, but keep my sweet tooth satisfied. I don’t need a lot. Most of the time it’s a square of a really high % dark chocolate (I like 90 or higher!).

I’ve always been a fan of avocado pudding. Again, it’s a brilliantly healthy little chocolate snack and helps to keep us away from that pesky added sugar. I’ve made this stuff millions of times. I love to keep it in my fridge and take little spoonfuls when I feel like my sweet tooth is acting up. Well, I was craving some of this chocolatey goodness, but was feeling creative. I had some rice paper wraps left over from when I made these bad boys: (don’t worry, they don’t go bad!)

After I baked them, the outside was beautifully firm, and the inside was gooey chocolate heaven. My favorite were the banana stuffed fudge wraps.  They were warm and sweet with the perfect amount of crunch. After I took all of these photos, I decided to throw the remainder in the freezer and see what happened when they were frozen. Well friends, they became amazing frozen fudge treats! What I was most obsessed with was the texture. The frozen fudge was just dense enough to bite into, and the outer shell was pleasantly chewy. These are the perfect treat warm or cold, and are healthy to boot! If you have kids, I think they would be SUPER fun to make together! Let them put in their favorite fruits, and customize them to create personalized snacks (and they can totally lick the bowl… what kid doesn’t love licking the bowl?)

I know these may sound weird, but I promise they are delicious. You never know unless you try 🙂

Remember me?!

I know, I know, I haven’t posted in such a long time. Unfortunately, life has gotten in the way of my creative culinary endeavors and I haven’t had the time to get into the kitchen to brew up anything for the blog! Luckily, I’m Back!!!ONE QUICK ANNOUNCEMENT!

I am always inspired by fall. Maybe it’s the beautiful weather we are experiencing here in NYC. Maybe the seasonal change reflects new beginnings, and opportunities. Whatever it is, I am feeling more positive, hopeful, and determined than I have in a really long time!

Fall=pumpkin. Every year, without fail…Fall=pumpkin. I love all things pumpkin, and when I saw those little cans popping up at Trader Joe’s and Whole foods, I knew that it was time to create some awesome pumpkin inspired recipes!!

Lately, I have been needing quick grab and go snacks. I have been teaching quite a bit and need to eat things that won’t weigh me down, but will give me the necessary energy to make it through a high energy cycling class! These Bars are exactly that. They are light, chewy, and totally satisfying. Gluten free oats serve as a slow release energy source. The nuts and seeds help to keep me full, and satiated. I also added protein powder for an extra punch (need to rebuild those muscles!!) The real highlight in these bad boys is Maca powder!  Maca is incredible. It helps to support an elevated level of endurance and stamina, and also helps to balance your hormones! HELLO SUPERFOOD!

Another reason I KNOW that these bars are awesome is because my husband LOVED them. Now, hubby is pretty critical of anything “healthy” that I make. I urged him to try these bad boys and not only did he like them, he promptly ate about 5 of them for breakfast. THESE ARE HUBBY APPROVED!!! That in itself is a success 🙂

I am absolutely in love with these pumpkin bars. They are the perfect fall treat! They would be a great addition to any dessert line up for thanksgiving… I mean everyone needs a healthy option 🙂

I’m am so incredibly excited to be back on the blog, and I look forward to sharing all of my goodies with you all!!!

As a kid I LOVED breakfast cereal. I mean what kid wouldn’t?! It was crunchy, sweet, and just plain delicious. My favorite, hands down, was Cinnamon Toast Crunch. The stuff was totally addicting and there was nothing more satisfying than crunching into one of those delicious little sugary morsels.

Now, for those of you who loved this cereal as much as I did, I have some disappointing nutrition information:

In 3/4 cup serving (who eats just 3/4 cup?!) there are 10 grams of sugar! Yea… that’s just depressing.

I wanted to recreate my favorite childhood cereal in a “Cookies to Kale” approved way! Due to some dietary restrictions, I have had to cut my sugar back to almost zero. This cereal recipe is 100% sugar free! I used quinoa flour to bulk up the protein factor a bit, and added some healthy fats to aid in absorption.

I will admit, the texture isn’t exactly what I wanted. It isn’t super crunchy, but for someone who hasn’t enjoyed cereal in YEARS, this totally does the trick. I topped mine with Coconut milk, and added some extra stevia and cinnamon for sweetness. I made a big batch and it has kept really nicely over the week. It’s super easy to make, and is totally guilt free! This is definitely a fantastic alternative to the traditional SUGARY breakfast.

Are there any foods that make you nostalgic for your childhood?? For me, cereal definitely reminds me of lazy Sunday mornings. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do!

Happy Cinco De Mayo!!!

Today is the perfect excuse to over indulge on ridiculously yummy Mexican food, and drink way too many margaritas. I will admit, I enjoy a tasty beverage from time to time, but I try not to drink too many of my calories. With my wedding coming up (that white dress is always on my mind!) I am extra conscious about what I put in my body.

Ever heard of the “Skinny Margarita”? Of course you have. Lots of restaurants boast this healthier option. While the “skinny” version is usually the best choice, it still costs a pretty penny (at least they do here in NYC!) So how do you save on calories and cash? The answer: MAKE IT YOURSELF!

Now, I am not a huge alcohol drinker. If I drink when I go out, it’s a big deal (my friends all know this!) When I do drink, I prefer to drink tequila. A good quality tequila (look for one that says 100% agave) is actually one of the best choices when it comes to liquor. The sugars in tequila are low. They are simple sugars that break down in your body easily without a blood sugar spike. The other great thing about tequila is that it is not grain based so it is perfect for people who are gluten free, or on a paleo diet.

Does this mean that drinking is GOOD for you? NO. Can you make a smarter choice and drink in MODERATION? YES.

Skinny margaritaskinny margaritaI love this because it’s light and refreshing. I also love that all of the flavors come from fresh squeezed lemon, lime, and a kick of ginger!  Add some stevia and soda water, and you’ve got yourself a healthier take on a traditionally sugar/calorie heavy cocktail!

So there you have it!!! Skinny Margaritas Two ways!

That’s two fantastic ways to enjoy a delicious cocktail without unwanted calories or sugars!

We live in a society that is constantly on the go. We’re always trying to utilize our time efficiently in order to get the most done in our short 24 hour day. I know that I’m guilty of this. Often times I feel like I’m so busy that I don’t have time to get enough sleep! It seems like every single minute of sleep is precious, and I don’t want to interrupt it to get out of bed and start my morning. Sound familiar?

Often times, when we have a choice between sleeping an extra 15 minutes, or waking up and eating breakfast, sleep wins. Especially in these cold winter months, snuggling under the covers seems like a better idea than getting out of bed and walking on the cold kitchen floor in order to make yourself something to eat.

Ok, so scene set: You press snooze and sleep an extra 20 min. Alarm goes off…you JUMP out of bed, shower for 5 minutes, primp yourself, get dressed, and run out the door. You get to work, pour yourself a crappy cup of coffee and then your stomach starts to rumble. You were in such a rush that morning that you barely noticed that you didn’t eat anything. By the time lunch rolls around, you’re ravenous, hangry, cranky and exhausted.

Ok, how about this scene: You press snooze and sleep an extra 20 min. Alarm goes off…you JUMP out of bed, shower for 5 minutes, primp yourself, get dressed, Grab a delicious, yummy, amazingly healthy Carrot Cake Oatmeal Muffin, and run out the door. You get to work, pour yourself a crappy cup off coffee, and sit down to enjoy said Carrot Cake Oatmeal Muffin.

I like that option better.

These Carrot Cake Oatmeal Muffins are pretty much awesome. They are not only delicious, but are a great example of preparing in bulk so that you have something on hand when you’re in a rush. These are great because you can make multiple servings and literally prepare enough breakfast for your entire week with only one quick cooking session… it’s a win-win situation people!

This recipe makes 2-3 servings, but you can alter the amounts to make enough for every busy morning!

These are the perfect way to get yourself prepared. They are also fat-free, sugar-free, gluten-free and vegan!  Hope you enjoy them as much as I do!!