This is exactly why I have a go-to healthy grocery staples list that I bring with me (almost) every time I head to the grocery store. It saves time, energy, stress on my weekly shopping trips, and makes sure I keep the pantry stocked with healthy fruit and vegetables at all times. This healthy grocery staples list is more important than ever since I’m a mom to a two year old and he is taking up most of our time and energy (in the best way possible). Click here to print my shopping list below!  It’s a great feeling to know that I always having something healthy on hand versus having to grab processed foods when we’re hungry.

After 10+ years of making recipes for you guys (and myself – let’s be honest), I’ve nailed down my staple ingredients list and know which healthy foods I need to make delicious meals for the average week.

So I thought I would post my go-to list of healthy grocery staples so you can be inspired to make your own or feel free to just copy mine! This list is filled with some of the healthiest food options out there that are also delicious and versatile for lots of recipes.

Healthy Grocery Staples List

If you want to create your own staples list around healthy eating, consider adapting this list to meet your personal health and household requirements – like taking out my cheese and dairy section if you are dairy-free, opting for gluten-friendly breads if you’re gluten free, or adjusting “meat” section with tofu or tempeh if you are a vegetarian or vegan.

**Note: I do most of our shopping at Costco, Trader Joes (see my TJ favorites list here), Thrive Market, and Publix.

Click here for a PDF download of my list!

Fresh Fruit

I always, always make sure I have:

• Bananas – these guys are easy to eat one handed (key these days!) and have a good amount of B6, making them a great snack, especially before or after a run. I also use them in a lot of my smoothie recipes!
• Honeycrisp or Fuji apples – I love these with peanut butter for an afternoon snack
• Berries (fresh, if they’re in season) – Berries are rich in several vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin C and manganese. Plus, they have tons of great antioxidants.
• Pineapples – I was on a big pineapple kick throughout my pregnancy and it’s stuck even now. So right now this is a food staple for me, although in the past, it was definitely more of a “special occasion” fruit.

**Note: I always try to buy organic for anything that doesn’t have a peel

Frozen Berries

I buy a bag of frozen strawberries and frozen mixed berries, mainly because they are great for smoothies and I love just snacking on frozen strawberries. I typically get these at Costco.

Veggies

Green leaf veggies like kale, romaine, spinach, and arugula are my go-to’s. They’re are all excellent sources of iron and calcium, plus they taste delicious as a base for all my favorite salads.

Other veggies I usually buy: cauliflower, broccoli, haricot verts, onions (red and yellow) and whatever else is in season.

Sweet potatoes

I’ve talked about this before, but sweet potatoes are probably my favorite food EVER. Not only do they taste amazing, but they are a really great source of carbs for runners.

Lemons

Lemons are so versatile. I like to squeeze fresh lemon juice into my water, tea, and even on my salads when I want an extra burst of citrus flavor. I also love lemon-baked salmon and chicken, combined with some herbs and white wine.

Cheese

I always have parmesan cheese and cheddar cheese in the fridge. They are necessary for baked potato or chili and those are cold-weather staples for us. I never buy pre-shredded since it tastes so much better from a block that’s freshly shredded.

Milk

Our house has a split milk agreement: Tommy uses 2% while I use unsweetened, plain almond milk. But really I’m not particular about my non-dairy milk since they are pretty easy to swap out in any recipe. I will sometimes grab cashew milk if I plan to make German Pancakes or coconut milk if I want to make a Coconut Brown Rice Breakfast Bowl. Otherwise, I stick to almond milk since it’s easy to find.

Greek yogurt

We go through a lot of greek yogurt in our house. I opt for plain and add my own sweetener, while Tommy goes for pre-sweetened and flavored. We also love Noosa yogurt  (and I mix it with plain greek yogurt!).

Meat

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts – I don’t like dealing with bones when I am cooking chicken, so I usually choose boneless chicken breasts for my chicken recipes. But, sometimes I opt for chicken thighs since they are so moist!

Here are some of my favorite chicken recipes:

• The Ultimate Classic Cobb Salad
• Pineapple Salsa Crockpot Chicken

Frozen shrimp – this is super handy to have when I want to a quick-cooking protein source! I usually just end up adding shrimp onto my salads or to mix into pasta.

Grains

Cereal – I don’t eat cereal too often but my husband loves Frosted Mini Wheats and Honey Nut Cheerios. And I usually steal a few bites of his.

Old fashioned oats and steel cut oats – I never buy instant since you get more nutritional benefits in old-fashioned and steel cut oats. I personally love oats because they are high-fiber and heart healthy. Here are some of my favorite oat recipes!

• Steel Cut Oats
• Breakfast Oatmeal Cookie
• Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Oatmeal Apple Breakfast Bake

Whole-grain pasta – you never know when you need to whip up a quick meal, so I always have some pasta on hand for those lazy days. I like whole-grain pasta since it has more health benefits including natural fiber and higher amounts of micronutrients compared to white, refined pasta.

Brown rice – is always a go-to and it’s probably a staple for most households on the healthy eating bandwagon. Since brown rice is so versatile, I use it in my dinner and breakfast recipes:

• Brown Rice & Black Bean Salad with Avocado & Cilantro
• Coconut Brown Rice Breakfast Bowl

Chia seeds – high in fiber, healthy fats, proteins, and antioxidants, chia seeds got it going on. I actually like to sprinkle chia seeds on a lot of things (and scoop some into my smoothies) but my two favorite chia seed recipes are:

• No Sugar Added Chia Seed Pudding
• A garnish on Homemade Acai Bowls (or any other bowl for that matter)

Bread

Sprouted English muffins – I love the Food for Life English Muffins that you can find in the freezer section.

Bread – the Silver Hills Bakery sprouted whole grain bread is my FAVORITE. Again this is also found in the freezer section of the grocery store.

For fresh bread, I either make it myself (this whole wheat recipe is so easy) or have my mother-in-law bring me bread from my favorite bakery in Boone, NC. Before Thomas came, I also made sourdough every week but I don’t quite have the time now!

Sauces/Liquid Ingredients

Pasta sauce – Remember how I mentioned having pasta on hand for those lazy days? Well, you can’t have pasta without pasta sauce, right?! Rao’s or Trader Joe’s marinara are two of my favorites. I buy Rao’s at Costco.

Vinegar – I like having vinegar for simple salad dressings, cleaning household items, and just as a general cooking ingredient. Balsamic and Apple Cider Vinegar are my go-to’s for salads. I also use white vinegar to make a non-dairy buttermilk in some of my baking recipes:

• Better Than Martha Stewart Cornbread Recipe
• Gluten Free Buckwheat Waffle Recipe

Dried Fruit

Unsweetened dried cherries are my favorite dried fruits to have handy for little snacks during the day. I personally like the tartness of them rather than the overly sweet dried cherries or cranberries with added sugar. They’re perfect topped on my easy Kale Salad Recipe.

Medjool Dates are always a go-to staple for me, mainly because they are perfect to eat before a run to help me maintain energy. I talk more about that in my post on What are Good Foods to Eat Before a Run. You can buy them at Trader Joe’s, too!

Nuts

I use nuts in a LOT of my recipes. And that’s because I love them – plus they have a lot of healthy fats and omega-3 fatty acids. Almonds, walnuts, and pecans are my favorites. Here are just a few of delicious, nut-heavy recipes from the blog:

• Easy Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Oatmeal Apple Breakfast Bake
• Brûléed Banana Steel Cut Oats

Drinks

Kombucha – I LOVE kombucha you guys. We go through it so quickly in our household that I actually buy a big jug of it every time I’m at the store.

Spindrift – I got hooked on spindrift during pregnancy when bubbly water was all I could tolerate!

Other Pantry Staples

These are staples that I make sure I have on hand at all times since I use them just about daily for savory meals and weekend baking.

Eggs – packed with rich sources of selenium, vitamin D, B6, B12 and minerals such as zinc, iron and copper, eggs are one of my favorite go-to foods for any healthy meal. Frittatas are perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner! And eggs and spaghetti is such a quick, simple dinner!

Spices – I can’t mention a staple grocery list without talking about spices. I have TONS of spices, but I always try and make sure I’m never out of these (since I use them the most): cinnamon, cumin, oregano, black pepper, sea salt, and kosher salt.

Beans – I love love love beans, whether it’s making black bean burgers, vegetarian chili, white chicken chili, topping a salad with them, pureeing into hummus or just eating them with a spoon (seriously, ha!).

Canned tomatoes – I use these in a lot of recipes too, like chili, shakshuka and homemade pasta sauce.

Oils

Olive oil – This is definitely my number one oil source. Since it’s one of the healthiest fats we can consume, I love having olive oil handy for salad dressings and any other recipe, for that matter. Rich in healthy monounsaturated fats, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory properties, olive oil is a super healthy grocery staple to have in your kitchen.

Coconut oil – I like to use coconut oil in my baking recipes since it’s usually better to bake with than olive oil. It’s higher in saturated fat and it’s linked to boosting heart health, increasing HDL cholesterol levels and lowering LDL cholesterol. Plus, it has a higher smoke point – making it a great cooking oil (if you don’t mind the taste of coconut). Here are two of my favorite recipes that use coconut oil:

• Gluten Free Vegan Buckwheat Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
• Pumpkin Gingerbread

Sweeteners

Honey & Maple Syrup – These are my favorite sweeteners! If I make a latte with my nespresso and milk frother, I use honey for just a little sweetness.

Honey Recipes:

• Homemade Runner’s Energy Balls (Peanut Butter, Oatmeal & Honey!)
• Whole Wheat Bread Recipe 

Maple Syrup Recipes:

• As a topping on these Healthy Whole Grain Waffles
• As an ingredient in this Healthy Zucchini Bread Recipe

Do you have any healthy grocery staples you would add to this list? I hope this post makes grocery shopping easier!

The post My Healthy Grocery Staples List appeared first on TeriLyn Adams.

Growing up, my five brothers and I would always try to convince our mom that we each deserved the prime piece of German Pancakes. (Since I am the youngest and only daughter, I’m pretty sure I had an advantage in the convincing game.) What is a prime piece of German Pancake, you might wonder? The one that is the puffiest. Now granted, the characteristic puff quickly deflates so it doesn’t really matter, but if you dig in fast enough, you’ll get the airy, buttery goodness from a corner piece. And as an adult, yes, I still want the corner piece with the biggest puff.

My family always had the puffy pancakes on Christmas morning, and Tommy and I also make them on Christmas morning. It’s been fun to introduce his family to them as well since they had never heard of them before I joined the family.  If you’ve never heard of a german pancake, maybe you’re familiar with the name dutch baby pancakes. And unlike pancakes made on a griddle, these are made in the oven, which is nice for breakfast that’s a little more hands-off (but like traditional pancakes, you want to make sure to eat these when they’re warm! There’s nothing sadder than a room-temperature german pancake, trust me).

Just a heads up: these are fabulous, so you may want to plan to double the recipe ;).

My Mom’s German Pancakes Recipe – the best fluffy pancakes ever

How do you make fluffy pancakes in the oven?

German Pancakes, by their nature, fluff up as long as you beat the eggs thoroughly! A few tips to get the ultimate fluffiness:

• Pre-heat your pan in the oven while you prep the batter. A hot pan works best. You could use a cast iron skillet if you have one. Then, melt the butter in the pan in the oven for 1-2 minutes so that gets hot too. A hot oven and making sure the butter is key.
• Mix your batter very well. The blender helps whip the eggs, which helps these have the fluffy texture! I use my Vitamix, which is a must-have in any kitchen. (It’s truly worth every penny. I’ve had mine for 8 years, use it multiple times a week, and it’s still going strong!) If you don’t have a blender, whisk very well in a bowl.
• Then make sure you’ve keep your heat on in your oven and pour the batter. Swirl the batter mixture into the pan, rather than just dumping all in one spot.

Gluten-Free German Pancakes

To make this a gluten-free dutch baby pancake (or german pancakes), I took my mom’s recipe and made just a few simple tweaks, and even my non-gluten-free husband said he wouldn’t have known the difference. It’s super simple, actually. I’ve tried lots of gluten-free flour blends for german pancake and I like Pamela’s all-purpose gluten-free flour blend best. (It’s a rice flour gluten-free blend so it’s not paleo or keto.) I got it from Whole Foods but Thrive Market and Amazon also carry it. If you can’t find Pamela’s, Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 or King Arthur’s gluten-free blend is my second choice.

If you need a dairy free version, you can use Earth Balance to replace the butter and any nondairy milk. I prefer Ripple Milk or cashew milk since those are typically thicker like cow’s milk.  I avoid coconut milk since I don’t want that flavor in my pancakes.

What do you put on German pancakes?

• As a kid, I loved them plain! I like the rich buttery taste without anything on it. My family always did a sprinkling of powdered sugar and maple syrup though.
• Now, as an adult, I still like the buttery taste the most, but sometimes I’ll add a little pure maple syrup. I still pass on the powdered sugar. I just love adding the fresh berries.
• My sister-in-law introduced me to topping German Pancakes with powdered sugar and fresh lemon juice. It sounds a little weird but it’s SO GOOD. That’s probably my favorite topping of all time.

My Mom’s German Pancakes Recipe

• Author: TeriLyn Adams
• Prep Time: 10
• Cook Time: 25
• Total Time: 35
• Category: Breakfast
• Method: Bake

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

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Description

This is the recipe my mom made for us every Christmas growing up. It takes 5 minutes to prep and kids love the puffy corners! 

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Ingredients

• 6 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 5 Tablespoons butter 

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Instructions

1. Place an un-greased 9×13 baking dish in your oven and preheat the oven to 450 degrees F, with the empty pan in there.
2. Prepare your batter.
3. Place the eggs, milk, flour, salt and vanilla in a blender and combine until smooth.
4. Once the oven reaches 450, melt the butter in the pan until hot.
5. Pour batter into baking dish, over the hot, melted butter. Don’t just dump it into one spot – pour in circles or figure 8s, swirling as you pour. This creates the characteristics peaks — the best part! – throughout vs. just in the corners!
6. Bake, for 22-25 minutes or until edges are golden brown and puffy.
7. Serve with berries, maple syrup, and/or powdered sugar. Fresh lemon juice squeezed over powdered sugar is also a really good combo!

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Keywords: german pancakes, gluten free

If you grew up with eating these, I’d love to hear what you topped them with! And let me know if you called them German Pancakes or Dutch Baby Pancakes!

grocery cart

photos by Marybeth Wells

The post My Mom’s German Pancakes Recipe appeared first on TeriLyn Adams.

As a runner, I also know how important it is to fuel properly for your training. And too much refined sugar can be an issue for lots of reasons. So I’m always on the hunt for tasty AND healthy desserts because, yes, there is such a thing as too healthy. There are so many great recipes that can easily be tweaked to increase the nutrition without sacrificing taste. While my husband is not one to search for a healthy alternative, but he likes each of the recipes I’ve linked below, so you can trust me, they’re a hit.

I’ve rounded up my favorite healthy dessert recipes below from my blog and some other spots online. All of these recipes have ingredients that are great for your training and also taste amazing. If you have others that I should add, drop the link in the comments below! I love trying new recipes!

Alright, let’s dive into these healthy treats.

14 Healthy Desserts For Runners

While I can list healthy dessert options all day long, the real trick is just learning to eat sweets in moderation. Even something that’s not healthy is fine for runners, as long as you aren’t eating an entire pie in one sitting. But heck, unless you do that daily, you’ll be fine (well, other than a stomachache, I’d bet) if you do that once a year, after a marathon or something. Moderation goes for everything––even healthy foods! You’ll learn what works best for your body and your training over time.

1. Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe uses coconut sugar and whole wheat flour and the cookies come out light and fluffy, with an almost sponge cake-like texture. To keep these healthy, you need to use pumpkin puree over pumpkin pie filling. Be sure to use plain pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling since that’s full of refined sugars, usually cane sugar, and the recipe will be overspiced.

Dr. Weil, one of my favorite health experts, explains that coconut sugar is about 70-80% sucrose and only 3-9% percent each of both fructose and glucose. “This is an advantage because you want to keep your consumption of fructose as low as possible, and cane sugar is 50 percent fructose.” So coconut sugar is another great ingredient in these.

2. Vegan Buckwheat Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

This recipe is amazing for lots of reasons, one being that it only makes 12 cookies, instead of 30 or so that many recipes make. They’re naturally gluten-free and made with rolled oats. Rolled oats are packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. They are a really great source for carbs (runners need carbs!) and fiber. Plus, oats provide excellent amounts of Manganese and Phosphorus. These have a deep rich flavor that isn’t too sweet.

3. Ginger Lemon Cookies Recipe

Ginger helps reduce inflammation, so it’s a great ingredient to add to a healthy dessert. Inflammation is an issue that many runners deal with, so what better way to help them than with a yummy treat, right?

4. Tahini Stuffed Dates

Dates stuffed with tahini are also a great pre-run or pre-workout snack. I find the combo really easy to stomach before and after workouts, which is key. They’re also perfect for an afternoon treat that won’t spike your blood sugar and leave you crashing shortly afterwards. (These sweet & salty energy balls are another favorite of mine!!) You can top your dates with a variety of things to mix them up – cocoa powder, coconut flakes and cacao nibs etc. These aren’t as sweet as say, the brownies below, but they’re a great treat if you’re trying to stay away from all refined sugar.

5. Breakfast Oatmeal Cookie

Honestly, this is good enough to make for dessert, which is why I’ve included it in this post. This recipe is SO yummy, so healthy, and so filling. What more could you ask for? Bananas, eggs, milk or non-dairy milk, old fashioned oats, and a couple other spices and you’re set. Mix it up, microwave it, that’s it. You’re welcome!

6. Homemade Runner’s Energy Balls

I eat these all day, so it’s hard to image them being my dessert, but they ARE good enough to be considered for it ;). These are my homemade energy balls that I make weekly. I make a large batch, freeze them, and eat them throughout the week. They are SO good, have just the right amount of sweetness, and hit the spot. My husband can attest, they are delicious. They have honey in them as the sweetener, so no refined sugar here!

7. Fudge Sweet Potato Brownies

This recipe looks AMAZING. It’s made with only 10 ingredients and so much healthier than regular brownies. If you’re a chocolate lover, make sure to add this recipe to your list to try. These are sweetened with maple syrup, so you can feel great about the natural sugars you’re eating instead of something processed. Honestly, I need to makes these ASAP because sweet potatoes are my favorite food of all time. Recipe and photo credit to the Minimalist Baker

8. Banana Ice Cream

This recipe comes from my friend Lexi from Lexi’s Clean Kitchen. It’s a non-dairy ice cream recipe that is SO good and really easy. I love that she explains how to make JUST the base, so you can add whatever else (or not!) that you’d like. My pick is fresh fruit and dark chocolate chips. YUM! Photo and recipe credit to Lexi’s Clean Kitchen.

9. Healthy Blueberry Bars

This is another amazing dessert recipe from Lexi’s Clean Kitchen. They’re GF and DF, so they’re great for all crowds. They take less an an hour to make, and they’re SO yummy.

10. Nutty Coconut Krispies

My friend Charlie from The Runner Beans is the creator of this recipe. These are packed with protein and carbs — both essential for runners and perfect to refuel after a long run! These are sweetened with honey or agave.

11. Candy Bar Monster Cookies

Can you tell I love Lexi’s Clean Kitchen? She has the best dessert recipes that aren’t too sweet and always have the most amazing textures. These cookies are gluten free and DELICIOUS. A monster cookie is part oatmeal cookie, part peanut butter cookie, part chocolate chip and M&M cookie all rolled into one – and Lexi adds chopped up candy bars too. Are you KIDDING ME?

12. Simple Lemon Yogurt Cake (DF)

This recipe has 1 cup of granulated sugar in it, so it isn’t quite as healthy as some of the recipes here, but it’s well worth it. It’s dairy free, SUPER moist, and hits the spot if you like lemon flavored desserts. My husband even loved this after I made it dairy free, and he’s usually wary.

13. Banana, Almond Butter, Chocolate chip nachos 

The key with this treat is to make it feel a little bit like nachos. Cut your banana into slices and lay flat on a plate. Then drizzle almond butter (extra points if you heat it up to make it a drizzle), and then sprinkle some dark chocolate chips on it. For a little extra sweetness, top it with a drizzle of honey too. The almond butter is a great source of protein, and the bananas have lots of potassium which helps reduce muscle cramps). I don’t have a recipe for this, but it’s pretty simple to follow. You could even sprinkle some cinnamon on top too!

14.  Dark Chocolate Covered Banana

Like a Popsicle but healthier. Just grab a skewer or a Popsicle stick, slice a banana in half, and stick it onto the skewer. Dip in melted dark chocolate and lay on a plastic cutting board in the freezer. Level it up with a little peanut butter or any kind of nut butter on top too! SO good! If you have a Trader Joe’s near you, sometimes they sell these!

I’d love to hear what you crave after a long run!

My Favorite Running Gear

The post 14 Healthy Desserts for Runners appeared first on TeriLyn Adams.

I am still in the market for a water filter and plan to get this AquaTru filter or this Berkey filter. Both are countertop filters that don’t require large jugs of water.

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It’s hard to believe that I moved into our house almost a month ago! Granted, we had just a few other things going on with the wedding and the honeymoon! We are absolutely LOVING our house, even though it still doesn’t quite feel like home while we finish moving Tommy in and work on buying furniture. Since we both lived in one bedroom apartments less than 750 sq ft, we don’t have many things we definitely want in a home, e.g. a kitchen table, kitchen chairs, area rugs, etc. Luckily we have everything we need and it’s fun — although to be honest, also slightly overwhelming — to look at furnishing the house together. And we’ll likely enlist the help of an interior decorator for some rooms.

One thing that has been VERY nice is having extra room. I love the extra storage and countertop space I have in the kitchen, and it’s nice to be able to finally leverage our Costco membership! I never could before since I had NO storage in my last apartment (like, not even a storage or coat closet, e.g. extra toilet paper rolls lived in my pantry, Christmas decorations lived in my small bedroom closet). The other thing that’s been nice since we have more space is getting a Primo Water dispenser. Growing up, my cousins had a water fountain (like the kind attached to a wall in a school) which I thought was so cool and fun as a kid. A Primo Water dispenser isn’t quite as fun as that, but it’s close.

Drinking Enough Water

I used to have no problem drinking enough water, and I easily chugged 8+ cups a day. But as I’ve gotten older, that’s changed and I struggle to get enough water, favoring coffee or kombucha instead. I think there is such a thing as too much coffee, and I really try to cap myself at 4 cups a day. And kombucha is a pretty expensive habit to keep up!

I’ve noticed when I’m at work — with a water cooler — that I drink a LOT more water than when I am at home. I think I like the temperature and taste of the purified water, and it was a good excuse to get up from my desk and walk around a bit. So when Primo Water reached out and asked if I’d be interested in partnering, I jumped on it since I knew how much I liked having a water cooler at the office and would love to have one at home. (“Water cooler” is such an office term – it cracks me up!)

Other Water Filters I’ve Tried

Over the years, I’ve tried a few different water filters at home — including the Brita pitchers — but I never really kept them up since they were just kind of annoying and slow (especially during my water-chugging days!).

I never really bought bottled water since that seemed super wasteful, so I just drank tap water. I think we have decent tasting tap water here, but I know some people HATE it. And, I’ve quickly realized that our tap water doesn’t actually taste that great by comparison. I’m ruined!

My Primo Water Dispenser

I picked out my Primo Water dispenser and went with something that would go with the kitchen – black and stainless steel, sleek and simple. They have lots of dispensers, including one with a k-cup feature, but I just wanted something that could do hot and cold water. I’ve been surprised how much I use the hot water feature. I use it first thing in the morning since I like to have hot water before I drink anything else (including coffee!), and I use it a lot to make an individual cup of tea.

I’m lucky that I live in Winston-Salem, where Primo Water is headquartered, because they do local deliveries. But, if you’re not local, they ship from Amazon and Walmart for free. Primo Water is a HUGE company and distributes nationwide, so you can find their water for refills almost anywhere, no matter where you live. They have over 4000 refill stations; I’ve seen the refill stations at Lowes Hardware and many grocery stores.

Refilling the bottles

I didn’t realize water dispensers now come with a bottom loading option; I was thinking I’d have to lift up a heavy bottle of water and tip it upside down like the filters of yore, which sounds like a total disaster waiting to happen. Nope – you just open the dispenser door and slide out the old bottle. You pull out the little tube thingy from the old bottle and drop it in the new one, and slide the new bottle into the dispenser. Super easy.

Do you use a water filter? If so, what kind?

The post My experience with Primo Water & why I got rid of it appeared first on TeriLyn Adams.

There’s pumpkin bread, and then there’s pumpkin gingerbread. There’s a BIG difference. And this pumpkin gingerbread is in my top three FAVORITE things to eat. Ever. (Right up there with toast and sweet potatoes!)

Not only is this pumpkin gingerbread recipe full of warm, flavorful spices, but it’s a little healthier than most recipes! It’s neither overly sweet nor excessively heavy and it gives off a heavenly aroma as it bakes!

The best part? Eating it won’t leave you feeling like you ate a brick. I mean, we all know that feeling after inhaling Starbucks Pumpkin Bread, right? It tastes so good in the moment, and then WHAM, we realize we made a bad decision. But this pumpkin gingerbread does not leave you with that feeling.

It’s amazing fresh out of the oven when it’s still a little bit crispy on the edges and warm throughout. I especially love to eat the end slices because they are the best. Every time I make this recipe, Tommy inevitably comes home to find both ends cut off and eaten. Totally normal.

This recipe is my go-to when I need to bring a dessert or a side dish to a party. And it also makes a great gift for neighbors during the holiday season! (Can you believe the holidays are just around the corner??)

My all-time favorite quick bread. My all-time favorite sweet bread. Maybe just my all-time favorite bread, period. So let’s go.

One of my all-time favorites: Pumpkin Gingerbread Recipe

Ingredients

Coconut sugar

Coconut oil

Eggs

Water

Can of pumpkin (about 2/3 cup)

Whole wheat flour 

All-purpose flour

Baking powder

Baking soda

Ground ginger

Allspice

Cinnamon

Cloves

Salt

Instructions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 f degrees.

Step 2

Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan or cake pan.

Step 3

In a large bowl combine the wet ingredients — sugar, oil and eggs. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer; beat until smooth. Add water and beat until well blended. Mix in pumpkin puree until combined.

Step 4

In a medium bowl, combine flours, ginger, allspice, cinnamon, cloves, baking powder, baking soda, and salt using a wooden spoon.

Step 5

Add dry ingredients bowl to pumpkin mixture and blend just until all ingredients are mixed. Then pour into your prepared pan.

Step 6

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, or mostly clean, which is about 35-45 minutes. Don’t overbake! The toothpick may have just a little bit of cake on it – that’s okay! Also, it just shouldn’t be liquid. The baking time may vary depending on your oven and if you also decide to double the recipe. Be sure to check the doneness sooner rather than later! If it starts to brown too much on top before it’s done, cover with foil until it passes the toothpick test.

Step 7

Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. See notes below on how to store leftovers!

Recipe Variations

Pumpkin Spice Option

I’ve never tried making this with pumpkin pie spice in place of the individual spices, but it would probably work.

Chocolate Chips

I’ve added chocolate chips in the past, but I actually prefer it without them. In addition, you get more of the pumpkin ginger flavor without the chocolate competing. These pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are so fantastic if you’re craving chocolate with your pumpkin!

Oil Substitutions

You can substitute half the oil for applesauce for a slightly lower fat content. It won’t be quite as rich but it’s still delicious!

You can also use canola or vegetable oil in place of the coconut oil.

Flour Options

You can use whole wheat pastry flour instead of whole wheat flour and it’ll give you a slightly lighter loaf. You can also use all-purpose flour for the full amount of flour rather than using whole wheat flour.

For example, I use King Arthur Whole Wheat Flour or One Degree Sprouted Whole Wheat Flour.

Gluten-Free

I have also tried making their recipe with gluten-free flour and it was terrible. It came out super gummy and just not great. Every gluten-free flour mixture is a bit different so you can experiment but I had zero luck with two different options. But if you need or want a gluten-free pumpkin bread recipe, I highly recommend this one!

Coconut sugar

You can sub the coconut sugar for white cane sugar or a mixture of cane sugar and brown sugar. In fact, any dry sugar substitute will probably work for this recipe. However, do not try to replace the dry sweetener with a wet sweetener (e.g. maple syrup, honey, etc.). It will mess up the texture.

Toppings

This gingerbread is also delicious topped with some powdered sugar sifted on top. You could also make a simple glaze using powdered sugar, a small amount of milk, and a splash of vanilla to drizzle on top. YUM.

Doubling the recipe

The recipe can be doubled without any issues. If you double it, you’ll need two prepared pans.

Muffins

You can make this recipe into muffins rather than a loaf. The cook time will be shorter, so start checking them around 16 minutes and remove from the oven when the toothpick barely has any batter holding on, and is mostly dry.

Leftovers & Storing

This bread is amazing over the next few days and the flavors deepen. Store cooled bread in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. At that point, I recommend storing it in the fridge.

You can also freeze leftovers. Just be sure the slice it first and then place in a freezer safe container, like a freezer zip lock bag. Thaw at room temperature for about 20 minutes or microwave for 10-15 seconds. I actually made two loaves in my third trimester specifically to freeze since I knew I would want it as a snack once our baby arrived!

Serving Suggestions

I LOVE this topped with butter and nothing else. But if you want to dress it up, it’s really delicious served with a little yogurt for breakfast. (I highly recommend the Noosa Pumpkin yogurt when that comes back in season!)

It also makes a MEAN french toast! If you make this into french toast, let it sit in the french toast mixture overnight. It’s a slightly dense bread, so it just makes it better to have more time to let the egg, milk, and spice mixture soak in!

Let me know what variations you try!

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Pumpkin Gingerbread

• Author: Teri
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 1 loaf (12 slices)
• Method: baking

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Description

My pumpkin bread recipe is my favorite fall treat ever!

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Ingredients

1.5 cups coconut sugar

1/2 cup melted coconut oil

2 eggs

1/3 cup water

1/2 of a 15oz can of pumpkin (about 2/3 cup)

1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour 

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
3. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the coconut sugar, coconut oil and eggs using a hand mixer or stand mixer; beat until smooth. Add water and beat until well blended. Mix in pumpkin puree until combined.
4. In medium bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, ginger, allspice, cinnamon, cloves, baking powder, baking soda, and salt using a wooden spoon. Add dry ingredients to egg/sugar/pumpkin mixture and blend just until all ingredients are mixed. Pour into your prepared pan.
5. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, 35-45 minutes. Don’t over bake!
6. Cool completely on a wire rack and store in an airtight container.

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Notes

• The baking time may vary depending on your oven and if you double the recipe. Be sure to check the doneness at the shorter baking time!
• I used One Degree Sprouted Whole Wheat Flour.
• Don’t use canned pumpkin pie mix in this recipe. You need plain pumpkin!
• You can sub half the oil for applesauce.
• All purpose flour will work in place of the whole wheat flour.

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 slice
• Calories: 251
• Sugar: 25
• Sodium: 274
• Fat: 10.5
• Saturated Fat: 8.3
• Trans Fat: 0
• Carbohydrates: 37.1
• Fiber: 2.2
• Protein: 3.4
• Cholesterol: 31

Get the goods to make the bread!

The post One of my all-time favorite recipes: Pumpkin Gingerbread appeared first on TeriLyn Adams.

Happy Fall weather! I don’t know about you, but I absolutely love fall. Besides the crisp weather and the excuse to cuddle in a blanket – I think I love this season the most because some of my favorite recipes are very “Fall-y.” Pumpkin Gingerbread anyone? But really, this chilly weather gives me the perfect excuse to make my famous three-bean vegetarian chili.

If you are wondering how my three-bean vegetarian chili became famous, well, that’s a funny story.

When I first moved to Winston-Salem 14 years ago, I bribed myself into new friendships by purchasing a huge cable TV package and inviting people over for football and food. For one of these get-togethers, I threw together this chili recipe, and it was a HUGE hit. It’s been requested many times since then. It was even referred to as “Teri’s Famous Chili” and requested at future football watching parties. I’m so easily flattered. I’ve been living in Winston-Salem for a WHILE years now and I still love this recipe just as much!

UPDATE: I’ve heard from a number of people that the recipe was a bit overspiced so I played around with it and updated some measurements. I hope you’ll give it another try! Thanks for your comments and feedback – it always helps make my recipes better and helps others!

My Famous Three-Bean Vegetarian Chili

Ingredients

Black beans
Kidney beans
Pinto beans
Diced tomatoes with juice
Tomato paste
Tomato sauce
Yellow onion
Celery
Red or green bell pepper
Jalapeno
Chili powder
Worcestershire sauce – make sure you buy a vegetarian one! Some have anchovies.
Garlic
Dried oregano
Ground cumin
Dried basil
Salt
Black pepper
Paprika
Brown sugar or coconut sugar

Instructions

There’s just one step in making this chili. I am not kidding.

Step 1

Throw ALL of the ingredients into a Crockpot/slow cooker and cook over low for at least 4 hours (or 2 hours on high if you’re in a hurry). It gets better the longer it has to cook so I recommend the 4+ hours.

If you want to be a little fancier, you can sauté the onion in some olive oil first to release the onion’s flavor a little bit more, but it’s totally not necessary.

Chili Topping Options

I have about a million and one toppings that taste amazing with this chili – depending on my mood. But here are some of my favorite go-to if you want to spice (not literally – that’ll come later) up your chili.

Cheese

Shredded cheddar cheese works best. If you find your chili is too spicy for your taste, cheese will help bring that spice level down a notch. Vegan cheddar works well too.

Sour cream

I love me some sour cream and chili. Just a dollop is fine. And again, sour cream will help bring down the heat (both temperature and spice!) if things are too hot for you! I love Trader Joe’s organic sour cream. Plain greek yogurt is also a good option if you don’t have sour cream handy! Since I’m not eating dairy while I breastfeed, I’ll be sad not to have the sour cream this year.

Tortilla chips

I love chili paired with tortilla chips. The lighter and crispier the better! The Xochitl brand or the Tostito lime are my two favorites! I’m not really a fritos person, but hey, if that’s your jam, go for it!

Sliced avocado

I LOVE avocado on top of chili. It provides the same cooling effect as sour cream with just a little different flavor.

Recipe Variations

Chili recipes are usually pretty forgiving – within a limit. Here are some options for ingredient variations so you can adapt this chili to your tastes.

Jalapeno

I get it – some people like the spice. If you want your chili extra spicy, include the entire jalapeño, skin, and seeds. Basically, just dice the jalapeño and throw the whole pepper in the Crockpot, except the stem. Pickled jalapeños also work well.

I also recommend starting light on the jalapeños and adding more after you do a taste test. Nothing is worse than throwing too many in and having a chili that’s so spicy you can’t even eat it. (Been there!)

Vegetables

I don’t always have the right vegetables handy when I am throwing together this recipe. Maybe you can relate?

So I have tried many other vegetables in this recipe over the years. The veggies that work best (and are not in the ingredients list above) in this chili include carrots, sweet corn, peas, and green beans. If you LOVE veggies, then I would say try out different ones. It just depends on how you like your chili to taste. I tried broccoli in my chili once, and I won’t lie, it was weird. Don’t do that.

Cornbread

I mentioned this in my beef chili recipe post but I’ll say it again here. My better-than-Martha-Stewart-cornbread recipe is an amazing side to this chili. Cornbread and chili are the best. Head on over to that recipe and cook that up while this chili cooks in the crockpot!

So there you have it – my famous chili recipe! What recipe do you have that is famous? And please leave a link to the recipe if you have it posted on your blog.

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My Famous Three Bean Vegetarian Chili

• Author: Teri from A Foodie Stays Fit

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Ingredients

1 can black beans (drained & rinsed)

2 cans kidney beans (drained & rinsed)

1 can pinto beans (drained & rinsed)

1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes with juice

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

1 large yellow onion, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 red or green bell pepper, chopped

1 jalapeno, finely diced (to taste…I like things medium spicy, so using half the pepper will do)

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 large (or 4 average) garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon dried oregano

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon brown sugar or coconut sugar

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Instructions

Throw ALL of the ingredients into a Crockpot and cook over low for at least 4 hours (or 2 hours on high if you’re in a hurry). It gets better the longer it has to cook so I recommend the 4+ hours.

If you want to be a little fancier, you can sauté the onion in some olive oil first to release the onion’s flavor a little bit more, but it’s totally not necessary.

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Enjoy this old photo from when I posted this back in 2011.

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Once the weather starts to get REALLY hot, I crave smoothies. Heck, I crave smoothies no matter what. They’re healthy, can easily be packed with fruit and veggies AND packed with protein and are really easy to take on the go. I also love how quick they are for breakfast or a post-run snack when I’m having a busy day.

Coffee Protein Breakfast Shake

If you’re really in a rush in the mornings, this is a great options since it combies your breakfast and coffee without needing to carry two cups out the door. It’s also great as an afternoon pick me up  since I typically like a cup of decaf in the afternoon anyway. While I prefer to drink coffee on its own, this recipe saves me if I’m in a pinch, and makes the BEST treat later in the afternoon.

Let’s get into this shake recipe, shall we?

Ingredients

This recipe is incredibly simple. You only need 5 ingredients and one of them is ice!

• Cooled brew coffee – If you don’t have cold brewed coffee, leftover, chilled coffee will work here.
• Milk – I use almond, but you can use whatever milk you like.
• Bananas – Extra ripe and then frozen is ideal!
• Protein Powder – I typically use vanilla or chocolate protein powder, but I keep imagining that this recipe would also work well with peanut butter protein.
• Ice – Want your smoothie extra strong? Use coffee ice cubes!

Instructions

Who loves easy instructions? I sure do and this is one of those easy recipes. All you have to do is combine all the ingredients in a blender and you’ve got yourself a protein-packed coffee shake! I do put them into a blender a particular order as outlined below, but really, you’ll be fine if you just toss them all in there and blend! You may just need to use your blender stick or a spatula to scrape down the sides if the protein powder doesn’t mix in.

1. Put the frozen bananas in the blender

I HIGHLY recommend using frozen bananas for this. When frozen bananas are blended, they get incredibly creamy and create a lovely texture for your smoothie. I freeze my over-ripe bananas every week and use them for smoothies. (And if you’ve never made banana “nice” cream, you have to just so you can see the wonder of a frozen banana in its pure form when pureed!)

2. Add your cooled brewed coffee and milk

Ideally you would use cold brew coffee or leftover coffee from the day before that you stuck in the fridge. Or, you could just let your morning coffee cool off it bit. You can make your coffee right when you get up, drink a hot cup, and then pour a second cup to cool while you shower and get ready.  If you really don’t have the time to let it cool, you can just use 1 teaspoon of finely ground coffee or instant coffee and it still works wonders. Just don’t pour hot coffee in with it unless you don’t mind a warm shake (ew).

I use almond milk because cow’s milk doesn’t sit well with my stomach.  Regarding the amount to use (since the recipe has a range): start with the lower end (i.e. ½ cup) and then add more depending on how thick you like your shakes. You’ll need to add even more milk if you didn’t use the brewed coffee and opted for the grounds. As a general rule, I’d start with less milk because you can always add more in but you can’t take any out. And I since we’re using milk, this drink feels more like a coffee protein shake, which I love since it sounds more like a dessert than a coffee smoothie does

3. Add protein powder. 

Don’t put this in first since it can get stuck in the bottom and not blend. And just like the choice of milk, you also have a choice of protein powder. You can see my five go-to’s here (I usually try to get at least 20 grams of protein per a serving) Adding in the protein powder will help you stay full for longer and help thicken the shake too.

4. Add ice

Adding ice is optional. I usually leave it out since I don’t want it watered down. But if you’re using warm-ish coffee, then I recommend adding in ice and reducing the amount of milk. The frozen banana can also cool down the temperature. I recommend trying the mixture without the ice and seeing if you want to add it in after.

5. Pulse the blender to break up the banana and the ice.

6. Then, run the blender for 1-2 minutes until it’s very creamy!

If you’re going to make a lot of smoothies, do yourself a favor and invest in a Vitamix. I bought a refurbished one (which is about $200 cheaper), have used it multiple times a week for 6+ years, and have had no issues.

Variations

Add spinach

You could add spinach for additional nutrient boost. It will alter the color but if you only add a handful or two, you shouldn’t taste it!

Flavored coffee

Experiment with different flavored coffee. I bet a s’more flavored coffee protein smoothie would be awesome.

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Coffee Protein Breakfast Shake

• Author: Teri
• Cook Time: 5
• Total Time: 5 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1 cup brewed coffee, slightly cooled if you have time OR just use 1 teaspoon finely ground coffee or instant coffee
• 1/2 c – 1 c milk of choice; I use almond milk. (Add more or less depending on how thick you like your shake and more if you didn’t use brewed coffee)
• 1/2 banana (frozen is best!)
• 1 scoop protein powder
• Ice, if desired
• Optional: add xanthum gum for thickness & maca for a boost of energy and to help you recover from hard workouts

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Instructions

Combine in a blender and drink!

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1
• Calories: 205
• Sugar: 9
• Fat: 4.6
• Carbohydrates: 19.8
• Protein: 24

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I’ve been rounding up my staples from all of my favorite grocery stores, including Trader Joe’s, Costco and today Thrive Market! Some of my healthy grocery staples are carried at all three places, so I alternate where I buy things depending on how quickly I need it and where I’ll be shopping next. But there are a few things from Thrive that I definitely like best (like their pasta and nuts), and they also have better prices on things that I usually can only find at Whole Foods, like fancy dark chocolate. (Priorities!)

If you aren’t familiar with Thrive Market, it’s an online grocery store that has an extensive selection of healthy foods and organic products. They don’t carry fresh produce or dairy, but it’s a great place to stock your pantry and snack cupboard. In addition to groceries, they also sell wine, meat and seafood, personal care products, supplements, pet supplies and baby products. They have their own brand and also carry well-known brands like Annie’s, Bob’s Red Mill, Banza, Siete, and a LOT more.

They make it easy to shop by eat healthy and also eat allergen free and/or specific dietary restrictions with all their filtering options — like vegan, gluten-free, vegetarian, keto, paleo, nut-free, kosher, to name a few. I also really like the autoship feature, especially as a new mom who forgets things! You can add or remove things from autoship, and change the frequency by item (e.g. I need more pasta more often than I need salt!). Plus, you get reminders before it ships so you’re never getting things you don’t need.

You pay an annual membership fee, like you do with Amazon Prime, Costco or Sam’s Club. A Thrive Market membership is either $59.95 a year or $9.95 a month. But they have a better selection of healthy, speciality foods than any of those places. So, it’s kind of like Whole Foods with Costco prices and the convenience of Amazon.

Okay, they don’t have free next day or two day shipping, so it’s not QUITE as convenient as Amazon. You do, however, get free shipping on orders over $49 and my box usually arrives in about a week so it takes just a little forethought. Or, just use autoship like I do.

The membership is worth every penny since I save way more than it costs. They guarantee that you’ll make your money back in savings in your yearly membership and if you don’t, they’ll pay you the difference in Thrive Cash when you renew your membership.

I also appreciate their commitment to the environment since packaging and shipping can be less than ideal. In 2019, Thrive Market became a 100% carbon-neutral company and over 90% of material that enters their facilities is recycled, composted, or reused. They also use 100% recyclable packaging (down to the tape on the box!) and will so be Zero Waste Certified across all their locations.

My Thrive Market Staples

Below are the things I buy consistently from Thrive Market. Like I mentioned earlier, I love the autoship feature, especially for pantry staples I always need. I haven’t tried their meat and seafood, but I appreciate that they support regenerative farmers whose practices help heal the planet’s soil and revitalize local ecosystems.

Okay, let’s get on to my Thrive Market must-haves!

Celtic Sea Salt

I’m a salt snob and this is AMAZING. Yes, it’s worthy of the first spot on my list!

Salad Dressings

I like to make my own dressings most of the time, but I keep a few store-bought ones on hand and get them from Thrive Market. I like Primal Kitchen and Tessamae’s that have better ingredients than most store-bought dressings.

Nut Butters

They have a wide variety of nut butters and seed butters, if you have a nut allergy and need an alternative. The Kirkland brand of peanut butter from Costco is the best, HANDS DOWN, but if you need some alternates, Thrive Market has a solid selection.

Rao’s Marinara

This is the best marinara EVER. (Costco also sells it and I just buy it wherever I’m shopping next.)

Raw nuts

I didn’t know that there was much of a quality difference in nuts… until I tried Thrive Market nuts. WOW. They taste drastically better than Trader Joe’s!

Sweeteners

• Coconut Sugar – I buy coconut sugar either at Thrive or Trader Joe’s. My only complaint is that the bags are small! I wish they were larger, but that would probably make shipping costs too high.

• Maple Syrup – I like the Goldilocks-sized jug option that Thrive sells. It’s not too big or too small.

• Powdered sugar – I don’t use this a lot but I like that I can buy it organic from Thrive. I’ve never seen organic powdered sugar anywhere else.

Flours

• All Purpose Flour – Just a simple pantry staple, but I buy it organic from Thrive since it’s more affordable than other organic flour options.

• Sprouted White Wheat Flour – I love this flour for baking but it’s hard to track down locally so I buy it from Thrive.

Baking

• Cacao Nibs – They have the best price I’ve found!

• Cacao Powder – Cacao powder (not cocoa powder) can be hard to find. I keep this stocked for baking.

• Unsweetened Shredded Coconut – I love the larger shreds of coconut from Thrive vs smaller threads from Trader Joe’s. It gives baked goods GREAT texture and I use it in my homemade energy balls.

• Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips – I have to eat dairy free while breastfeeding (and honestly, don’t tolerate super well even when I’m not!) and I’m going through a lot of these allergen-free chocolate chips these days. Thrive has the best price on them

Snacks

• Simple Mills crackers – I really like Simple Mills almond flour sea salt crackers! (Pass on their whole grain ones – yuck!)

• Dark Chocolate – Lily’s, HU Kitchen, Yes. Please.

• Coconut Oil Potato Chips – These are so good and so addicting.

• Siete Grain-free chips – Neither my husband nor I am grain free, but we love these!!

• Smart Sweets – we love their peach rings!

Beans & Legumes

• Canned Beans – I love that that they carry Eden Foods beans, which are cooked with kombu to help with digestion! It’s a little pricier than Trader Joe’s but worth it for me.

• Dried Lentils & Beans – I keep these stocks in the pantry at all times. The Thrive brand is organic and affordable.

Pasta & Grains

• Bob’s Red Mill Steel Cut Oats – Perfect for my favorite banana bruleed steel cut oats or for making a big batch in the InstantPot!

• Organic Biodynamic Whole Wheat Pasta – This pasta is seriously the best whole wheat pasta EVER.

Spices & Seasonings

• Spices – Thrive sells their spices in bulk so I buy them from Thrive to refill my jars.

• Tomato Paste – Thrive’s tomato paste comes in jars instead of cans and it’s so nice to be able to save what I don’t use. How many of us have tossed opened cans after they sit in our fridge for a week and go bad, yuck.

• Tamari Soy Sauce

• Coconut Aminos

Oils, Cooking Fats & Vinegars

They carry a lot of oils, but the sizes are too small for our needs. We go through a lot of avocado oil, coconut oil and olive oil so I buy it at Costco. Same with apple cider vinegar. But, if you don’t have a Costco nearby, Thrive has great prices.

However, I DO want to try the Organic Ghee & Virgin Coconut Oil – I am adding this to my cart IMMEDIATELY when I stop breastfeeding. Thomas is dairy intolerant, and even though most lactose-intolerant folks tolerate ghee well, I don’t want to risk it. But apparently this tastes just like movie theater butter on popcorn. I can’t wait to try it. (And load it up on toast!)

Baby Food

I order lots of baby food for Thomas from Thrive.

Serenity Kids meat packets: So far we’ve tried the Chicken, Salmon, and turkey. I haven’t tried any beef or bison products with him. Happy Baby Apples, Kale & Avocados packets (he loves those!) and the Pumpkin Tree Apple, Pea and Spinach packets. He also LOVES the Serenity Kids grain-free puffs and Happy Baby creamies. And let’s be honest, I do too. I think he likes these because they’re easy to pick up and feed himself! He’s quite independent. I have no idea where he gets it. ?

Cooking Liquids

• Coconut Milk – I think they have the creamiest coconut milk of all the brands I’ve tried.

• Broth & Stocks – Thrive has tons of broths — chicken broth, beef stock, bone broth, vegetable broth. I keep these on autoship.

Seventh Generation laundry

I have sensitive skin and so does my baby, so we get Seventh Generation free & clear laundry detergent from Thrive. I’ve also heard they make great dish soap but I haven’t tried it.

Dish Twist Scrub Sponges

I weirdly love their sponges! They’re white and hold up well with lots of dish washing!

Use this link to get 25% off and a free gift on your first order!

What are your Thrive Market staples/must-haves? I’ll keep this list updated as I try new things!

While this post includes affiliate links and I make a small commission if you sign up, it is not sponsored by Thrive Market! I pay for everything I order from them out of my own pocket and truly love their service.

The post My Thrive Market Staples appeared first on TeriLyn Adams.

My favorite pre-run snack of all time are the homemade energy balls in this post. My mom started making these years ago after adopting a recipe she got in a Runner’s World magazine. And it’s kind of silly that I have a bunch of other energy ball recipes on the blog but I’d never shared the recipe for the ones I make most often. So, I’m finally sharing that recipe today!

These oatmeal energy balls are filled with healthy, easily digestible carbs that make the perfect running fuel. They have a little fat, fiber, and protein to help keep you full and satisfy you (all of those are important elements to satiation). And they are just plain delicious. They’re also gluten-free, as long as you buy gluten-free oats!

I eat 1-3 of these every single day, no joke. And I’m still not tired of them. I eat 1-2 before a workout, 1 in the afternoon, and oftentimes 1-2 before bed. I also ate them ALL the time when I was pregnant with Thomas. (Hey, that’s pregnancy life! Healthy snacks are a must!) It’s also a great recipe to keep handy when you’re breastfeeding and hungry all the time!

Homemade Energy Balls for Runners

These are no-bake energy balls so you can eat them as soon as they’re made and they freeze beautifully. While these are perfect homemade energy balls for runners, they work well for pre-workout fuel no matter how you sweat. I eat them before I ride the Peloton, before strength training, before yoga, a long run, everything! If I’m running 3-4 miles, I eat one. If I’m going longer, I typically eat 2. When I had a running coach, he always preached the importance of fueling well before, during and after a run!

Ingredients

Old Fashioned Oats are a great source of healthy carbs to help fuel your workout. They also contain gut-healthy fiber. I buy these at Trader Joe’s. Be sure to buy gluten free oats if you’re celiac or sensitive to gluten.

Chopped Nuts are a great source of healthy fats and help provide a satisfying crunch!

Raw Sunflower Seeds are high in vitamin E and promote a healthy nervous system.

Unsweetened Finely Shredded Coconut is high in manganese, which is great for bone health.

Cacao Nibs are a great addition in this recipe. I love the dark chocolate kick that isn’t too sweet.

Peanut Butter helps hold these together and tastes amazing. I use an all-natural peanut butter that is salted but has no added oil or sugar. My favorite is the Kirkland Signature peanut butter from Costco or the non-organic peanut butter from Whole Foods. (The organic one doesn’t taste as good!)

Honey is the natural sweetener in this recipe and provides a quick hit of energy and carbs to fuel your run. I always try to use local honey.

Vanilla Extract adds flavor without more added sugar.

Instructions

Step 1

Combine the oats, mixed nuts, sunflower seeds, cacao nibs and shredded coconut in a large bowl. (If your nuts didn’t come pre-chopped, chop them with a chef knife or pulse in a food processor first.)

Step 2

In a medium bowl, microwave the peanut butter and honey together for 60 seconds. Add vanilla and mix so everything is well incorporated.

Step 3

Add the peanut butter & honey mixture to dry ingredients and mix. It takes a few minutes and stirring to get it to fully combine. Make sure you get all the dry ingredients from the bottom of the bowl mixed in!

Step 4

Wet hands a little and roll into balls, about 1″ in diameter. (Or, form smaller, bite size ones if you prefer!) Re-wet hands as needed as you continue to form balls. Wet hands helps prevent the dough from sticking to your hands like crazy. Place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. (You can place them close together because you are not baking them.) This recipe makes about 60 energy balls when they’re 1″ in size.

Step 5

Place the cookie sheet in the freezer for a couple of hours and then transfer the energy balls into a ziplock bag. When you want to eat one (or three), microwave for about 10 seconds to thaw. Or just leave them on the counter for a few minutes — they thaw quickly. And sometimes I just bite right into them right from the freezer, but that’s probably not the safest option for my teeth.

Energy Ball Variations

Switch up the nuts 

You can use your favorite mix of nuts in this recipe to suit your preferences. I typically go for almonds, walnuts and pecans. Both Costco and Trader Joe’s sell mixed nuts I like. I prefer salted nuts since I always crave salt. (And salt is necessary for super sweaty summer running like we’re going to see in the next few months!)

Use maple syrup

This doesn’t work perfectly as a substitution since it’s thinner than honey. If you do use maple syrup, you’ll likely need to add more oats.

Leave out the coconut

I’ve made these successfully without coconut! You could sub in a few tablespoons of cocoa powder instead.

Add Chocolate Chips

You can use mini chocolate chips in place of cacao nibs. But using cocoa nibs helps prevent a melty chocolate mess, which is great if you take these in your purse or when traveling. I also find that the chocolate chips melt a little when I add the warmed honey and peanut butter mixture.

Add chia seeds

You can add a few tablespoons of chia seeds for healthy omega-3 fats, antioxidants and fiber. They’ll add just a little crunch too!

Sub in Almond Butter

You can sub almond butter or any other nut butter in these, but I much prefer peanut butter! Just make sure your almond butter isn’t too runny since the peanut butter helps bind them. If your almond butter is runny, use a little less or add more oats.

Reduce sugar at your own risk!

I’ve tried cutting back on the honey and honestly, they don’t taste as good or hold together as well.

Add protein powder at your own risk

Protein powders are so dry that it will likely mess up the ratios and you’ll need to add more honey to get them to hold together. And remember, if you’re using these for a pre-run snack, too much extra protein will limit what your body can digest. Carbs are the most easily digestible and accessible form of energy during a workout!

Form bars instead of balls

You can make these into energy bars. Rather than forming balls, simply press the dough into a large baking dish and place it in the fridge. Once it sets a bit, then cut them into bars. Individually wrap each in bees wrap or plastic wrap and store in the fridge (for 1-2 weeks) or freezer (for 3-4 months)

Energy Balls – My Favorite Pre-Workout Snack

• Author: Teri from A Foodie Stays Fit
• Prep Time: 15
• Total Time: 15
• Yield: 60

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Ingredients

• 2 cups old fashioned oats, uncooked (not instant!)
• 1 cup mixed chopped nuts
• ½ cup raw sunflower seeds
• 1 cup unsweetened finely shredded coconut
• ½ cup cacao nibs 
• 1.5 cups peanut butter 
• 1 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

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Instructions

1. Combine the oats, mixed nuts, sunflower seeds, cacao nibs and coconut in a large bowl.
2. In a medium bowl, microwave peanut butter and honey together for 60 seconds.  Add vanilla and mix so everything is well incorporated.
3. Add the peanut butter & honey mixture to dry ingredients and mix.  It takes a few minutes and stirring to get it to mix without any dry ingredients left. 
4. Wet hands a little and roll dough into 1” balls.  Place on a parchment or wax paper covered cookie sheet.  (You can place them close together because you are not baking them!) Place in the freezer for a couple of hours and then put into a ziplock bag.
5. When you want to eat one, microwave them for about 10 seconds to thaw or leave them on the counter for a few minutes and they thaw quickly.
6. I like one before a workout and one after. You can also keep them in the fridge if you think you’ll go through them quickly!

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Notes

Nuts: I use the salted mixed nuts from Trader Joe’s or Costco since I love the saltiness, but if I don’t have those, I just use a mixture of nuts that I have around, usually ½ cup almonds, ¼ cup walnuts, ¼ cashews or pecans

Peanut Butter: I use the Kirkland Signature creamy peanut butter or Whole Foods non-organic creamy or crunchy. Any peanut butter will do but you may need to add a little extra honey if your PB is too dry or add more oats if your PB is too runny so the dough will hold together.  Avoid one with added sugar.

Cacao Nibs: You can find these at Trader Joe’s. They’re not sweet, but add a great chocolate flavor and crunch. You can use mini chocolate chips but often they melt into the mixture.

Nutrition stats are approximates and will vary depending on the exact ingredients and brands of ingredients you use.

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 ball
• Calories: 108
• Sugar: 6.5
• Sodium: 32.3
• Fat: 6.9
• Saturated Fat: 2.2
• Trans Fat: 0
• Carbohydrates: 10.6
• Fiber: 1
• Protein: 2.2
• Cholesterol: 0

Get Cooking!

I was obsessed with these while pregnant, and still am!

The post Homemade Runner’s Energy Balls (Peanut Butter, Oatmeal & Honey!) appeared first on TeriLyn Adams.