Category Archives: Recipes

i changed my breakfast

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I am a creature of habit.  I don’t easily tire of routines, and when I find a recipe or food I like, I will often eat it every day until the season’s agricultural tide urges change.  That being said, every now and again a friend will recommend something (the breakfast bowl that inspired the image above has become one of my favorites) and it will scramble up my whole pattern in the most refreshing way.

Recently, two of my best friends have been raving about steel cut oats.  Their promise of a fuller, nuttier flavor and more robust consistency (as opposed to traditional rolled oats) finally wore me down; it was time for this creature of habit to break the mold.img_9564

Though they take quite a bit longer to prepare (about 20 minutes versus the 5 minute cook time for old fashioned rolled oats), those little steel cut morsels really are a game changer.  My mornings have me feeling stronger and more energized throughout the rehearsal day.  I’ve been mixing in some flax seeds as my oats cool, to give them even more substance, and a secret ingredient for an added boost…img_9563

DanceFoods is the first superfood blend made specifically with dancers in mind.  It contains a mix of maca root, raw cocoa, goji berries and plant protein, all sourced from small farmers growing chemical/hormone free plants.  That’s all of the organic antioxidants and energizing goodness, and none of the extra junk!

The blend was conceptualized by a former professional dancer who felt the stress of long rehearsal days weighing on him.  With little time to prepare an adequate lunch, he could feel himself growing weaker.  His solution was to create this blend, providing dancers with a quick way to digest the essential vitamins we so often miss out on.

A dancer’s body is her instrument, and taking care of that instrument begins on the inside.  To get the best fuel possible, I’ve been cooking up some oats every morning and mixing the superfood blend right in.  I top the whole shebang with some berries and cinnamon et voila!  My routine has transformed.  img_9557

DanceFoods is offering Setting The Barre readers a 10% discount on their first purchase!  Use the code ‘settingthebarre’ at checkout.img_9561

stove top granola

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Today we are treated (hehe) to a recipe from one of my absolute favorite humans, Miss Tegan Rich.  Tegs was my first roomie in Providence when I moved here 5 years ago, and man, was that impulsive cohabitational decision serendipitous.  Not only did we share a desire to live the same strange life (endless hours of How I Met Your Mother on Netflix? destination trips to magical but far less-than-local Whole Foods branches? yes, please), she also taught me how to make (and pronounce) quinoa, how to properly hard boil an egg, and the wonder of Crazy Jane’s salt.  Today she shares one of her most recent kitchen tricks: quick and easy stove top granola…IMG_4379

Stove top granola is great in a pinch when you’ve decided your late night snack, or breakfast is desperately in need of a crunchy, sweet, nutty, hearty goodness.  I make enough to last me through the week and sprinkle it over my yogurt in the morning, my smoothies, and sometimes I just eat it with my fingers straight out of the tupperware (shhhh).IMG_4376Stove top Granola: because everyone loves granola, and sometimes you don’t want to wait 40 mins as you toast up a gigantic batch in your oven.

3/4-1 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/3 cup nut(s) of your choice
2 tbsp. flax seed
1/4 cup coconut oil
3-4 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of ginger
as much or as little honey as you like
*the nutmeg and ginger are personal choices.. but they’re especially tasty and apropos for this time of year
**I always use a healthy drizzling of honey… 


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1. In a sauté pan over medium heat, toast the oats in the pan
2. As the oats start to toast up (don’t let them get too brown or toasty) add in the dried coconut.
3. Once the oats and coconut are toasting away, add in the nuts. Let these dry ingredients cook for a little bit, stirring often to avoid burning… you can always lower the heat if the cooking seems to be happening too fast.
4. Before adding the oil, add the pinch of salt and whatever spices you are using
5. Once everything is combined, add in the coconut oil and continue stirring to avoid burning!!!
6. After the oil is just about combined, add in as much or as little honey as you want, stir the ingredients around to combine everything
7. Keep cooking for about a minute or two more. turn off the heat. pour the granola out onto a pan or cookie sheet to let cool down and ENJOY!

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Thank you Tegan for sharing your recipe and drool-worthy photos of that crunchy granola goodness!

treat yoself

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January is a rough month.  It’s long.  It’s cold.  It’s still fairly dark when your alarm goes off in the morning, and it seems like April is mocking you with its Eastery glow…3 hard months away.

To combat the winter blues, also known as SAD (seriously), a few friends and I have decided to brighten these grey days by initiating a “treats rotation”.  For those of you unaccustomed with this particular institution (I think we made it up?), each day one of us is responsible for bringing in a yummy treat for the rest of the group.  The first week I made everyone a little batch of almond butter and packaged them in mini mason jars with rustic twine bows.  It was pretty adorable.  This week I tried out a new recipe and made these things called “energy balls”, which are apparently extremely delicious, as well as deceivingly simple to make!  Here’s how I did it…

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First combine 2 cups of nuts (I used 1 cup almonds, 1 cup pecans) in a food processor until coarse.  Then add in one cup of dates (I used medjool), and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and process again for about 2-3 minutes.  Then shape into balls and roll in shredded coconut for a shmancy touch.

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Et voila!

Outside the regular treats rotation, I’ve been attempting to cure my cold weather slump by making myself some special snacks, including a homemade granola using Alex’s family recipe, and a delicious muesli, the recipe for which I created as I went along.  Dedicating my Monday nights to the kitchen and surprising my friends with yummy bites has really helped lift my spirits as of late.

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 I’d love to know, how do you boot the winter blues?  Would you ever consider a “treats rotation” with your friends?

keeks in the kitchen: almond butter

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I recently discovered a new health food blog through an old ballet friend on trusty ol’ Instagram.  Naturally Sassy is written by a British ballerina who decided to go vegan a few years back in a (successful) attempt to cure her chronic eczema.  Since making the switch to a diet of everything diary, gluten, meat and sugar free, Saskia has discovered the many benefits of this new lifestyle.  Inflammatory and acidic properties found in these food groups can have short and long terms effects on your health, including weight gain, acne/dry skin, high cholesterol, lowering of the immune system and digestion and stomach problems. Yuck!  Reading the short bit of information on the vegan lifestyle presented on Saksia’s blog, I decided to give up meat, most of the dairy I currently consume, complex sugars, gluten, and all processed foods.  And what better way to kickstart this new lifestyle than by whipping up a batch of Naturally Sassy’s homemade almond butter?!

With just 3 ingredients and a food processor, you too can make your very own delicious, protein-packed almond butter.  I added mine into a smoothie with banana, medjool dates, flaxseed and almond milk and oh.my.god, you guys, it was so scrumptious.  That’s what has me hooked on this blog; Her recipes are so healthy, but also combine a range of flavors that I can totally get on board with.  Roasted sweet potatoes and avocados galore?  Yes, please!

So, granted I have enough time to actually cook and blog about it this season, expect to see a lot more of my kitchen experiments here on STB!  Other recipes I’m dying to try include the perfect kale salad, sweet potato salad with avocado mayonnaise, and the blueberry and baobab pancakes.

morning muffins

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It seems that every year as June rolls around, beach season begins and my desire for a sculpted bikini body directly conflicts with the inevitable decrease in my daily physical activity.  The past two summers in particular (last year I was recovering from an injury, the year before I had surgery on my toe) have been especially slow on the whole work out front, which is perhaps the reason for this year’s boosted motivation.  I’ve been finding some way to sweat every morning (a rotation of ballet class and kickboxing with a few dedicated buds), but sticking to a diet in the summer is about as easy as going to Target for one item and not coming home with a carload of things you never knew you needed (does that happen to anyone else?).

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Just when you’re doing really well and eating right, it’s someone’s birthday and one too many drinks must be had.  Then your friend invites you to your favorite pub on a Wednesday night and how do you not order those garlic fries that just walked by only to stop at the table right behind you?  However, recently I’ve set a goal for myself; Maintain healthy eating during the week, and use weekends as little cheat treat days!

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Breakfast can be a tough meal to stick to.  Some people just skip it altogether (BIG mistake!  Most important meal of the day to kickstart your metabolism!), but I’m one of those freaks who wakes up with a growling tummy, always ravenous for anything with a side of bacon.  Of course, since that’s not exactly time, budget or diet friendly, I decided to whip up a batch of healthy banana-oat muffins to grab and go for breakfast, snack time, or anytime, really.  These guys are packed with tons of good nutrients and don’t use much sugar, so you can start your day out on the right bite.  I used this recipe, but substituted coconut oil for applsauce (just use 1/2 the amount of oil) and added raisins and ground flax seed for added fiber, but next time I’m throwing in some coconut flakes, cinnamon and chopped walnuts, too!  Yum!

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taste of october

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For the second annual company “Pumpkin Party” this weekend, T and I made some exceptionally delicious hummus.  But not just any old hummus.  Roasted garlic, rosemary, pumpkin hummus.  Yes, yes, yes.  It was as amazing as it sounds, we will be making it again by the end of the week, and you can have the recipe.  You’re welcome.

keeks in the kitchen: kale chips

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I’m starting to think I should change the name of this series to “Keeks Eats Kale”.  Seriously, you guys must be getting SO sick of all the kale recipes.  But alas, I cannot resist its delicious versatility.  So, without further ado, I give you the most surprisingly scrumptious, savory, snack-able kale (k)creation to date: the kale chip.  With just three easy ingredients, you too can munch and crunch on some yummy potato-chip impostor.  And if you have any lingering suspicions as to their tastiness, just take it from my boyfriend…after baking up my first batch yesterday and giving him a little sample, he requested another batch immediately, specifically stating that he’d like “a really, really, really, big batch, please!!!”  Of course I obliged, then my entire supply of kale magically disappeared before my eyes.  These things are GOOD, people.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  Now all you need to do is remove the leafy greens from the thick stalk, wash and dry, and arrange kale on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with one tablespoon of good olive oil, sprinkle with some seasoning salt, and bake for 8-10 minutes,  until the edges are brown but not burnt.  I checked on my chips mid-way through and agitated the sheet a bit, not sure if this makes any difference…DSC02955DSC02960

…but they did come out absolutely perfectly, so I’m sticking to my method!  Bon appétit!

keeks in the kitchen: kale berry energy smoothie

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When the temperatures outside are high, one of my favorite ways to fuel up and cool down is by making a yummy smoothie.  Not only are the blended concoctions deliciously refreshing and packed with natural sugars to satisfy your sweet tooth, but with add-ons like protein powder and chia seeds, the nutrition value is unbeatable.  Here’s how to make a mixed berry and kale smoothie, one of my favorites…

Start with 1/2 cup of frozen mixed berries (I used blueberries and strawberries), and about 1/2 cup fresh blueberries.  Throw in 10 almonds and 1/4 cup of ice water or almond milk.  Blend.DSC02789

Next throw in 1/2 cup of chopped kale and whichever powders and seeds you prefer.  Blend.DSC02797

Now, pour the contents into a glass and enjoy!  By the way, if you are worried that adding greens to your smoothie will make them taste weird, I assure you it won’t!  This was a major concern of mine prior to trying it out.  But no- you get all of the vitamins and none of the taste!DSC02798

Bon appétit!

keeks in the kitchen: kale salad edition

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As a dancer, being injured poses a lovely little collection of daily frustrations (3 consecutive months out of the studio really does a number on your psyche…whenever I hear classical music it’s an odd battle between tendu-ing and crying).  Hailing from the same genus as preserving those temporarily useless toe calluses and sleeping in the frog stretch several nights a week to remind your hips what torture turn out feels like, staying fit is one of the most important concerns an injured dancer can have.

Without the intense cardio that comes with 6 hours of rehearsal, maintaining that strong dancer’s bod is often even tougher than anticipated- and believe me, no one was expecting it to be easy over here!  With just a few short weeks left before the start of the season (who’s excited?!), I’m vowing to stick to a diet of healthy greens and protein.

So here’s my recipe for a delicious kale salad, packed with essential vitamins, proteins, and fiber to keep you feeling and looking good…

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Start with some greens.  For this salad I chopped up some romaine and mixed it with kale, my new favorite superfood.DSC02760

Next I added a little steamed, shelled edamame.  These low-calorie little green soybeans are the perfect punch of protein!DSC02763

Chickpeas, aka garbanzo beans, are always a good addition to any salad, loading it up with their fiber, protein and healthy fats. DSC02765

To top it off, I added some juicy golden raisins, chopped walnuts and a bit of shredded carrot.DSC02768

Bon appétit!