Just Picked Possibilities – Fruit & Veggie Recipes + Grilled Steak Salad

Snapping peas, shucking corn, wandering through the woods in search of huckleberries – the chores of summer have me salivating!   Fresh fruits and vegetables are the cornerstone of my kitchen creations and the summer season offers so many fresh-for-the-picking possibilities.  In addition to the Any Way, Any Day Grilled Steak Salad recipe I share below, I’ve gathered up this collection of some of my favorite warm weather recipes that are ideal for outdoor entertaining! Enjoy!

Check out Just-Picked Possibilities! Summer Fruit & Veggie Recipes

by The Fit Fork at Foodie.com

If you are looking for a “no recipe” recipe that takes advantage of the season’s freshest ingredients, then my Any Way, Any Day Grilled Steak Salad will delight you with its lack of details – but let me assure you this healthy salad is in no shy in sunny day, farm-fresh flavor!  You can fix up this entrée salad on a plate or platter for dinner tonight, or package up in a mason jar to take for the best lunch break ever.  Jar salads are genius in form and function – a vibrant rainbow of goodness layered in a handy container that can be taken “to go” en route to a picnic, concert in the park, the gym, or even work (sigh). When ready to dig into the salad simply give it a shake and then eat from the jar or pour onto a plate – because it is layered in the reverse order of a typical salad, the lettuce ends up on the bottom of the plate and the salad dressing on top!

sirloin jar salad

Any Way, Any Day Grilled Steak Salad Recipe

  • 12 ounce top sirloin steak, 1” thick
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon coarse ground pepper
  • 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
  • 8 cups chopped greens (like romaine lettuce, kale, spinach, an assortment)
  •  4 cup assortment of chopped or shredded vegetables of choice (like cucumber, snap peas, carrots, radish, celery, tomatoes, etc.)
  • 1 (15-oz) can beans of choice, drained and rinsed (like black bean, chick pea, edamame, kidney, etc.)*
  • 1 cup salad toppings (like pecans, almonds, feta cheese, dried or fresh fruit or assortment)

Dressing:

  • 1 6-oz carton plain Greek Yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon or equivalent “sweet” dressing component (honey, maple syrup, agave, etc.)
  • 1 teaspoon “spicy” dressing component (Sriacha sauce, chipotle powder, Tabasco, etc.)
  1. Preheat grill to 400 F degrees.
  2. In small bowl, make a paste of garlic, olive oil, pepper and salt.
  3. Use fork tines to slightly pierce steak all over the front and bottom. Apply paste liberally to steak, rub until well coated.
  4. Grill steak for approximately 5 -6 minutes per side, flipping only once if possible. Remove when instant read thermometer registers 135 F degrees. Let rest for approximately 5 minutes (temperature should rise to 145, which is medium rare).
  5. Slice steak into thin slices across the grain. If desired, then cut slices into bite-sized pieces.
  6. In small bowl, whisk together yogurt and chosen dressing components.
  7. To assemble salad on plate, start with lettuce, then vegetables, beans, beef slices, salad toppings and then dressing. For the jar salad, dollop dressing in the jar first and then layer with vegetables, beans, beef, lettuce and then salad toppings. Serves 4.

*If lettuces and other delicate ingredients are layered at the top of the jar (away from the dressing and juicy meat), the salads will remain fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.  Make ahead for busy work day lunches!

If you like the idea of jar salads, don’t miss these other two I love:

 

Thai Peanut Chicken Jar Salad

jennifer fisher - thai peanut chicken salad - main option 1

 

 

 

 

Chopped Ancho Chicken Jar Salad

ancho chili chicken salad collage

 

 

 

 

This post is sponsored by Foodie.com. However, all commentary, opinions and recipes are naturally my own. 

 

Girls’ Night In – Trop50 Raspberry Acai Sipper with Coconut-Mint-sicles


You’re invited over to work up a sweat to old-school aerobic DVDs and Girl s CrossFit WOD. After well, enjoy healthy refreshments including a delicious mocktail made with Trop50 Raspberry Acai!

Oh, it’s always good to get together with my girlfriends. However, we’re not the head-out-to-a-bar types or even really much of book club babes, but the one thing we have in common is that we all like to run, workout and reward ourselves with healthy refreshments!

denise austin

My idea of a fun “Girl’s Night In” is inviting my besties over for some fun, maybe putting in a retro workout DVD like a Denise Austin or Jane Fonda – oooh, break out the leotards and leg warmers. However, though my friends don’t care, hosting at my house might mean having to clean up and move the furniture around for our lunging, lifting, buns-of-steel fun. So, instead I’m recommending we meet up for “Girl’s Night In” at the CrossFit box, no sweaty men allowed.

After the old-school aerobics, we’ll kick up the fun with a girl-powered workout – oh, I don’t know, maybe something like this Girls’ Night WOD below:

women's crossfit workout

As for refreshments, there will be no heavy lifting – just some fresh veggies and dip, some deviled eggs and easy to make smoothies and drinks featuring Trop50 Raspberry Açaí juice.  I was very excited to learn that Trop50 has the great taste and goodness you expect from Tropicana, but with 50% less sugar and calories and no artificial sweeteners. Each 8 ounce serving has loads of antioxidants, more than a day’s worth of vitamin C and is a good source of vitamin E — all for only 50 calories and 10 grams of sugar.

rasperry acai sipper with coconut mint ice Check out the gallery of drinks at the top of the post that feature Trop50 Raspberry Açaí along with some healthy smoothies I like to make at home. Although whipped up without alcohol, these drinks still taste special and celebratory without the next-day headache and regrets. While the “idea” of an adult beverage sounds appealing, my body always rebels – I try to remember that everything I eat or drink is either fueling performance or feeding disease.

Here’s a special sipper I’ve developed with Trop50 Raspberry Açaí. It’s so light and refreshing after a workout and I love how it’s keeps the fun in motion  — dip and swirl the frozen pop around and enjoy! Pre-freeze the “mint cubes” the night before and playing bartender will be a breeze.

Trop40 raspberry acai drink

Raspberry Açaí Sipper with Coconut-Mint-sicles Recipe

  •  2 10 -12 oz bottles coconut water
  • Mint springs
  • 10 small wooden skewers
  • 2 tbsp. colored cocktail rim sugar
  • 1 59-oz bottle Trop50 Raspberry Açaí

Pour coconut water evenly into 10 large ice cube molds, small ice pop molds or small Dixie cups. Top with mint leaves. Place in freezer for about 1 hour until firm enough to hold wooden skewer or ice pop stick upright. Continue to freeze until solid.

Wet the rims of 10 glasses; dip rims in cocktail sugar. Pour beverage evenly among glasses (just under 6 ounces per glass). Remove mint pops from molds and place one in each drink. Garnish with additional mint, if desired.  Serves 10.

coconut mint ice cubes

Coconut Mint-sicles for your Girls’ Night In drink!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more inspiring ideas, visit the Trop50 collection on Foodie.com

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Trop50 via Glam Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Trop50.

 

 

Strawberry Cucumber & Spinach Salad – There’s an App for That!

Everything seems to finally be coming up spring! Gardens are growing and offering up the first bounties of the season. I plan to be down at the local farmer’s market every weekend decked out in my sandals and sun hat – yes, you guessed it, I’m a warm weather-loving girl. Oh my goodness, the fruits and vegetables of this time of year take my breath away – the amazingly sweet berries, the mild spring onions, crunchy cucumbers and delicate baby greens. Ahhhh!

Jennifer Fisher at Sprouts

Foodie Recipes App to the rescue while shopping at Sprouts!

 

Usually, I’m pretty creative about pulling together a meal out of what I already have on hand in the fridge and pantry. But somehow, when I see the abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables at the market, I sometimes get overwhelmed by the unlimited possibilities for my dinner table. That’s why I love Foodie Recipesit’s a virtual cookbook full of recipes that I can take on the go. When my head starts spinning and I don’t know where to start, I can open up this app on my iPhone or iPad to find the perfect healthy recipe complete with gorgeous photos, clear instructions, and preparation and cook times. Yes, I’m the fly-by-the-seat of her pants home chef who plans her menu while pushing a cart or finishing a workout at the gym – thank goodness I now have “an app for that!”

foodie gluten-free meals

It’s really neat how the format of the Foodie Recipes app reads just like a traditional cookbook, but with much more convenience. Every month, a new batch of food-editor curated recipes are uploaded in “editions” that fit the season or a theme – for example, past editions have included “Easy as Pie,” “Dinners for Two,” and “Holiday Sweets.”  One of my favorite editions is “Gluten-Free Meals;” it features a seven day meal plan for folks who have allergies, are intolerant or just want to avoid foods with gluten. All 30 recipes in this “Gluten-Free Meals” edition were created by Café Johnsonia and organized so your every sense will be delighted from Meatless Monday through Sunday Supper (with Traditional Tuesday, Western Wednesday, Thai Thursday, Friday Favorites and Sunrise Saturday in between).

strawberry cucumber spinach salad

So, yesterday, as I toggled my way through the Foodie Recipes app, I found this lovely Strawberry Cucumber & Spinach Salad and it just reminded me of all the things I love about spring. I knew my mom and friends would love the gluten-free recipe too, so I shared through email and my social media outlets to spread this tasteful message of the season.  You could serve this healthy recipe as a side dish or top with your favorite lean protein for an amazing entrée salad.

Enjoy! And, don’t forget to check out the FREE Foodie Recipes app for the iOS platform (iPhone, iPad, iTouch) – available for free download in the iTunes Store.

 

Spring Salad with strawberries and spinach

 Strawberry Cucumber & Spinach Salad Recipe

For salad:

  • 8 oz. strawberries, sliced
  • 1 small or ½ large cucumber, peeled if desired, cut in half lengthwise, thinly sliced
  • 5 oz. fresh baby spinach
  • 2-3 green onions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
  • ½ cup raw almonds, roughly chopped

For dressing:

  • 2 Tbsp. Greek yogurt
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
  • 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp. fresh basil, finely chopped
  • 1-2 tsp. honey, to taste
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. For salad: Place all ingredients into a large serving bowl. Add some of the dressing and toss gently to coat. Add more if needed. Serve immediately. Yield: 4 servings.
  2. For dressing: Whisk the yogurt, lemon juice and olive oil together. Add the honey, salt and pepper. Adjust seasonings as necessary, to taste. Chill until ready to use. Yield: ⅓ cup dressing

Serves: 2

thefitfork.com strawberries spinach cucumber

This post sponsored by Foodie.com and the Glam Network. However, all opinions are my own.