Lemon, Blueberry & Almond Granola (Lower Carb + Protein Packed)

Posted on January 11, 2022 by Jennifer FIsher

Lemon, Blueberry & Almond Granola is perfect for breakfast with milk or on yogurt — or for eating straight by the handful as a snack. I’ve used my kitchen hacks (like using alternative sweeteners and adding collagen powder) to moderate carbohydrates, boost protein and create a nutritious food to fuel my goals.

Crunch, lightly sweet and wholesomely satisfying for breakfast or a snack, this easy homemade granola recipe features oats, dried blueberries and almonds -- and also sugar swaps and collagen powder to keep the carbs lowered and protein up!

Preparing homemade granola is surprisingly easy . . . and super economical. Oats are inexpensive and can really stretch your food budget a long way — the biggest expense in homemade granola is the array of mix-ins like nuts, dried fruit, seeds and such. But you still get more goodies in your batch than you’d find in a more expensive bag of packaged granola.

Check out this video tutorial on how to make Lemon Blueberry Almond Granola!

As hinted, this lower-carb, higher protein Lemon, Blueberry & Almond Granola uses a few favorite products — a honey alternative (or any zero-carb syrup will do) and unflavored collagen. And, so many wholesome, good-for-you ingredients in this low carb blueberry granola.

I’m a long-time user of collagen hydrolysate from Great Lakes Wellness. They have quite a few flavors, but the unflavored (green can) is very versatile for everything from mixing into coffee to using as a protein multiplier in recipes like this homemade granola with collagen.

Save 10% on anything at Great Lakes Wellness with my discount code: THEFITFORK10OFF

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5 from 1 vote

Lemon Blueberry and Almond Granola - Crunch, lightly sweet and wholesomely satisfying for breakfast or a snack, this easy homemade granola recipe features oats, dried blueberries and almonds -- and also sugar swaps and collagen powder to keep the carbs lowered and protein up!

LEMON BLUEBERRY & ALMOND GRANOLA – Lower Carb and Packed with Protein!

Crunch, lightly sweet and wholesomely satisfying for breakfast or a snack, this easy homemade granola recipe features oats, dried blueberries and almonds — and also sugar swaps and collagen powder to keep the carbs lowered and protein up!

Course: Breakfast, Snack

Keyword: almond, blueberry, collagen, granola, lemon, lower carb

Servings: 10 servings

Calories: 301 kcal

Ingredients

1 lemon zested and juiced
¼ cup coconut oil
¼ cup unflavored collagen powder
1/3 cup sugar-free “honey” or can sub real honey but will increase carbs
4 cups rolled oats gluten-free, if needed
¼ cup chia seeds
1 cup raw almonds
1-2 pinches salt
1/3 cup dried blueberries no-sugar added

Instructions

Juice and zest one lemon in large bowl.
Mix in honey substitute, collagen, and coconut oil.
Add oats, chia seeds, almonds, salt and blueberries.
Mix until coated.
Dump out on parchment or silicone-lined baking sheet. Lightly pat down.
Bake at 300F for 35 to 40 minutes, using spatula to turn over clusters at halfway point.
Let cool.
Store in air-tight containers.

Recipe Notes

301 Calories

20g net carb

16g fat

11 g protein

Cranberry Orange Pecan Sheet Pan Pancakes |Low-carb, Paleo, Gluten-free

Posted on November 18, 2021 by Jennifer FIsher

Making Cranberry Orange Pecan Sheet Pan Pancakes is the perfect solution to holiday morning madness! Say goodbye to being sequestered in the kitchen, standing over a hot griddle flipping hot cakes endlessly while family and guests are having all the fun.

Per serving: 336 calories, 29g fat, 10.7g total carbs (4.3g fiber, 0.3g sugar, 6.4g net carb), protein 10.6g

12.3 ounce package low carb pancake mix (I used Nush. Recipe should work with appox 3 cups of any other type pancake mix)
½ cup vanilla collagen hydrolysate (or protein powder)
2 2/3 cups water
1 ¼ cups fresh cranberries
½ cup pecan pieces
1 tbsp. orange zest
Optional: syrups, extra nuts, whipped cram

Pre-heat oven to 350F.
Mix together pancake mix and collagen hydrolysate powder.
Add water and stir until combined (a little lumpy better than over-stirring).
Mix in cranberries.
Pour into approximate 13” x 18” rimmed baking sheet
Sprinkle with pecan pieces and orange zest.
Bake for 25 minutes, or until set and top is turning golden. Remove and let cool in pan for 5 minutes.
Slice into 12 “squares,” and serve with syrup of choice and any extra toppings (or eat plain). Can be meal-prepped by freezing in single portions and thawed and reheating when ready.
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Just whip up the cranberry pecan pancake batter in minutes (or even the night before) and pour into a rimmed baking sheet and pop into the oven for 25 minutes. After that, your work is done! Easy pancake recipes using mix are one of my favorite Christmas morning breakfast ideas

I used a low carb pancake mix from Nush, it makes this type of sweet breakfast doable for keto, low-carb, sugar-free, Paleo, and gluten-free diets. However, three cups of any type pancake mix could be substituted.

These low-carb sheet pan pancakes feature cranberries to add a sweet-tart flavor and a pop of bejeweled color. A cup of raw cranberries has about 8g net carb, so spread across a keto cranberry pancake recipe with more than 12 servings, the result is almost insignificant. HOWEVER, do not substitute dried cranberries, they are more carbohydrate concentrated (100g+ per cup) and can have added sugars.

For a traditional recipe, some might add orange juice to the recipe. But, a bit of fresh orange peel removed using a citrus zester on top provides all the citrus-y goodness while keeping calories and carbs much, much lower. In a pinch, I also swear by Valencia Orange Peel from McCormick’s – it’s shelf stable, always read, and can be stored in the spice cabinet.

Are these cranberry orange sheet pan pancakes healthy and nutritious? I’m glad you asked – because YES, they are. Each serving has 336 calories, 29g fat, 10.7g total carbs (4.3g fiber, 0.3g sugar, 6.4g net carb), and protein 10.6g. I like to serve with some warm sugar-free maple syrup and sometimes even a little whipped cream!

5 from 3 votes

Cranberry Orange Pecan Sheet Pan Pancakes | Low Carb, Gluten-free

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

25 mins

Total Time

30 mins

Minimize holiday morning stress with this easy sheet pan pancake recipe! In celebration of the season, it’s bursting with sweet tart cranberries and orange zest. Prep to plate in under 30minutes, and is made with a low-carb pancake mix (or traditional mix, too) for added convenience. Feed a crowd, or meal prep and store in single-portion servings in the freezer of busy day breakfast.

Servings: 12 servings

Ingredients

12.3 ounce package low carb pancake mix I used Nush. Recipe should work with appox 3 cups of any other type pancake mix
½ cup vanilla collagen hydrolysate or protein powder
2 2/3 cups water
1 ¼ cups fresh cranberries
½ cup pecan pieces
1 tbsp. orange zest
Optional: syrups extra nuts, whipped cram

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 350F.
Mix together pancake mix and collagen hydrolysate powder.
Add water and stir until combined (a little lumpy better than over-stirring).
Mix in cranberries.
Pour into approximate 13” x 18” rimmed baking sheet
Sprinkle with pecan pieces and orange zest.
Bake for 25 minutes, or until set and top is turning golden. Remove and let cool in pan for 5 minutes.
Slice into 12 “squares,” and serve with syrup of choice and any extra toppings (or eat plain). Can be meal-prepped by freezing in single portions and thawed and reheating when ready.
.

Recipe Notes

Per serving: 336 calories, 29g fat, 10.7g total carbs (4.3g fiber, 0.3g sugar, 6.4g net carb), protein 10.6g

Note: This post contains affiliate links.

Spicy Avocado Noodles with Egg

Posted on November 5, 2021 by Jennifer FIsher

This post is part of a blogger’s recipe contest sponsored by JSL Foods.

An egg, green noodles and tomatoes, oh my! It sounds kinda Dr. Suess-y, but your taste buds will enjoy the flavor fun! Spicy Avocado Noodles with Egg makes a well-round, hearty, delicious breakfast or, for that matter, lunch or dinner!

Make a nourishing, balanced noodle bowl for breakfast in just 10 minutes! Thanks to pre-cooked, fresh noodles and a no-cook sauce featuring spinach and avocado! Also perfect for lunch or dinner! Serves one, great on those solo days!

Nothing easier than making noodles for a meal . . . especially when they’re already cooked for you! I had a crazy, busy week and definitely needed to simply life and shave time of meal making – yet still eat well to fuel all my sports activities.

Fortune Noodles from JSL Foods - thefitfork.com

I started this breakfast noodle bowl with packaged fresh noodles from Fortune — the Hot & Spicy Yakisoba noodles. These fresh noodles are available in the refrigerated shelves of the grocery store. There are other flavors and noodle types available and these single-serve packages of noodle goodness come along with spice packets to add flavor (I actually incorporated the packet in my special sauce for this recipe). To prep the noodles, they simply need to be steamed in the fridge or stove for a minute or two with a bit of water – so easy and tender fresh!

The avocado sauce for pasta is uncooked and blends up in seconds. The spicy avocado sauce that coats these noodles is simply water, the “hot & spicy” spice packet, spinach, lemon juice and ripe avocado!

The roasted grape tomatoes are thrown down in a toaster oven. Just slice them in half, spray with olive oil and let roast for about 8 to 10 minutes until softened. If you don’t have the 10 minutes to spare, throw on fresh grape tomatoes or even sun-dried tomatoes. This green noodle and egg recipe finishes up with a sunny side up egg placed on top – cook it to your preference hard yolk or runny!

This breakfast noodle bowl is a wonderful morning meal that offers veggies, protein and carbs to get you up and charging ahead for the day! You can use the same spicy avocado sauce and top with roasted shrimp for a fabulous dinner noodle bowl! The Fortune noodles from JSL Foods are so easy and versatile – and perfect for making meals for singles or couples (I’m a new empty-nester, so getting used to cooking on a smaller scale)! But, if you have a bigger family, they offer a larger-sized bags of pre-cooked plain yakisoba noodles, too!

*With Fortune noodles and a few simple ingredients, a wonderful breakfast, lunch or dinner bowl can be made in minutes!*

You can purchase Fortune products at: Safeway, Fred Meyer, QFC, Albertson’s, Associated Stores, Cub Foods, United Supermarkets, Roche Bros, Meijer, Shaw’s, Stop N Shop, Price Rite, Shop Rite, Wakefern, Price Chopper, Giant, HEB, Walmart and Grocery Outlet.

Learn more about JSLfoods.com and follow along on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

Spicy Avocado Noodles with Egg

Cook Time

10 mins

Total Time

10 mins

Make a nourishing, balanced noodle bowl for breakfast in just 10 minutes! Thanks to pre-cooked, fresh noodles and a no-cook sauce featuring spinach and avocado! Also perfect for lunch or dinner! Serves one, great on those solo days!

Course: Breakfast, lunch

Cuisine: Asian, fusion

Keyword: avocado, egg, pasta, rice noodles

Servings: 1 serving

Calories: 468 kcal

Ingredients

6 grape tomatoes halved*
Olive oil cooking spray
1 large egg
Salt and pepper to season
2 oz. avocado flesh about ½ of a small avocado
¼ cup water
1 cup loose-packed spinach leaves
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 single-serve package of fresh stir-fry noodles like Fortune with seasoning packet.

Instructions

Place halved tomatoes on toaster oven pan, spray with olive oil spray and roast at 400F for about 10 minutes. This is the longest step, so start first. *Can skip and use fresh tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes from jar, or marinated tomatoes from the olive bar at store.
Make sauce in small blender with spice packet from noodles. Add ¼ cup water, spinach, lemon juice, and avocado to blender pitcher. Blend for about 30 seconds until smooth.
Cook noodles according to manufacturer’s instructions (but without spice packet as it’s already been used ;-). Drain noodles if there is residual water.
Cook single egg, sunny side up, to desired yolk doneness, in small skillet. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour sauce over hot noodles. Top with roasted tomatoes and egg.

Recipe Notes

Hatch Green Chile Chicken Egg Bake

Posted on July 27, 2021 by Jennifer FIsher

Love a hearty, hot meal in the morning, like one of my favorite make-ahead breakfast casseroles – Hatch Green Chile Chicken Egg Bake. Wholesome goodness baked up in a 9”x13” dish, ready to cut into satisfying, satiating, super scrumptious squares.

Hatch Green Chile Chicken Egg Bake: This hearty but well-balanced breakfast bake is also perfect for brunch, lunch and a light dinner! Gluten free, lower carb -- 21g protein for long-lasting energy. Great for a crowd, or meal prep and freeze in single-serve portions to reheat later.

Lots of protein (21g per serving) and enough carbs to give me some get-up and go, but not be “over the top.” I rely on (thawed) frozen hash brown potatoes to give me that delicious energy I need for my runs and workouts. Eggs and cheese (boosted by some blended cottage cheese) add extra protein power along with the ground chicken breast. Plus, SO MUCH flavor from roasted Hatch green chilies – I just love them!

CHECK OUT THE VIDEO TUTORIAL ON PINTEREST HERE!

No surprise, I love these mild to medium (some varieties hot) peppers from the hallowed grounds of New Mexico. I’ve written a lot of blog posts on Hatch Green Chile recipes and tips (here’s a useful post) – and I’ve also been the champion of a Hatch Green Chile Cookoff here in Austin, Texas. A recent Hatch Green Chile recipe is 15 minute Baked Shrimp in Hatch Green Chile Sauce.

These green chiles are definitely a fan favorite for their earthy bite that doesn’t burn too much (really some are quite mild, which I think works well to compliment the flavors of both chicken and eggs). When hatch peppers aren’t in season (August – September), I rely on the Hatch Green Chile Store to quell my cravings!

Beef Egg Potato Bake Breakfast Casserole - TheFitFork.com

This chicken green chile casserole recipe was inspired by one of my most popular and best breakfast casserole recipes – Barn-raiser Beef & Egg Bake, a real winner that has been featured in Taste of Home and also on the Hallmark Home & Family Show.

Of course, I changed this Hatch Green Chicken Egg Bake up a bit to be a super star in its own right, but recipe concept is very similar – create a base of thawed frozen hash browns in casserole dish, pour over a mixture of cooked ground meat, veggies, etc., and then pour over an egg-milk-cheese mixture that soaks down through all the layers to create a tender but firm casserole that cuts nicely into squares that hold their shape.

Big enough to serve a crowd at brunch, but this breakfast egg bake with green chiles can also be cooled and frozen in single-serving portions. Then, either defrost overnight in the fridge (or on “defrost” in the microwave) before re-heating for about 60 seconds on high in microwave.

Per serving: 304 calories, 16g carbs, 16g fat, 21g protein!!! It will keep you filled up for a while without busting your calorie budget.

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5 from 3 votes

Chicken Egg Bake: This hearty but well-balanced breakfast bake is also perfect for brunch, lunch and a light dinner! Gluten free, lower carb -- 21g protein for long-lasting energy. Great for a crowd, or meal prep and freeze in single-serve portions to reheat later.

Hatch Green Chile Chicken Egg Bake

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

50 mins

cool

10 mins

Total Time

1 hr 15 mins

This hearty but well-balanced breakfast bake is also perfect for brunch, lunch and a light dinner! Gluten free, lower carb — 21g protein for long-lasting energy. Great for a crowd, or meal prep and freeze in single-serve portions to reheat later.

Course: Breakfast, brunch

Cuisine: Southwestern

Keyword: chicken, egg, make ahead, meal prep

Servings: 12 servings

Calories: 304 kcal

Ingredients

2 tsp. olive oil
½ cup chopped white onion
1 lb. ground chicken breast
1 oz. packet chicken taco season mix like McCormick’s
¼ cup water
4 cups fresh spinach coarsely chopped
1 cup chopped roasted green chiles Hatch Green Chili Store
¼ cup chopped cilantro divided
14 large eggs
1/2 cup ricotta cheese or blended cottage cheese
1/2 cup milk
8 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese divided
4 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes thawed
½ tsp. salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°.
Heat large skillet over medium-high. Add olive oil and onions, sauté for 1 minute. Add ground chicken breast and brown, crumbling into small pieces, for 6-8 minutes or until cooked through well. The chicken is low-fat, so there will be nothing to drain.
Stir in water and taco seasoning, stir over heat to combine.
Add, chopped green chiles, chopped spinach and 3 tbsp. of chopped cilantro to skillet, stir over heat until spinach wilted.
Whisk together eggs, milk and ricotta cheese (or blended cottage cheese).
Stir 2/3 of shredded Monterey Jack cheese into egg mixture (reserve remainder)
Place shredded hash browns in bottom of 9” x 13” casserole dish that has been coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt.
Spoon chicken taco mixture evenly over hash browns.
Pour egg mixture over taco mixture.
Top with remaining cheese.
Bake for 50 minutes or until center set.
Let cook 5 minutes before slicing into 12 squares.
For meal prep, portions may be frozen in airtight container and then defrosted and reheated, as needed.

Recipe Notes

This post contains affiliate links.

Sheet Pan Chile Lime Spiralized Hash Browns

Posted on May 11, 2021 by Jennifer FIsher

Sheet Pan Chile Lime Spiralized Hash Browns are baked, not fried, and make a yummy potato side dish for any meal of the day!

[Sheet Pan] Spiralized Chili-Lime Hash Browns . . . and easy, economical and nutritious potato side dish for any meal of the day! And, oh yeah, AMAZINGLY delicious.

Easy, economical, and a nutritious food choice to fuel an active lifestyle – plus bonus, this fun sheet pan hash brown recipes is a big hit with the entire family. The added flavor comes from a simple drizzle and toss with butter, olive oil, and spices before baking.

Making this sheet pan recipe is a time and sanity saver. There is NO standing over a hot, grease-spitting skillet flipping hash brown patties one by one.

Plus, it’s fun to prep potatoes using a spiralizer to make long, twisty potato strands – get the kids to help with this portion of the chili lime hash browns.

Also, check out my Pinterest Story for video step-by-step.

Pro Tip #1: If you don’t have a spiralizer (I love my s piralizer attachment for the Kitchenaid Mixer), a similar result can be achieved with an i nexpensive manual spiralizer, shredding potatoes with a food processor, or grating with a simple box grater. That last box grater option will give you an arm workout too!

Pro Tip #2: After spiralizing or grating, rinse off potatoes in a bowl of cold water to remove the excess starches. You can skip this step, but the potatoes will be gloppy and less crispy (but still taste just fine).

Pro Tip #3: Line the baking sheet with a silicone baking sheet or parchment paper. This recipe will stick to pan otherwise.

Pro Tip #4: You can adjust the chili spice level up or down depending on the preference of your family.

Pro Tip #5: Use an approximate 10” x 15” rimmed baking sheet and don’t overfill it. Use the amount of potatoes called for in the spiralized potato recipe. Too many spiralized potato strands and the hash browns will not bake up crispy.

Pro Tip #6: Don’t try to flip or stir the potatoes during baking. They WILL get crispy on top and bottom and lining the pan with parchment will keep them from sticking.

Pro Tip #7: Sheet pan potato recipes like these spiralized chili lime hash browns are very versatile and work for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner!

Reduce food waste by roasting the “potato butts” that are remnants after spiralizing. They look so funny, but taste just as yummy!

This post contains affiliate links. I earn a small commission on sales, however price to you remains the same. Proceeds are used to offset expenses to keep The Fit Fork going! Thank you!

Sheet Pan Spiralized chili Lime Hash Browns make an easy, economical and delicious side dish for any meal -- breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner.

Sheet Pan Spiralized Chile Lime Hash Browns

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

40 mins

Total Time

50 mins

Course: Breakfast, brunch, dinner, Side Dish

Keyword: potatoes, sheet pan, side dish

Ingredients

2 lbs. Russet potatoes washed
3 Tbsp. butter melted
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dried parsley

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425F degrees.
Grate or spiralize potatoes with skin left on.
Dunk prepped potatoes in cold water, drain, and pat dry on a dish cloth.
Line approx 10"x15" rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking sheet. Spread out potatoes on pan.
In bowl, melt butter and stir in olive oil, lime juice, chili powder, salt and garlic powder, parsley. Drizzle over potatoes and toss around with spoon or hands. Spread potatoes back out into even layer.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes (WITHOUT stirring or flipping), or until browning. If you would like them extra, extra crispy, turn OFF oven and let pan sit in oven for another 10-15 minutes.