Category Archives: Recipes

Thai Coconut Shrimp with Finger Limes ( a freaky little fruit )

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Finger Lime Coconut Shrimp Soup made in the style of Tom Kha Gai

What do you do with these weird little limes? They’re called Finger Limes and also “citrus caviar” because of the caviar-like bubbles of tangy citrus pulp on the inside. Exotic fruit afficianaos describe the favor as “tart, lemon-lime with slight herbaceous notes.”  These little-bitty limes hail from Australia’s coastal and rainforest areas – but are also now grown as a specialty product in California.Finger Lime - Citrus CaviarAn enthusiastic citrus-squeezer could make mini margaritas, but I’m saving that as treat to look forward to after my Spartan Beast Dallas race on October 31st (talk about a scary Halloween)!  Tonight I’m sharing a version of a favorite soup, Tom Kha Gai – you know, that spicy Thai soup with chicken and coconut milk. But, I’m doing huge shrimp and lots of limes – it’s a winner, winner for an easy and exotic dinner. You’re going to love this Thai Coconut Shrimp Soup with Finger Limes, especially now that the weather is cooler. If you don’t have finger limes, just swap in two limes sliced thinly and then into quarters. Also, I’ve used a LOT of Instantly Fresh herbs in here (so convenient and next best thing to fresh) — but feel free to swap in fresh chopped if you prefer.Thai Coconut Shrimp Soup with Finger Limes

Get a Bowlful of Thai Coconut Shrimp Soup with Finger Limes #FearNoFruit #Fitfluential

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What is your favorite soup? What is your favorite Thai dish? Would you eat soup for breakfast? What’s the weirdest fruit you’ve ever tried? Please share in the comments — XOXO, Jennifer

Finger Lime Coconut Shrimp Soup made in the style of Tom Kha Gai
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Thai Coconut Shrimp Soup with Finger Limes
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
30 mins
 
This delicious Thai soup is a quick fix and satisfies tastes for spicy and slightly sweet! The finger limes are a delicious addition that makes dinner pop. If you don't have finger limes, just swap in 2 regular limes sliced thinly and quartered.
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Asian
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1/2 pint finger limes, sliced thin with peel on
  • 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined but leave tail on
  • 1 15-ounce can lite coconut milk (NOT the coconut milk sold as a beverage in the chilled section)
  • 8 ounces seafood or vegetable stock
  • 1 tbsp Instantly Fresh lemon grass or fresh chopped
  • 1 tsp fresh grated ginger
  • 1 small thai chile
  • 1 tsp Instantly Fresh Mint or fresh chopped
  • 1 tsp Instantly Fresh Basil or fresh chopped
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • salt to taste
Instructions
  1. Add coconut oil to medium-sized stock pot and saute for approximately 1 minute, or until softened. Add stock to pot along with lemongrass, ginger, mint, basil, chili, and limes.

  2. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add in the coconut milk, fish sauce and peppers/spices and simmer for another 10 minutes. Salt to taste.

  3. Add in the shrimp and simmer for 8-10 minutes. Serve warm.

Bourbon Pumpkin Caramel Sauce – Pour This on Everything!

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Bourbon Pumpkin Caramel SauceI hope you’re wearing floaties — if you’re anything like me, you’ll be jumping headfirst into this Bourbon Pumpkin Caramel Sauce and eating your way out. This super easy recipe is a life-saver for last-minute fall holiday entertaining and any and every day when you just want to pack in a little extra pumpkin (hello antioxidents and fiber), it can literally be made in 5 minutes and served a zillion different ways.

Pin this Bourbon Pumpkin Caramel Sauce, it’s a keeper!

Bourbon Pumpkin Caramel is a fall season treat that is delicious on everything from fruit slices, pound cake, and other desserts and autumn and thanksgiving treats.

Serve on apple slices for the ultimate healthy fall treat.

Bourbon Pumpkin Caramel Sauce om apples

Or, serve on pound cake . . . . or on ice cream, yogurt, in a smoothie, on a pie, by the spoon. You get the idea.

Bourbon Pumpkin Caramel Sauce

freshsummitThis is one of the half-dozen recipes I’ll be dishing up on behalf of Litehouse Foods at the Produce Marketing Associations Fresh Summit Convention & Expo in Atlanta, GA this weekend.

Stay tuned for more yumminess!
Sugar Free Pumpkin Protein Donuts with Cinnamon Frosting

 

If you need more pumpkin love, don’t forget about my Sugar Free Pumpkin Spice Donuts . . .

Not So Scary Pumpkin Spice Latte

 

 

 

 

. . .and Not-So-Scary Pumpkin Spice Latte.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, you can always check out all the comfy, goodness in Cooking Light’s collection of pumpkin bread recipes.  Feel free to pour my Bourbon Pumpkin Caramel Sauce over any of these!
Pumpkin Bread and Muffin REcipes

Bourbon Pumpkin Caramel Sauce to Pour on Everything #Recipe #CLblogger #LivingLitehouse

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What would you pour this sauce on? What is your favorite pumpkin treat of the fall? Are you sick of pumpkin yet? Please share in the comments below – XOXO, Jennifer

Bourbon Pumpkin Caramel Sauce
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Bourbon Pumpkin Caramel Sauce
Course: Breakfast, Condiment, Dessert, Fruit
Cuisine: American
Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup bourbon
  • 1 16 ounce tub of Old Fashioned Caramel Dip Litehouse Brand
  • 12 ounces pumkin puree from 15 ounce can
Instructions
  1. Add water and bourbon and bring to boil over medium high heat. Boil for one minute to cook off alcohol.
  2. Lower heat and add caramel and stir until dissolved. Stir in pumpkin until combined.
  3. Serve warm. Keep in in fridge for up to a week.

Cinnamon Apple Ring Protein Pancake Possibilities #ProteinPantry

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Nothing is Impossible. I'm Possible.

So much more possibility when fueled up from the #ProteinPantry at VitaminShoppe.com

I love how the Protein Pantry at VitaminShoppe.com helps me put more “flex” into my fall baking and recipe making. I can turn a puny breakfast or snack into a pumped-up powerhouse of nutrition that makes achieving my goals possible. So, what is #ProteinPantry ? Online and in nearly 700 stores nationwide, the Protein Pantry is a specially curated, fitness-focused assortment of 40 protein-packed foods such as pancake mixes, nut butters, powdered peanut butter and more! Stocked in this cupboard of kick-butt awesome yumminess are some of my favorite brands like Buff Bake and About Time along with some new products to fall in love with like D’s Naturals, Mancakes, P28 Foods, FlapJacked and more. Look at some of the goodies that came my way:

Vitamin Shoppe Protein Pantry

Ya’ll know how I feel about getting enough protein and love to create and share protein recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Adequate protein intake helps to build and repair muscle, supports weight management by satisfying appetite and boosting metabolism, lessens cravings and mindless snacking, can lower cholesterol and support heart health, and offers a wide range of vitamins and minerals for optimal health.

I've been known to get a little excited about PROTEIN!

I’ve been known to get a little excited about PROTEIN!

Research shows that it’s best to spread out protein consumption evenly throughout the day, aiming for about 25g to 30g per eating opportunity – including refueling with a protein-rich snack within 30 minutes of an intense workout or long run.

While most Americans get enough protein, they tend to overdo consumption at dinner and skimp on breakfast. But, breakfast is covered thanks to all of the convenient and easy-to-make products in Vitamin Shoppe’s Protein Pantry, like the FlapJacked Mighty Muffins that cook in 35 seconds in their own container. No excuses!

 

Apple Ring Protein PancakesSince apples are everywhere this time of year (and also good for you), I’ve created an easy Apple Ring Cinnamon Protein Pancake recipe using a packet of Mancake Cinnamon Oat Protein Pancake Mix (feel free to swap for the protein pancake batter you prefer).Apple Ring Protein Pancakes

This easy breakfast recipe offers a full serving of both protein and fruit – the protein will keep you satisfied and skipping right over a mid-morning sugar crash while the apple offers lots of fiber and is a healthy source of complex carbs to fuel your body and brain.

Apple Ring Protein Pancakes

 

Must Make –> Apple Ring Protein Pancakes @VitaminShoppe #ProteinPantry #Fitfluential #Ad

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Tart Cherry & Chocolate Chip Protein Pancakes - TheFitFork.comYou also might digging into the Tart Cherry Chocolate Protein Pancakes recipe I made a few months ago with the About Time Protein Pancake Mix. Time savings hint — make multiple batches and keep extra stored in single-serve portions in the freezer — on busy mornings, take out, reheat, enjoy!

What do you eat for protein in the morning? What is your favorite topping for pancakes? Please share in the comments below – XOXO, Jennifer

This post is sponsored by FitFluential on behalf of Vitamin Shoppe. All opinions are mine.

Apple Ring Protein Pancakes
Print
Cinnamon Apple Ring Protein Pancakes
Prep Time
3 mins
Cook Time
7 mins
Total Time
10 mins
 
Pump up your morning with fruit and extra protein thanks to these Cinnamon Apple Ring Protein Pancakes - extra easy with mix from #ProteinPantry at the Vitamin Shoppe.
Course: Breakfast, Snack, Worout
Cuisine: American
Servings: 1 serving (approx 6 rings)
Ingredients
  • 1 packet ManCake Cinnamon Oat Protein Pancake Mix or preferred pancake mix
  • 1/3 cup water divided
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1 medium green apple, cored and sliced 1/4" thickness
  • 1 packet stevia
  • 1 dash cinnamon
  • garnish Garnishes (optional): warmed nut butter, syrup, Greek yogurt
Instructions
  1. In shallow bowl, mix together pancake mix and 1/4 cup water until combined.
  2. Chop up top and bottom apple rings and aside to make topping later.
  3. Heat skillet to med-high and heat coconut oil.
  4. Dip apple slices in batter and add to skillet, cooking for a couple minutes on each side until golden brown and apple has softened.
  5. Set apple ring pancakes aside on paper towel and add chopped reserved apple, remaining water, packet of stevia and dash of cinnamon to same skillet.
  6. Quickly sauté apples for about 2 minutes, until lightly softened.
  7. To serve pancakes, top with satued apples and optional warmed nut butter, syrup or Greek yogurt.

Chocolate Maca Mint Chip Protein Smoothie – Hoping #FTW

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Chocolate Maca Mint Chip Protein SmoothieIt is still smoothie time in the great ATX — it’s been in the high 90s this week! It’s so hot you can’t leave a bag of chocolate chips in the car for an hour — lesson learned. That being said, I’ll drink a smoothie (and eat deformed chocolate) pretty much anytime of the year . . . it’s such a quick and easy way to make a nourishing meal to take on the go.Chocolate Maca Mint Chip Protein Smoothie

Today, I’ve blended up a Chocolate Maca Mint Chip Smoothie for a slurpable, sweet and super healthy start to the day. Who doesn’t love a chocolate protein smoothie, it’s like drinking a milkshake for breakfast. I’ve added maca powder, ’cause that’s how I mix! Maca, a root vegetable indigenous to Peru, is a natural ingredient prized for thousands of years for its ability to boost stamina, endurance and hormonal balance. It includes vital nutrients such fatty acids, fiber, proteins, carbohydrates and minerals. Sign me up for all of this. Thank you maca powder!
maca, mint and chocolateTo add a flavor lift of mint, there are two options. You can use sprigs of fresh mint, which grows so abundantly for me in the summer. But, my fresh mint is looking pretty sad, so my tried-and-true swap in is Instantly Fresh Mint from Litehouse Foods — it’s dehydrated mint that is recipe ready any time of the year. One jar has the equivalent of three bunches of mint inside. Look for it in the produce section of your grocery store in little herb-sized jars — ask the produce manager.

Chocolate Maca Mint Smoothie

Chocolate Maca Mint Chip Smoothie

  • 8 ounce unsweetened almondmilk
  • 1/3 frozen large banana
  • 1 scoop protein powder of choice
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons maca powder
  • 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon Instantly Fresh Mint (or fresh leaves)
  • 2 teaspoons mini chocolate chips

Add all ingredients to blender, adding ice as needed. Blend until smooth. Makes 1 serving!

 

So yeah, I’m going to me needed all the energy, endurance and stamina I can get — I have a bunch of races and competitions coming up. I signed up last minute to run the Hill Country Half Marathon in Marble Falls, Texas thus weekend — it’s hill out there y’all. When they keep focusing on the words “scenic,” “beautiful” and “stunning views,” you know that those hills are going to be tough. Also, I’ve got the Spartan Beast in Dallas, it’s an approximate 14 mile run with 30-ish obstacles. I’ve been having so much fun training for obstacle course races, it’s a nice shake up from the traditional marathons and road races I do. Then, of course, San Antonio Rock and Roll Marathon in early December.

Chocolate Maca Mint Chip Smoothie + @SpartanRace #DallasBeast Last Call, Join @thefitfork

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Celebrating with friends at the end of Spartan Race.It’s not too late to join me! Dallas Beast, October 31 and November 1, 2015, Sign Up Now for this Reebok Spartan Race! Save 10% and use discount code FINISH at checkout!

What are YOU drinking this week? What are YOU racing this month? Please share in the comments below – XOXO Jennifer

 

YOU Can Help Change Dietary Guidelines + Low Carb Beef Dinners

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First of all, God bless America, land of the free. That being said, I feel free to state my opinion that I don’t like where the nutritional guidance dished up by the U.S. government, by way of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is taking us. For 30 years we have all dutifully listened to these recommendations about what to eat, first with the Food Pyramid and, more recently, with MyPlate and soon with updated 2015 Dietary Guidelines.

Things are always changing, and I’m really questioning the quality of science all this hootenanny – and I’m not the only one, right now we can all sign a petition to demand that quality science determine the 2015 U.S. Dietary Guidelines.

Eat Real Food

You butter believe it! Funny, but for realz.

You butter believe it! Funny, but for realz.

Remember how butter was the bad guy over margarine? Oops. Eggs are not awesome, no wait – we decided eggs are okay after all. How about the mandate to eat low fat, fat is making you fat, saturated fats are completely evil – a federal finger shaking that made most Americans run out and load up on overly process foods full of sugar and starchy carbs instead. Obesity and diabetes jumped through the roof. Apparently the science on that study was questionable. Oops.

Most recently the Advisory Council contributing to the upcoming 2015 Dietary Guidelines is pushing a dietary pattern that is higher in plant-based foods and lower in animal-based foods, citing sustainability, environmental impact and lower saturated fat. You can read their recommendations for yourself, I don’t like them.

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE plant-based foods. I can’t imagine going a day, even a meal, without Mother Nature’s bounty of fresh fruits, vegetables and grains. Heck, I’ll make a dinner that features plant-based protein every once in a while because I just love variety. But, don’t go messing with my butter, my beef, my full-fat Greek yogurt. You’re really going to piss me off.

jennifer fisher fit foodie run beefSee this picture to the left? I’m not obese. I eat butter, beef, eggs, a rainbow of whole foods and a low-carb diet in general. I was even having a quote-unquote fat day, that morning. Guess what, I also exercise, care about my health and fitness and I don’t like the government telling me what to do.  Thirty years of federal nutrition “guidance” has made us fatter and sicker, lets take a stand and do something about it because #NutritionMatters.

Of course, all these federal guidelines must be well-intentioned, although woefully misguided. Who would purposely want to create a population where obesity rates have doubled over the last 30 years and are projected to rise to 50 percent by 2030, according to The Trust for American’s Health Report. Yup, that’s right ONE HALF of Americans will not just be pleasantly plump, but will be medically obese. The upsurge in obesity rates is equally as staggering with our kids. We are in a major health crisis here in the USA.

In a nutshell, it’s time for all of us to look beyond MyPlate and begin demanding dietary guidelines based on quality science that encompasses a range of different approaches.  We also need dietary guidelines that eliminate the one-size-fits-all eating plan and focuses on the needs of a very diverse group of people.  Newer, better, and more credible science needs to be backing up our food choices, we shouldn’t just be eating “what we’re told” without better proof. Rising rates obesity, diabetes and other health concerns isn’t the proof I’m looking for.

You can help shakeup the status quo and demanding scientific scrutiny in our dietary guidelines by signing this Change.org petition — in the process you may save millions of lives. I signed because I care about what I eat, what my family eats and the health and well-being of American’s in general.

Also, in the name of wholesome family meals that WON’T make you fat or unhealthy, I’ve rounded up a week of my favorite Low-Carb Beef Dinners. I enjoy all of these on a regular basis with a nice side of roasted veggies or a big green salad.

A Week of Low Carb Beef Dinners

 

Recipes from top, moving clockwise:

30 years of nutrition guidance has made us fatter and sicker. Let’s change that: https://ooh.li/b7f1351 #NutritionMatters #ad

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What are you doing to help your health? Do you think it is sometimes confusing to know what IS and what ISN’T healthy to eat? Please share you thoughts in the comments below and please consider signing the petition to demand that quality science determine the 2015 U.S. Dietary Guidelines. Thank you, XOXO — Jennifer