Dinner Stampede – Southwestern Steak Chili #Recipe

Posted on November 15, 2014 by Jennifer FIsher

Ring-ding-ding! Come and get it – I’m serving up Southwestern Steak Chili for dinner and you are about to miss it. A big bowl full of this hearty goodness will squash your “hangries” and fuel you up for whatever adventures you’ve got coming up – whether that’s just some causal mechanical bull riding or running roughshod right over a marathon goal (speaking hypothetically, of course).

Nutritious ingredients magnified by down-on-the-ranch seasonings create wonderful smells while simmering on the stove top – expect a stampede to the dinner table. Folks I know usually make chili with ground beef, but this easy recipe takes it to a whole ‘notha, fork-slinging level with beef stew meat. Meat labeled beef stew is whatever your butcher feels like cutting up that day. So, if you are looking to save a buck and want some control over what you’re eating, try sirloin or round for a lean option or chuck if you want juicier, fall-apart action.

I’ve used a can of pinto beans (hubby likes these best) and a can of black beans (my favorite) – but you can use whatever variety you prefer including the traditional kidney bean. Chipotle chile powder is my ace in the hole in this pot of chili. I mix up a blend of standard chili powder along with some chipotle power to add smoky undertones – chipotle peppers are just smoked jalapenos. Oh, and an awesome way to boost up the smoky, roasted flavor is to use canned fire-roasted tomatoes – this post isn’t sponsored, but Muir Glen makes a great organic option.

Southwestern Steak Chili Recipe

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 lbs beef stew meat in 1 to 1 ½ chunks (or cut your own from sirloin or round)
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground chipotle chile powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 (12-ounce) bottle or can Mexican beer
1 (28-ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes, undrained (I used Muir Glenn)
1 (15-ounce) can chile or pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (7-ounce) can salsa verde

Heat olive oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add cubed stew beef and cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring gently. Remove from pan.
Add chopped onion to pan and sauté 3 – 4 minutes or until softened. Add garlic, chile power and cumin to pot and saute for an additional 1 minute, stirring constantly. .
Add beer, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Return beef to pan. Stir tomatoes, beans and salsa verde; bring to boil.
Cover Dutch oven, reduce heat and simmer approximately 90 minutes or until beef begins to fall apart with fork.
Serve with favorite chile topping such as sour cream, shredded cheese, chopped cilantro and crumbled tortilla chips.
Serves 6 – 8.

[Tweet “Southwestern Steak Chili causes dinner time stampede! #beeflovingtexans]

What kind of chili person are you — beans, no beans, beef, turkey, vegetarian, etc?

Cranberry Orange Ginger Relish & #StackandSnap Food Processor #Giveaway

Posted on November 13, 2014 by Jennifer FIsher

This post and giveaway are sponsored by Hamilton Beach. While they provided products for review, all opinions, editorial comments and recipes are my own.

Looking for an easy, healthy holiday side dish you can make CHOP, CHOP?! My recipe for Cranberry Orange Ginger Relish is a real winner that beats that nasty canned jelly stuff with a wallop of fresh, zingy flavor. Versions of this recipe have been served at my family’s Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations for as long as I can remember – while Grandma used to dump in a cup of granulated sugar, I keep it lower carb by using Stevia instead.

Can you believe there are only four (FOUR!) ingredients in this simple recipe and it can be whipped up in two minutes or less with the help of a food processor. Seriously, all you do is wash the fruit, quarter the orange (leave skin on!) and peel the ginger, throw all the healthy ingredients along with a touch of Stevia (or you could use honey) into the food processor and pulse for about a minute. Viola, you’re done – it’ tastes even better the next day and can be used as a side salad, relish for lean proteins, topping for yogurt, or as a way to add some seasonal razzamatazz to your turkey sandwich or roast beef wrap. And, for those of you with dietary concerns, this fruit recipe is sugar-free, gluten-free, dairy-free and appropriate for Paleo, vegetarian, vegan and raw diets.

I was so excited to receive a brand spanking new Stack and Snap™ 10 Cup Food Processor from Hamilton Beach just in time for the holidays. My old one is almost 24 years old (wedding gift) and a pain in the butt to use – although, back then it was AWESOME! Today my new awesome is this good-looking Stack and Snap™ processor – it’s super easy to use thanks to a simple function guide that shows you which blade to use and which button to press. Another thing I appreciated right out of the box is that everything assembles with ease — there’s no twisting, turning or locking required when assembling the food processor. Uh, I hated using my old one because I could never remember how to put it together. I would have to holler for my husband to come into the kitchen to fix it because it was “broken.” Hey, don’t judge – I do all the cooking, he should make himself useful in the kitchen too!

With a powerful 450 Watt motor, this healthy-food-making bad boy can chop, slice, shred, mix and puree in no time, making my recipe prep time nearly non-existant. The Stack and Snap™ 10 Cup Food Processor is also leak-proof, has a lock-down blade that won’t fall out when pouring and a Big Mouth® feed tube that can handle many whole-sized food (less pre-chopping by me)! Oh, and clean up’s a breeze, the parts (except for the base) are dishwasher safe. So, you know it – I’m giving one away! Enter via the Rafflecopter app at the end of the recipe.

Raw Cranberry Orange Ginger Relish Recipe

1 lb. package fresh cranberries
1 large navel orange
2-inch chunk of ginger root, peeled
2 teaspoons powdered Stevia

Rinse cranberries and drain in colendar.
Wash and quarter orange, remove any seeds but leave peel on.
Peel ginger with paring knife and cut into chunks.
Place all ingredients in work bowl of processor and pulse intermittently for one minute, or until coarsely chopped.
Serves 6 – 8.

If you’re looking for another cranberry relish idea, check out this Bourbon Apricot Pecan Cranberry Relish recipe I did for last year’s feast. It is also sugar-free, but has a more syrupy, cooked on the stove top taste.

Cranberry Orange Ginger Relish & @HamiltonBeach #StackandSnap Food Processor #Giveaway #Ad

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Creamy Cranberry Orange Smoothie & Marathon Countdown

Posted on November 11, 2014 by Jennifer FIsher

Where DOES the time go? It’s almost the middle of November which means cranberries are popping up everywhere, getting me excited for Thanksgiving) the subsequent Dallas Marathon just 17 days after that. Am I ready? No. Am I ever ready? No. So, I’m just not going to worry about it and be happy for what my body can do rather than what it can’t. Once again, I plan to follow the “fat-loading” pre-marathon diet that I did last year (read about it here). Because Dallas Marathon was canceled due to ice last year, I never got to see if all that avocado and salmon scarfing actually helped train my body to better tap fat stores as a more immediate source of fuel. The idea is that the body will spare glycogen reserves for use at the race by using fat stores more efficiently on the front end. In other words, no bonking – hopefully.

2012 Dallas Marathon — it rained the ENTIRE race! That’s me, only girl in that group on far left.

So, enough about that – I can’t even think of running 26.2 miles at my race pace right now! Instead, I’d rather think about my Creamy Cranberry Orange Smoothie which is sweet-tart, but not over the top! If you are looking for other autumn smoothie ideas, check out my collection of six fall season smoothies which includes a Maple Pear Chia Chiller. Enjoy!

Creamy Cranberry Orange Smoothie Recipe

6 ounces fresh orange juice
2 ounces cranberry juice
2 ounces Greek yogurt
1/3 cup fresh cranberries
Lemon- or regular-flavored stevia, to taste
Ice, as needed

Blend together juices, yogurt and cranberries. Add stevia to taste and ice to achieve desired consistency. Serves.1

Creamy Cranberry Orange Smoothe #recipe & Marathon Countdown

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So, who’s running marathons in November or December? Let me know!

Off the Hook Flavor! Coho Salmon with Cranberry Jalapeno Compote

Posted on November 2, 2014 by Jennifer FIsher

This post is sponsored by Sizzlefish, I received products to review. However, all opinions, editorial comments and recipes are my own.

Sizzlefish recently sent me an impressive assortment of fish and seafood to incorporate into my November menus — sable fish, salmon, trout, scallops and more. Honestly, I couldn’t decide which fish to fry first (speaking metaphorically, of course), so I pulled the Coho salmon out of the pre-portioned, individually-packaged pile. That’s one thing I appreciated right off the bat, the fact that each serving is single-serve (less waste) and measured out to be exactly 4 ounces (no guesswork). As a connoisseur of all proteins, I know that a 4 ounce serving of beef, chicken or fish protein gives me around 25 grams of protein which is the optimal amount for my body to take on at any one feeding.

For quite some time now, I have made a conscious effort to increase the amount of protein I’m eating and pair that with as much fresh seasonal produces as I care for. However, I haven’t eliminated all grain and starchy carbs from my diet, because after experimenting around with Paleo and such, I really feel like I need some quality carb fuel to keep me where I want to be as an athlete. That being said, the powers of protein have done great things for me including speeding up my recovery time, leaning me out and boosting my brain power (okay, jury still out on that one)! Everyone knows I love beef, that’s no secret – but when it comes to getting enough quality Omega-3 fats, even a Texas rancher would say – go eat some fish! My husband and I eat at least two servings of Omega-3 rich fish per week and you should too! I think you’ll love this fall-seasoned recipe I created this weekend – Coho Salmon with Cranberry and Jalapeno Compote.

Coho Salmon with Cranberry and Jalapeno Compote Recipe (serves 2)

½ cup fresh squeezed orange juice
¾ cup fresh cranberries
1 tablespoon minced jalapeno pepper (omit if you don’t like spicy)
2 tablespoons Jalapeno jelly
2 4-ounce portions of Coho Salmon (might I suggest Sizzlefish?)
½ lime, juiced
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon pepita (pumpkin) seeds, optional

Preheat oven to 400 F degrees.
On stovetop, add orange juice, cranberries, jalapenos, and jalapeno jelly to small saucepan. Bring to boil, reduce heat and let simmer, stirring frequently, for approximately 5 -7 minutes until cranberries have popped and cooked down.
Meanwhile, place thawed salmon, skin side down, on rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with lime juice. Season with salt and pepper.
To serve, scoop a generous serving of the cranberry compote atop salmon. Sprinkle with pepita seeds, if desired.

Note – skin may be removed from salmon after cooking, but at least try to eat the darker flesh next to the skin because where A LOT of the good-for-you fats are found.

Off the Hook Flavor! Salmon with Cranberry Jalapeno Compote @sizzlefishfit #sponsored

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Try Sizzlefish for yourself — use discount code TRISIZ for $10 off order!

What is your favorite type of fish?

Friday 5 |So Many #ShoutOuts it’s Scary + Running Giveaway!

Posted on October 31, 2014 by Jennifer FIsher

Boo, it’s Halloween! I don’t do this very often, but I wanted to share with you some of the products and events I whole-heartedly stand behind. Actually, I have so many, that I’ll shout out another five next Friday. Don’t miss the giveaway at the bottom of the post for a Spartan entry, two tubes of Nuun, and a pair of Altra running socks.

1) Core Power: For years, I’ve been a big fan of this product and remember way back when it was called Athlete’s Honey Milk.

Now these high protein shakes are big time popular, so I’m super honored to be one of their athletes . . . plus, you’ve probably noticed I do a lot of workouts and recipes for their social media. I like to stash a bottle in my gym bag for the perfect amount of protein recovery after a long run or intense workout. The six yummy flavors are also the base ingredient for many of my crazy delicious smoothie recipes – like the Vampire Slayer Protein Smoothie I whipped up for Halloween.

Vampire Slayer Protein Smoothie Recipe

1 (11-ounce) Strawberry-banana Core Power
1 cup frozen berry blend
1/2 cup cranberry juice
Ice, as needed

Place all ingredients in blend and blend until smooth. Serves 1.

2) Zooma Women’s Race Series: This is my 4^th year to be a Texas Ambassador for this female-focused running event that takes place in fun destination locations like Austin, Napa, Cape Cod and others.

The Austin race is on Saturday March 28, 2015 at the Hill Country Hyatt Resort – a gorgeous, gorgeous place to run a race. The bluebonnets and other flowers are blooming this time of year and this welcomed distraction of Mother Nature has always made the hills seem less painful! The main race is a half marathon, but there is also a 10k and 5k and everyone is encouraged to run, laugh and celebrate. Oh, and did I mention the massages, wine and pretty necklace-style finisher’s medal to be enjoy afterward. Register using code JENNIFER15 and get 10% off any distance in the Texas lineup.

3) Spartan: I’ve never actually done a Spartan race but it’s been on my bucket list for a while.

One of the things that’s been holding me back is my own competitive nature – what if I don’t kill it, what if I don’t WIN (ha)? But, then I realized that’s totally the wrong attitude – if it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you — right?! I’m going to be signing up the next time Spartan comes through Texas, meanwhile YOU can enter to win a free entry. Enter through the Rafflecopter app below, the winner will receive a registration code that will work for any open heat (non-confirmed start time) in any Spartan Race (check out the upcoming races) in the continental US. You can also just go ahead and register now and get 10% off any race (Sprint, Super or Beast) in any US with the code: SPARTANBLOGGER

4) Nuun Hydration: This sugar-free electrolyte tablet that you plop into a bottle of water and it magically fizzes up, has saved my butt from dehydration many, many times.

I use Nuun on my long runs, marathons and even out when watching my kids play sports all day in the Texas sun (I put it in their water bottles too!) They have a fairly new line, Nuun Energy, which combines the same optimal electrolyte blend with B vitamins and caffeine — yeah! The products are awesome, but I also can’t say enough about the people who work at Nuun –as a lucky ambassador, Nuun has invited me twice to be one of their runners in the Hood to Coast Relay, and I got the royal treatment each time!

If you want to stock up on Nuun, use the code nuunbassadorfriend to get 20% off a one-time purchase (through the end of 2014). Oh, what the heck, I’m going to throw two tubes of Nuun (my choice) into the giveaway below!

5) Altra Running – I was first introduced to this line of “zero-drop” shoes several years ago when I was tweaking my running form with the Pose Method.

As an ambassador for the brand, I’ve shared my testimonial on how these shoes have helped me as a mid-foot striker, improved my natural running form and saved my toenails from turning black and falling off! I’ve worn them in every distance from a 5k to 50 mile ultra. Currently, I’m wearing the Ones Squared, and loving the lightness with a touch of cushion! They also make socks with a wider toe box and I’m giving away a pair of Women’s White No Show Sprint Socks

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Category Archives: Recipes

Dinner Stampede – Southwestern Steak Chili #Recipe

Cranberry Orange Ginger Relish & #StackandSnap Food Processor #Giveaway

Creamy Cranberry Orange Smoothie & Marathon Countdown

Off the Hook Flavor! Coho Salmon with Cranberry Jalapeno Compote

Friday 5 |So Many #ShoutOuts it’s Scary + Running Giveaway!