Category Archives: Recipes

Protein for Breakfast | Healthy Beef & Egg ‘Barn-Raiser’ Bake

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More eggs, and this time with beef! Last week, I whetted your appetite for the “incredible edible” with an oh-la-la recipe for Spinach & Artichoke Blue Cheese Baked Eggs based on the very Parisian and elegantly yummy recipe for Oeufs en Cocotte.  Even though Oeufs en Cocotte isn’t as fancy as it sounds (it literally means “eggs in pots”), I’m going more down-home today with a Beef & Egg ‘Barn-Raiser’ Bake recipe. This dish is hearty and healthy and cooked up in a big ole casserole, so gather all the egg and beef lovers around.

healthy egg and beef casserole

Guaranteed to provide plenty of energy to start the day, this country-inspired breakfast casserole has been lightened for today’s hungry yet health-conscious go-getter. What tastes like sausage is actually super-lean ground beef that has been specially seasoned; but that’s not where the healthy swaps stop! Added dairy products are reduced in fat and nutrient-rich veggies are incorporated to round out your morning meal.  Think you’re too busy to eat healthy on busy mornings? Not so if you prepare this casserole the night before. Save precious time by popping the uncooked casserole in the oven come morning and, after enjoying your healthy meal, portion out leftovers to last the entire week!

I’ll be taking this egg and beef recipe on a tour around Texas as I tout the benefits of eating protein for breakfast at several American Heart Association “Go Red for Women” events.  If you are in San Antonio, Ft. Worth or Amarillo in early February, leave me a comment and I’ll give you the details on how to attend.  But, the point is – eating a higher-protein breakfast (25 – 30 grams depending on your size) will satiate your hunger and help curb snacking on unhealthy foods later in the day. This strategy helps maintain a healthy weight which ultimately reduces many risk factors associated with heart disease.

breakfast egg and beef casserole

 {Healthy & Hearty} Beef & Egg ‘Barn-Raiser’ Bake Recipe

For country beef sausage crumbles:

  • 1 lb. ground beef (96% lean)
  • ½ teaspoon rubbed sage
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper

Remaining ingredients:

  • 1 (10-oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
  • 14 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/3 cup fat-free milk
  • 1 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
  • 1 ½ cup shredded, reduced-fat Colby Jack cheese, divided
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 (16-oz) package frozen shredded hash browns
  • 24 grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
  1. For country beef sausage crumbles, combine ground beef and seasonings in large bowl; mix lightly but thoroughly.
  2. Heat large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot.  Add beef mixture; cook 8 to 10 minutes, breaking into 3/4-inch crumbles and stirring occasionally. Set aside.
  3. Lightly beat eggs in large bowl. Whisk in milk, ricotta cheese, 3/4 cup of Colby Jack cheese, salt and pepper.
  4. Spray 4-quart rectangle casserole with baking spray. Spread frozen shredded hash browns to cover the bottom of dish. Top evenly with beef-spinach mixture; pour egg mixture over top. Sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup of Colby Jack cheese and arrange grape tomatoes (cut side up) in an 8 x 6 grid for the final layer.
  5. Cover with foil and bake at 350 F degree oven for  40 minutes; uncover and bake for an additional 15- 20 minutes or until eggs are set.  Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 12.  

nutrition barn raiser beef and egg bake

Healthy Dessert Recipe | Broiled Grapefruit with Feta & Balsamic Syrup

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Fruit for dessert or a sweet side dish, nom-nom-nom! I’ve been on a poached pear kick and before that it was figs. This summer my fruit fetish was focused on the fuzzy, ripe peach. The nearby (Fredericksburg, Tx) peach orchards are famous and I actually still have a huge haul of peaches that I prepared for the freezer. I pull out a few of those peaches when I need a little taste of sunshine summer in the middle of winter.

grapefruit, orange, lime basket

Some of the ingredients for my favorite citrus salad!

Citrus is another favorite fruit of mine and its peak season is winter! Oranges, tangerines, grapefruits and more – I had all of these citrus fruits in my backyard growing up. I wish I would have taken better advantage of the bounty!  A mixed citrus salad is one of my favorite sweet side dishes; I could eat it every day. Check out the healthy dessert recipe I recently whipped up. It may sound like a strange combination of ingredients but, trust me, it’s insanely good – Broiled Grapefruit with Feta & Balsamic Reduction .

blue cheese & balsamic syrup grapefruit

Broiled Grapefruit with Feta & Balsamic Reduction Recipe

  • 2 large Ruby Red grapefruit
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
  • 2 teaspoons coconut sugar
  • 1 tablespoon crumbled feta cheese
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic reduction (store bought or homemade)

Directions:

  1. Preheat broiler on high.
  2. Slice grapefruit in half crosswise. To prevent wobbling in the pan, slice a small amount of peel off the bottom of each half, taking care not to cut up into the flesh.
  3. Use a paring knife to cut around segment edges for easier eating when done.
  4. Sprinkle tops of grapefruit with even mixtures of the salt, pepper, brown sugar and feta cheese.
  5. Place 4-inches under broiler; broil for approximately 3 – 5 minutes until tops are beginning to caramelize and feta is slightly melting.
  6. Remove from broiler and drizzle with balsamic reduction.

Serves 4.

broiled grapefruit caloriesI ran the nutrition on this healthy dessert recipe – I’ll think you’ll love that it only has 43 calories per servings (!) and is packed with nutrients.

There are many other reasons to sing the praises of citrus. I know that the abundant vitamin C and other nutrients in citrus fruits are beneficial to my well-being. Vitamin C has been shown to offer protection against immune system deficiencies, cardiovascular disease, prenatal health problems, eye disease, and even skin wrinkling.

 

There’s not much that sours my mood more than buying fruit that isn’t ripe. Thankfully, it’s pretty easy to pick out ripe citrus fruit. Look for fruit that are firm and heavy for their size, with bright, colorful skin. You can store citrus at room temperature for several days; beyond this, keep in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator.  Throw a few oranges or tangerines in your gym bag, they don’t need to be chilled, come in their own wrappers and will give you energy before or after your workout.

fitmark ambassador jennifer fisher dashing bag citrus

Go eat your citrus, people!

A Real Breakfast! Artichoke & Spinach Blue Cheese Baked Eggs

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This year I plan to start off every morning (okay, most mornings) with a healthy breakfast served on a real plate. I usually stay up too late and always wake up before dawn, making me so groggy and disoriented that the best I can often do for sustenance is a grab a protein bar or slurp a smoothie. While protein bars and smoothies are actually quite nutritious options for grab-and-go fuel, I aspire to slow down enough in the morning to actually have a conversation with the kids, give some attention to the dog, tune into current events (what year is this?) and enjoy a morning meal with all my senses. Then, after being properly fed, I can hit my errands, workouts and to-do list hard!

outdoor WOD

Pretty sure some eggs were eaten before (and maybe after) this workout at Ladybird Lake!

The incredible, edible egg is always one of my top choices in real breakfast food. Even on the busiest weekday mornings, it really doesn’t take that long to whip up a quick scramble or even microwave a 1-minute ramekin omelet.  With just a little planning on Sunday night, a big breakfast casserole can be baked ahead and portioned out for the rest of the week. I plan to be a better planner – I promise!

Blue Cheese artichoke spinach eggs

This is a gorgeous recipe for Blue Cheese & Artichoke Baked Eggs I created for the blog at Lighthouse Foods. Typically baked eggs are doused in heavy cream before sitting in the oven, but I reduced the fat in this type of egg dish by using the company’s OPA Blue Cheese Greek Yogurt Dressing which is, not surprisingly, light, tangy and healthy! Served in individual gratin dishes, this healthy egg recipe is elegant enough to serve to company. Please visit the Living Litehouse blog for more gorgeous photos, but today I’m going to treat you to the full recipe right here, right now!

Blue Cheese & Artichoke Baked Eggs Recipe

  • Baking spray
  • 3 to 4 ounces washed baby spinach
  • ½ cup Litehouse Food’s OPA Blue Cheese Dressing (so good!)
  • 2 Tbsp diced red onion
  • 1 Tbsp sipped fresh chives
  • 16 grape tomatoes
  • 1 (7.5 oz) jar of quartered marinated artichoke hearts
  • 8 large eggs
  • 2 oz blue cheese crumbles

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Lightly spray 4 ramekins or 2 gratin dishes with baking spray. Divide spinach evenly among dishes.

3. Drizzle even portions of blue cheese salad dressing over spinach and sprinkle with red onion.

4. Slice grape tomatoes in half and drain liquid from jar of artichoke hearts. Place tomatoes and artichokes around perimeter of dishes.

5. Gently crack egg over top of spinach mixture, taking care not to break yolk. Repeat for remaining 3 ramekins. If using 2 larger gratin dishes, use 2 eggs per container. Sprinkle tops with chives.

6. Place dishes on a rimmed baking sheet and place on center rack of oven. Back for approximately 20 minutes or until egg whites have set and yolk has achieved desired level of doneness.

7. Remove from oven and sprinkle tops with an even portion of blue cheese crumbles. Let cool for 2 to 3 minutes before serving.

 

egg skilled with beef eggs potatoes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My “Top of the Sirloin” Steak, Sweet Potato and Breakfast Bake is a proven winner, especially with my Paleo pals who can’t seem to get enough! I love how cheerful the sunny-side up eggs look atop this dish which is sautéed, baked and served in a country cast iron skillet.

thefitfork turkey spinach egg sandwich

Why not ditch the drive-thru and make your own yummy sunrise sandwich at home? My Spinach, Turkey & Egg Breakfast Sandwich offers loads of nutrient dense ingredients. Cook up the egg anyway you like – scrambled, poached, fried or in the handy-dandy Hamilton Beach breakfast sandwich maker!

jennifer fisher - thefitfork.com steak egg avocado sandwich

Oh, and I can’t forget the Steak, Egg & Avocado Breakfast Sandwich – the day will be a win-win-win thanks to these three powerhouse ingredients.

Pear Pressure! Healthy Dessert Recipes for Poached Pears and More!

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jennifer fisher austinfit video capture poached pears

Fruit for dessert, when I was a kid I thought this was a fate worse than cleaning my room on a Saturday. Sheez, if I finished my meatloaf and polished off the peas, I deserved a GOOD reward, something sickly sweet like a Hostess cupcake or Bomb Pop. But, alas, my mom, bless her healthy heart, never (okay rarely) bought junk like this.  Instead we had homemade ice pops, frozen bananas and the occasional chocolate chip cookie (whoot)!

1430_2H-two-boxes-of-the-favorite-royal-riviera-pears

But then, one day it happened – I gave into the siren song of a golden foil-wrapped pear. Straight from Harry & David, nestled in in a holiday gift basket.  Although my rational self was saying “no,” just pass on that fruit for dessert and go straight for the chocolate, I couldn’t help greedily peeling off the sparkling paper and digging in — it was divine, it was to die for and I was completely woozy with pear intoxication. Still, to this day, if someone was to send me a basket of golden foil-wrapped pears, I would be beyond thrilled (hint, hint).

poached pears pomegranate

Pears poaching in pomegranate juice.

So, last year for New Year’s Eve, a family friend made poached pears for dessert. I’m not sure exactly what he did to make them so delicious, but they were sublime – easy yet elegant and just the right amount of sweet to top off the celebratory meal without making me feel even more stuffed than I already was. Inspired by these memories of pears past, I created my own recipe for dessert pears – Poached Pears with Pomegranate & Mascarpone Sauce.

If you want the full step-by-step video instructions on how to make this healthy dessert, you got it – I recently made this little poached pear how-to for Austin Fit Magazine online. The recipe is a super star!

blogger pear pictures

 

Fast, Fit and Family-Friendly Recipes with TheFitFork.com – Poached Pears with Pomegranate-Mascarpone Sauce: 

All this talk about pears being so fantastic for dessert (or anytime) and I never mentioned the health benefits. Pears are a great source of fiber and offer important nutrients including vitamin B2, C, E, copper, and potassium. They also contain a significant amount of pectin, a water soluble fiber which is thought to help reduce cholesterol and regulate the body’s use of sugars. Pears are a healthy choice in carbohydrates and provide longer-lasting energy thanks to their low glycemic load — this just means the carbs in pears are slow to convert to sugar before entering the bloodstream.

Poached Pear Bread cooking light

Poached Pear Bread from Cooking Light Magazine

This recipe for Poached Pear Bread from Cooking Light magazine made me do a double take, and probably you as well! Poached pears were placed right into quick-bread batter before being baked up into a rustic yet refined loaf of bread that, when sliced, reveals a mouthwatering cross-section of pear! Yes, please!

Another wonderfully warm, homey dessert featuring pears is my Cranberry-Ginger Pear Crumble – mmm, this is perfect for a cold winter treat! So, what are you waiting for? Grow a “pear” and get healthy — pears are perfect for dessert!

pear crumble recipe thefitfork

 Do you have a favorite way to eat pears? Maybe for dessert or on a salad? Please share in the comments, I am always looking for new pear inspiration!

Oat Yeah! Caramel Cashew Energy Bars & OatWorks Smoothie Giveaway

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The holidays aren’t over just because December has come and gone. January is National Oatmeal Month and that’s 31 days of whole grain goodness to celebrate.  Now, before I get all mushy about oatmeal, I have to admit that I’m not a huge fan of the stuff porridge-style — except when it is dressed up with nuts and honey and fruit. Okay, okay, I love it! I also love to use oatmeal in many of my healthy recipes, everything from granola (oh, you know there will be a granola-palooza post next week) to grinding it up and using it as a “flour” in all sorts of baking and crusting.

Cashew Caramel Chewy Energy Granola Bars

I recently created this super easy, super yummy recipe for Tropical Caramel Cashew Energy Bars for Litehouse Food. Dried mango and pineapple along with cashews are tossed with a hearty pile of old-fashioned oatmeal (and shelled hemp seed for extra protein) and then coated with a packaged light caramel sauce.  Baked into chewy perfection, these bars have less than 190 calories per serving, 5 grams of protein and 2 grams of dietary fiber. Easy to wrap ‘em up and tuck into a lunch box or gym bag, ready to provide sensible, satisfying relief when hunger strikes.

oatmeal dried fruit nuts in bowl

So, what’s so great about oatmeal? There have been numerous research studies that link the consumption of oatmeal with a host of positive health benefits. You can read about these perks in detail at the Whole Grains Council, but here are the bullet points:

  • Oats may reduce asthma in children
  • Oats may boost nutrition profile of gluten-free diets
  • Oats increase appetite-control hormones.
  • Oat Beta Glucans improve immune system defenses.
  • Oats help cut the use of laxatives.
  • Oats may help reduce the risk of Type 2 Diabetes.
  • Oats may improve insulin sensitivity.
  • Oats lower bad cholesterol.
  • Oats help control blood pressure.
  • Oats #3 overall, #1 for breakfast in overall satiety index.

did you drink your oatsDid you also know that you can drink your oats? Yup, just throw a handful (approx. ¼ cup) into the blender when making a smoothie. In order to keep your smoothie from being lumpy and clumpy; It works best to grind the oats in the blender before you add the liquid ingredients.

However, are if you are having a crazy morning or need a post-workout snack, OatWorks Oat-Powered Natural Smoothies are a fantastic, fitness-focused and flavorful option to a home-made smoothie. The company sent me some product to try out, tell you about, and share through a giveaway (read on to the bottom for entry instructions).

oatworks

Made with natural oat fiber (the soluble fiber called beta glucan) and real fruit juices, these individually- bottled beverages are vegan friendly, gluten free, dairy free, cholesterol free, non-GMO and Kosher. There is also no added sugar, artificial sweeteners or artificial anything. So what DO these OatWorks drinks have? Well, each 12-ounce bottle of Oatworks is packed with as much soluble fiber as two bowls of oatmeal, has loads of vitamins and minerals, and is naturally sweet, smooth and delicious. You also get all those oatmeal benefits that I bullet-pointed earlier!

Choose from three not-at-all lumpy flavors —Strawberry-Banana , Pomegranate-Blueberry or Peach-Mango. If you can’t find these smoothie drinks at your market, you can stock up on Amazon. Or, you may be my lucky winner who will receive 6 bottles (3 each flavor) of OatWorks Oat-Powered Natural Smoothies.

To enter, just enter through the Rafflecopter app below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway