Wasabi Almond Shrimp Salad Bites + Football #GameChangingSnacks

This post is sponsored by Blue Diamond Almonds. For more Game Changing Snacks, visit Blue Diamond Almonds on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

An interception, a fumble, an unexpected player injury, crazy weather . . . . a (gasp) deflated ball. These are all “game changers” in football. In the blink of an eye, the tables can turn – that’s part of the excitement of being a sports spectator. If you’re having people over to your house this weekend to watch the Big Game, add to the excitement by kicking up your gridiron grub with #GameChangingSnacks !

Blue Diamond Almonds for Football Party - TheFitFork.com

The same-old football finger foods can get boring – enough with the potato chips, hot dogs and pizza. Whip up some easy (and healthier) snacks) that your friends and family will devour with the lip-smacking satisfaction of a hungry linebacker. You can’t go wrong with a can of almonds on your starting snack lineup, especially one of Blue Diamond’s yummy flavors like Wasabi & Soy or Smokehouse.

Wasabi and Soy Sauce Shrimp Salad Bites - TheFitFork.com

You can even become the MVP of football party food by adding plain or flavored almonds to a unique and healthy recipe – one that will have your guests eating like the true champions that they are. I put together this quick and healthy appetizer recipe for Wasabi & Soy Sauce Shrimp Salad Bites – between the veggies and almonds, it’s got a lot of crunch factor not to mention a blast of wasabi “whoohoo” – talk about #GameChangingSnacks ! Low-cal and low-carb, you won’t bust your training diet scarfing down the whole plate.

Wasabi & Soy Sauce Shrimp Salad Bites with Almonds - TheFitfork.com

 

 

Jennifer Fisher 3m Half Marathon Blue DiamondThis past weekend, I had my own “game day” of sorts running the 3M Half Marathon in Austin, Texas. The weather was perfect, the point-to-point course is fast and I was pretty well rested. Alas, there was no PR, I was a good 4 minutes of my best time on this fast course. But, I also didn’t also do too shabby (1:28:12) considering I haven’t be training anywhere near my max and I’m another year older. Perhaps it was those #GameChangingSnacks at the start – a banana and handful of Blue Diamond Almonds!

Healthy Snack Stadium - TheFitFork.com

 

 

Also, if you’re looking for other healthy snack ideas for your football party, check my instructions on how to build a Healthy Snack Stadium filled with fruits, veggies, healthy dips and a whole-grain sandwich station. Pop open a few cans of Blue Diamond Almonds in the end zones and you’ll score you a gazillion high-fives!

Wasabi and Soy Shrimp Salad Bites with Almonds - TheFitFork.com

 What snacks are you making for the Big Game?

Wasabi & Soy Sauce Shrimp Salad Bites with Almonds
Prep Time
15 mins
Total Time
15 mins
 
Packed with big flavor from wasabi, these cucumber slices are topped with shrimp salad and a crunchy almond. Healthy finger food for your party!
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Asian
Servings: 12 2 appetizers per person
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 teaspoon wasabi powder
  • 1 cup frozen pre-cooked small salad shrimp, thawed and drained
  • 2 radishes, chopped finely
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped finely
  • 1/4 cup water chestnuts, chopped finely
  • 2 green onions, bulbs and stems slices finely
  • 1 large cucumber, cut crosswise into ¼” thick slices (24 slices)
  • 24 Wasabi & Soy Sauce” Blue Diamond Almonds (from 6-oz. can)
Instructions
  1. In medium-sized bowl, whisk together soy sauce, yogurt and wasabi powder until combined.
  2. Add thawed shrimp, radishes, bell pepper, water chestnuts an d green onions to bowl, toss gently until coated with Greek yogurt mixture.
  3. Spoon 1 tablespoon of shrimp mixture in center of cucumber round; top with almond. Repeat to finish remaining appetizers.
Recipe Notes

Healthy Snack Stadium + Football Finger Foods for the Win

How To Build a Healthy Fotball Snack Stadium - TheFitFork.com

Pop Warner Football - TheFitFork.comThe BIG GAME will be here in a little over a week and my guys have been uncharacteristically fussing about the football-watching party preparations. I have some football players, past and present in my house! What television should we watch  – in the game room or downstairs closer to the kitchen?  Should we play games like ‘squares’ or have a bean bag toss? And, most importantly, what will everyone eat?!

It’s not JUST going to be (root) beer, Buffalo wings and burgers.  It’s impossible to be a healthy food and fitness blogger and not bring a little sumptin’ sensible to the shindig.  But I’m not talking about a sad little tray of carrot and celery sticks, instead imagine a nutritious array of nibbles that is as exciting and epic as the BIG GAME itself – a HEALTHY SNACK STADIUM! 

I created this masterpiece of munch-worthy goodness for Litehouse Foods – they challenged me to put a healthy spin on the increasingly popular and pin-worthy food displays made for football-watching gatherings. The stands are packed with fruit and veggies and the field is covered in healthy salsas and dips made from Greek yogurt.  Guests even get an all-access pass to refuel at a sandwich-making station and dig into sidelines loaded up with whole-grain chips and football-decorated eggs!

Healthy Snack Stadium for Football Party - TheFitFork.comGo over and visit Living Litehouse for additional photos and details on how to make this Healthy Snack Stadium (including how to assemble the framework and making pretzel rod goal posts) that will have your guests eating like champions.

While the Patriots and Seahawks rumble on the Super Bowl gridiron, I’ll be serving up even more healthy appetizers alongside my Snackadium. Here are a few ideas for healthy snacks that will make you an MVP on game day, any day and every day!

avocado guacamoleCilantro Lime Guacamole – Simple, smooth and just so darn good that I have been known to eat the whole bowl at one sitting! A perfect dip for chips or healthier options like carrot, jicama, or zucchini sticks and to use as a spread on your sandwich.  If you have leftover guacamole (yeah, right!) or just want to make extra in advance, check out my blog post on How to Freeze Guacamole.

 

Nut and Cereal party mix made in crock pot

Nutty Slow Cooker Snack Mix – Snack mix is a perennial party favorite, my recipe uses a slow cooker (really!) to make the process stress-free and super tasty. I like to add lots of nuts to my snack mix for healthy fats and extra protein.  A sure bet!

 

 

 

 

Football Deviled Eggs - TheFitFork.com

Football Deviled Eggs – Are these the cutest eggs ever? And, the good news is you will not go to hell for incorporating them into a healthy diet – eggs are a great source of protein and essential vitamins.  I’ve used Greek yogurt instead of the traditional mayo for a slimming swap-a-roo!

Football Deviled Eggs
Prep Time
20 mins
Total Time
20 mins
 
Put your healthy stack stadium over the top with these fun and tasty football deviled eggs -- a fun finger food for the Big Game! Touchdown!
Course: Appetizer
Servings: 12 people (2 each)
Ingredients
  • 12 large eggs boiled
  • 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 tsp Sriracha sauce or more to taste
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • bunch chives
Instructions
  1. Peel eggs lengthwise and scoop out yolks; set whites aside.
  2. In small bowl, mix together yolks, yogurt, mustard, sriracha sauce, salt and pepper.
  3. Spoon mixture into empty cavity of eggs.
  4. Snip and cut chives with knife into approximate ½ pieces; each egg half will need four pieces (96 pieces). Place 3 chive slices crosswise along egg filling and cross with one piece lengthwise.

Keep Calm and Eat Brownies #SpecialKBrownies

Chocolate is awesome in so many ways! It tastes divine; it smells heavenly and is actually quite good for the mind and body (in moderation, of course). Scientists and nutritionist have spent years researching the positive health benefits of chocolate (tough job) and I’m happy to report that I’ve collected my fair share of anecdotal evidence! Chocolate is a winner!

Sitting around eating chocolate all day probably wouldn’t be a good thing though – I like to reserve chocolate-eating for a treat. I will admit that I do start my day off with a few dark chocolate chips alongside my hot chai or coffee – this ritual that gets me in a good mood to tackle even the craziest days. The kids always request my Best-Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies, but brownies are actually my favorite feel-good, chocolaty comfort foods – but it can be quite dangerous to have a whole, homemade pan sitting out! Oh, the temptation to eat the whole pan of my Mom’s decadent recipe that features entire big toffee-chocolate candy bars baked into the middle.

I was excited when Kellogg’s recently sent me a couple boxes of Special K Brownies to try out – Divine Fudge and Heavenly Caramel. What I noticed right away when sampling these brownies is that they taste like REAL brownies, not like some weird diet food “brownie.” That’s because Special K Brownies are REAL brownies made with real ingredients like cocoa, chocolate or caramel chips and topped with a drizzle of chocolate fudge. The other thing I appreciate about the Special K Brownies is that these convenient brownies are pre-portioned to be just an 80-calorie treat. The brownies aren’t huge, but just the right size to enjoy the indulgence and not end up feeling deprived later in the day (and eating that whole pan of Mom’s candy bar brownies I just mentioned). Sure, I COULD open up all the brownie packages in the box and eat them at one sitting, but I probably wouldn’t since they are wrapped as single servings – a great visual cue on portion-size awareness.

I stashed a few of these brownies in my gym bag for a reward after my 10 mile run and CrossFitWOD – washed down with a carton of milk, it was a totally on target recovery snack. Also, since February is sneaking up, I started experimenting with ways to incorporate Special K Brownies into a Valentine’s Day celebration. It so easy to use a cookie cutter to make a simple heart shaped – serve as a little chocolaty pick-me-up or sandwich two brownie hearts with frozen yogurt in the middle.

Visit www.specialk.com for more information on the new Special K Brownies in Divine Fudge and Heavenly Caramel, available now at grocery and mass retail stores nationwide.

What is your favorite chocolate treat?

This post is sponsored by FitFluential on behalf of Special K Brownies.

Chocolate Cherry Trail Cups + Workout to Flip For

Chocolate Cherry Protein Trail Cups - No Bake - TheFitFork.comSnacking, snacking, snacking – lots of snacking going down at my house because I am my three teen boys are always so hungry. I’ve been experimenting with some homemade energy bars and trail mixes and have come up with the perfect combo – Chocolate Cherry (Protein) Trail Cups.  My husband mentioned after gobbling one up that it reminded him of a Chocolate Chip Cherry Torte Lara Bar  — so, I made a Larabar copycat recipe without even realizing!

Nut Butter, Dried Cherries, Oats and More - TheFitFork.com
So many wholesome yet yummy ingredients in this recipe.
Food Processor - Cherry Chocolate Trail Cups - TheFitFork.com

These healthy snacks are super easy to whip up and using a food processor makes the task even less time consuming. The tip to making sure these treats hold up to any adventure is to make sure the crumbly mixture is moist enough to stick together when pressed between fingers. If it seems too dry, throw more nut butter or sugar-free chocolate syrup in 1 teaspoon at a time.

I’m taking my batch of trail cups for some long-lasting energy when the family heads out on a ski trip soon. I created this recipe with protein power as one of the ingredients to balance the dried fruit and chocolate.   I don’t want to hear ANY “I’m hungry mom” complaints when we’re dangling our skis and snowboards off a lift 10,000 feet up.

Chocolate & Cherry Energy Cups - TheFitFork.com

Chocolate Cherry (Protein) Trail Cups Recipe

  • 1 ¼ cup Love Grown Super Oats*
  • 1/3 cup chocolate protein powder (like Quest Nutrition Chocolate Milkshake)**
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 2/3 cup raisins
  • ½ cup pecans
  • 1/4 cup nut butter of choice (I used almond)
  • 1/3 cup dried tart cherries
  • 2 tablespoons Stevia-sweetened cocoa syrup***
  • ¼ cup mini chocolate chips

*You may use regular rolled oats and add 1 tablespoon of chia seeds. 
**If you don’t want to use protein powder, add an additional ¼ cup oats and 1 tablespoon nuts.
** I used NuNaturals Cocoa Syrup, but you can use any chocolate syrup

  1. Add oats, protein powder, cocoa powder, raisins and pecans in work bowl of food processor. Processes until ingredients are broken down but still fairly coarse
  2. Pulse in nut butter and syrup until mixture is moist and sticks together when pressed between fingers.
  3. Pulse in cherries and mini chocolate chips until just combined.
  4. Place approximately ¼ cup loosely scooped mixture into muffin tin that has been prepped with a paper liner. Press mixture down with back of spoon of fingers until compacted.
  5. May be stored in the refrigerator in airtight container for several weeks. Makes 15 :”cups.”

Oh, and I have a workout you’re going to flip for – if you don’t have a tire, a heavier med ball can be substituted.Tire Flip Full Body Workout = TheFitFork.com

40 Fun Ways to Burn 100 Calories + #SpecialKSnackBars

As soon as the holidays wind down, I know we’ll all be looking for ways to snack healthier – no more gingerbread, egg nog, sugar cookies or candy canes until next year. However, I personally hate to feel deprived — I want to munch on something that tastes indulgent but doesn’t negate the benefits of my workout for the day. That’s why I was excited to find out about Kellogg’s new product coming to a supermarket near you in January 2014 — Special K Snack Bars.

These convenient snack bars are the ideal pairing of taste and nutrition that provide a satisfyingly scrumptious snack any time of the day — after a workout, a mid-morning break, or to sooth the afternoon “hangries.” There are four delicious flavors – Berry Medley, Blueberry Bliss, Salted Caramel Chocolate and Salted Pretzel Chocolate – and each only has 100 calories per bar. It’s amazing how decadent and delicious these bars taste for a mere 100 calories. The product size is just right too – not too big as to ruin your appetite for a full meal later, but so small that your tummy is still growling. After much taste-testing, I think my favorite flavor is the Salted Pretzel Chocolate, but they are all yummy!

Visit www.specialk.com for more information on the new Special K® Chewy Snack Bars, available January 2015 at grocery and mass retail stores nationwide. You can also find out more by joining the chatter on Kellogg’s Facebook (SpecialKUS) and Twitter (@SpecialKUS).

Now, if you want to add a little extra exercise to your day, I’ve rounded up 40 activities that burn 100 calories in 30 minutes or less. The calculations are based on a 150 pound person. Have fun, get moving!

Fitness Fun: 10 – 12 minutes of cartwheeling and handstand practice burns 100 calories!

40 Ways to Burn 100 Calories in 30 Minutes or Less

  1. 6 minutes running up stairs
  2. 6 minutes burpees
  3. 7 minutes high intensity spin
  4. 8 minutes rock wall climbing
  5. 9 minutes competitive soccer
  6. 9 minutes moderate jump rope
  7. 9 minutes running (~1 mile)
  8. 10 minutes box jumping
  9. 10 minutes cartwheeling
  10. 10 minutes downhill skiing
  11. 10 minutes pushups
  12. 11 minutes walking up stairs
  13. 11 minutes water jogging
  14. 12 minutes handstand walking
  15. 12 minutes non-stop sit ups
  16. 12 minutes farmer’s walk
  17. 13 minutes flag football
  18. 13 minutes row machine
  19. 13 minute barbell bench press
  20. 14 minutes skate boarding
  21. 15 minutes water skiing
  22. 15 minutes hiking
  23. 15 minutes moderate biking
  24. 15 minutes moderate swimming
  25. 15 minutes furniture rearranging
  26. 16 minutes ballroom dancing
  27. 17 minutes push ups
  28. 18 minutes garden work
  29. 20 minutes of yoga
  30. 20 minutes casual walking
  31. 20 minutes paddle boarding
  32. 20 minutes hula hooping
  33. 20 minutes vacuuming
  34. 22 minutes drum playing
  35. 23 minutes raking leaves
  36. 25 minutes trampoline jumping
  37. 28 minutes weight lifting
  38. 29 minutes pecan picking
  39. 29 minutes bowling
  40. 30 minutes mini golfing

So, what is your favorite on this list?

What flavor of #SpecialKSnackBars appeals to you most?

This post is sponsored by FitFluential on behalf of Special K Snack Bars.