10-Miute Thai-Style Creamy Coconut Chicken Soup

Posted on December 9, 2022 by Jennifer FIsher

This post is sponsored by Kevin’s Natural Foods as part of a blogger recipe challenge.

Winter weather in Texas always keeps me guessing! Today I’m in shorts, but I’m still have a hankering for soup – and whipped up an amazing 10-Miute Thai-Style Creamy Coconut Chicken Soup starting with an entrée kit from Kevin’s Natural Foods.

Enjoy a rich, creamy, amazingly flavorful Thai-inspired Creamy Coconut Chicken Soup in just 10 minutes thanks to entree kits from Kevin's Natural Foods! Paleo, So satisfying . . plus Keto, and gluten-free!

Did I mention this soup only takes 10 minutes to make start to finish? Yup, it’s so perfect for crazy busy days (like today where I was squeezing in a run, workout, holiday shopping and working on a book deadline)! Kevin’s Natural Foods also comes to the rescue on those days when I have warm fuzzy feelings about cooking something awesome from scratch, but in the end — just can’t pull my life together!

I think of these keto, paleo and gluten-free friendly products from Kevin’s Natural Foods as “meal starters” for lack of a better term. The packets come refrigerated (you can store in freezer) and include a pre-cooked protein and delicious sauce. The proteins are cooked sou-vide style and simply need heating up in a skillet or microwave (or in my soup recipe, just chopping up cold and tossing in the pot). They you can choose exactly how to serve it – on rice, on a sweet potato, in a wrap, or in a recipe creation – like my soup!

Check out this 30-sec video to see how easy & tasty life is with Kevin’s Natural Foods!

So, back to the soup! 10-Miute Thai-Style Creamy Coconut Chicken Soup is made with a pouch of Thai-style Coconut Chicken. It reminds me of Tom Kha Gai soup – so delicious. As you can see from the quick video, the steps are easy-peasy.

Just sauté mushrooms and cauliflower rice with garlic in soup pot (add other veggies if you like), chop up sous-vid chicken packet, toss chicken, broth, coconut milk and lime juice in pot, warm up, and garnish with scallions and cilantro!!!

These meals can be ordered online and shipped straight to your door and I’ve seen in many flavors in my local market too. I love the Korean Beef Barbeque and Cilantro Lime Chicken too – but there are so many varieties to suit any mood or taste preference. Everything from Kevin’s can work with keto, paleo and gluten free diets too!

Learn more about Kevin’s Natural Foods, get Kevin’s Natural Foods recipes, and their amazing clean-eating focused products (entrees, sides, sauces, stir-frys and more!) which can find a place in your diet – whether Keto, Paleo, Gluten-free . . or Mediterranean, like me! Order online or find in a store near you.

Also check them out on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest! AND – make the 10 minute Thai soup, you won’t regret it!

10-minute Thai-Style Creamy Coconut Chicken Soup

Prep Time

2 mins

Cook Time

8 mins

Total Time

10 mins

Enjoy a rich, creamy, amazingly flavorful Thai-inspired Creamy Coconut Chicken Soup in just 10 minutes thanks to entree kits from Kevin's Natural Foods! Paleo, So satisfying . . plus Keto, and gluten-free!

Course: dinner, entree, entree soup, Soup

Cuisine: thai

Keyword: chicken, coconut, gluten free, keto, meal kit, paleo

Servings: 3 servings

Ingredients

1 package Kevin’s Natural Foods Thai-style Coconut Chicken
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup sliced Baby Bella mushrooms
1 cup cauliflower rice
2 teaspoons minced garlic
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup coconut cream from can
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice about 1 lime
1/3 cup chopped scallions white bulbs and greens
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

Add olive oil to soup pot and bring to heat over medium-high. Add mushrooms and cauliflower rice, sauté, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes until softened; add minced garlic and sauté for 1 additional minute.
Open cold sous vide bag of chicken; chop into bite sized pieces. Add to soup pot.
Pour chicken broth and coconut cream into pot and bring just to a boil, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add contents of sauce pack into soup. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 minutes longer.
Remove from heat; squeeze in lime juice. Stir in chopped scallions and cilantro.

Recipe Notes

#kevinsrecipechallenge

Holiday Gift Ideas for Fit Foodies who Love to Run, Workout and Eat

Posted on November 29, 2022 by Jennifer FIsher

Shopping for a “fit foodie” can be tough. I mean, they pour a lot of passion into working out AND eating, and it’s hard to know what makes the cut it terms of supporting that fitness lifestyle. But, the good news about working out, running and hitting the gym is that you can eat a lot, and consequently need good food and kitchen gear to keep up the routine. And, by all means, don’t ever let anyone in your sweat squad get hangry. To help make holiday shopping easier, here are the best gifts for fit foodies – all The Fit Fork approved and the things I am obsessed about!

Moonlight Maker’s Dish Towels: Bring a smile to your kitchen with one or more of these cute and funny flour-sack dish towels! Laughing burns calories, so use these “punny” towels to help clean up after your meal prepping and healthy recipe making! Make from 100% cotton flour sacks, screen printed in eco-friendly, non-toxic ink. Unfolded size is 28” x 28” and they get suber absorbent after a few washes. All handmade by a small, woman-owned biz from Asheville, NC! More designs and other holiday gift ideas at Moonlight Makers approx. 14.95 per towel

Apron with Built-in Oven Mitts from Grand Fusion – This heat-resistant light canvas apron is so genius, not only to you keep your clothes clean and splatter-free when baking, roasting, or grilling, but you have TWO oven mitts always at the ready – no more frantically trying to find a mitt when something needs to be taken off the heat asap! Adjustable straps, one size that fits most men or women, large front pocket, easy to wash, and available in grey or yellow! An oven mitt apron is the perfect holiday baking gift for that person who is always losing stuff!

Artisan bread from the Wildgrain subscription box, save $30 with code THEFITFORK at http://bit.ly/Wildgrain

Whip up a fresh fit meal in minutes with this easy, no-cook pasta sauce that features tomatoes, marinated artichokes, garlic and feta cheese - plus a little EVOO. It's tossed with hot noodles that warms it up! A delicious summer dinner! Used pasta from the Wildgrain subscription box, save $30 with code THEFITFORK at http://bit.ly/Wildgrain

Wildgrain: Wildgrain is a delicious bread subscription box that also delivers artisanal pastas, pastries all kinds of breads (made with clean, nutritious ingredients) to your door that are frozen and ready to prepare in a flash – no more than 25 minutes from freezer door opening to your mouth opening for the first bite! I love to cook, but baking from scratch is a whole ‘nutha skill set and patience level. Wildgrain is perfect this holiday season for your own entertaining and recipe making but also for giving to fit foodie friends who need a little more carb days in their life!

Artisan bread, pastas and pastries in the the Wildgrain subscription box, save $30 with code THEFITFORK at http://bit.ly/Wildgrain

Use code THEFITFORK to save $10 on your first box (AND, if you sign up now, they will treat you to a free 4-pack of croissants with each and every box you have delivered for life – and these croissants ARE AMAZING, we fight over them at my house!!!)

Instant® Cold Brewer: Cold brew is the original pre-workout in my opinion. This makes a great holiday gift for food and fitness lovers. The new Instant® Cold Brewer lets you skip the coffee shop line and make true cold brew at home, in under 20 minutes – no overnight waiting. Use your favorite ground coffee, and customize the brew strength to your preferences. Cold brewer also makes iced tea. Pitcher holds 32 oz for brewing, serving and storing, and is dishwasher safe for easy up. $99

WODBottom : They make fun and funky bootie shorts for workouts. The prints are always novel and SO clever . . . like these tasty snack-cake inspired “Santa Batch” bootie shorts you can get now when you sign up for the Shortie of the Month Club. When you join, take $5 off your first month and free shipping with code JOINTODAY! Don’t worry, shorts (and fun tanks) available for non-club purchase too – always love their food inspired ones like tacos, pies, donuts and more. Also super cool, the ballsy and funny gym shorts are actually marketing for a bigger purpose – to raise funds for domestic abuse.

Lumen Metabolic Tracker : Any fit foodie looking to dial in their nutrition will love Lumen, a portable device designed to measure track and analyze your metabolism instantly and provided nutrition recommendations to help reach goals. It does this by measuring the CO2 in your breath. I’ve been using my Lu men for 4 months now and it has helped me make better choices and when and what to eat to perform my best support my athlete lifestyle. It’s also a great tool to help you manage weight or become more aware of how various factors affect your overall health. Save $50 with code THEFITFORK

The Instant® 20-cup Multigrain Cooker: Not just an ordinary rice cooker, it’s a low carb rice cooker (say what?!) It offers 8-in-1 functionality and smart features to make rice and grain cooking simple. PLUS features breakthrough CarbReduce technology reduces carbs and sugar in rice up to 40% with a special steam basket that gets carb sugars to separate and drip away from rice while cooking. Of course, also all types of grains – quinoa, oats, you name it. This is one of the best gifts for gym freaks and meal preppers I’ve seen this year.

Organic Herbal Greek Mountan Tea (Spartan Tea): In ancient times, Spartan warriors drank a refreshing tea that provided energy, healing, and restoration. The elixir’s name in Greek means “he who is made of iron”, and now this same tea is available to you and to gift to your friends – I mean, who wouldn’t want to drink this stuff! This makes a great holiday gift for runners, obstacle course races and others into wellness and recovery. I’m feeling powerful already! Aroo! Save 20% on all Spartan Nutrition products with code SAP-718613Z at Spartan.com

Save 20% on spartan race code: UBST24-TK88D27 — *save 20% at spartan.com code: SAP-718613Z*

ZipTop Bags: Kind of like a plastic storage bowl and a zip lock baggie had a genetically superior baby, these ZipTop Containers are part genius food storage system and part eat-right-out-of bags. Love ZipTop so much for storing staples (like the Spartan Tea and grains), packing them for on the go gym snacks (one size even stands up perfectly in a car cup holder), prepping cut fruit and other ingredients – and even storing, freezing and reheating leftovers. One of the best gifts for meal preppers.

Snap-Corner Silicone Baking Mat (No Leak, Non Stick) From Grand Fusion: This is a pretty handy-dandy adjustable baking mat. Not only can you bake cookies on it that slide right off without spray, the corners fold up to create a leakproof tray that will contain juices as you cook. As a silicone baking tray, it’s perfect for oven-baking salmon, chicken breasts, veggies and such without having mess running all over the pan (like never use foil again!). Super easy clean up, oven-safe to 450F degrees and fits in half-sheet pan (about 11.8” x 15.75” snapped up). $14.99

Seriously Good Chili Cookbook -- Beef Mushroom Quinoa Chili by thefitfork

Seriously Good Chili Cookbook: 177 of the Best Recipes in the World: This one is for the protein lovers!!! All the best chili recipes around (and, ohhh . . .did I mention that little ole me has a recipe featured — Beef Mushroom Quinoa Chili (pictured above), it’s a bona fide winner! This book is from Brian Baumgartner — remember him? He was Kevin on the hit series “The Office” and one of his most epic episodes was when he dropped that huge pot of chili all over the floor at the office party. A vailable in Hardcover Spiral and Kindle

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission on purchase made through links, however the price to you remains the same. Proceeds help offset the operating costs for The Fit Fork, thank you and happy holidays!!

Salsa Butternut Squash Grits with Roasted Shrimp & Corn

Posted on November 6, 2022 by Jennifer FIsher

This post is part of the #SamsSalsaRecipeChallenge hosted by Sam’s Fresh Salsa (on IG, on FB)

Well, Kiss my grits! Salsa Butternut Squash Grits with Roasted Shrimp & Corn is an unbelievably fresh, fit, flavorful and fast recipe! Like 15-minute fast! Plus, only 261 calories per serving, 20g protein, 36g carb and 3g fat!

Salsa Butternut Squash Grits with Roasted Shrimp & Corn is an unbelievably fresh, fit, flavorful and fast recipe! Like 15-minute fast! Plus, only 261 calories per serving, 20g protein, 36g carb and 3g fat!

Some of my friends think making amazing-tasting meals, with wholesome ingredients, and on-point macros is an all-day affair. I say nope, nada, and now way to that! Bring a “wow” recipe to the table and impress your family with this easy shrimp recipe that uses a few quality convenience products to make life easier — like salsa like mom would have made from the garden, but prepped and packaged up at peak flavor from Sam’s Fresh Salsa.

Get hyped with this 15 second tutorial!

Sam’s Fresh Salsa crafts crave-worthy salsas that are made with real ingredients with zero preservative, zero additives, and zero yucky stuff. You can feel confident you are eating the best salsa around, and the quality is guaranteed.

To get this salsa shrimp and girts recipe in just 15 minutes, it’s broken up into two main tasks. You can’t beat a 15 minute shrimp recipe — and Sam’s Salsa gives it the flavor!

First, toss thawed shrimp and frozen corn on a baking sheet and sprinkle with spices and drizzle with olive oil. Bake that for 15 minutes at 425F.

Second, while the shrimp is roasting in the oven, whip up all ingredients for the grits in the MICROWAVE. Quick grits, produce-department cut cubes of butternut squash, and Sam’s Fresh Salsa put an unexpected southwestern and seasonal spin on an old-school side dish. It all cooks up in the microwave in 10 minutes and ready just about when the shrimp is done!

Pile grits in a bowl, top with roasted shrimp and corn, and extra Sam’s Fresh Salsa, Mild or Medium – your choice! Of course, salsa is great as a dip with chips, but using it as a quick and easy way to elevate the flavor in many recipes without adding a lot of calories or fat — like these salsa shrimp grits.

I’ve been a fan of making Sam’s Fresh Salsa recipes for a while, for dipping chips of course, but also drizzling on fish, salads, and other personal creations like these Salsa Verde Spinach, Corn & Rice Poppers, a popular snack at my house and also works as a party appetizer.

Delicious baked rice balls loaded with cheese and veggies are perfect for dunking in mild salsa verde! The secret to maximum flavor is also using the salsa as part of the cooking liquid in the rice! Surprising low cal and lower carb -- 56 calories and 6g carbs per piece. An appetizer and snack that makes everyone happy! — *Salsa Verde Spinach, Corn & Rice Poppers for your party!*

You can purchase Sam’s Fresh Salsa at fine stores like ShopRite, Acme, and Safeway. If they are not in your local store, ask them to carry Sam’s Fresh Salsa products!

Salsa Butternut Squash Grits with Roasted Shrimp & Corn – 15 minutes!

An amazingly flavorful, fit and fast meal, ready in 15 minutes!

Course: dinner, dinner, entree

Cuisine: Southwestern

Keyword: grits, salsa, shrimp

Calories: 261 kcal

Ingredients

Sheet Pan Shrimp & Corn

12 oz med raw shrimp peeled, deveined, tail on (or off, your preference), thawed
¾ cup frozen corn
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin

Salsa Butternut Squash Grits

2 cups vegetable broth
¾ cup quick-cook grits
10- oz package ready-to-cook butternut squash cubes from bag in produce dept
1 cup Sam’s Fresh Salsa extra for garish– Medium or Mild (your preference)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425F.
Pat thawed shrimp dry with paper towels. Add to rimmed baking sheet Add corn to baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil; sprinkle with garlic salt, chili powder, and ground cumin. Mix everything up in pan and then spread out into single layer. Roast in oven for approximately 15 minutes, or until shrimp done and corn turning brown in places.
Meanwhile, while shrimp is cooking, prepare grits. Add broth to 2-quart microwave-safe container (I used a 2-quart Pyrex measuring cup). Microwave on high for about 10 minutes topping to stir every 3 or 4 minutes. Grits will be done when water is absorbed and grits and butternut squash are softened. Stir well, and mash up the butternut a little bit with spoon.
Divide grits among 4 serving bowls or one large bowl to present family style. As soon as shrimp are ready, remove from oven and divide among bowls. Garnish with cilantro, additional salsa, and crumbled feta cheese.

Recipe Notes

Watermelon Cutting Made Quick & Easy for the Win in Any Season

Posted on October 26, 2022 by Jennifer FIsher

This post is sponsored by Watermelon.org.

We are well into the busy fall season and I just scored a big seedless watermelon at my local market, they were parked right next to the pumpkins outside and more inside! My day was MADE bringing this watermelon home – the sun was shining on me, literally and figuratively.

It felt like I was squeezing out extra summer from the year with my produce department find but actually watermelon is becoming more and more prevalent in grocery stores well outside warm-weather months. In hindsight, I can’t believe I almost didn’t buy the watermelon – thinking I didn’t have the TIME to cut it up and store it away during the weekend’s whirlwind of activities.

But after I checked out the fresh cut watermelon in the produce department (the slices on Styrofoam trays and chunks in plastic tubs), I decided that my budget this month was more “cut it yourself” than “sheer convenience.” So, made a beeline back to the whole watermelon bins and picked out a beautiful looking 16-pound watermelon that felt nice and heavy and had that ripeness-telling creamy yellow spot on the bottom.

Check out how quick and easy it is to cut watermelon!

When my hubby saw me hauling the watermelon into the house (a great workout by the way), he was super excited that we’d be taking it along as great pre- and post-race snack for our obstacle course race this weekend. He knows, from my years of gushing over watermelon and its frequent appearance on our family menu, that watermelon is fabulous for athletes – hydrating, has good carbs to provide energy, and a source of many important vitamins and minerals that we need.

Didn’t have lot of time to spare before we headed out on our weekend excursion. I was wondering how long does it take to cut watermelon, exactly. I’ve done it countless times, but never really paid any attention – I do know my feeling is that “it’s easier than people think.” so, I decided to give this watermelon cutting session a timer – not to rush through, but to legitimately see how long it took using one of my favorite watermelon cutting methods.

*Just a little over 5 minutes to cut up my watermelon!*

The result: My 16-pound watermelon* took 5 minutes and 16 seconds to cut and toss into storage containers. I wasn’t racing, but I wasn’t lollygagging or taking a ton of my usual watermelon snacking breaks – I was pretty focused on the task. so, boom — 5 minutes — I have just overcome the time objection that I hear from some of you about getting the “big” watermelon. as, for storing a watermelon, which can sometimes be unwieldy to fit in a fridge whole, chunking it up and sealing in stackable storage containers can help you optimize valuable fridge real estate.

*The average seedless watermelon is 8- to 12-pounds. My cutting demo watermelon was 16-pounds and in Texas I’ve purchased seedless watermelon much, much larger (30+ pounds).

MY GO-TO QUICK & EASY WAY TO CUT WATEMELON

Wash exterior of rind to prevent contaminants from dragging into flesh with each knife slice. I do this as soon as I bring home from store, so it’s not reflected in my 5-minute cutting time.
Lay watermelon on side and slice off just enough of each end, sparing as much watermelon flesh as possible, so that it will stand stable when rotating upright.
Stand watermelon upright and take large knife (I prefer a really large serrated knife), and make vertical cuts down the melon in one long motion, top to bottom, curving gently with the shape of watermelon. This is about 8 total cuts, more or less, depending on watermelon size
While it’s still “standing up,” slice de-rinded watermelon lengthwise through the center, top to bottom, and lay one half down on the cutting board with the curved side up.
If you desire “chunks”, make about 2 to 3 horizontal slices through the center of the half, depending on the largeness of your watermelon. then slice top to bottom in in approximate 1” rows going each direction. if you want “sticks,” just skip the first horizontal cut mentioned in this step.
Package up in air-tight containers and store in the fridge for 3 to 5 days.
Compost the watermelon rinds, or use in a recipe – check out my Churro Watermelon Rind Fries in the Air Fryer.

Watermelon.org shows a very similar cutting method on their website.

One Pot, Easy Cheesy Shrimp Quinoa-Rice Bake

Posted on October 24, 2022 by Jennifer FIsher

One Pot, Easy Cheesy Shrimp Quinoa-Rice Bake makes mid-week seem mighty fine! Enjoy a shrimp that is low mess and low stress, taking only 30 minutes prep to plate!

Prep to plate in 30 minutes! You can also make ahead and store this shrimp casserole in the fridge until ready to bake. Loaded with protein, veggies and healthy whole grains in a comforting, cheddar cheese sauce.

Succulent shrimp with mushrooms, onions, and spinach marry in a creamy sharp cheddar sauce with a brown rice-quinoa providing the whole grains you need. It’s at once comfort food AND yet a beautifully balanced meal.

Made over a bit from the heavy, calorie and fat laden traditional shrimp rice casseroles, this version uses smaller amounts of dairy, lots of veggies, plenty of shrimp –and some quinoa in lieu of the typical “all rice” shrimp casserole.

You get a whopping 29g protein for only 360 calories. Full nutrition details in this 6-serving shrimp recipe.

Check out this quick 15-second tutorial!

I use an oven-proof 10” skillet with lid for this recipe, but you can also use a Dutch oven or a 2-quart casserole dish (you’ll have an extra dish to wash with this last option thought).

I use frozen (thawed) peeled, tail-off, deveined shrimp to make this recipe extra easy and convenient. When cooking the shrimp, it’s a “par cook,” meaning you saute in the skilled for just a couple minutes until the grey is gone and they have barely just turned pink – the remainder of cooking is done in in the oven. Just a heads up so you don’t get rubbery shrimp.

After sauteing the shrimp, the veggies, and making the cheesy sauce, the shrimp and quinoa rice blend are mixed in – and then it bakes at 325F degrees for about 15 minutes. However, this can also be a make-ahead casserole recipe by doing all steps up until the last baking step. Just prepped dish in in the fridge until ready to bake, and add on 5 or so extra baking minutes to compensate for starting it cold.

5 from 6 votes

One Pot Cheesy Shrimp Quinoa-Rice Bake

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

Total Time

30 mins

Prep to plate in 30 minutes! You can also make ahead and store this shrimp casserole in the fridge until ready to bake. Loaded with protein, veggies and healthy whole grains in a comforting, cheddar cheese sauce.

Course: dinner

Keyword: one dish, quinoa, shrimp

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 360 kcal

Ingredients

3 Tbsp Butter (divided)
1 Tbsp. minced Garlic
24 oz. large Shrimp peeled, tail-off, deveined
1 cup chopped Onion
8 oz. sliced Mushrooms
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cup 2% milk
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
6 oz. shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese divided
3 cups Baby Spinach
2 cups cooked Brown Rice
1 cup cooked Quinoa

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 325F.
Add 1 tbsp butter to 10” deep skillet or Dutch oven. Melt, cook shrimp over medium-high heat for just 2 to 3 minutes until barely pink (don’t over cook).
Remove shrimp, set aside in bowl. Keep shrimp juices in pan, add 1 tbsp butter, onions, and mushrooms and saute for 2-3 more min until tender.
Add last 1 tbsp. butter,to mushrooms, melt and sprinkle flour over. Stir around for 30 sec, pour in milk in a slow steady stream while stirring to incorporate smooth with mushroom mixture. Let bubble for 1 minute until milk hot, then stir in 4-oz. of cheese, salt, seasoning, stir until melted.
Remove from heat, stir in baby spinach, cooked rice and quinoa, and the shrimp. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and bake for 15 minutes until heated through, sauce bubbling, cheese melted.
If needed, you can make up to the baking step and then keep covered in the fridge until ready. Then cook as directed adding about 5 to 7 more minutes to the baking time, bringing it to 20 to 22 minutes baking.

Recipe Notes