Pick-Me-Up Apple Pie Smoothie & #Smoovember Blender Giveaway

Posted on November 1, 2013 by Jennifer FIsher

Hello November, what a wonderful time of year! I am always so thankful for the opportunity to visit with family and friends, enjoy fabulous (mostly healthy) food and soak up the spirit of the upcoming holidays. But, to be honest, things get crazy up in the Fisher house by mid-November. School and extra-curricular activities are in full swing, meaning band concerts, sports banquets, robotics competitions, community volunteer opportunities, and more – whew! Oh, and did I mention I am running the San Antonio Half Marathon (Nov 17) and Dallas Marathon (12/8)? Through all of this, I’m also keeping up with my CrossFit — some days I just feel like I’m barely hanging on!

Some days I’m barely hanging on!

So, when I start going crazy in the mom brain, I want to reach out and grab something immediately comforting for breakfast, something like Fruit Loops or cinnamon rolls or (still being honest here) my kids’ Halloween candy. But, I know starting the day off with a carbohydrate sugar bomb makes me feel even more tired and crazy, so I try to switch my focus to protein. Starting the day off with about 25 grams of quality protein just makes me feel better, perform better and curbs between meal snacking. But, sometimes the thought of eggs yet again (although I love them) doesn’t sound so appealing compared to something like my favorite dessert. . . . apple pie!

So, why not a smoothie with the flavor of apple pie a la mode? And, why not add a little caffeinated tea to help me tackle the day? Yesterday, I whipped up a Pick-Me-Up Apple Pie Smoothie that satisfied all my morning requirements – easy, sweet and protein-packed. I tried out the recipe in the Single Serve Travel Blender Hamilton Beach sent me to test for their #smoovember promotion.

Enjoying a smoothie straight out of the blender jar. Yay, one less glass to wash!

This little blender is pretty cool; you can mix up a 14-ounce smoothie and drink it straight from the jar. That means, if you’re in a rush, you can mix up your favorite elixir and head on your way, snippity-snap. You’re not going to spill any smoothie in the car or subway thanks to the tight-fitting lid with slide-shut opening. Plus, it’s so light and compact; I’d even consider packing it in a suitcase along with my tub of protein powder for a weekend getaway. At less than 20 bucks (at Target), this blender would make an affordable holiday gift for any fitness fan on your list.

Not only am I giving away one of these Single Serve Travel Blenders courtesy of Hamilton Beach and #smoovember, but I also get to treat one of you lucky readers to its super-sized sibling – the Smoothie Smart™ Blender. The 40-ounce capacity blender is perfect when I’m making more than one smoothie at a time. One of the neatest features is the 45-second smart blending cycle that is pre-programmed with the exact number of pulses and speeds needed to whip up the perfect smoothie. And, at the end of the cycle, it shuts off automatically – perfect for this easily distracted mom. Another perk, the no-mess spout means that my countertops stay clean when serving it up into glasses.

I’m including my recipe for Pick-Me-Up Apple Pie Smoothie, you’re going to love it – and you’re going to love it even more in one of these new blenders! You know, Hamilton Beach has been making blenders for over 100 years and they really know what works best! Don’t forget to enter my giveaway at the bottom of the post.

Pick-Me-Up Apple Pie Smoothie Recipe

3 ounces water
1 cinnamon tea bag
1 medium apple, peeled, cored and sliced
2 teaspoons brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
Dash sea salt
4 ounces vanilla almond milk
1 scoop vanilla protein powder (“scoop” varies by brand)
A few ice cubes
Optional Garnish: dollop of whipped cream and cinnamon

In mug, boil water in microwave. Let tea bag steep for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, place apple slices in a microwave-safe dish and stir in brown sugar, spices and dash of salt. Microwave mixture on high for 3 to 4 minutes; stopping once to stir. Stick in freezer to cool for a few minutes.

Remove tea bag from mug and add almond milk to help cool liquid.

Add tea-milk mixture, apples and protein powder to blender jar. Pulse mixture until smooth.

Add ice cubes and continue pulsing to achieve the desired consistency. Garnish with a little dollop of whipped cream and cinnamon for an extra treat.

Yield: 1 smoothie

Tip: I often steep the tea and cook the apples the night before, so they are already chilled for the morning. Also, you can make a warm smoothie by omitting the ice cubes and an ounce or two of liquid. Sounds weird, but it’s really good – like drinking pie! However, NEVER make the smoothie with very HOT ingredients, this can be dangerous – the lid can fly off or the glass can crack and explode.

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Fuel Up Festively – Gingerbread Cranberry Protein Granola Recipe

Posted on October 30, 2013 by Jennifer FIsher

Some might say it’s “too soon” — too soon to post a gingerbread-flavored recipe or even hint at the Christmas and winter holiday season. But, when I was in my neighborhood grocery store today, I noticed that the displays had changed overnight from pumpkins and Halloween candy just the day prior to stuffing mixes, tree trimmings and fruit baskets (yes, I shop for food every day – three teen boys)! Halloween hasn’t even officially happened yet!

Some might also say that it’s “too soon” to do another granola recipe seeing as that’s what I just shared in my last post for Pumpkin Protein Granola. But, hello – look what showed up on my doorstep today – a mountain of muscle-making products from Designer Whey as part of their 20^th anniversary celebration. I knew I had to whip up more good-for-me goodies and this time it would be Gingerbread – Cranberry Protein Granola.

Their 100% Premium Whey Protein Powder is what I’ve been using in these recipes for various protein granolas. Lots of great flavors that whisk up really easy with the liquid ingredients – no lumps or clumps! I love putting a little protein powder in my recipes; it helps me build lean muscle, gives me longer lasting energy and curbs my hunger between meals. Adequate protein for all my meals and recovery snacks (I aim for 100g a day) keeps me ready to take on the world!

A busy weekend – podium finish at 10 mile race, practicing crow pose & cartwheeling at Prevention Magazine’s #R3Summit.

Gingerbread – Cranberry Protein Granola Recipe

Ingredients:

4 cups old-fashioned oats
1/3 cup raw shelled hemp seeds
1 cup raw pecans, chopped
1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup real maple syrup
1/4 cup molasses
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup vanilla protein powder (2 scoops)
4 ounces unsweetened applesauce
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup chopped dried cranberries

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325 F degrees and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, hemp seed, nuts, salt, cinnamon and ginger. Stir thoroughly to combine; set aside.

In medium pot, stir in the oil, maple syrup, molasses, water, applesauce, protein powder and vanilla over medium-low heat. Use a whisk to incorporate ingredients until smooth and just starting to bubble, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Add dry oat-mixture ingredients into pot; use spatula to stir and coat evenly. Turn the granola out onto prepared pan and spread it in an even layer. Bake for 20 minutes; remove to stir up granola so that it cooks evenly. Bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes for a total of 40 – 45 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to cool. The granola will continue to dry out a bit more during the cooling process. Store in an airtight container.

Makes approximately 6 cups of granola.

Smashing Pumpkin Protein Granola Recipe | #DesignerWhey & #Smari Love

Posted on October 25, 2013 by Jennifer FIsher

Just for full disclosure, I was provided the Designer Whey and Smari products talked about in this post as part of a campaign for #fitfluential. Of course, the recipe and opinions are all my own!

What SUPER things are you doing today? I’m eating a homemade granola made with some powerhouse SUPERFOOD ingredients. SUPER things are going to happen today, like maybe some more partner headstands! Anyway, after you laugh at the picture, read on to find out the scoop on my breakfast (and get the recipe).

‘Tis the season for pumpkin and I’m posting my last creation for the month using this big orange gourd . . . maybe! Actually, October 26^th is National Pumpkin Day, so my timing couldn’t be better to bring you this recipe for Smashing Pumpkin Protein Granola. By the way, if you want to see my smashing of pumpkin recipes, just hop down to the bottom of the post.

I have to admit, I’ve never made granola before but it was the easiest thing ever! And, the way my husband and kids scarf it down, I am super excited that I’ll be saving a bit of money making it myself and can have more control over the ingredients. Rather than leaving it up to the cereal-making industry, I can decide the type and how much sweetener to use (like honey, agave or maple syrup) and exactly what types of mix-ins will fuel my body best. Since I like more protein with my breakfast than most store-bought granolas offer, incorporating a protein powder into the mix was my number one goal with this great granola experiment.

Designer Whey recently sent me a box packed with their awesome whey-based products to test out and the Almond Vanilla 100% Whey Premium Protein Powder seemed like a deliciously complementary flavor for my granola undertaking! You know, protein powder like Designer Whey isn’t just for making smoothies (although, it’s a darn good use)!

For my granola, I added a generous amount of nutritionally dense mix-ins including golden raisins (love ‘em), chopped almonds, pumpkin puree and shelled hemp seeds.I don’t think I’ve ever explained much about hemp seed on the blog. Shelled hemp seed is a superfood that contains all of the essential amino acids – this makes it a complete protein source and good option for vegetarians. Shelled hemp seed is comprised of 33% protein; in addition, hemp is also a good source of essential fatty acids (EFAs), magnesium, iron, potassium, fiber, and loads of antioxidants. Hemp adds a nice nutty flavor to your food; some liken it to pine nuts. Experts suggest that when cooking with hemp; keep the temperature at 325 F degrees or below to preserve the integrity of the EFAs.

So, back to the Smashing Pumpkin Protein Granola. It turned out fabulous and adding the protein powder into the recipe didn’t change the texture at all. I was swatting away hands all day until I could take the photos, and when I finally gave the go-ahead to munch – I kid you not – the batch was polished off on the spot.

I had to make a second batch to pair with Smari Icelandic Yogurt, a really super product that Designer Whey introduced me to. It sounded elusive, exotic and hard-to-find, but you can get at any Whole Foods Market.

Smari, is a thick and creamy, organic Icelandic-style yogurt available in four flavors – pure (nothing plain about it), vanilla, blueberry and strawberry. As a protein lover, what caught my eye about this yogurt is that it has more protein than most Greek yogurts. I inquired how this could be and was told that it takes 4 cups of milk to make 1 cup of yogurt versus Greek yogurt which uses 2 to 3 cups.

If you are a label reader, other good things to know – Smari uses organic cane sugar, uses Oregon fruit with no preservatives, is made with milk from grass-fed cows that live on small family farms, and uses natural tapioca starch as a thickening agent. It’s also gluten free and kosher and has 20 grams of protein, 0% fat and provides 20% DV of calcium per 6-ounce serving (pure flavor). Oh, and it has a very recycle-friendly carton. Whoot, thumbs up!

Smashing Pumpkin Protein Granola Recipe

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (Gluten-Free, if needed)
1/2 cup natural almonds, chopped
1/3 cup shelled hemp seed
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cloves
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
½ cup pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons water
2/3 cup protein powder ( I used Designer Whey Vanilla Almond )
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup golden raisins

Preheat oven to 325F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place oats, almonds, hemp seed, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves in a large bowl; mix together.

Place the coconut oil, syrup, pumpkin, water and protein powder in a medium saucepan. Turn heat to medium and whisk until mixture is smooth, thick and creamy and just beginning to bubble. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla.

Pour oat mixture into pot, stirring to combine and coat. Pour mixture out evenly on baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silpat.

Bake in preheated oven for approximately 45 minutes, stirring once or twice. If granola still seems moist, keep baking in 5 minute increments until dry. Remove from oven and let cool completely on sheet. Crumble up in bowl and stir in raisins.

Store cooled granola in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks, or freeze for up to 2 months.

More Pumpkin Recipes (in case you missed them!):

Halloween Appetizers so Healthy, It’s Scary!

Posted on October 23, 2013 by Jennifer FIsher

For most, Halloween is a valid excuse to eat fun-size chocolate bars and candy corn until falling into a sugar coma – and I’m not immune. Aside from chocolate anything (natch), my favorite “kid” candies are banana Laffy Taffy, Tootsie Rolls and Hot Tamales! There’s a reason why I don’t buy Halloween candy until the day before; if it’s in front of my face, I’m going to eat it! Actually, I’m repeating my treats last year and giving trick-or-treaters SunRype Fruit Strips (100% all-natural, no preservative fruit leathers). To prevent being “tricked” by ticked off pre-teens, I also offered candy under the obligation that each kid must take taking at least one healthy treat. (Nov. 1 update — the SunRype were actually very popular as Halloween handouts!)

My older boys are having some friends come over for a scary-movie and video game party! I’m setting up a bone-chilling buffet similar to this one I created for Litehouse Foods. Look closely and you’ll see that this deconstructed platter of goblin parts is actually quite healthy, and could even be called a well-balanced meal. There are blood shot eyeball eggs, baked shrimp goblin fingers, molded intestine noodles and creepy crudities. Rattle your bones and get on over to Litehouse Foods to get the recipes for the Bloodshot Eyeball Eggs and Shrimp Goblin Fingers – your family will be screaming . . . with delight!

jennifer fisher litehouse goblin platter whole eggs

Make these bloodshot eye eggs by gently tapping them to crackle shell and soak overnight in beet juice.

Now, I’m not that mom who refuses to serve something sweet and sinful. I’ll also be making this Halloween Trash recipe I found floating around on Facebook – it certainly looks to die for! So, for whomever is keeping score out there, this one is NOT as healthy! But, enjoy!

Here’s my take on throwing it together (plus I’m adding m&ms and pretzels) — 8 cups popped corn using my microwave brown paper bag method, 2 cups mini pretzels , 1 cup fall-colored M&Ms, 1 cup candy corn, 1 pound vanilla bark, Halloween sprinkles. Mix popped corn, pretzels and candy together on wax-paper lined, rimmed baking sheets. Drizzle with vanilla bark melted according to manufacturer’s directions. Toss to coat evenly. Finish up with Halloween-colored sprinkles.

Pomegranate-Balsamic Pot Roast with Baby Bella Mushrooms Recipe {+ Next Day Meal}

Posted on October 22, 2013 by Jennifer FIsher

Last week I attended a cooking class called “Indulge the Heart,” and indulge I did – but in a healthy way. The Heart Hospital of Texas in conjunction with the Texas Beef Council showed us all how to make a delicious date-night meal from a healthy lean cut of beef. Chef Richard Chamberlain of Chamberlain’s Steak & Chop House in Dallas, Texas and cardiologist Dr. Paul Coffeen enlightened the group on the health benefits of beef and shared healthy tips for cooking it up. I’ve never been shy about my love of lean beef and the role it plays in my training and recovery diet, it’s also no surprise that I get around in beef-circles and I already knew these two beef experts – I’d say they were preaching to the choir!

Our menu included an Italian Post Roast with Sweet Peppers, Olives & Capers from the Healthy Beef Cookbook – it was superb! Not at all like the stringy meat and mushy carrot pot roasts that I remember from my childhood (not that MY mom ever cooked one like that). It’s hard to believe I’ve never actually cooked a pot roast myself, but the chef and doctor sure sold me on the idea and inspired me to come up with my own recipe. Plus, when I saw that Angus Chuck Roast was on special for $2.97 a pound at Sam’s Club, I couldn’t resist. For us fitness types, it’s reassuring to know that pot roast today is a much leaner hunk of meat than it was back in the day. A three-ounce serving has just 5.7 grams total fat (1.8 grams saturated fat) and falls in the middle of the 29 lean cuts of beef.

So, are you hanging on the edge of your seat wondering what I did with the beef and how I ending up with leftovers that were transformed into an equally delicious meal? Here’s the skinny – I came up with the recipe Pomegranate-Balsamic Pot Roast with Baby Bella Mushrooms following the master idea from Chef Chamberlain. However, since I can never stick to a recipe and didn’t have any red wine (which his recipe called for), I took my meal in a whole ‘nutha direction. When I was plating the meal, I realized that I should have made a “sopping substance” for the sauce — brown rice, noodles, polenta, riced cauliflower or something!

In any event, the recipe made quite a lot of sauce by design – the meat needs to be completely covered up with liquid to braise properly. While we polished off the beef that night, I still had a stockpot more than half full of sweet-savory, umami-packed sauce. I couldn’t bear the thought of throwing it away so I stuck it in the fridge! So what happened the next day was genius, if I do say so myself. I added a can of petite-dice tomatoes, a can full of water, a pound of cooked ground beef and a handful of bow-tie noodles to the pot, heated it up until the pasta was cooked – and, viola, a rich (but not fattening), ultra flavorful soup! No chintzy leftovers here; this salvaged meal made a large amount of hearty soup that fed the entire family with refills! So what would you name this soup? I need a name, let me know in the comments below!!

jennifer fisher thefitfork.com pot roast soup

This is the surprise soup I made the second day with leftovers!

Pomegranate-Balsamic Pot Roast with Baby Bella Mushrooms Recipe

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 boneless beef chuck shoulder pot roast (approx. 2 lbs)
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 medium onion chopped
8-ounce carton of baby bella mushrooms, sliced (use your favorite variety)
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 ½ cups pomegranate juice (make sure actual juice – not “cocktail”)
1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes, with juice
2 cups beef broth (from can, paste or fresh)
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon whole peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 cup sliced carrots
2 teaspoons arrowroot powder
¼ cup water

In large stock pot, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil over medium heat until hot. Place beef in pot and brown evenly on both sides. Remove from pot and season with salt and pepper.

In same pot, add onion and mushrooms and sauté for approximately 3 to 5 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and sauté for 1 additional minute.

Add pomegranate juice to deglaze the pan, stirring until simmering and crusty beef bits have come off the bottom of pot and become incorporated in the sauce.

Add tomatoes, beef broth, balsamic vinegar, peppercorns, bay leaves, oregano, thyme and crushed red pepper; stir to incorporate.

Return roast to the pot and bring everything to a boil; reduce heat and cover pot with tight-fitting lid. Continue to simmer for approximately 2 hours or until fork tender.

Add sliced carrots and continue to simmer. Stir arrowroot powder into 1/4 cup water to create a slurry. Pour slurry into pot and stir for a couple minutes until sauce is thickened; take care not to overheat.

Remove bay leaves and serve over rice, noodles, polenta or riced cauliflower.

Serves 6 to 8.