Paleo Countdown Spice Rub & 4-3-2-1 Workout

Posted on October 1, 2013 by Jennifer FIsher

Editor’s Note: Updated 10/2/2019

There is something satisfying (and easy to remember) about rattling off numbers backward in a countdown. In fact, this ritual is even so important in some professions that it’s become part of popular culture – just think of NASA and their huge countdown clock. As a kid, I counted down the days until Halloween, Christmas and the end of the school year.

As an adult, I count down the number of weeks until my next marathon and, admittedly, have even used a countdowns to threaten motivate my kids to accomplish tasks. Today I have a 4-3-2-1 Countdown Spice Rub recipe that is so simple, you don’t even have to write it down. Read on to get the paleo recipe: Continue reading →

How to Celebrate Family Health & Fitness Day!

Posted on September 28, 2013 by Jennifer FIsher

Stay active, even on vacation

Today is Family Health & Fitness Day USA and I’m blogging all about it at Living Litehouse. This national health and fitness initiative encourages family involvement in physical activity and eating right, primary goals of the U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity and Health. Statistics show that most of us, especially children from 12 – 21 years of age, are getting not getting the exercise and healthy foods we need to perform our best. Here are some great ways to live healthy every day of the year:

Get the whole family involved in a fun run!

Devote one hour a day to being active. It doesn’t always have to be a hardcore workout; walking to school with your kids or raking leaves together are examples of how to easily fit it into a busy schedule. Making exercise all fun and games is also a way to sneak it in – play tag, hula hoop, jump rope or sign up for a family fun run.

Encourage extra-curricular sports. I’ve found that sometimes it’s hard to know if you like something until you try it, especially if there are pre-conceived notions involved. If your kid shows an aptitude combined with a passion a sport, let him go for it. Otherwise, don’t worry about trying to train a little Olympic prodigy, just let them enjoy the experience.

Make healthy eating fun. A balanced diet doesn’t have to be something to dread. Instead, pack your family’s plates and lunchboxes with creative and nutritious foods that are scaled back on fat, sugar, sodium and unneccesary preservatives and artificial stuff. The healthiest eaters focus on filling up with vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, whole grains and low-fat dairy products. Of course, just search around my recipes and you’ll find a ton of tasty mealtime inspiration.

Get kids involved in picking out colorful fruits and vegetables.

Don’t forget to visit Living Litehouse to learn more about this and find out other great ways to live well and eat well.

My Hectic yet Healthy Life {Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore Recipe } #Greenling

Posted on September 25, 2013 by Jennifer FIsher

Once again, actually make that twice again, Greenling has saved dinner this week and kept me from hauling the kids through the drive through. Oodles of work obligations in addition to all of our sports and extra-curricular schedules have kept us busier than a cat in a bag with two dogs. Or, as a friend likes to put it, keeping up with the Fishers is like trying to take only a sip of water out of a fire hose. I guess we’re an all-over-the-place, in-your-face, deluge of doers, but I’ll take this super-charged, super-eventful season of my life over being bored any day.

I made Chicken Cacciatore in 5 minutes — kinda, sorta!

But all this activity makes getting dinner prepared more difficult. It requires advance planning and stopping by the store, which sometimes – to be honest – is not how I want to spend my few free minutes of the day. Enter Greenling.com, an organic and locally-sourced produce and grocery service that offers free delivery right to your doorstep (in coolers so you don’t even have to be home). I love the idea of feeding my family foods grown by mom and pop farms right here in the Central Texas area – and saving the time, hassle and gas money of going to the market.

jennifer fisher - thefitfork.com - local box

Local Box from Greeling.com changes every week depending on what’s in season at nearby organic farms.

I’ve ordered their local box of organic produce and it was fabulous – delivered right to my door step and with a card of recipe ideas (thank goodness, because I had no idea what to do with turnips). Knowing how busy we were this week, I picked a family-sized meal from their wide selection of recipe kits. They have a nice assortment of healthy, family-friendly options including Beef Tacos, Slow Cooker Lasagna and Sesame Chicken. While Asian Lettuce Wraps and the Kale Portobello Stuffed Mushrooms have been tried-and-true winners, I decided to go for something new and settled on Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore featuring cremini mushrooms, squash, tomato and peppers and fresh, locally-made linguine pasta.

My recipe kit from Greenling.com included already-prepped ingredients for Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore!

Literally, it took five minutes for me to take the lids off these pre-prepped vegetables, spices and sauce and get it going in the crock pot. Soon after, I left for a trip to the gym, school pick-ups, dentist appointments and football practice. The kids were starving by the time we walked in the door, we could smell the yumminess and all I had left to do was boil the fresh pasta noodles that were included with the recipe kit.

Chicken Cacciatore cooking for four hours in crockpot while I’m out having fun!

I would have paired the Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore with the large grab-and-go Kale Waldorf Salad I ordered, but oops – we ate that two nights ago when we unexpectedly scored tickets to a college football game and had to come up with dinner in a snap. Instead of serving the salad as a side dish, I added some feta cheese crumbles, a little more lettuce to stretch it, and some pre-grilled chicken I had in the freezer. Literally, it was a meal made in 3 minutes!

Are you ready to fire up your slow cooker and make meals while you’re out doing things that are much more fun – like running, CrossFitting and watching your kids play football or toot a trombone? Check out Greenling.com and order a recipe kit – they have locations in all the big Texas cities. If you’re not from ’round these parts, so sorry. But, I’ve rattled off my interpretation of the recipe below – it’s still easy to make, there’s just a lot more chopping!

Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore Recipe

1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1 lb organic chicken breast
4 cups squash (zucchini, summer or a mix), cut in ½” chunks
2 cups cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 small cans tomato paste
12 ounces chicken stock
1 bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (or more if you like spicy)
12 oz fresh pasta of choice

Place onion in the bottom of a large (6 quart) slow cooker; lay chicken on top of onion and then toss in squash and mushrooms.

In a mixing bowl, add chicken stock. Add in tomato paste, bell pepper, garlic, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper and stir until blended. Pour tomato mixture over chicken and vegetables in slow cooker.

Set the slow cooker to high and cook 3-4 hours until chicken pulls apart easily with a fork.

Before serving, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a medium pot over high heat. Add pasta and cook to manufacturer’s directions.

Drain pasta and serve chicken cacciatore over pasta.

Serves 6.

Time for Socks Talk & Why Everyone’s Doing It + #Swiftwick #Giveaway

Posted on September 23, 2013 by Jennifer FIsher

What do you think about compression socks? Personally, I love them and wear them for both racing and recovery.

Compression socks for the win at CASA Superhero 5k this weekend!

So, what is the science that supports wearing compression socks? There are several theories that explain just how wearing these snug, knee-high socks may help an athlete extend endurance and reach peak performance. The main theory is that the graduated compression of these socks creates better circulation (eg: oxygen delivery) between the lower legs and heart. This improved venous capacity will, in turn, help a runner reach peak performance during a race and recover from muscle damage more quickly. Another notion is that muscle fatigue can be reduced by providing a snug hug of stability that lessens the intensity of lower leg muscle and tendon vibrations that occur each time the foot strikes the ground. And, there is also talk that wearing compression socks may also increase leg power by reducing lower leg fatigue, as just mentioned, and increasing proprioception. Proprioception is just a fancy word for explaining how your mind senses its arms, legs and other body parts during movement and sends out messages to make (hopefully) helpful adjustments for future movements.

So, is there any truth to these claims about compression socks? I’m certainly not a scientist and there always seems to be some study or another that rebukes what another one just said. But, that being said, what I lack in science skills, I more than make up for in social studies and, from what I’ve observed, plenty of runners have found some benefit from compression socks. Just go to the start line of a race and take a look around; compression socks are being sported in prolific abundance on the legs of Olympic elite types to the back-of-the-packers. Personally, I’ve found that when I have to do my speed work on the treadmill (which is more often than I’d like), I notice a huge difference in the way I feel the next day if I am not wearing compression socks. Without, my legs feel completely trashed and it takes an extra day to recover. The correlation is significant enough that I don’t like to take any chances, that’s why I wear compression socks during races as well. The only negative experience I’ve had was during a 50 mile race. Although I had plenty of room in the toe box of my shoes to accommodate swelling feet, the compression socks didn’t want to “give” enough. Repeatedly, I would stop, take of my shoes and pull the sock forward – in the end I lost several toe nails. However, this has not ever been the case wearing compression socks in a marathon. Actually, the toe nail fiasco was partially my fault, since I didn’t test out any of my gear ahead of time for that distance. You see, that’s because I ran the 50 mile race on a complete whim, deciding while on course to finish the race after pacing a friend through the first half (you can read about that craziness here).

Here are some other reasons I like compression socks:

Mental edge: Whether the science behind them is valid or not, compression socks have become a must-have part of my race-ready routine. Just like my lucky ladybug earrings, I feel much more in control and ready to conquer when I am wearing a pair of compression socks.

Warmth: I get cold easily, yet refuse to race in running tights or capris. Knee-high compression socks give me a little extra layer of warmth at the starting line.

Fashion: Sorry if I lose the guys here, but compression socks are so much cuter than they used to be. Forget about orthopedic white ones, they are boring and get dirty too fast. I’m all for bright colors, stripes and sporty designs on my compression socks.

Protection: I have been known to throw down some epic falls while running, and not just on the trail where you might expect it. Compression sock coverage means fewer square inches of my body will get road burned the next time I wipe out. Plus, when CrossFitting, I’m ready to dead lift or rope clip at a second’s notice. Yeah, that’s me doing CrossFit Games Open WOD 13.2 in a pair of white Swiftwicks!

While running Hood to Coast Relay this year and last, the official sock sponsor for our team was Swiftwick. This brand has a full line of sock options to meet a runner’s compression, thermal and wicking needs. Aside from the obvious performance of this company’s socks, there are a couple of other things I love about this brand – it’s completely made in the USA and the prices are really reasonable (only about $25 for knee-high compression socks – that’s a deal!).

Some teammates sporting their cute pink-striped “twelves” compression socks by Swiftwick. Not wearing mine yet because my first leg wasn’t for 12 more hours!

Not all of Swiftwick’s compression socks are knee-highs, in fact most come in traditional lengths. But they are ALL compression socks in the fact that these socks are designed to compress at the foot and move blood flow upward. Another perk, if you have high arches (like me) is that the snug fit provides excellent support right where you need it most.

I’m excited to share the Swiftwick love by giving away a $25 Swiftwick gift card code so that one of you lucky runners can try out a pair (or two) and discover all the benefits for yourself. Just follow the easy entry options below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Winning Gridiron Grub | Ranch Cornbread Sliders & Crunchy Veggie Salad

Posted on September 20, 2013 by Jennifer FIsher

It’s football season; my inquiring mind wants to know just exactly who are you rooting for this weekend? I’ll be in the stands cheering on my little Jr. Pee-Wee football player and then later on, we’ll head out for the varsity high school game. And, no Saturday would be complete without flipping on the big screen to catch the ole Alma matter hit the turf – too bad we can’t be there in person, it’s going to be a great game! Whether your team wins or loses, you’ll score big taste with this awesome recipe I developed for Litehouse Foods – Homestyle Ranch Cornbread Sliders with Crunch Veggie Cups. Touchdown!

Made especially with a tailgate party in mind, these savory cornbread muffins have been kicked up with thick, creamy ranch dip and Lighthouse Food’s Instantly Fresh Herbs. I really can’t describe in words just how marvelous and moist they bake up. Slice in half, toss in some lean protein of choice and you’ve got yourself some good grub for the gridiron. To round out the meal, I’m suggesting a build-your-own raw veggie salad that is assembled right in plastic party cups (pure genius if you ask me because there is no clean-up and guests can eat and mingle around at the same time). I used a rainbow slaw with broccoli, carrots and other veggies and set out an assortment of cheese crumbles, nuts and salad dressings. Potato chips seem to be standard fare but I also think that my homemade Spicy Sweet Potato Chips would be an excellent substitution.

Check out the Living Litehouse blog for all the delicious details and the full versions of all these easy-to-tackle recipes.

So, what do you like to eat at a tailgate party? Do you try to be mindful of eating fit and healthy foods or do you indulge and vow to work it off later? Let me know in the comments below.