Happy National Almond Day! Munch on my Almond Lover Cookie Recipe

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jennifer fisher- thefitfork- almond lover cookiesDid you know today, February 16th, is National Almond Day? Roasted, raw, spiced, salted, covered in chocolate; you probably don’t need any additional encouragement to snack on these delicious little nuggets from nature. But, just to bring more cred to the crunch, here are my top five reasons that eating almonds is good for you. Plus, I’ve also included my Almond Lover Cookie Recipe below.

  1. Almonds are a super source of vitamin E, an antioxidant that many runners and other athletes lack, primarily because there are so few good food sources of it. Plus, research has suggested the type of vitamin E, called gamma-tocopherol, found in nuts helps to fight cancer. And, apparently gamma-tocopherol isn’t found in supplements, you have to get it straight from the food source.
  2. Almonds are chock full of other nutrients (besides vitamin E) beneficial to runners and athletes including magnesium, iron, calcium, and potassium. One handful of almonds can help reduce muscle damage, strengthen your bones, and boost energy to power through a workout.
  3. Other research has shown that munching on nuts several times per week reduces circulating cholesterol levels, particularly the artery-clogging LDL type, decreasing your risk for heart disease.
  4. Almonds are packed with both protein and fiber, meaning a snack incorporating almonds will keep you feeling fuller longer. A serving of almonds is one ounce (about 24 almonds) and has 170 calories, 3 grams of dietary fiber and 6 grams of protein.
  5. There are so many delicious things you can do with almonds. Gobble them straight from the bag, sprinkle in salads, mix with dried fruit or grind up and use as a coating of fish or chicken. Almond meal (a fancy way to say “ground almonds”) also makes a great substitute for flour in baking, especially if you are following a gluten-free, low-carb or Paleo diet. Check out this yummy Almond Lover Cookies Recipe I came up with that takes advantage of almonds in every way!

Almond Lover’s Cookie Recipe

  • 6 Tablespoons butter, softened
  • ½ cup almond butter
  • ½ cup Splenda (or preferred sugar alternative)
  • ¼ cup egg white
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ cup almond flour
  • 24 chocolate covered almonds

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.

In medium mixing bowl, add butter, almond butter, Splenda and mix together until well-combined. Beat in egg white until mixture is fluffy. Next, mix in baking soda, salt and almond flour, stirring until incorporated.

Let mixture sit in refrigerator for a couple hours (or freezer for 30 minutes). With hands, shape dough into 1-inch balls and place on 2-inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately press a chocolate-covered almond into the top of each. Let cool on sheet for 1 minute and then spatula off to wire rack.

Makes 2 dozen.

Nutrition per cookie: Calories 103, fat 9g, sodium 24mg, potassium 96mg, total carbohydrate 2.8g, dietary fiber 1.5g, sugars 1.0g, protein 2.5g

Coconut, Acai Berry & Banana Smoothie Recipe with 3Fuel – EatSmart Scale Saves Day

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Are you one of those people who pride themselves on precision, accuracy, and exactness?  If your marathon training plan says run 20 miles, would you be okay running 19.5?  If you’re sharing a cookie, would you measure it down the middle or just snap it in half, risking one side might be bigger? I say, who cares about being perfectly precise, aren’t we just getting too hung up on the details and ruining the delight of the moment. If you scrutinize my blog, you might even find some typos – but I think you still enjoy what I’m saying. Or, so I hope.

But, in some instances, approximating, being imprecise or overly loose-goosey has unfortunate consequences. It don’t like to venture into unfortunate consequence territory, that’s why I’m precise about some things. Of course, I’m not going to weave out of my lane driving, I’m going to take any and all medications as prescribed and I’ll always pay my bills on time.

As far as watching what goes in my mouth, I’ve always been more of an eye-baller. Too much measuring might get in the way of the experience, so I’ve relied on “rules” that say a 3-ounce serving of meat is the size of a deck of cards and grains, potatoes and such should be limited to the size of your fist at each serving. However, there is a margin of error here and the consequences vary depending on the food. Obviously, guess-timating a portion of lettuce is much less risky nutrition-wise that scooping willy-nilly out of a Haagen-Dazs container.

That’s why it can be handy for an “eye-baller” like myself to check-in and set some visual baselines every now and then with a food scale. I really like the EatSmart Precision Digital Kitchen Scale to help me figure out my serving sizes.  I used it this morning to measure out the protein powder for my smoothie (recipe below). If you’ve ever used protein powder, you know how frustrating it can be to lose the scoop!  The instructions to use “one scoop” are never supported by what fraction of a cup that is or how many tablespoons. I’ve always just guessed how much that scoop should be, imagine that! Thankfully, my bag of 3Fuel protein powder did give the number of grams per serving and the EatSmart Scale measures in both pounds (up to 15) and grams (up to 7000) via the push of a button.

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Tip: If you are weighing your protein powder (or anything else) in another container on the scale, remember to weigh that container separately and then subtract it from the final weight!

Tip: Remember to wipe you scale after measuring each ingredient, especially if you are plopping down meats that might cross contaminate. The EatSmart Scale has a really nice big stainless-steel loading platform that can easily be cleaned up.

Tip: Use an EatSmart Scale to portion servings of nuts, spices, protein powder and even the perfect amount of coffee beans to grind for your morning cup of Joe.  Find out other tips to “eat smart” on the EatSmart Facebook Page or by following the EatSmart Blog

Coconut, Acai Berry and Banana Smoothie Recipe (with 3Fuel)

  • 3 cups almond coconut milk (unsweetened)
  • 2 scoops protein powder of choice (I used 3Fuel Nutrition Shake)
  • 2 tablespoons dried acai powder
  • 1 tablespoon Stevia
  • 1 frozen banana
  • 2 cups ice

Easy to make, just pour all ingredients into a blender and process until smooth. Pour into tall glasses, serves 2.

Nutrition per serving: calories 199, protein 12g, fat 6g, carbs 24g, carbs from sugar 7g, fiber 3.5g, sodium 103mg, calcium 414mg (68% RDA).

Fact: Acai Berry is a macronutrient rich source of resveratrol, polyphenols and flavonoids for increased energy and health.

 Get your supplies here:

 

Save 10% on 3Fuel Nutritional Shake by using code 3FHUNT at checkout.

CrossFit “Cure Duchenne” Workout – Dash and Donate!

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cureduchenne gang

The Cure Duchenne Benefit at Fit & Fearless CrossFit (don’t you love the Pizza Hut next door?!)

What a great morning spent at my friend Valerie’s CrossFit box, Fit and Fearless CrossFit in Austin, Texas. There were about 75 of us there to get our Saturday WOD in; but, more importantly we all had gathered to help support a little boy named Timothy with a rare disease called Duchenne. If you haven’t heard of it, Duchenne is a very rare muscle-wasting disease that has no cure and is ultimately 100% fatal. Only affecting males, the life expectancy for a boy with this disease is only about 25 years of age. But, through ongoing research, we all have hopes that discoveries will be made to improve this devastating prognosis

This is Timothy, he is 9 years old.

This is Timothy, he is 9 years old and has Duchenne.

For the second year, Valerie will be running the Austin Marathon on behalf of Timothy and the other 200,000 boys worldwide who cannot run because of this terrible form of muscular dystrophy. Through the marathon’s program, 26 Miles for 26 Charities, Valerie will run to raise money for the grassroots foundation CureDuchenne, a non-profit that supports cutting-edge research.  I hope you will please consider my plea to help cure Duchenne by making a donation of any amount.

You can donate here.

So, I’d also like to share the WOD we did today, it was lots of fun for me. Probably because it had a ton of running in it!

jennifer fisher thefitfork run-it-work-it WOD

“Runner Girl” Sterling Silver Charm Giveaway

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i.m.keepsakes: This inspirational company makes beautiful jewelry. Yes, their products are lovely to look at, but the deeper beauty is found within the symbolic message every piece conveys. Each of the different charms found in the collection represents a choice in life.  You can collect charms that signify the achievement of goals, the pursuit of interests, and the journey of perseverance, love, and faith.  The choices we make compound daily to sculpt us into who we are today; these individual choices don’t stand alone, but become the building blocks for our own individual path in life.

I am so excited to give one of my readers the “I Am a Runner” charm (ARV $32).  It depicts a female runner enjoying her sport and is decked out with a cute little pink crystal in the bow. Made from genuine sterling silver, this charm is rhodium-plated to prevent tarnishing. A lobster-claw fastener allows you to fasten this charm to any open link bracelet, necklace or even a zipper pull.  On the i.m.keepsakes website, this charm is dedicated to Gilbert Tuhaboyne, an Olympian, genocide survivor, inspirational speaker, and running coach right here in Austin, Texas.  Gilbert is a really great guy who we all look forward to catching up with and high-fiving down at Ladybird Lake. Take to heart his advice, “Run with joy. Find joy in everything you do.”

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Whether you race marathons, jog in fun runs or just like to trot through the neighborhood, I hope this “I Am a Runner” inspires you to keep running and reminds you of what a positive choice you are making. To enter, just follow the Rafflecopter instructions below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Plethora of Pears? Try this Cranberry-Ginger Pear Crumble Recipe

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When you have a plethora of pears that won’t last until the morning, make pear cobbler. It’s that whole lemon-lemonade philosophy! I came into a large windfall of sliced red pears that didn’t get used in a recent cooking demonstration because I couldn’t bear to see them be thrown away. I mean, not are pears a favorite winter fruit high in fiber, anti-oxidants, minerals and vitamins, they are just darn tasty. Plus, someone else had already done all the legwork, lovingly slicing them and tossing with a bit of lemon juice for freshness. So, with no shame (my son calls me a raccoon for this behavior), I skillfully rescued them from their ultimate demise in the dimpsty-dumpster.   “Wait, I’ll take those!” I say like a brash bandit! And, when I got home, I whipped up this scrumptious Cranberry-Ginger Pear Crumble from ingredients I already had squirreled away in the pantry. That reminds me, next time I will add nuts!

Cranberry-Ginger Pear Crumble Recipe

  • 6 pears, sliced (choose pears that are ripe yet still firm)
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons butter cut into bits

Topping:

  • 1/2 cup almond meal
  • 1/2 cup oatmeal
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 6 tablespoons butter, cut into bits

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss first six ingredients together in a bowl. Pour pear mixture into a 9” x 13” baking dish. In a medium bowl, combine all topping ingredients and mix with the back of a fork until crumble and butter is broken down into very small pieces.  Top pears with topping and pat down. Bake uncovered for 30 – 40 minutes, or until brown and bubbly.  Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or alternative of your choice.

This is what it looks like before baking, if you wanted to do omit the topping!

Note: You can peel the pears if you like; however I prefer to keep the skin intact because it’s a rich source of nutrients. Remember, natural color (not artificial) usually indicates lots of vitamins and anti-oxidants.