The Fit Girl's Kitchen

I had no intention of blogging this recipe, it was just made up on a whim with what was in my fridge (MANGO time!) but I enjoyed it so much I had to share.

This is the perfect spring-is-here-summer-is-coming dish that you can whip up in 30 minutes – and I bet it would taste FANTASTIC on the grill.

(Pardon the iphone pictures/terrible lighting on this one. I didn't want to have to wait to remake it and share!)

There are two secrets: coconut rice + chipotle infused olive oil. The olive oil may not be something you have on hand (most specialty olive oil stores will carry it, you can find it on amazon or make it yourself here) – I would recommend getting a bottle for summertime. The uses are endless, and the subtle sweet heat is perfect for any fish.

Coconut rice is also surprisingly easy to make - keep a few cans of coconut milk in your pantry and you can make it anytime.

Tip: Start the rice first, then prep the fish + finish the salsa while the fish bakes. It will all be done in 30 minutes.

Recipe: Chipotle Roasted Cod with Coconut Rice and Mango Salsa

Coconut Rice

1 1/2 cups uncooked rice
1 can coconut milk (stock up at trader joe's $)
1 can water

1. Rinse the rice and add to a non-stick pot. 
2. Empty the can of coconut milk + refill can with water and add to the pot.
3. Stir, making sure to scrape the bottom and break up any rice clumps.
4. Bring the pot to a boil, cover + reduce to a simmer for 20-30 minutes until liquid is absorbed.
5. Fluff with a fork. Season with salt to taste.

Chipotle Roasted Cod

Mango Salsa

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Sometimes I think there can't possibly be a smoothie combo I haven't tried. And then I find a new one and I want to sing about it from my rooftop.

"Hey!! Everyone! Come see how good this looks!" (Ron Burgundy)


But for real - that's what social media is for. Sharing the goodness. Getting inspired by other people's goodness and love for what you love. And I. LOVE. Food.

And coconut and cashews and this has all of it in it.

Sweet + Salty Cashew Coconut Smoothie

1 banana
Coconut Almond Milk (or just Almond Milk)
1 scoop Shredded coconut
1 scoop flax
1 heaping scoop cashew butter (I used Trader Joe's. You could also just throw cashews in there, which is how you make cashew butter)
Ice

Steps

Combine banana, coconut milk and shredded coconut in blender. Blend until smooth.

Add flax and cashew butter or cashew nuts. Blend.

Add ice. Blend one more time. Enjoy.



If you don't have the butter - really, cashew butter is literally just blended cashews. Which you make in your blender to begin with.

...Unless you have a weak sauce blender, which might get agitated with nuts. However, cashews are super soft (much nicer than almonds) so you never know. I would add some sea salt if you are using just raw cashews.


This stuff is like crack, you have been warned.

Cashew butter has a less healthy fat ratio than peanut or almond butter, so I'd use this as a treat yo self instead of an every morning go-to. However, you are still getting a healthy smack of protein and this thing kept me full until mid-afternoon.

Next time, no coconuts. I may even surprise you with a meat recipe... ;)



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We joined a CSA again this year and I am SO excited about it. We received our first box last night and I was pleasantly surprised and the large quantities we received, since we are so late this year in our growing season.

What is a CSA?

Community-supported agriculture (or CSA; sometimes known as community-shared agriculture) is a locally-based economic model of agriculture and food distribution. Members buy or "pledge" to support one or more local farms, with growers and consumers sharing the risks and benefits of food production.

As a member of a particular farm, I paid a flat rate at the onset of growing season for a share of the anticipated harvest; once harvesting begins, I receive weekly shares of fruits and vegetables. My farm also does weekly egg shares.

This year I chose to split my share with a friend, since the quantities given are more than enough to feed the two people in my household.

Why I LOVE my CSA

I went with the same CSA as last year, Rare Earth Farm out of Belgium, Wisconsin. The farm is only about 40 minutes or so from my house, and they have 12 different pick up locations.

There is one less than 10 minutes from my house, so every Thursday starting this week all the way until the end of NOVEMBER (yes, November!) I go to the house, pick up my box of fresh, beautiful, just harvested vegetables and go home to cook.


Every week my farm puts out a newsletter with what is contained in that week's box, how to best store the produce and recipes that use the items together! It's like Chopped, but not so random, and from a farm down the road. Amazingness.

Why Join a CSA

After supporting local farmers (thumbs up!) it's great to get fresh produce every week. I love hitting up local farmers markets, but there is something extra - a sense of community, belonging - that I like from our CSA. Not to mention, its fun to see what you get every week.


A CSA forces you to cook with new things and expand your boundaries. I had never eaten a turnip in my entire life and had no idea what kohlrabi was until I joined my CSA last year. Every week, I try to make meals from what is given to me - rather than picking and choosing. It's a fun challenge.

A CSA is cost-effective. Last summer, I only went to the grocery store for protein - meats, fish, eggs and grains. I paid $290 for my half share that goes for 21 weeks. So for $13 a week, I get an entire week's worth of produce.

A CSA is FRESH. Sustainable. Organic. LOCAL. My spinach I had last night didn't get picked on a farm in California three weeks ago, and was then shocked, processed/bagged, stored, shipped, stored again and shelved. It was picked less than 48 hours ago and then it went right into my stomach. Believe me when I tell you - you can TASTE it.

It also keeps for WEEKS because, well, it didn't do all the other stuff I mentioned above.


Why not just have a garden and grown your own?

Because I have black thumb. I kill everything. (kidding but not really, I did not inherit my mom's green thumb). I also don't have the knowledge, skills or time that these guys do.

I have an herb garden that works great for now; maybe in the next several years I'll give it a harder try.

So last night I made one of the freshest salads of my life. It was so good I almost cried. (I think I was also very very tired.) It wasn't anything crazy - just stuff from the CSA box - but I decided to make another version for lunch today.


Our farm gave us a recipe for spinach-basil pesto this week, and I decided - why not make a deconstructed pesto salad with the remainder of my farro? (I heart farro right now)

So alas, I give you the simple, delectable...

Deconstructed Pesto Salad 

2 handfuls fresh, torn spinach leaves
Torn fresh basil leaves (to taste; I used about 6 large ones)
3/4 cup cooked farro
Zest from 1/2 a lemon
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1-2 tbs pine nuts
Salt & pepper to taste
Basil infused olive oil found here (or make your own by sticking some basil leaves into an olive oil pourer)
Grated Parmesan (I used Trader Joes shaved cheese blend)


Combine all fresh ingredients in a large bowl.




Mix in olive oil, lemon juice. Mix in cheese. Season with salt & pepper. EAT.



So good. Happy cooking!

xo,

I've been wanting to make these for awhile, but work and life travels have kept me away from my kitchen! After a successful first attempt, I'm happy to share this recipe for cauliflower mashed potatoes.


You may be asking, why on earth would I do that? Potatoes are a vegetable so they are healthy, right? Not exactly.

Technically potatoes are a vegetable, but chemically to our body, they are a very starchy carbohydrate. If you are on a low carb or paleo diet, making these "faux" mashed potatoes can be a great substitute.

The main issue with classic mashed potatoes is their preparation - lots of butter, lots of salt. This recipe nixes most of that, and doesn't leave you with that heavy full feeling afterwards. It also works great made ahead of time and heated in bakeware later (ahem Thanksgiving leftovers!)

Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes with Garlic and Rosemary 

1 head cauliflower, chopped
1 package Trader Joe's peeled garlic (or 8-10 cloves)
2-4 tablespoons butter
2 sprigs rosemary
Nutmeg
Salt & Pepper
Chopped chives (optional)

I modified this recipe from Nom Nom Paleo (thanks girlfriend!) and loved her tip on using TJ's peeled garlic. In fact, all the ingredients for this you can easily grab at Trader J's and throw together in under 15 minutes.

Put a pot with a few inches of water and a steamer insert on to boil while you chop the cauliflower and garlic. I only used 8 cloves because I felt like that was alot, but I could have used more. It's getting steamed so a little more is ok.


Add half the cauliflower (stems and florets) and all of the garlic to the pot and salt liberally. Add the other half of the cauliflower and finish with salt. Cover and steam for about 10-12 minutes.

Don't worry about overcooking, it needs to be soft to process. After about 10 minutes, add fresh rosemary leaves, cover, and finish steaming.

Whole Foods has fresh bunches of herbs for $1.99 for the holidays

Drain, and season with salt, fresh ground pepper and nutmeg. I of course, randomly did not have nutmeg so I used cinnamon.


Add cauliflower to a food processor with butter. The butter can be straight out of the fridge - the warmth of the cauliflower will start to melt it. Process until smooth. Top with chives.


You can either make ahead and put in a dish to heat up later, or eat it right then. I made this while I was baking paiche. 15 minutes, done and done!



I thought it tasted amazing with the garlic and herbs, and I didn't have that uncomfortable full feeling afterwards. My husband said it was an "excellent vehicle for hot sauce" and my dog was obsessed with it for some reason. I made the mistake of giving him some, and then he followed me around for the next 2 hours trying to get more.

So, if you're looking for a healthy substitute this Thanksgiving, give it a try! Or if you fear your family's reaction to a missing plate of the "real" mashers, try it with leftovers this weekend.

Happy to be back after a crazed last few weeks of travel! Check back for my FGK Holiday Survival Guide - I like to have my pie and eat it too.

#LiveHealthy,


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Good news - I've finally given FGK its own Instagram handle to separate my personal account and stop annoying my friends with pictures of vegetables. (But everyone should really eat more vegetables.)

Follow @fitgirlskitchen on Instagram for all of my latest updates on healthy recipes and fitness inspiration


I'll be launching this new venture by participating in the next #aimtrue challenge, #nourishwithlove, which is a 10-day instagram challenge started by the very inspirational Kathryn Budig.


The 10-day challenge consists of posting a photo each day with a story corresponding to that day's theme. This particular challenge is asking yogis to combine their love of yoga with their love of good food - right up my alley.



The first theme of the challenge is comfort. Comfort pose, comfort food.

Oddly enough, one of my favorite comfort poses is half pigeon. This pose freaked me out when I first started practicing; I had the tightest hips in the world and I didn't really understand Yin postures or the power of breath. This was the first pose where I learned how to direct breath into specific areas of my body and ultimately find release.

#nourishwithlove Day 1 challenge

Coupled with comfort food - italian is always going to have it for me.

Lately I've been really into clean pasta with kale, fresh herbs and olive oil. A take on my sauteed spinach with mushrooms, I combine in whole wheat and spelt pasta for a delicious fresh comfort dish. This also uses butter, which is an approved fat in my diet. (real, true butter. None of that margarine garbage.)

Clean Pasta with Kale, Herbs and Olive Oil

1. Melt 2 tbs butter with olive oil in a saute pan. Add minced garlic, sautee 1 min. Add fresh sliced mushrooms; saute 5-10 minutes. Add 2 tbs more butter.
2. Add chopped kale (Trader Joe's has pre-chopped bags which are great in a pinch). Saute until wilted, about 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, cook 2-4oz of pasta (I like a combo of whole wheat and spelt). Drain and add to mushroom and kale. Toss to coat.
4. Season with salt, pepper and herbs of your choice (basil, oregano, etc). Top with freshly shaved parmesan if desired.

Comfort food.

Follow @fitgirlskitchen on Instagram for more on the #nourishwithlove challenge.

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I've got back to back recipe posts this week! I'll bore you with more running stuff when I get back into my speedwork training on Monday.


This salad kind of came together from things I had in my kitchen and a borrowed recipe from a friend. The secret is cilantro dressing from Trader Joe's (God I love TJs).

It's in the refrigerated section of the salad dressing and apparently is QUITE popular, as I may or may not have had help from a store employee while balancing on the rim of the cooler to reach back and snag the last one. #sorrynotsorry
I bet this salad would be baller with any small veggies thrown in there, but I went with edamame and corn because that just seemed super summery to me. Enjoy!

Summer Quinoa Salad with Edamame & Cilantro

(note: I made this for a party so it made ALOT of quinoa. Could probably half this and serve 6-8 comfortably)

Ingredients

2 cups quinoa, rinsed
4 cups water

1 package shelled edamame (TJ's)
1 package frozen corn (fresh off the grill would be better!)
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Trader Joe's Cilantro salad dressing
Salt and Pepper

Instructions

1. Rinse and cook 2 cups quinoa (red, white, or blend) according to the instructions on the package.

(FGK Tip: You have to rinse your quinoa. The rinsing gets rid of the bitter acidic taste that is on the grain. Sick it in a little colander and just run it under water for a minute before throwing it in the boiling water.)

2. Transfer quinoa to a bowl and let it cool (also important). Thaw corn or remove grilled corn from cob if you are making it fresh.

3. After quinoa has cooled, add in edamame, corn, red onion and cilantro.

4. Add about 1/4 bottle of dressing, mix and add more to taste. (I think I ended up using about half a bottle of the large batch I made. You shouldn't be able to see pools of liquid, it should just kind of stick in with everything else.) Season with salt and pepper to taste.




Definitely a huge hit! Refrigerate this one until ready to serve. Will keep in your fridge for about 5 days.

I promise to try to start measuring my ingredients for future posts :) Until then, I'll be enjoying an R&R weekend with some running, yoga and golf.

#LiveHealthy

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