The Fit Girl's Kitchen

Break out the cozy blankets! All of these healthy comfort food recipes are in my rotation for fall.

(I even included a how to cut up your squash tutorial in one of them! Wow I used to have a lot of time...) - if slicing squash isn't your jam, you can buy pre-sliced butternut squash at Trader Js. It's like $3. #doit 

Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto 

I use the same roasted squash prep to make a fresh pasta dish too! Just make some whole grain or spelt noodles instead of the risotto - one of my faves!

Roasted Squash & Goat Cheese Penne

It's fun to look at my older recipes in my first kitchen where I started this blog. (Hey iphone photos and terrible lighting!) This doesn't change how this dish tastes. To be honest, I had totally forgotten about this recipe! I may have to make it tonight...

Avocado Fettuccine Alfredo

This is one of my most requested recipes. I shared the link for just the sauce above. Full original recipe here (chicken is of course optional to make it vegetarian/vegan).

Vegetarian Chili with Avocado

I made my original "healthy turkey chili" vegetarian the past few weekends by adding mushrooms and an extra can of beans (that's it!) I also added a tablespoon of raw honey for a little sweetness. (Heads up - it makes ALOT so make it for a group or plan on having leftovers for a few days!)

Warm Kale Salad w/Apples and Chevre

Oooh I forgot about this one too. So yum - the kale cooks waaay down and will fill you up, so don't underestimate the serving size.

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Welcome, Fall. This is my new favorite breakfast jam.


It's warm, it's hearty, and it's easy. I want to be *over* pumpkin but I'm just not. Sorry Buzzfeed.

I made this up the other week, and it smelled SOOOO amazing - but tasted pretty terrible. The secret was a little bit of sweet and a little bit of salt.  (Warning - if you are anti sugar and refuse to use honey or a sweetener, this will probably not taste that awesome. Pumpkin itself is pretty blah.)


I threw in some honey after it heated up (amazing) and some salted pepitas just for picture taking purposes, and they just MADE it come together. So yum.

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

1/2 - 2/3 cup Bob's Red Mill Oat Bran Hot Cereal (also have used steel cut oats)
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 Tbs canned pumpkin
1 tsp pumpkin spice (nutmeg or cinnamon also work well)
Drizzled honey
Salted pepitas (aka roasted pumpkin seeds)
1 banana
*as always, these are guesstimates. Play with your portions, you aren't baking anything.


Mix the oats and milk first, then add the canned pumpkin. Add pumpkin spice and finish stirring.



Heat for 2 minutes, then stir, heat 1 minute more.


Drizzle in honey, stir and top with pepitas and sliced bananas.



Pumpkin is a great source of dietary fiber, as well as Vitamin A and beta-carotene (for those peepers). For some extra protein, I sometimes also add in hemp seeds.

Enjoy & happy Autumnal Equinox!

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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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I threw these together over the weekend for an impromptu dinner party at a friend's house. Her husband made the most ah-mazing smoked pulled pork, and I was looking for a good side dish that would compliment it.


I kind of just made this up based on some potato recipes I found online, and used clean ingredients to keep it healthy. It was also super quick, and tasted great cold the next day.

Roasting with the rosemary was the best part - my house smelled like Christmas. Enjoy!

Rosemary Roasted Red Potatoes

For the potatoes:
3 lbs red potatoes, quartered
2 tbs chopped garlic
Olive Oil
Fresh Rosemary

For the dressing:
(disclaimer - I did not measure any of this so modify as needed)
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs Apple cider vinegar
1 tbs whole grain dijon mustard
2 teaspoons honey
sea salt
pepper
Dried herb seasoning (I used Greektown Billygoat seasoning from The Spice House)

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine potatoes, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper in a big bowl. Toss to coat and spread evenly on baking sheet lined tinfoil and lightly coated in olive oil.

(I did not put enough oil on and a lot of the potatoes stuck, so don't be stingy with it).

2. Lay rosemary on top of potatoes and roast for 35-40 minutes, turning potatoes once.

3. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl. (You could sub sugar for the honey, but I realized I don't have any sugar in my house. Honey is a great natural sweetener.)

4. Gently mix dressing with potatoes in a large serving bowl, adding as much as needed to taste (I didn't use all of the dressing I made). Season with sea salt and crushed black pepper. Garnish with fresh rosemary springs.


I'm about to kick off on another big travel week - Boston, NY and Chicago - and my yoga mat is coming with me!

Follow @thefitgirlskitchen on Instagram for the last half of the #nourishwithlove challenge and watch me cross two more cities off my list in the FGK #5for5 running challenge.

Live healthy! xo

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I was lucky enough to get a beautiful butternut squash in my CSA delivery, so I decided to make something happen with it while I had some extra time on Sunday. (It's been amazing being home for a few days.)

That being said, this is probably not a weeknight dish, as risotto rarely is. However, the best part about this recipe is that it doesn't require the constant stirring traditional risotto does - it's all about timing. This was my first time making this, and it turned out even better than I could have imagined.


I adapted the recipe from a series of great butternut squash recipes I found on Cooking Light.

I made a few modifications to the original recipe, including roasting the squash with thyme and using a 2-year aged white cheddar instead of pepperjack cheese. This also calls for pancetta, but you could omit it altogether and use vegetable broth to make it a vegetarian dish.

Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto

Time: 40 min prep; 1 hour cooking | Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 3 1/2 cups)
Olive Oil Spray (I used Trader J's)
2 cups chicken broth
1 1/3 cups water
1/4 cup white wine (I used the Chardonnay I paired this with)
1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon
Fresh thyme sprigs
4 ounces chopped pancetta (omit for vegetarian)
1 cup finely chopped onion
olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup uncooked Arborio rice or other short-grain rice 2/3 cup
1/2-inch-cubed aged white cheddar cheese (or hard cheese of your choice)
Pine nuts
Salt & pepper

How to Prep Butternut Squash

How to prepare butternut squash

Directions

1, Preheat oven to 475°.

2. Place squash on a nonstick pan with olive oil spray. Season with salt and pepper (I also added thyme here). Bake at 475° for 20-25 minutes or until tender, turning after 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325°.


3. Combine broth, water, wine, and tarragon in a saucepan; bring to a simmer. Keep warm over low heat.

4. Cook pancetta in a large ovenproof Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove pancetta from pan; drain on a paper towel. Discard pan drippings.

5. This is where the timing comes into play...just remember this is easier than traditional risotto. Add onion and oil to pan; sauté 10 minutes or until onion is tender. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add rice to pan and toast, stirring constantly 1-2 minutes.


6. Stir in broth mixture; bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat, and simmer over low heat, uncovered, for 10 minutes. (Do not stir; rice will have a liquid consistency similar to stew. Just don't touch it and trust it will do its thing.)

7. Place pan in oven; bake at 325° for 15 minutes.

8. Remove from oven. It should look fluffy like this, and most of the liquid should be absorbed.


Stir in the squash, pancetta, cheese, salt, and pepper.


Cover with a clean cloth; let stand 10 minutes (rice will continue to cook). Sprinkle with pine nuts. Garnish with tarragon sprigs, if desired.


I served this alongside a spinach and arugula salad with balsamic fig dressing, roasted pepitas and shaved Parmesan.



The wine paring that was recommended with this was a semi-oaky Chardonnay. I prefer unoaked Chard, and I thought this was delicious.

2012 Joel Gott Unoaked Chardonnay

Original recipe suggestion: Perfect wine: Clos du Val Chardonnay 2001 (Carneros, CA), $21. This chardonnay has refined flavors reminiscent of custard, caramel, apple tarts, and honey. There's a hint of oak, but the wine is not superbuttery, oaky, or toasty. This wine is complemented by the savoriness of the rice and the sweetness of the squash.

Enjoy!

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Today I'm sharing my Fall Running Mix that I've been rocking out to for all of my fellow runners to enjoy.

Fall Running Playlist on Spotify

(Fair warning, lots of Avicii and EDM on here. That's what keeps me on pace.)

Spotify is awesome, and it's how I listen to all of my music while I'm working, commuting, running, yoga-ing, travelling, etc. They have a great new feature in their "Search and Browse" section on the mobile app with pre-made playlists. I made part of this list while I was actually ON my run yesterday.

Hands down, my favorite song to run to right now is Britney Spears, Work B**ch. I have been listening to it 2x through for my last mile this week to run sub-7s. I'm calling this the Britney Influence, or Brinfulence.

Sunday's run

Thursday's run

If you want an extra kick in the pants, tune in and turn it up. I have it as the first and last song so it's easy to scroll and grab while I'm kicking in for the last mile.