Herb-Almond Crusted Salmon

I heart salmon. We eat it a few times a week, so I am always looking for a new take on it. I was dreaming of dinner while at work and knew that I wanted to do an herb crusted salmon, but I didn't want to use bread crumbs as the binder. I decided instead to grind up almonds to use as the binder. The almonds impart a really great texture and subtle nutty flavor. This is going to definitely be one of my favorite go-to salmon recipes!

Herb-Almond Crusted Salmon

2 5-ounce Salmon Filets (I prefer Wild Caught Alaskan Salmon)
30g slivered almonds
1 TBS lemon zest
1 garlic clove
1 green onion
1/4 c. fresh basil
1/4 c. flat leaf parsley
1 tsp. olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon

-In a food processor, pulse almonds until they are coarsely chopped. Add in lemon zest, garlic, basil and parsley. Pulse until all of the ingredients are finely chopped. Stir in the olive oil to create a paste.

-With a paper towel, pat the surface of the salmon dry. Season fillet with salt & pepper. Place 2 heaping teaspoons of the crust on top of the salmon and smooth out to evenly cover the surface.

-Bake at 375 for about 15 minutes, until the salmon is cooked through.

-Just before serving, sprinkle the top of each salmon fillet with fresh lemon juice.

Makes 2 servings

Nutrition facts per serving:
Total Fat: 25.7g Total Calories: 414 Carbs: 5.4g Protein 33.9g

 

Lazy Girl's Breakfast

I have seen a lot of different recipes on Pinterest describing these overnight oats (overnight oatmeal, oatmeal in a jar, summer porridge, overnight oats in a jar, refrigerator oatmeal call it what you want) and was finally inspired to give it a try.  The night before I mixed the ingredients together in a jar, popped it in the fridge and the next morning after the gym breakfast was ready. It was delightful! Give it a try, it is as easy as pouring a bowl of cereal, but so much more interesting and delicious!

Mango-Raspberry Oats in a Jar

1/4 c. uncooked old rolled oats (I use Bob's Red Mill Organic Rolled Oats)
1/3 c. Almond Milk
1/4 c Greek Yogurt
1 tsp Chia Seeds
1 tsp Ground Flax Seed (I used Spectrum Flax Seed with Berries)
1/2 tsp Vanilla

1/2 c. Diced Mango
1/4 c. Raspberries

-In a jar combine the oatmeal, almond milk, greek yogurt, chia, flax and vanilla. Mix thoroughly. Place lid on jar, and put in the fridge overnight.

-The next morning, add fresh fruit on top

Makes 1 Serving

Nutrition Facts:
Total Fat: 6.1g Calories: 246 Carbs: 40.8g Protein: 13g

Granola...Its not just for hippies

Adam loves granola with yogurt, so I have been looking at every bag of granola around and all of them are loaded with extra sugar, oils, fillers, just grossness! It is crazy how you don't realize what you are eating until you open your eyes and read labels. So I decided I would experiment in the kitchen and come up with a clean version of granola. This is what I came up with, and believe me, it is IN-CRAY-AB-LE' (translation: INCREDIBLE in Brittany speak).








Coconut Almond Granola

-2c. Old Fashioned Rolled Oats (I use Bob's Red Mill Organic Rolled Oats)
-1/2c. Almonds, coarsely chopped
-1/2c. Shaved, unsweetened coconut
-3 TBS. Raw Honey
-1 TBS. Coconut Butter
-1 tsp. Vanilla
-Pinch of salt

-In a mixing bowl combine dry ingredients.

-In separate bowl mix together honey, coconut butter & vanilla.

-Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Prepare to get messy, you need to mix with your hands to get it thoroughly coated.

-Pour the granola out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

-Bake 10-15mins at 300 degrees.

-Let granola cool completely. Break into chunks, and store in an airtight container.

Makes about 8 servings.

Serving size 1/4c.

Nutrition Facts-
Total Fat: 9.2g Calories: 200 Carbs: 26.2g Protein: 4.4g

Fit Jacks, Not Flap Jacks...

It seems any clean eating blog, magazine, athlete, body builder isn't complete without a protein pancake recipe. I was pretty skeptical about this protein pancake phenomenon as I am a true carb addict, and "protein pancake" just doesn't sound all that appetizing. But, I gave it a shot and let me tell you, they were actually really good! I only had chocolate protein powder at the ready so I decided to make Chocolate-Almond Protein Pancakes. These bad boys are completely filling and contain a whopping 51 grams of protein!

I can't wait to try these again with vanilla protein powder!

Chocolate-Almond Protein Pancakes

-4 egg whites
-1/3c. dry oatmeal
-1 scoop chocolate protein powder
-1 TBS almond butter
-Strawberries, cleaned & sliced
-Stevia

-Mix egg whites, oatmeal, protein powder & almond butter together in a bowl.

-Place your strawberries into a separate bowl and sprinkle with stevia. Slightly mash them to create juice, then set aside.

-Put your skillet on medium heat, spray with cooking spray then pour in your batter and cook like you would normally cook a pancake.

-Pancake is done when it is golden brown

-Top the pancake with the strawberries for a delicious guilt free syrup.

Makes 1 pancake

Nutrition Facts:
Total Fat: 12g Calories: 470 Carbs: 45g Protein: 51g

 

Egg Muffins to Lose the Muffin Top



I love anything that can be made ahead for a later meal. When I saw my friend Cindy make these breakfast egg muffins, I knew I instantly had to make them! I was definitely not disappointed. They were so full of flavor, the egg was delicate and the Parmesan cheese was perfectly dispersed into every bite. They are good hot, good cold, and hold in the fridge for a few days. I however, do not like the name "Egg Muffin". I don't know, it just make me think of odd pastries with pieces of scrambled egg. So I renamed them mini quiche. It sounds cute, like me. :)

I urge you to give these a try. Change the flavorings to whatever you'd like. The possibilities are endless!

Mini Spinach & Mushroom Quiche

6 egg whites

2 whole eggs

1c. diced mushrooms

½ yellow onion diced

1 large handful of spinach, roughly chopped

½c. grated Parmesan cheese

1/2tsp Olive oil

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

-In a skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil. Once the olive oil is hot, cook the onion until just translucent. This should take 1-2 minutes. Add in the mushrooms and sauté until they become soft. This should take another 1-2 minutes. Then add in the spinach and remove from heat. The spinach will wilt from the residual heat in the pan.

-In a bowl, whisk the egg whites + 2 eggs until they become fluffy.

-Add the Parmesan cheese into the spinach mixture.

-Evenly distribute the spinach mixture in 10 silicone muffin cups. The mixture should fill them about half-way.

-Pour the beaten eggs over the top of the spinach mixture, filling the muffin cups to the top.

-Bake the quiche for about 20mins. Until the edges are starting to turn golden, and the egg has become set. Remove and let cool.

Makes 10

Serving size 2

Nutrition facts per serving:

Total Fat: 8.8g Calories: 160g Carbs: 5.5g Protein: 14.7g

Brown Rice, Very Nice

I think brown rice gets a bad wrap becuase often times it is poorly cooked. When cooked properly, brown rice is super delicious. The best part? It is so easy to make. I don't know about you, but when I get off of work at 7pm I don't have time to wait 60 mins for my rice to get done cooking. I'm a fat girl, I need to eat NOW! So, I make a large batch of brown rice at the beginning of the week and store it in the fridge. It reheats beautifully and is a huge time saver!

No-Fail Brown Rice

-2c. Brown Jasmine Rice
-4c. Water
-Pinch of salt

-In a pot with a tight fitting lid add the brown rice, water, and pinch of salt. Bring the water to a boil, then cover with a lid and drop the heat down to a simmer. DO NOT PEEK! Let the rice simmer for 50mins. When the 50mins is up, turn the heat off and let the brown rice steam for an additional 10mins.

The result is soft, slightly chewy, full flavor brown rice.

I often throw in some chunks of fresh ginger, garlic, lemon peel, and various other aromatics before bringing to a boil. This infuses the flavor into the rice and turns something ordinary into something special without added fat, salt, and sugar!

Fit Take on Take Out...



The hubbs was out of town for work so I decided I would make a special dinner for his return. I wasn't entirely sure what I wanted to do, but something Asian sounded good. So I was wandering through the grocery store looking for inspiration and orange chicken was calling my name. But how do I make orange chicken without breading, frying, and a sugary sauce? That's when I saw the fresh mango and it all clicked! I ended up with Spicy Mango Glazed Shrimp and Very Veggie Fried Rice. It came together very quick and best of all the hubbs approved!

Give this take on take out a try!

Spicy Mango Glazed Shrimp

1 mango, peeled and diced
1/2 c. Orange-Mango Juice (I used the Santa Cruz organic mango orange juice. But any 100% juice will work)
1 clove garlic, minced
1lb peeled & deveined shrimp (or any lean protein)
½ tsp red pepper flake (more or less depending on how spicy you want the dish to be)
½ tsp. olive oil

-In a pot over medium-high heat add the ½ c. juice. You are going to cook the juice until all of the water evaporates and the juice reduces down to 2 TBS of thick, syrupy juice. This process takes about 5 minutes. You’ll want to watch it pretty closely as once the water is gone the juice will burn quickly. After it has reduced, set it aside.

-In a skillet over medium heat, add ½ tsp of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add in the shrimp and cook until just slightly pink. Then add in the diced mango and the garlic. Cook for about 30 seconds longer. Then add in the reduced juice and the red pepper flake. Stir so the sauce coats everything, and serve.

Makes 3 servings. (serving is about 6 medium shrimp)

Nutrition facts per serving:

Total Fat: 5.6g Calories: 226g Carbs: 11.4g Protein: 31g

 

 Very Veggie Fried Rice


1 zucchini – finely diced
1 onion – finely diced
1 crook neck/yellow squash – finely diced
1 head of broccoli – finely chopped
1 c. Cooked & cooled brown rice
2 TBS. Soy sauce
½c Fresh bean sprouts
2 tsp. Olive Oil
1 clove of garlic – pressed or finely chopped
1 TBS of minced fresh ginger

-In a non-stick skillet, heat 1 tsp of olive oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot add in the onions. Sautee until just translucent. Then add in the zucchini and yellow squash. Sautee another minute and then add the broccoli, ginger and garlic. Cook another 2 minutes until the broccoli is just tender. Remove the veggies to a bowl.

-In the same skillet add the remaining 1 tsp. of olive oil. When the oil is hot add in the brown rice. Cook the rice over medium-high  heat until it begins to get golden brown and crispy, about 5 minutes. When the rice is “fried” add in 1 TBS. of the Soy sauce and stir until the rice is evenly coated. Then add the cooked veggies into the rice. Sautee until the veggies are heated through. Add the remaining 1 TBS of soy sauce and the bean sprouts.

Makes about 2 one cup servings.

Nutrition facts per serving:

Total Fat: 5.7g Calories: 222 Carbs: 38.5 Protein: 7g