Category: Get Healthy Blog

Since salmon is quick to cook, healthy and delicious the idea is to add it to dishes that cook faster. Then dinner is always a breeze. I also love the fact that I can pick up a pack from the supermarket that is just ready to cook…no prepping! Since salmon can be cooked in so many ways, flavored with a variety of sauces and marinades and served alongside a diverse range of vegetables, grain or meal, there is no end to the number of recipes one can have. I decided to share a few of my favorite ways of to eat Salmon today.

Sticky Asian Salmon with Soba Noodles Soba noodles are made from buckwheat flour and a great option for people on a gluten free diet (make sure you read the label properly). It also cooks very quickly which is the reason I pair it often with salmon. For some heat, you could add chopped red chillies to the marinade.

Sticky Asian Salmon With Soba Noodles And Greens
serves 4

4 skinless salmon fillets
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 inch ginger, peeled and grated
2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
2 tsp olive oil
Asian greens (chopped broccoli, snow peas, green peas, chives), to serve
salt, for seasoning

Mix the soy sauce, honey, vinegar, ginger and garlic in a bowl. Use 2 tablepoons of the mixture to marinate the salmon. Place a frying pan over medium heat. Add 1 tsp  olive oil. When heated, pan fry the salmon fillets till cooked to your liking (about 2-3 mins on each side). Remove the fillets and keep aside.
Meanwhile, cook the noodles as per instructions on the back of the pack. Drain well. Rinse. Leave aside.
In the same frying pan, heat the remaining 1 tsp olive oil over medium heat. Add the broccoli and stir fry for 2 minutes, then add the remaining greens. Pour the remaining marinade and noodles and mix till combined. Season.
Serve the noodles warm along with the salmon.

Roasted Maple Salmon With Pumpkin, Fennel and Truss Tomatoes : This is a great weeknight dinner option where you whisk up a quick sauce, chop a few vegetables and roast everything together. The oven does most of the work! There is sweetness from the maple syrup and heat from the chillies so you experience a wonderful balance of flavour.

Roasted Maple Salmon With Pumpkin, Fennel And Truss Tomatoes
Serves 4

4 salmon fillets (skinless or with skin), cleaned, prepped
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp mixed herbs
salt, to season
10-12 cherry truss tomatoes
2-3 fennel bulbs, trimmed and quartered
1/2 butternut pumpkin, cut into wedges

Preheat oven to 220 degrees C (200 degrees C fan forced). Line a baking tray with baking paper. Place the olive oil, maple syrup, crushed garlic, chilli flakes, mixed herbs together in a small bowl.

Place the salmon, pumpkin, fennel and tomatoes on the prepared baking tray. Pour the oil and maple syrup mixture all over. Gently toss to combine. Roast for 15 minutes or till salmon is cooked through.
Remove tray from oven. Move the salmon aside and wrap in foil to keep warm. Roast the vegetables for a further 10 minutes or until soft and lightly browned.  Serve warm with noodles, pasta or bread.

Coconut Poached Salmon : This is an old recipe from my archives. One that is made over and over again at home. Salmon fillets are poached in coconut milk along with a few Asian ingredients. I am not going to rewrite the recipe as it remains pretty much the same. The only extra thing I have added here is a pinch of turmeric. The original recipe did not have it. You take your pick…with or without turmeric! It tastes amazing both ways.

Get the recipe here 

Spotted at: www.sugaretal.com 

We’ve all experienced cravings, but we should be careful about the way in which we satisfy them. By understanding what your body is actually deficient in {assuming it is a physical, not an emotional craving} you can get to the root cause of the cravings.

With the crazy holiday season at an end, most of us will be feeling low energy, bloated, heavier after the last few weeks’ overindulgence. These feelings often result in you reaching for a quick junk fix to get you through your day. Resist this feeling! Each craving feeling we get is our body talking trying to communicate to us that it needs something – and it’s NOT the junk you want to put in your mouth!!

There are many possible meanings behind cravings depending on the type of craving and your eating habits. Before you satisfy or give into any cravings, I suggest the FIRST thing you do is drink a BIG glass of pure water {not tap}. Often we misinterpret our body’s cravings for thirst as a signal of hunger. By drinking a big glass of water first, you may be giving your body exactly what it wants and needs and in doing so eliminating the craving.

There’s more to cravings than you think. To help you understand these more I have outlined the most common craving I find my clients come across and how you can stop or overcome them WITHOUT adding to your waist line!

Chocolate If you are craving chocolate, it doesn’t mean your body has a chocolate deficiency, although I think we would all prefer that! Craving it often indicates that your body is deficient in magnesium. Eating chocolate will NOT give you the dose of magnesium your body needs (sadly) so it’s important to eat foods that will, such as nuts, seeds, fish, and leafy greens. For rare occasions you want to reward yourself for all those good nutritional choices you’ve been making – go for dark chocolate or raw cacao!

Sweets If you crave sweets you may be experiencing blood sugar fluctuations. When your blood sugar drops, your body may be try­ing to get you to give it more fuel to keep your blood sugar levels stable. If this is a chronic occurrence you may have hypoglycaemia, which simply means low blood sugar. Whether your sugar cravings are sporadic or chronic, it is important to choose the right type of food to bring your body back into balance. Giving in to refined sugars will only cause a blood sugar roller coaster that leads to more cravings. Try reaching for a piece of fruit instead – frozen grapes are one of my favourites! Adding more high fibre foods to your daily intake, like beans and legumes, and complex carbohydrates like whole grains will help give you the fuel you need without the blood sugar spikes.

Salty Cravings for salty foods like popcorn or chips and adding extra salt to foods can often indicate stress hormone fluctuations in the body. Getting in control or being aware of the stress in your life is step one. The adrenal glands help your body cope with stress tend to become worn down due to our fast-paced, hectic lives from constant stress hormone production. Try some yoga, meditation or breathing exercises to calm the nervous system down, or any other stress relief strategies you have. Some research has shown that people who take a break to breathe deeply or meditate before reach­ing for salty snacks reduced their stress hormones by 25 percent and cut the bingeing in half. Additionally, organic leafy greens helps and high-quality B-complex vitamins with extra pantothenic acid (that’s vitamin B-5) and vitamin C will help your adrenals to supply your body with minerals that support the adrenal glands.

Cheese Cravings for cheese or pizza often indicate a fatty acid deficiency which is common in most people. Thanks to the 90’s fat was labelled bad which is very untrue for some fats. Eat foods such as raw walnuts, wild salmon, avocado, coconut oil and ground flaxseeds in your diet. Feel free to supplement this with a high-quality supplement that includes the benefi­cial fats, especially Omega 3s. It should contain both EPA and DHA. Two to three servings of fish such as wild salmon or a small handful of raw walnuts or 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseeds in will often cut out cheese cravings altogether.

If you need help to get your cravings under control or advice with your current nutrition habits, contact Jess to get a customized nutrition and training plan suited to your lifestyle and goals.

(P) 021 216 6145
(E) Jessica.anderson.pt@gmail.com

Check out my profile here.

A Thai inspired stir fry dish with a wonderful savoury, sweet and spicy flavour combination, made with colourful capsicum, fresh pineapple and chicken. If you don’t like your food too spicy, you can leave out the chilli pepper. Serve this over jasmine rice for a complete meal, it’s also great with shrimp!

Servings: 4 • Calories: 206 • Fat: 4.7 g • Protein: 21 g • Carb: 20.5 g • Fiber: 1.4 g

Ingredients:

• 450g boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into small cubes
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp minced ginger
• 2 cups cubed assorted capsicum
• 1 red chili pepper, chopped (optional or to taste)
• 1 cup fresh pineapple chunks (or canned)
• 1/2 cup Sweet Thai Chilli sauce
• coriander leaves (for garnish)

Directions:

Mix the chicken and fish sauce in medium bowl. Add cornflour; toss to evenly coat. Set aside.

Heat 1/2 tablespoon of the oil in large non-stick frying pan on medium-high heat. Add garlic and ginger; stir fry 30 seconds. Add capsicums, chili pepper (if using) and pineapple; stir fry 3 to 5 minutes or until capsicums are tender-crisp. Add sauce; cook and stir until heated through. Remove from pan.

Heat remaining oil in the pan. Add chicken; stir fry 5 minutes or until cooked through. Return capsicum mixture to pan; stir fry until well blended. Garnish with coriander.

Spotted at: www.skinnytaste.com