Recipe: Chimichurri Salmon

After taking a break from the blog, I am back once again! I have been uploading pictures of a lot of the meals I make on Instagram (check it out!) and have received multiple requests for recipes.  Upon those requests, I have decided to post my recipes here along with other nutrition and physical activity goodies!

My schedule has changed in the past couple of weeks, requiring me to prep my meals ahead of time.  This week I decided to use up my salmon in a unique way - with a chimichurri marinade. 

Chimichurri sauce is fresh herb sauce used as a topping on salmon or steak.  I decided to use the chimichurri sauce as a marinade for my salmon and baked several portions of salmon for the week.

Nutrition tip: getting at least 2 servings of fish such as salmon are a great way to get your dose of heart healthy omega-3 fats.  Fish is a great source of protein!

Chimichurri Salmon served with mixed vegetables.

Chimichurri Salmon
Makes: 6 servings
One Serving: 75g (one piece of salmon)

•  6 salmon fillets or salmon steaks 

 Chimichurri Marinade:

• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 ½ cups fresh parsley
• ¼ cup chopped green onions
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1-3 green chillies (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1-3 tablespoons of water

1.Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Grease a baking pan with olive oil.

2. In a blender, add all marinade ingredients and blend.  Add 1 tablespoon of water at a time until a smoothe paste is formed.

3. Generously cover salmon pieces with marinade one at at time and place in baking pan.

4. Bake salmon for 25-30 minutes or until easily flaked with a fork. Time will vary depending on the thickness of salmon.

Enjoy!

Recipe: Black Bean Tortilla Soup

During the break I had the opportunity to assist with recipe testing for an upcoming OHEA (Ontario Home Economics Association) Cookbook! I, along with other student volunteers, had the chance to work with Mairlyn Smith to test out some recipes. As a departing gift, I received Mairlyn's Cookbook: Healthy Starts Here!

I decided to try out the Black Bean Tortilla Soup from Mairlyn's cookbook and it turned out to be my kind of recipe; easy, healthy, and delicious!

Black Bean Tortilla Soup

Makes: 8 cups (2L)

One Serving: 2 cups (500 mL)3 cups (750 mL) lower sodium chicken or vegetable broth
One – 19 fl oz (540 mL) can diced tomatoes
One -19 fl oz. (540 mL) can black beans, drained and rinsed
¼ cup (60 mL) deli fresh salsa, mild, medium, or hot
1 tbsp (15 mL) hot sauce, less if desired
1 cup (250 mL) fresh or frozen corn, no need to thaw
1 ripe avocado, peeled and sliced thinly
1 cup (250 mL) thinly sliced green onions, approx. 5 green onions
1 cup (250 mL) chopped cilantro
1 lime, scrubbed well and cut into quarters
40 unsalted whole corn tortilla chips

1. Heat chicken or vegetable broth in a large pot over medium/high heat. When it comes to the boil add tomatoes, black beans, salsa, hot sauce, and corn. Bring to the boil, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir and remove from heat.
2. Ladle soup into 4 deep soup bowls. Equally divide the avocado, green onion and cilantro and sprinkle on top of each soup bowl. Squeeze on some fresh lime juice.
3. Put 10 tortilla chips in your hands and slightly crush them into each bowl. Mix gently and serve.  

New Year's Resolutions

It’s amazing how time flies. We’re almost at a new year once again. You know what that means, time to make resolutions! Ah, the infamous resolutions that seem impossible to keep once January comes to an end.

Now don’t get me wrong, creating personal resolutions is great, but how effective are they really? We often create resolutions that sound great but are too daunting.

Here is how to achieve your goals and maintain them throughout the year!

Let’s use the classic example of losing weight.

"I want to lose 10lbs!"

Fabulous!

Now what?

Well, if I leave it at that, I will probably hit the gym for a couple of weeks or go on an unrealistic diet.  What is the likelihood that you will achieve your goals?  How many people do you know that lost weight and kept it off by eating meal replacement bars for the rest of their lives? Most likely, none!

With that said, I urge you to not create personal resolutions surrounding weight. Weight is just a number on the scale at the end of the day and may not be an accurate description of your health.

Let’s try another approach. A resolution that is more specific and doable. Start off by thinking about what affects how your body feels and looks.

This year, I suggest that you create a resolution around improving your physical activity or eating habits.

Physical Activity 

There may be many obstacles that prevent you from being physically active.  Here are a few tips to help you incorporate more physical activity into your daily life this coming year:

1      Barriers: Make a list of obstacles you face that prevented you from being physically active this year. 

     
     Opportunities: For each obstacle, think of what can be done to overcome this. 

    
     Resources: Consider how much money you are willing to spend to be physically active.  This can range from working out at home to working out with a personal trainer.

     Time: Think about how much time you can spend being physically active each day. Be realistic. Start with 10 minute bouts of exercise and work your way up from there.

     Daily life: Think about how you can be physically active without being at the gym. Taking the stairs and walking the dog are great examples of incorporating physical activity into you daily life. 

     Motivation: Make a list of types of physical activity you would like to engage in and find a friend with similar interests.

      These are a few things that I considered when I decided to become more physically active and it has definitely helped. 

Food

Food is a central part of our lives and carries several meanings for us all. Rather than restricting ourselves from eating, how about focusing on what we can eat! Here are some examples of making small changes to your diet without feeling like you have to eat flavourless food to be healthy.

1. Opt for skim milk and low fat cheese to cut down the fat and incorporate more dairy in your diet.

2. Aim to eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. By increasing your fruits and vegetables in your diet, you are automatically decreasing potentially high fat foods.

3. Make it whole grain! Switch your breads and pasta to whole grain. If you love your white bread, try "Smart" pastas and breads that are white but have added fibre.

4. Drink plenty of water throughout the day.

Try focusing on one of these tips and continue to add others to transform your diet. Who said resolutions can’t be made throughout the year?

Hopefully this helps you all in creating realistic, doable resolutions.

Happy New Year!