Now that it is warmer and approaching summer temperatures, I’ve been diving back into one of my favorite warm weather cooking/eating habits:  The Dinner Salad.  We just finished tonight’s version, and I was thinking to myself that this was “blog-worthy”, when Kurt said “This should go on your blog!!”.

So, here is what I did:  I took the 1# fillet of Alaskan wild caught salmon I bought today, and put it on a foil lined sheet pan.  Then I carefully smeared about 3 Tbs of “Ginger Spread” made by Ginger People (ingredients:  Ginger, Sugar) all over the slab of fish–I say carefully because the sticky spread didn’t want to stick to the fish.  Next time I might thin out the paste with a LITTLE soy sauce until I get a thick glaze consistency…water would probably work too.  Then I put it in the oven at *400.

Next, I took out the container of washed mixed greens from the fridge, along with a cucumber, half of an avocado, and the roasted red potatoes and sweet potatoes I prepared on Monday.  I grabbed the container of sunflower seeds from the cupboard and the bottle of Annie’s Goddess dressing (a favorite dressing that has a nutty asian flavor).  I set to work building our salads by laying down a green foundation of mixed greens (about 2 cups per plate–which equals 1 “cup” of veggies).  Then I cut up and sprinkled the other ingredients (for a total of another 1 or so “cups” of veggies) over the bed of greens.  Then, I drizzled the Annie’s dressing over that.  I checked on the salmon, and when I could flake the thickest part of the fillet easily with a fork, it was done (about 10 minutes or so in my oven, but I checked on it after 5…).

I served up about 3 ounces for me and 4 for Kurt (because he is bigger and went for a long run today) and placed it on top of the salad.  SO good.  The flavors and textures reminded me of sushi (crunchy cucumber, velvety avocado, zingy ginger…) and one I’ll make again for sure.  I’ll also share more of the versions I come up with that are equally delicious!

…I asked myself as I drove home from work today.  The answer was oven broiled tilapia fillet seasoned with a mix of herbs and spices that I usually use on roasted or grilled salmon called “Potlatch” seasoning.  Joining the tilapia on the plate was steamed broccoli and roasted sweet and blue potatoes.  (For those scoring the game at home, that was 2 cups of veggies, 3 colors, 1/2 way to satisfying my orange and green veggie goal for the week, not to mention the starchy vegetables goal, AND lean protein…)

Here’s the word problem:  If I got home at 6:20pm, talked to Kurt and Otto for 15 minutes to catch up from the day, fixed and ate dinner, how is it that I’m sitting here typing this blog entry at 7:02pm??  The same night??!  Well, I made the tilapia at the end of last week, ditto for the roasted potatoes (both colors), and I heated that happy trio in the microwave.  Meanwhile, I steamed the broccoli I had cleaned and cut into florets over the weekend (there is enough for Kurt or I to take some for lunch someday this week–we might have to flip for it).  When I could easily slide a fork into one of the florets, the broccoli was done.  I added the broccoli to the party, drizzled olive oil and zested fresh lemon over all and sat down to a very satisfying meal!

In order to stay ahead of the game, my plan tonight is to roast the asparagus I happily snapped up at the farmer’s market on Saturday.  That way, we’ll have a green vegetable handy since I used up the broccoli tonight.  While I’m taking inventory, I can say we are all set on prepared lean protein sources (grilled salmon with olive tapenade, crab cakes, and the last of the tilapia) until I can make more later this week.  I’ll need to watch the potatoes and possibly prep another complex carbohydrate by Wednesday…

…I’ll bet you didn’t realize what a food and nutrition nerd I am, eh?

With this category, my hope is to look at meals (and the components that make up these meals) we see in restaurants, frozen dinners or ones we cook ourselves; and hold them up to a standard that supports a balanced way of eating.  A common misconception people have when they decide to start “eating healthy” is that they need to completely renovate their current menu, never to have any of the current favorites again.  While in extreme cases (ie. someone who eats every meal from a vending machine or fast food joint) this may be true, often it is much more realistic to take a look at your current diet and make a few small changes, additions or subtractions.

Let me illustrate this point with a story:  I recently saw a commercial for a chicken dinner chain-type place.  The meal they were selling as “complete” had chicken, mashed potatoes, mac n cheese and a fountain drink.  Oh, and maybe a dinner roll.  My jaw dropped.  They call that a meal?!?  For starters, everything on the plate was the same color; there were at least 6 ounces of meat (more than I need PER DAY), and 2-3 different starchy side dishes.  In my mind, eating a balanced diet is best broken down meal by meal.  A simple way to get what you need each day from each food group is to include a variety of them at every meal.  So how would I change the meal on my TV screen to fit this approach?   Let’s first define what I mean by an “Ideal Meal”.

Start with at least 1 cup of veggies, with bonus points for at least 3 different colors of veggies.  Then add some sort of complex carbohydrate (starch with fiber).  This is anything from the grain group (bonus points for whole grain products), or starchy vegetables (like corn, potatoes or winter squash, to name a few).  Next is a lean protein source like skinless chicken breast, fish, lean red meats or vegetarian choices like dry beans or soy products.  The amounts from each component depend on what your daily needs are from this group, and how much you’ve already had.  If you get creative with marinates, rubs, vegetable based sauces, spices, herbs and other aromatics, the possibilities are virtually endless with this basic formula.

So, what would I change about the meal I saw on TV?  Well, I would decide between EITHER the mashed potatoes OR the macaroni and cheese.  Then I would add a mixture of non-starchy vegetables like broccoli, purple cabbage and carrots (because I love how green, purple and orange look together, AND they are all very powerful colors from an antioxidant perspective), steamed in chicken stock,  sprinkled with minced garlic and zest some fresh lemon over all.  Then I would ask myself if I was in the mood for a chicken thigh, breast or leg?  And then I would pick one, not all three.  In reality, I’m about 100% more likely to just prepare that meal myself, sharing any veggie scraps with our dog Otto (kale stems are an enthusiastic favorite crunchy treat of his, followed closely by carrot peelings).  I enjoy the process of dreaming up and cooking meals from scratch far too much to let someone else have all the fun…