Mediterranean Salmon Salad + Weekly Menu

April 29, 2012 by · 18 Comments

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Yesterday was the first Saturday I have thoroughly enjoyed in…too long.

I slept in until…almost 8am. Lily and I played soccer in the backyard. Mr. Prevention and I had breakfast and coffee and ventured out to run errands and grocery shop together. I nearly escaped with nothing added to my cart that wasn’t on the list and when I ran back to get quinoa, he took the cart and loaded up on Powerade. Zero. He loves the stuff.

Still, our grocery bill was only $69 for the week. I was pleased!

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I came home and made this salad. I loved this salad.

I knew from the second I saw it on Estela’s blog that this was a salad made for me.

I love salads, but a meal of lettuce alone doesn’t sustain me. And most people have the connotation of healthy and “diets” = salads. Boring, flavorless salads. Bleck. This salad packs lots of nutrition — omega 3′s, fiber, vitamin C, you name it. And it’s filling…because it’s not just lettuce. And I feel satisfied because it’s not just lettuce. But it doesn’t skimp on flavor…TONS of flavor. It was incredible. I haven’t enjoyed a salad this much in far too long.

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After lunch, I did some blog photography before pounding out a quick (for me) 5K in 30:08. It felt awesome. I should probably knock on wood, but my ankle is feeling back to 100%.

I got ready and met Donna for martinis and appetizers. How two women can jabber on for 3 1/2 hours and it feels like 30 minutes…it always happens. I had promised Mr. Prevention deep dish pizza, so I came home to start that. While the dough did its thing….twice…we caught up with the DVR and watched some Discovery channel. Nerd alert.

A night in was just what I needed. And the pizza, it wasn’t too shabby either. ;)

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Mediterranean Salmon Salad slightly adapted from Weekly Bite

Dressing:
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp Dijon mustard

Salad:
3/4 lb salmon filet
pinch of salt
pinch of black pepper
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 cup dry orzo
1/4 cup kalamata olives, halved
1 red bell peppers, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/2 cup (2 oz) crumbled feta
1 14oz can artichoke hearts (quartered)
5 cups spring mix, lightly packed
Dressing (see above)

Directions:

Whisk all ingredients together for the dressing, set aside.

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Place salmon on a baking sheet lined with foil and sprayed with olive oil. Sprinkle salmon with salt, pepper, & oregano.  Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until center is cooked.

Meanwhile, cook orzo according to package directions.

Drain pasta and place in a deep casserole dish.  Pour 1/4 cup of dressing over pasta and gently toss. To the orzo, add olives, red bell peppers, red onions, feta, artichoke hearts, spring mix lettuce, and the remaining dressing.  Toss to gently combine all ingredients.

Once salmon is cooked, flake salmon using two forks. Top salad with flaked salmon.

Yield: 5 servings (1 cup of lettuces with about 1 cup orzo/veggie mix)

Nutrition Information (per serving): 500 calories; 24.6 g. fat; 48 mg. cholesterol; 614 mg. sodium; 45 g. carbohydrate; 5.4 g. fiber; 25 g. protein

Result: This was my kind of salad! So flavor, full of different textures, and not JUST lettuce. Hands down one of my favorite salads. I didn’t use all the dressing that the original recipe called for, so I adjusted the recipe posted here accordingly. I loved the salmon with the feta and olive balanced out by the spring greens. Unique and delicious…healthy, too!

Weekly Menu: April 28th – May 3rd

Other than grading…today has no plans! :-D

Be well,

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Filed Under: 500 calories or less, carb-controlled, exercise, fiber, fish oil/omega-3's, fruits and vegetables, heart health, quick meals, recipe, vitamins, weekly menu ·

Chicken Tamale Pie

April 4, 2012 by · 25 Comments

tamalepie1We have an elliptical fix-it man ghost.

Our elliptical has been making this weird clicking noise for the past month or so. My mom even noticed it this weekend when we were working out. Mr. P kept calling for someone to come out and take a look at it and yesterday was finally that day. We were sure to be home for our 5pm or after appointment and good thing because the elliptical repair man showed up right at 5.

Mr. P retreated to the basement with him to show him the problem and wouldn’t you know…the elliptical up and decided to work just fine. Mr. Prevention came up from the basement and was ticked to say the least. The man probably thought we were crazy, but I guess we have an elliptical fix-it man ghost!

tamalepie2On a completely unrelated note, this Chicken Tamale Pie was delicious! My coworkers, as always, think I eat really “weird” food. And I am that coworker that stinks up the break room with wafting scents of brussels sprouts and seafood…get over it, people! I’m not going to plan my lunch around your smell preferences!

But these leftovers at lunch created quite the commotion in response to its smells. In a good way.

As attractive as this pie is as a whole, it wasn’t exactly tidy to remove from the pan and ended up in one messy heap on my plate. Hence, these photos are lacking and few in number. But hey, image isn’t everything…especially with food.

I am natural drawn to recipes that have a Mexican twist and if I’m being honest, I love creamed corn. I know, I know…but it’s so good :) Everything in moderation! This recipe doesn’t epitomize health, but it isn’t lacking either. It’s pretty middle-of-the-road but packs lots of flavor. This is sure to be a hit with husbands and kids alike…even if served in an unattractive heap! Just ask my coworkers! They all but begged me to share :)

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Chicken Tamale Pie adapted from Cooking Light, as seen on Pinch of Yum

1/3 cup fat free milk
1/4 cup egg substitute (or 1 egg)
1 1/2 Tbsp taco seasoning, divided
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
1 (14 3/4 oz) can cream-style corn
1 (8.5 oz) box corn muffin mix (such as Jiffy)
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chiles
1 (10 oz) can red enchilada sauce
2 cups cooked chicken breast, shredded
3/4 cup part-skim (2%) Mexican blend shredded cheese
2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped for garnish
2 Tbsp Cotija cheese, crumbled for topping

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 F. Spray a pie pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Combine milk through green chiles, using just 1/2 tablespoon of the taco seasoning, in a large bowl, stirring just until moist. Pour mixture into pie plate. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until nearly set and golden brown.

While baking, toss the chicken in the remaining 1 tablespoon taco seasoning.

Pierce entire surface of the cornbread crust liberally with a fork. Pour enchilada sauce over top. Top with chicken; sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Top with cilantro and Cojita.

Yield: 6 large pieces.

Nutrition Information (per piece): 351 calories; 9.7 g. fat; 38 mg. cholesterol; 841 mg. sodium; 46 g. carbohydrate; 1.2 g. fiber; 21 2. g. protein

Result: I had some trouble with this recipe. The suggested cook time for the “crust” was not nearly long enough. I ended up nearly doubling the first bake time (my changes are reflected above). You could certainly make this in a larger pan and reduce the baking time, however. I ended up using about 9 ounces of enchilada sauce…it started running over the edges. Oops. Despite the over-filled pie pan, this meal turned out great and was very, very flavorful. Certainly a crowd-pleaser! Enjoy!

Wednesday already! Yay! Seriously, this week is flying by and I love it! I am looking forward to a rest day – my run yesterday was terrrrrible. I had planned a 6-mile run and totally pooped out after 3.75. My body was telling me to stop…for well over a mile, so I did. And I’m glad. My plantar faciitis is rearing its ugly head this week. Note to self: don’t wear cute heels when you teach, Nicole!

Be well,

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Filed Under: 350 calories or less, carb-controlled, exercise, kid-friendly, recipe, Uncategorized ·

Whole Wheat English Muffin Bread

March 23, 2012 by · 26 Comments

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Happy Friday! Not to rub it in too much, but I got to sleep in a bit today. Oh yes, 7 am – gloooorious.

I have big plans today — punishment, really. I’m still beating myself up over not getting in my planned workout on Wednesday. I was in a rotten mood after dealing with rush hour traffic to take a stat lab to the hospital. A two-hour delay in my evening translated to a skipped workout and hanging out on the deck all night with Lily (yes, still loving this weather). The Lily girl is convinced bees and wasps are meant to be eaten. I’m not quite sure when she’ll learn. I like to think of her as smart, but at least I know she’s cute ;)

I digress. My punishment for punking out on my workout Wednesday is STAIRS. I have a route planned of 1/2 mile jaunts on either side of a 72-step staircase that I will run in sets of 3. I’m going to do that loop as many times as I can. Wish me luck.

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But before I do that, I’m hoping this Whole Wheat English Muffin bread will bring me as much success as my Whole Wheat Cinnamon-Raisin Swirl Bread did on Saturday. Let’s hope.

Today’s recipe comes from Nicole’s blog (she has a great name, huh?), Cookies on Friday. I was assigned Nicole’s blog for a recipe swap and I’m so glad it worked out that I was introduced to a new blog! And a great recipe! Unlike me, Nicole is a baker, and a great baker at that. I want to sample everything she posts, but decided on this English Muffin Bread, which I turned into a whole wheat variety.

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As a lover of English muffins, this bread immediately caught my eye. On one of his recent trips to Kroger, Mr. Prevention came back with whole wheat English muffins and they were gone in no time. I don’t usually buy bread and prefer to make my own, avoiding all of the preservatives, added salt, and eighteen syllable mystery ingredients.

This bread was simple to make and kept well for a week in an air-tight Ziplock. I most enjoyed this bread with a smear of reduced-sugar jam or even better…Biscoff Spread — the reason for my guilt over skipping that workout. A spoon has found its way into that jar (perhaps a finger if I’m desperate) far too many times this week…that stuff is sooo addicting, and even better over a slice of this bread.

Let’s call that breakfast before this killer workout, shall we?

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Whole Wheat English Muffin Bread slightly adapted from King Arthur Flour via Cookies on Friday

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 package (2 1/4 tsp) yeast
1 cup nonfat milk
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
cornmeal, for dusting

Directions:

In a large mixer bowl, add the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and yeast; stir with the paddle attachment to combine.

In a small sauce pan, combine the milk, water, and oil and heat to between 120 and 130 degrees. Make sure to stir the liquid before measuring its temperature. Pour the hot liquid over the dry ingredients. Beat at high speed for 1 minute, the dough will be quite soft and sticky.

Lightly grease an 8 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ loaf pan, and sprinkle the bottom and sides with cornmeal. Using a greased spatula, scoop the dough into the prepared pan. Level out the dough.

Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until it’s just barely crowned over the rim of the pan (no more than 1/4 inch above the rim); about 45 minutes.

While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 400 F.

Remove the plastic wrap, and bake for 22 to 27 minutes, until it is golden brown. Cool the bread for 5 minutes and then turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool. Let the bread cool completely before slicing.

Yield: 12 slices.

Nutrition Information (per slice): 135 calories; 2.5 g. fat;  0 mg. cholesterol; 227 mg. sodium; 24 g. carbohydrate; 1.5 g. fiber; 2.2 g. protein

Result: English muffin…in bread form! Are you surprised? ;) This was delicious and simple to make…and just as great made with half whole wheat flour. A slice of this bread for breakfast along with a pan-fried egg…or a smear of Biscoff. Mmm! Consider me a convert…no need for the processed stuff when bread-making is this simple. Enjoy!

Off for that workout! Have a wonderful weekend!

Be well,

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Filed Under: 150 calories or less, exercise, fiber, kid-friendly, recipe, snack, sodium, Uncategorized ·