Dinner is no small thing, but it can be easy :).
When no one seems to have time to make a healthy and delicious dinner, maybe the truth is that everyone actually does - we have all just given our time to other things, instead of taking that time to invest in ourselves. What if we can all decided, we do have time for this!!
But I’m with you - taking the time to invest in our own health and vitality can often feel like a task we just can’t add to our plate. What if YOU decided that yes, you do have time for this - to care for your physical body, and to nourish those you love? How could you actually make that a reality??
What you eat affects the way you feel, and how you think, how your cells talk to each other and how your blood moves.... It is amazing how your body interacts with food.
Dinner has to be easy. It has to be fast. And if it is not amazing, then why even bother? There may be meals that you already have in your recipe box that are famous in your home, and maybe they could benefit from a few additions or changes that will make them even more amazing and nutrient rich, easier and faster. Then, you could actually make them :).
My criteria for my own personal FAME (fast, amazing meals that are easy) recipes are:
they take no more than 25 min to cook (that is one-show-on-Netflix long)
all of my family will eat it (and be happy about it, thank you!)
they require ingredients that I can keep on hand, and are nutrient rich
I can double or triple the recipe with little effort to entertain friends or feed a crowd!
This Gingery Salmon recipe meets all these criteria with flying colors :).
It has been a staple in my home for almost 10 years now! My kids have all grown up eating it, expanding the repertoire of flavors that they enjoy and fueling their bodies with nutrient rich foods that they now crave. It is the recipe that I am asked to share the most with friends (the second is my Vegetarian Lentil Chili), and it does not disappoint. You will have your own gauge of what "fast" or "amazing" or "easy" means to you, but for me, this meal is IT.
What is also fantastic about FAME recipes is that you can continue to improve them as you learn more about your body and about healthy food. This meal has been given a huge boost recently by replacing the base of white jasmine rice for Black Japonica rice from Well Luck USA. I have tried before to make this meal more nutrient rich with the addition of traditional brown rice, but with a 45 min cooking time it just never stuck... This black japonica rice only takes 25 minutes to cook (check), and it is nutrient rich with as much antioxidants as blueberries (check)! My family loves the nutty flavor (check), and it just adds some interest to the appearance of it - which is fun when I entertain (bonus).
Nearly every ingredient in this recipe has huge nutritional benefits. I love knowing the nutritional profile of the foods that I eat, and being mindful of them. For me, this is an aspect of self-care - knowing that I have given my body nourishing food. And it makes me feel super victorious :). My first advice to clients is always to ADD IN more good food - because as you give yourself more of the good things your body needs, the less you will crave/indulge in the foods that it can do without. I have detailed many of these nutritional benefits of all the ingredients in this meal below, but let me give you the recipe first:
Gingery Salmon
- 1.5 lb Salmon
- 1 C rice - Black Japonica or jasmine
- generous handful of green beans
- 4-5 scallions, chopped
- 3-4 inches ginger root, grated
- ⅓ C low sodium soy sauce (or coconut aminos)
- 1 tsp olive oil or coconut oil
Heat 2C of water in a high sided pan until boiling, add rice and simmer, partially covered, for 10 minutes (if using jasmine rice) or 12-15 min (if using black japonica rice). While rice is simmering, prep the rest of your ingredients.
Remove the skin from the salmon and cut into 2X1 inch pieces. Chop green beans in half. Chop scallions, white and green parts. Skin ginger with a small knife and grate using a box grater or microplane. Measure out the soy sauce.
Add in green beans on top of rice, cover and cook 2 minutes. Add salmon on top of green beans, cover and cook 3 more minutes. While salmon is cooking, heat EVOO in a small pan on high and add scallions and ginger, sautee until fragrant - about 30 seconds. Add soy sauce and heat until simmering. Pour sauce over top of the salmon, green beans, rice, cover and cook for another 5 min.
Done :).
Here is a little secret: you actually DO have time for this. You have time to make an amazing healthy meal for yourself and those you love. You just don’t have too much time… if you are looking for support to discover and create FAME recipes of your own, contact me and come join in on my FAME Recipe Building Course!
Next, let’s count nutrients - here are this meal’s health benefits!
Salmon - is full of omega-3s <-- you have probably heard that these are good to have in your life, although I find that most of us do not know why... Here are a few: they are incredible for your brain, cell membranes, and blood health. 1. Higher intake of Omega-3s is linked to higher intelligence and cognitive functioning - your brain needs these good fats!! 2. Do you remember those illustrations from your high school biology or anatomy book that described how cells communicate with one another by neurotransmitters? No? It's cool, here is a refresher: Your cells talk to each other by releasing and receiving neurotransmitters through the cell membrane. Omega-3s make your cell membranes better able to let neurotransmitters in and out, like serotonin and dopamine - these are the ones that make you feel happy. So eating foods with more omega-3s will positively affect your mood, how you feel, and consequently the way you behave. Kinda wild. 3. They aid in blood circulation by thinning your blood (preventing clumping) and consequently by lowering blood pressure. Oh, and omega-3s are anti-inflammatory. Perfect.
Black Japonica Rice - watch out for this rice at your local grocer, the nutritional benefits and taste are truly amazing! The antioxidant anthocyanin that it contains is the same anti-oxidant that is in blueberries, which improves brain function and memory (yes please). This rice contains a higher density of this anti-oxidant than blueberries, bite for bite. Well Luck USA sources this rice exclusively from China, it is non-GMO and is the only raw black rice available on the market in the US (if you live in NY - Beyond Sushi uses this rice in all their rolls!!). The texture is soft and chewable and it turns a beautiful dark purple after cooking. Given its quality, it is rare but is increasing in popularity. Ask your local market for it, and if you can find it, get as much as you can carry!! If you can't find it, white Jasmine rice works just fine and will not deter your enjoyment of this recipe above :).
Green beans - think of green beans as a multivitamin. They have potassium, calcium, manganese, vitamin A, carotenoids, and beta-carotene - to name a few. All vitamins and phytonutrients that your body needs. They are crunchy and mild in flavor so you really can’t go wrong…
Ginger - is known for being a "universal remedy", it is a very healing spice. Particularly to soothe your stomach and aid in digestion. Eating ginger prevents heartburn, because it helps to cleanse your gallbladder (<-- you forgot you had one of those didn't you?). There is nothing that makes you feel more uncomfortable that an upset stomach, nausea, and digestive distress... Ginger prevents and heals all these things!
Scallions - are part of the onion family, and they are fighters!! Properties in onions help and enable your body to fight bacteria, viruses, inflammation, allergies, and increase your body's production of cancer fighting enzymes. So, if you would like to avoid catching your cab driver’s cold, keep you seasonal allergies at bay, reduce inflammation and unwelcome bacteria in your body - these scallions are a good choice.
Enjoy, friends!