Well, friends, today is a big day – it’s my birthday!
Today, I’m 28 years young and ready for a new year ahead of me! And although I would love to indulge in some traditional birthday treats like cake and champagne, I’m giving the gift of healthy eating and good ol’ R&R to myself on this day. I need it guys. After two months of non-stop activity with traveling, holidays, parties, final exams and a few injuries, my diet and exercise is off and my body is tired and starting to shut down. It’s time for a reset.
So with that being said, I’ve joined forces with CrossFit Livermore as the nutrition coach for their 60 Day Weight Loss Challenge and am also participating in the team challenge. For me, this challenge is about cleaning up my diet (ugh, I hate that word), getting back to a consistent program at the gym, and helping my fellow participants reach their goals with their eating plan. It’s a pretty awesome opportunity, and I’m so excited to be a part of the adventure!
As a participant in the challenge, I’m sticking to a clean food plan of lean meats, veggies, and healthy fats. Nothing out of the normal for my day to day diet, but for the duration of the challenge there are no more cheats and very little to no alcohol. This is where I will have the biggest challenge. I love my wine and cherish the nights Matt and I open up a nice bottle together. But I know cutting my intake down will not only help with my body composition goals but also help my body heal from the craziness of the past few months. I’m also committed to completing two workouts a week from my team coach – which I will incorporate in with my CrossFit schedule – and sending my scores to my coach to track.
As the nutrition coach for the challenge, each week I am sending two recipes to the participants, which I will also be posting to the blog. So it’s a win-win for the participants and my readers. Yay! The first round of recipes went out last Sunday, 1/3/16, which was Day 1 of the challenge. The first recipe was one of my oldie-but-goodie recipes from the blog – Savory Sweet Potato Frittata. I love this recipe because a) it’s easy to make, b) it’s pretty dang delicious, and c) it’s a great way to get your protein and good carbs in around your workouts. Pair a slice or two with some avocado and you’ve got a nice breakfast, or eat a slice by itself for a quick, energizing snack.
The second recipe is a brand new recipe featuring beautiful, wild-caught salmon fillets with a simple balsamic glaze, paired with roasted lemon pepper broccoli.
This one of those recipes that it’s easy and quick enough to whip up on a weeknight, but can also be served as an impressive dish for a dinner party. It’s good to have these kinds of recipes in your repertoire for whenever the need arises.
Alright, enough with the chit-chat. Here’s the recipe!
Balsamic Glazed Salmon with Roasted Lemon Pepper Broccoli
Balsamic Glazed Salmon Ingredients:
- 2 wild-caught salmon fillets, 6 oz. each
- 2 tsp. olive oil
- 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard (I use Trader Joe’s Dijon with white wine)
- 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
- 1/8 tsp. sea salt (adjust to taste)
- 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
Lemon Pepper Broccoli Ingredients:
- 1 head of broccoli, stems removed* (see note)
- juice from 1/2 of a lemon, freshly squeezed
- black pepper, to taste
- 1/8 tsp. sea salt (adjust to taste)
Other Tools:
- cutting board
- chef’s knife
- small mixing bowl
- whisk
- 2 baking sheets, lined with foil
Method:
Preheat the oven to 425° (F) for frozen salmon fillets. Place both fillets on one of the foil-lined baking sheets and sprinkle with sea salt and garlic powder, then set aside. To make the balsamic glaze, take the small mixing bowl and pour in the olive oil, balsamic, and dijon mustard. Whisk these ingredients together until they make a glaze and then pour over the fillets. Sprinkle the parsley on top of the fillets and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes.
While the salmon is cooking, prepare the lemon pepper broccoli. Remove the florets from the stems and place on top of the second foil lined baking sheet. Pour the lemon juice over all the florets, followed by the black pepper and sea salt. When the time for the salmon reaches 12 minutes, pop the broccoli in with the salmon to roast for the remaining time. When the time is done, dish up the salmon and broccoli and enjoy!
*Notes: Broccoli stems are completely edible and very nutritious! I usually clean them off, slice into what I call “broccoli chips” and roast them along with the florets.
Since it is the New Year, I know a lot of you are doing your own type of cleanse, weight loss challenge or workout program. What are you doing to get back on track? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!
Also, if you’re looking for a weekly meal planner to help keep you organized and on track, please check out my free weekly meal planning spreadsheet, available in the Tools & Resources section. No strings attached.
Alrighty friends, I’m off to enjoy the rest of the day.
I’ve got new recipes lined up for next week, so stay tuned!
Steph's in the Kitchen 
Stephanie,
Hello!
This is Mary, Cathy’s mom.. we are trying this tonight!
Mary
LikeLike
Hi Mary,
I’m so happy you tried it! I hope everything turned out okay. Thanks so much for coming by the blog and reading my posts. 🙂
-Stephanie
LikeLike