Hi all,
I'm finally back! After a pretty hectic and long work week last week, I took the weekend to recover. Of course, many of you who have small children realize that while you may be physically exhausted, your little ones may not understand that. My kids were full of energy and ready to take on the weekend. I however, was not. I tried to keep them occupied with small activities, and that seemed to work for the most part.
This week as I went back to my normal work hours, it felt like I was trying to play catch up. I finally feel well rested and ready to take on my recipes and connecting with you all. Today I wanted to tackle the topic of salads. I have always liked salad but never considered them options for meal replacements. I enjoyed them as side salads. My favorite type of salad would have to be a Caesar salad. I do want to mention; I was 26 years old when I discovered fruit on a salad was a thing. Yea, I know, kind of late to the party. That is the same year I found that I enjoyed berries tossed in my salad. It was a whole new world. Salads were still a side choice for me. As I ventured this year tackling the idea that as a family it was time we all start eating better, I began to reach outside my comfort zone and find salads that were filling and tasty. Penny loves salads. I always find myself sharing a salad with her, and she has never really had a problem eating her vegetables. Noah and Devon, on the other hand, are a little harder to convince. Thus I find myself looking for meal ideas that please everyone but do not require me to make different meals.
What you will need:
- one pound of cooked salmon
- half a package of spinach
- one yellow squash and one zucchini
- one package of cooked quinoa
- one container of strawberries
- the juice of one lemon
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
If you're looking for an easy way to cook salmon, please feel free to visit my previous post HERE
I like my squash and zucchini to have a little sear to them. I place them in a saute pan with a drizzle of olive oil and cook for about 2-3 minutes. The goal is to brown the veggies but still have them maintain a crunch. In a separate bowl squeeze your lemon and add two tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and whisk this all together.
Layer a hearty serving of spinach first. Then arrange your squash and zucchini in the middle. Carefully shred the salmon and place on one side of the squash, followed by the quinoa. Add a couple of sliced strawberries to the mix. Next, take your dressing mixture and drizzle as little or as much as you want to your salad.
Now, for those of you who have people who don't care to have this in "salad" form, you can deconstruct this recipe. For Noah, I added a little shaved Parmesan cheese on top of his zucchini and placed the salmon on the side as well as the strawberries. I love this recipe because it is so versatile and requires only a small amount of time cooking. I leave you with that, my friends, as I try to convince Penny not to eat off of my plate and tell Noah that yes he does indeed like this, it's the same "chicken" he tried last time, and yes I will add strawberries to his plate in a second.
With love,
Carolina
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