Ginger (non) Soy Salmon

Holy Crap I’m exhausted.  But this morning started out differently.  I was happy, doing burpies and pull ups and squats, even met a new work out buddy.  But then my work out was cut short.  I was pissed.  Scott decided he would rather work on football drills with some of his athletes outdoors on the beautiful day over train me indoors for free.  Selfish!  Ok, I was not pissed at all, it was totally understandable and I hardly objected.   So once I arrived home, I grabbed my old fashioned pen and paper, and plopped my tooshy on the back patio table to write.  Then (SQUIRREL!!) I remembered I have bird seeds, a couple cardboard TP roll things and almond butter I don’t care to eat… Do you see where I’m going with this??  Oh yes.  Usually one would imagine these activities are reserved for kiddos, but… I’m practicing?  Ha.

You know you want to make a bird feeder too!

From there my attention moved over to the yard.  For the next few hours, I decided to rake leaves covering about half of our back yard (I hope grass will grow) then transport said leaves (and sticks and stuff) to a very deep and empty garden bed.  This garden bed is so deep and empty, we need to figure out some magically cheap way to fill ‘er up.  So I heaved about 8+ compost bags worth of “yard” in attempt to complete said task.  The owners of the home (yes we rent) said a few years ago they filled the space with bushels of hay (the previous renters did not maintain much of the yard at all unfortunately, so we are just about starting from scratch), so maybe hay will be our next option.

So much work ahead!  This is the “after” pic with 8+ bags filling it, geeez.

My gardening activities continued until the sun dropped enough for me to catch a chill, then I headed inside for sympathy.  “Babe my back hurts now, did you see everything I did?!”  He says I’m needy, but I don’t understand where that comes from.  My back hurt and my hammy’s were a tad over-stretched.  Thank goodness my man knows how to give a killer back massage.  And he better because I was the one breaking my back while he ‘played’ with his friends in the front yard and inside the house.  Just kidding, it was perfect.  Couldn’t have asked for a better afternoon, and Scott surely agrees.  I love working in the garden and yard.  Especially in the summer (or mid February, whatevs) in my bikini – 3 birds, one stone.  Gardening, check.  Sun tan, check.  Work out, CHECK.  I love it.  AKA:  Bikini Gardening!!  Sorry, no pic.

Gardening is good for you and good for the soul.  You know what else is good for you?  Salmon.  Specifically wild caught salmon.  High in omega-3’s, I try to have it at least once a week.  I love me some salmon sashimi (and sushi rolls that involve salmon in any way, minus the cream cheese, I hate cream cheese in sushi) and the easiest way for me to prepare salmon at home – in the oven.

After an exhausting day such as this, or after a normal day such as Tuesday (I don’t recall anything from Tuesday, just decided to throw out a random day), I enjoy salmon knowing I’m receiving the essential fats my body needs to function properly.  As the current population’s overall diet consists highly of fats, we need to have more awareness of the types of fats we consume.  Omega-6 fats are found in meats, dairy products, refined/processed foods, etc, (don’t worry, you’re most likely over-consuming these) and promote the sticky (healthy) clotting of blood.  Omega-3 fats on the other hand, help reduce inflammation, decreases fat and promotes uninterrupted flow in the bloodstream.  Both fats are essential in our diet, but due the the over-consumption of omega-6’s, the healthy clotting of blood can quickly turn bad, so it is recommended that we consume greater amounts of omega-3 fats as to create a balance.

Now, are you ready to chow down on some salmon this week??  That’s what I thought.  Let me begin by explaining the (non) soy ingredient.  We use Bragg’s Liquid Aminos in place of soy sauce (so yes, you can use soy sauce if you MUST).  Scott and I try to avoid soy just as we try to avoid corn due to their extreme GMO properties.  Our bodies just don’t like that man-made “food” (I had a meaner word typed out first and decided to clean it up a bit).  I will put together some info and post it to my Ingredient FAQ page of the blog I started.  Do yourself a favor and avoid products with GMOs when you can too.

Ginger (non) Soy Salmon

• 1 lb Salmon Filet (Wild Caught, NOT FARMED, no color added, skin on)
• 2 TBS Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce)
• 1 TBS Sesame Oil
• 1 TBS Ginger (fresh grated/sliced)
• 6 Garlic Cloves (minced/sliced)
• 1-2 TBS Sesame Seeds
• 1 TBS Chives (chopped)

Step 1:  COMBINE & MARINATE.  Combine the liquid aminos, oil, ginger and garlic in small bowl.   With salmon in a glass dish or foil boat (I had trouble deciding and went with foil because I thought the glass dish let the liquids spread out too much), pour the combo on top, cover and let marinate at least 15 minutes.

Ginger (non) Soy Salmon

Step 2:  BROIL.  GARNISH.  EAT MORE OMEGA-3 FAT**.  Heat oven to Broil.  Once heated, place foil-guarded salmon directly on rack in oven and let cook 10-15 minutes (depends on your filet’s thickness) until the meat flakes.  Remove from oven, garnish with sesame seeds and chives.  I ate this dish with my Baked Brussels and Bacon 🙂  Yum.

Ginger (non) Soy Salmon with Brussels

Scott doesn’t eat the salmon because his taste buds never changed from when he was 4 years old.  I take that back, he does eat sushi, but delicious cooked salmon prepared by his fiance just isn’t his thing I guess.  Now I’m mad at him again.  Anyway, yes, I cooked an entire pound for myself and ate it over 3ish days in miscellaneous dishes.  One that I loved throwing together at work included mixed greens with cooked quinoa and sliced cucumber – no dressing necessary.

Ginger Soy Salmon with sliced cucumber and quinoa

**Other sources for omega-3 fats are wild caught cold water fish such as sardines and salmon (you know this one by now!), as well as flaxseeds, chai seeds and walnuts.

**Check out my FAQ Ingredients Page – leave a comment if there’s something you’d like to see added!