Earth Day, Randomness, & Chicken Thighs

/

Good evening, friends! Is anyone else still recovering from Marathon Monday? And no, I'm not referring to those who should actually be recovering. I'm talking about us by-standers/cheerleaders... woof. AM workouts have been no joke for the last two days. 

Moving on, it's Earth Day! Even if you missed out on giving back to Mother Nature today, it's not too late to do something for our planet. I'm excited because my little spinach and kale seedlings started to sprout this week. If you're interested in growing a little herb garden this year... check out these past posts (here, here, and here) about my "City Gardens". There's nothing better (and easier/cheaper) than fresh herbs from the garden!

Next, random but, any local people signed up for some 6k-9k races in the nearish future? I have the running bug (like I do every Spring), however, this year I'm not running the Run to Remember Half Marathon like I usually do so I'm itching to run another fun race. I'd love to run Falmouth but, that's not until August. Please share!

Tonight, I made grilled chicken thighs with roasted asparagus and spiralized sweet potato 'chips'. The real star of the meal, however, was the sauce. The other day I mentioned that I made a spicy mayo to go with fish tacos. I made the same sauce tonight except I reduced the mayo portion and increased the sriracha/dijon portion. It was a very nice compliment to the chicken thighs that were marinated in turmeric, coriander, and paprika.

Sweets: Tossed in evoo, garlic powder, salt, and rosemary and baked at 410 for 15
Asparagus: Tossed in evoo, salt, crushed red pepper and baked at 410 for 10
Thighs: Marinated quickly in tbs paprika and turmeric and 1/2 tbs for coriander and grilled on cast iron pan (covered and uncovered) until cooked through.
Sauce: Tbs organic mayo, 1.5 Tbs sriracha, Tbs Dijon - mix and adjust as needed

Yum, Yum, Yum! Hope you're all having a fiiinnee week! xo

QUESTIONS:
Do you plant a garden?
What are your favorite herbs?
Are you running any races in the next month or so?
Chicken thighs or chicken breasts?

Coconut, Dijon, Fig Salmon

/

Oh hayyy! How was the day? I had a typical Tuesday - nothing too crazy. My workout this morning was intense and I was already super sore from yesterday's class (um, we did 30 suicides at the end of boxing). Sooo, tomorrow is looking like a rest day. I find that Wednesday is typically a smart day to take a rest day even though I don't usually want to rest on a Wednesday. Does anyone else go through that same thought process?

Moving on, I had a craving for salmon which worked out nicely because Rob isn't around tonight. I'm fairly certain that the only food that Rob doesn't like that I LOVE is my beloved salmon. Tonight's recipe was gooood, so I'll try this one another time to see if it'll cause a turn! (we'll see)

This recipe is (kind of) a take on the recipe that made me love salmon back when I was in high school. My mom started making salmon way before it was trendy and created this whole-grain dijon mustard/brown sugar glaze that made it taste absolutely divine. I used to ask for it all the time.

Not only is this meal ridiculously easy to make, it's also incredibly healthy. Here's what's needed:

Coconut, Dijon, Fig Salmon, Serves 1-2 based on spread and size of salmon

Need:
- Dijon mustard (1-2 tbs)
- 1 part Coconut butter (if you are in a pinch and don't have coconut butter - you could try mixing equal parts coconut oil with shredded coconut) (1 tbs)
- Fig jam (1/2 - 1tbs)
- WILD salmon

How:
- Mix all three ingredients in a bowl 
- Spread on salmon
- Broil on high for 5 minutes
- Bake in a 415 degree oven for another 5-7 minutes
- Serve & Enjoy!

Photos for reference...

I paired the salmon with roasted asparagus and roasted sweet potatoes. For the asparagus, I drizzled them with evoo and salt and put them on the same pan as the salmon so they cooked along with it. For the potatoes, I tossed them in evoo and chopped rosemary. Then, I started them in a 415 degree oven for 10 minutes before everything else and then moved them to the rack below the salmon for the rest of the cooking process.

Done and done. This glaze was INCREDIBLE -- that coconut butter is already becoming a favorite of mine in the kitchen. This salmon wasn't as much coconutty as it was dijony/figgy goodness, but, the coconut made it all work. Plus, it provides some added health benefits. Enjoy!

QUESTIONS: DO YOU LOVE/HATE SALMON?
DO YOU LOVE/HATE REST DATES? (I have a love/hate relationship with them)
DOES TODAY FEEL LIKE WEDNESDAY OR IS IT JUST ME? 

xo

15 Minute Meals: General Tso's Lettuce Wraps

/

I'm pretty pumped to share this meal with you all because it jussssst sneaks into the "15 Minute Meals" category. Plus, Rob and I flipped with excitement over the flavor. So, so, so good! Now, it is extremely rare that you'll ever see a non-homemade marinade on this blog (besides Cindy's buffalo sauce), but, I am in a conference this week which means I don't have much time to do anything at home. So, on Monday when I went food shopping, I thought it would benefit me to cut the whole "homemade marinade" step out of the equation. The result? Total and complete success. Here's how it all played out:

NEED:
- 1LB Organic ground pork or (beef, turkey, or chicken)
- 1LB Quinoa
- Boston lettuce or Iceburg lettuce
- Whole Foods General Tso's Sauce (the ingredient list is spectacular - no crap allowed)
- 1 Red bell pepper
- 1 zucchini (optional)
- Couple pads of organic grass fed butter
- Crushed red pepper

HOW:
- Cook 1 cup of quinoa (follow instructions - usually takes about 15 minutes)
- Saute Pork (or other meat) in a healthy pour or two of the Whole Food's Brand General Tso's sauce
- Spiralize the zucchini (optional - I only did this because I needed to use a zucchini)
- Julienne the pepper
- Once the pork is cooked through - spoon a couple of tablespoons into 3 lettuce leaves per plate
- Add a couple pads of the butter and crushed red pepper (to taste) to the quinoa mixture, then spoon to the plate
- Add the veggies for "building" the lettuce wraps and serve!)

Pork/General Tso's

While everything is cooking... build the plate.

Plate, serve, build, & eat!

I am so impressed with this sauce... it is only 15 calories per serving and has a REALLY nice ingredient list. Whole Foods is seriously the best. This meal is jam packed with protein, b-vitamins, magnesium, fiber, and FLAVOR. Enjoy!

Have a great Thursday! xo