One of the lessons I continue to drive home with my clients is that you do not have to be too busy to create a body you love! Busy-ness is an obstacle that we can strategize, not an excuse to eat poorly and feel like crap. (I'm also not afraid to give my clients some tough love!)
On that note, today's email is going to give you three meals to use with pre-cooked salmon. You can cook one batch of salmon and use it three different times throughout the week, saving you time so you can live your life.
PREPPED PROTEIN: SALMON FILETS
I'm all for keeping things as simple as possible, so this is my most fool-proof salmon recipe. I turn to it on a weekly basis for a quick dinner. All you need is salmon filets (4-6 oz. in size), coconut aminos and salt and pepper.
If you aren't familiar with coconut aminos, it is a delicious sauce made from coconut sap. It's similar to soy sauce but is soy and gluten-free. Since soy and gluten are two of the most common allergens and can be very inflammatory, I choose to avoid them. My favorite "flavor" of coconut aminos is Teriyaki but they are all delicious and I use them as a soy sauce substitute in a lot of recipes. You can buy them on Amazon HERE.
To cook the salmon I place the filets in a parchment paper pouch (you'll know how many you need to cook because you've planned your meals for the week, right?), lightly season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with Teriyaki coconut aminos. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes and you are done! Be careful as you open the parchment pouch because it is full of steam and you can easily burn yourself. The pouch keeps the salmon from drying out and it's a great way for beginner cooks to become more comfortable cooking salmon.
If you've never rolled up a parchment paper pouch. HERE is a YouTube video that shows you how. (I'm a visual learner!) You can skip ahead to the 1:30 mark to see where she starts rolling the parchment paper.
Now you have your salmon filets all cooked! You can portion out the ones you're using for this first meal and save the rest in an air-tight container in the fridge for later on this week.
Meal #1: Make a salmon bowl with cauliflower rice and broccoli.
While the salmon is cooking, cook the cauliflower rice in a skillet with butter and season with salt, pepper and garlic.
Cook broccoli your favorite way, I usually opt to steam it on the stovetop beside the cauliflower rice so I can keep an eye on everything.
Layer the cauliflower rice, broccoli (top with Kerrygold butter, salt and pepper) and the salmon filets. I love adding chopped green onions and sesame seeds on top! Make sure to pour the juice of the Teriyaki aminos cooking with the salmon, over the whole bowl and add more if you'd like.
Meal #2: Cool salmon salad.
You already have your flavorful salmon cooked and the rest of the salad can come together in a flash. I love crunchy cabbage mingled with crisp greens. You can add sliced bell peppers, cucumber, radishes, green onion and avocado. A squeeze of fresh lemon on top is delicious!
Meal #3: Lettuce-wrapped fish tacos.
Who doesn't love tacos?? Give Taco Tuesday a healthy twist by using your pre-cooked salmon and wrapping them in lettuce or cabbage. I love savoy cabbage leaves because they are durable yet soft, great for keeping all the ingredients intact.
Add chopped cabbage, guacamole. tomatoes, cilantro, and any other taco toppings that you love. Don't forget a squeeze of lemon!
TIP FOR RE-HEATING COOKED FISH: If you want your salmon warm for your fish tacos, place on a rimmed baking sheet and loosely cover with foil. Place in a pre-heated oven at 275 degrees for 15 minutes. This will warm them up with drying out your salmon.
I hope you find these batch-cooking meals helpful!
