Raspberry Pecan Salmon

Just as ANY Mom will tell you, the concept of a quick dinner recipe is a wonderful thing. I used to be very elaborate when it came to meal planning. I would takes hours to fix a recipe. My favorite spot is in the kitchen cooking or baking or outside running. If I ever have a stressful day, I love going into the kitchen and cooking a big meal.

But having a child changes things. A LOT. Please don’t get me wrong, every change is SO worth it! I still very much enjoy cooking, but these days I head straight to the 30 minute or less recipes. Not going to lie, I love a quick meal that tastes just as good as those meals that I would make that took hours.

One of my very favorite quick dinners is salmon. Not only is it healthy, but you can get it on the table in less than 30 minutes. A recipe that I use often is Raspberry Pecan Salmon. Doesn’t it sound fancy?!

Even Gabriella was amazed at how good it looked. (& no, that’s not a bald spot on her head, it’s just where the sunlight is hitting)

It’s SO easy to put together, and only requires THREE ingredients (if you don’t count salt & pepper.) I try to incorporate salmon into our weekly meals, at least for a night or even two. Recently when I went to get this salmon I asked for a pound, which ends up being perfect for us- with some leftover that I can eat the next day. The lady happened to say ‘it’s a little over a pound,’ I thought no big deal. Well, what I didn’t know was that the salmon actually ended up being 1.2lbs! Eek! When she said ‘little’ I thought maybe I was getting 1.05lbs. I guess I should have been more specific when asking for a POUND. HA! Good thing it won’t go to waste!

She was ALL about the salmon! She was fascinated. Must take after her Momma, the salmon lover.  

This ‘recipe’ is VERY general. It’s pretty much just use as much as you see fit. I know that doesn’t help much, but there’s really no ‘right or wrong’ way to make this salmon, which is part of why I like the recipe so much.

Raspberry Pecan Salmon

Ingredients:
-1 lb. salmon (or however much you want)
-Salt & pepper
-2 tbsp. seedless raspberry jam (increase if using more fish, or less for a smaller piece)
-1/8 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts) (again, increase or decrease if you desire)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Cover a baking pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. (Using the foil will help get the skin off)
3. Place the fish skin down on the foil, sprinkle with salt & pepper.
4. Take your raspberry jam & smooth it across the fish and then sprinkle with the chopped pecans.

5. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork in the middle or thickest part. (I recommend checking on it frequently after 15 minutes as all ovens are different and overcooked salmon is not the tastiest thing.)

^ how good does that look baking in the oven?? And your house will smell so good- nice & sweet from the jam.

I served the fish atop a fresh salad. (Romaine lettuce, corn on the cob, chopped pears, apples & strawberries and raspberries.)

Such a delicious summer dinner! I polished off a big bowl of salad for dinner last night & am looking forward to leftover night to eat this meal again!

In other news, Gabriella found a new favorite toy:

Our vertical blinds. Girl is into EVERYTHING. It is really funny because the silliest stuff (like these blinds) keeps her entertained for a while

Oh, and another random thing, did anyone else’s kid do this:

Nice shot of my child’s tush, right?! But she actually prefers to do this over crawling. She will just get into the ‘downward dog’ position & pull herself up instead of crawling. Is she just weird or is this normal?! If it’s weird, then she definitely gets it from Craig.  

Guess what?? Tomorrow is F-R-I-D-A-Y! It’s ALMOST the weekend! WOOHOO!

Favorite fish? Favorite fish recipe? Please share, I LOVE new fish recipes!
I love Mahi mahi and salmon. And my favorite fish recipe is the one above.

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Stuffed Salmon & NEW Workout!

Good Morning!

Boy do I have a recipe for you today. But first, let me share the workout I have been promising to give you.

This is a workout for the gym, but many exercises can be done at home using dumbbells. It is a combination weight workout, along with cardio exercises (these exercises are in purple). It is designed to keep your heart rate up while doing weight exercises. – means more fat & calorie burn!

Arms/ Abs/ Calves

Bicep Cable Curls: 3 x 12
Super Set Overhead Triceps Press: 3 x 12

25 Jumping Jacks

Cable Rope Hammer Curls : 3 x 12
Super Set Triceps Pushdown with Straight Bar: 3 x 12

20 Squat Jumps

Bosu Ball Crunch, pulling weight behind your head using rope attachment on cable machine: 3 X 25
Super Set Weight Oblique Side Crunch (use plate): 3 x 15

15 (or as many as you can) burpees with jump at the end (I know, they suck 😉 )

Incline Sit ups holding a plate: 3 x 12
Super Set Incline Twisting Oblique Twists holding a plate: 3 x 10 (each side)

25 Plié Squat Jumps

Upright Rows using straight bar on cable machine: 3 x 12
Super Set Barbell Shoulder Press 3 x 12

20 Skaters (each leg)

Dumbbell Lat Raises 3 x 12
Super Set Front Raises (can use plate instead of dumbbells): 3 x 12

10 Tuck Jumps (tuck knees into chest while jumping)

Standing Calf Raises (I used a weighted bar on the squat machine): 3 x 15
Super Set Seated Calf Raises: 3 x 15

Sprint 1/4 of a mile on the treadmill– as fast as you can, which will probably not be too fast since it IS the very end of your workout- you are probably pretty tired by now.

Most of the exercises can be found online, but if you do have any questions about the moves, let me know! I will get back to you ASAP!

Now, for that recipe. Lately I have been on a salmon kick. I LOVE it. I can’t get enough of it. My favorite FAST way to prepare it is to season it with salt & pepper, then top it with a couple of tablespoons of raspberry jam & top it with a few chopped pecans. I bake it at 425 degrees for 15- 20 minutes, depending on the size of the piece of fish.

Now because I had a little bit of extra time last night, I found a new salmon recipe on Pinterest. (thank goodness for Pinterest, right?!)

I ran across Stuffed Salmon with Sriracha Cream Sauce. My mouth started watering at just the NAME of the recipe.

My pictures may not be as pretty as the original source, but I guarantee it tasted just as good! 🙂 The original recipe is found HERE– this is NOT my creation! I have copied the recipe below and have added in what I changed.

STUFFED SALMON with SRIRACHA CREAM SAUCE

TERIYAKI MARINADE INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 cup cold water

1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce

1 cup water

5 tablespoon packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp garlic powder

2 tablespoons honey

TERIYAKI MARINADE DIRECTIONS

1. in a small bowl, combine cornstarch & 1/4 cup cold water. stir until cornstarch is dissolved; set aside

2. in a saucepan, combine 1 cup water, soy sauce, ground ginger, garlic powder, brown sugar & honey; bring to a simmer

3. When liquid is simmering & brown sugar has melted, add the cornstarch/water mixture & simmer until thick enough to coat a back of a spoon (do not over thicken!)

SRIRACHA CREAM SAUCE INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup Sriracha sauce

6 oz. Fat Free Greek Yogurt

3 tablespoons condensed milk

SRIRACHA CREAM DIRECTIONS

1. in a medium bowl, combine Sriracha & Greek yogurt & whisk well

2. add condensed milk & whisk until fully incorporated; add more condensed milk for a milder taste & more Sriracha for a spicier taste

STUFFED SALMON W/ SRIRACHA CREAM SAUCE INGREDIENTS

2 salmon filets

teriyaki marinade (recipe above)

sriracha cream sauce (recipe above)

2 tbsp low fat cream cheese (room temperature)

green onions (thinly sliced)

sesame seeds

cooking spray

STUFFED SALMON W/ SRIRACHA CREAM SAUCE DIRECTIONS

1. in a baking/marinating dish, place salmon filets & add  3/4 cup teriyaki marinade. let marinade reach about 1/2 of the sides of filets. marinade in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to overnight

2. preheat oven to 400 degrees. meanwhile, line a baking dish with aluminum foil & spray with cooking spray; set aside

3. on a cutting board, slit the sides of each salmon filets making a long pocket/envelope; do not pierce through the other side!

4. insert about a tablespoon of cream cheese into each pocket; do not overstuff or the cream cheese will seep out during baking

5. in the prepared baking dish, place stuffed salmons & sprinkle a nice amount of sesame seeds. cover the baking dish & salmon filets with another sheet of foil & bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until salmon is cooked all the way through

6. Take out fish & turn on broiler. Broil fish for about 3-5 minutes, or until fish is SLIGHTLY browned around edges.

6. Once fish is broiled, place in a serving dish & drizzle with sriracha cream sauce, some of the remaining teriyaki marinade & garnish with thinly sliced green onions

Seriously my pictures do NOT do this dish justice. It was DELICIOUS! & SO WORTH the additional time is took to prepare. A lot of the recipe is based on personal taste, like if you want to add extra sriracha to the sauce and how much of the sauces to drizzle on the fish. I know it looks like a LOT of steps, but it really is pretty easy overall.

Well this post has been a TON of text and very few pictures, so with that I MUST include a picture of Gabriella that just makes me smile.

Silly little girl. 😉

Do you have a favorite salmon recipe? Please feel free to link away!