We got home from our ten day vacation to Canada last night and my house is in shambles! It seems that we always come home with a lot more than we left with . . . this time it was truly the case, because my great uncle just passed away and my mom had all of this clothes/shoes ready to head to the goodwill. My husband and I intervened and found some TREASURES! It was a great find to get all of those high-quality clothes, winter coats, boots, belts, etc. for free! We had a great trip and really enjoyed our time up there as a family. We celebrated Canada Day (July first), Independence Day (okay we didn’t really celebrate this, but did have fun that day), and my husband’s birthday! It was a great trip. Today I did laundry, put things away, and relaxed with my tired little girls who are worn out from all of the fun (and junk food, I’m sure). We ate horribly and by the last three days my body was definitely screaming at me. I found myself sick on the couch for a lot of the last couple of days and I was anxious to get home and de-tox! The funny thing is that my mom and sisters are both on board with me and this health journey, but when we get together . . . something crazy happens and we all just eat all of the things we wouldn’t normally! Oh well. It was fun, I ate my body weight in black licorice NIBS, tiger ice cream, and Canadian chocolate. Oh my. Now it’s time to get back to our routine. I missed all of my liquids (two smoothies a day, crio bru twice a day, calli and fortune delight). I think we get so used to our routines that trips away from home throw us off no matter where we go! *I don’t only drink liquids each day, I actually eat a lot, but I drink a lot too!
For lunch today I made my favorite salmon recipe. I pinned this on pinterest a couple of months ago and made it right away. Since then, I’ve made it more than enough times and have it memorized. It’s quick and easy, my two favorite things about a recipe! Oh yes, and it contains salmon, which is one of our family favorites for sure.
Honey Mustard Glazed Salmon
4 salmon fillets
1 T butter
1 T coconut sugar
1 T soy sauce
1 T honey
2 T dijon mustard (regular works too)
Put butter and coconut sugar together in small bowl and microwave for 30 seconds, or heat in a small saucepan until butter is melted. Add soy sauce, honey, and mustard and combine.
Rinse salmon in cold water and pat dry with paper towel. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Oil grill and heat to medium high. Place salmon, flesh side down, onto grill and close the lid. Grill for 4 minutes, then flip. Brush fillets with half of the sauce and allow to cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until it flakes easily. Remove from grill, brush on more sauce, and serve.
**Stove-top directions:
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
Heat 1 T of olive oil in a large fry pan over high heat. Add salmon, flesh side down, and cook 3-4 minutes or until well browned. Flip salmon and brush with half of the sauce. Place the pan in the oven and bake until the fillets flake easily, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and brush with remaining glaze.
Thoughts:
We love this salmon. I have always used the same method to make salmon, time after time, but when I found this recipe and I actually liked it, I was thrilled. Today as soon as my husband tried it he exclaimed, “GOOD!” Success. I think the hickory pellets we have in our Traeger right now helped give it an amazing smoky flavor as well.
A note about Salmon – try to find wild Alaskan Salmon. Atlantic Salmon is often farmed and should be avoided. Recent studies have found shockingly high levels of toxins in farmed salmon:
The general findings are shocking: the expert commission found that the total organic contaminants were consistently and significantly more concentrated in the farmed salmon as a group than in wild salmon. This includes dioxins and PCBs – both believed to increase the risk of certain cancers and to be harmful to the developing brains of fetuses and infants of women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. The average dioxin level in farm-raised salmon was 11 times higher than in wild salmon, and the average PCB levels were 36.6 parts per billion (ppb) in farm-raised salmon, versus 4.75 ppb in wild salmon.
The reason for the higher contaminant levels in farmed salmon is due to the feed given to them – a fish meal composed of ground fish and fish oil from only a few species of ocean fish. These species accumulate the toxins in run-offs from agriculture and industry that wind up in oceans. With a limited variety of fish to eat, farmed salmon are exposed to higher concentrations of contaminants than wild salmon, which eat a more varied diet. Researchers say it would be possible to develop oil-rich feed for farmed salmon that was free of toxic contaminants. – http://www.albany.edu/ihe/salmonstudy/
I buy the Alaskan wild caught salmon from Costco. They just started carrying a new brand at my Costco that I love way more than the Kirkland brand of the same fish. I have also been lucky enough to have relatives who actually travel to Alaska every summer and flash freeze the salmon they catch right beside the river! They generously gave us some a couple of years ago, and it was incredible. If you are a fish lover, try to stick with wild-caught as far as salmon is concerned. This isn’t applicable to all fish, but salmon in particular.
You know how I feel about fish, but I really do want to try this. I didn't know Costco sold wild Salmon! I have always steered clear of farm raised fish, it just creeps me right out, and wild caught anything is so hard to find. Joe and both my girls absolutely love fish (which I'm so happy about), so I will have to check Costco out for sure! Luck you to have relatives who bring you back fresh fish!