Everyday Supermeals

Welcome back, and thanks for joining me again! Today, we’re going to talk about everyday supermeals, and how you can prepare delicious, nutritious meals on your own.

When I was growing up, I learned how to cook, but not how to cook healthy meals. It took a lot of work, and many years, until I began preparing meals that were as good for me as they were delicious.

I began doing recipe makeovers (try one of my favorites – a healthier take on Chicken Parmesan, that tastes just as good as your mother’s does!), because I was craving the home-cooked comfort food that I grew up with, but I didn’t want all of the extra calories and fat.

What I found was that I needed to move beyond only being concerned with lowering the calories and the fat content — I really needed to start paying attention to adding taste and flavor, and making healthy food taste good!

Turning Everyday Meals Into Supermeals

One meal that I love to make is homemade pizza, with a fresh, whole-wheat crust. I like to use fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and maybe I’ll add some grilled chicken on top for a bit of protein. That’s a pretty solid everyday meal.

But how do I turn that into a supermeal? By piling on those superfoods!

Superfoods are foods that are extremely rich in nutrients. I’ve written a lot about superfoods — read one of my blog posts about 10 everyday superfoods. Superfoods that I would pile onto a pizza include broccoli, mushrooms, spinach, and maybe even diced sweet potatoes.

What a delicious, complete meal, full of nutrient-rich superfoods!

Salmon with Orange and Balsamic Glaze

One of my favorite superfoods is salmon, and one of my favorite supermeal recipes is salmon with orange and balsamic glaze. Try this with a side dish of brown rice, topped with a few cups of chopped vegetables.

Non-stick cooking spray
4 4-ounce wild salmon filets
1 large orange, thinly sliced
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, plus more to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 400° F. Heat a large skillet with non-stick skillet with cooking spray and place over high heat. Sprinkle the salmon with salt. Place the filets in the skillet , flesh-side down. Cook 1 to 2 minutes until the fish begins to brown. Turn the fish over, and layer the orange slices on top.

Pour the vinegar around the edges of the salmon and slide the skillet into the oven.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until the edge of the salmon flakes when pressed with a fork but the center is still slightly pink. Add a little water or more vinegar if the balsamic becomes too dark or begins to burn. Transfer the salmon to plates and drizzle the vinegar over. Serve immediately.

 

Thanks for reading! Next time, we’ll talk about a few of my favorite healthy cooking techniques. Until then, I hope that you have a healthy and happy day!