can you do the can can?

sound familiar?  remember the time I went to india and got a bonus day?  

with my new found time I wrote a post about delicious 

cranberry oatmeal.

fast forward 5 months, and here I am with a bonus day before I leave for africa.  

{can you do the can can revisited}

for the last three weeks I've avoided grocery shopping so that don't leave the country with a a fully stocked fridge.  

perhaps a little too preemptive, but it's forced me to be creative and to make some picnics out of my pantry.

I plumped up my fresh produced with some protein packed canned foods and voila, a well balanced meal is born.

of course, due credit goes to my mother who recently replaced our rickety old can opener because she feared it may give us tetanus.  more proof she's a major contributor to this blog.

canned goods + sparse veggies = delicious salad

summer salmon salad.

the goodies:

salad:
- 1 can of salmon
- 1 can of artichoke hearts
- 1 can of lentils
- 1/2 cucumber, cut into bite sized pieces
- 1/2 bell pepper, cut into bit sized pieces
- 1/2 c. grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 green onion, chopped
- 1/4 c. quinoa, uncooked

dressing: 
from: KathEats

- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tbsp. dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp. honey
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/3 tsp. pepper


the fun part:


#1.) get your quinoa cooking while you prepare the rest of the salad: add 1/2 c. of water to uncooked quinoa in a small pot and bring to a boil.  lower heat, cover with a lid and let simmer for 15 minutes.
#2.) crank open your cans, and toss in bowl with remaining chopped vegetables.
#3.) prepare your dressing in a small bowl.
#4.) add quinoa to veggies, drizzle dressing over top and stir until combined.

minimal grocery shopping + minimal dishes = maximum satisfaction.

what your body will like:


#1.) salmon: all those good omega-3s we talked about last time!
#2.) lentils: fiber and protein? win!  eating your carbohydrates with protein slows down their digestion, and prevents blood sugar levels from spiking.  lentils are full of this dynamic duo!
#3.) quinoa: not only is quinoa a whole grain, but it is also a complete protein.  want a refresher on all quinoa's health benefits?  check out this versatile quinoa recipe!

excuse me, I have a plane to catch and a few extra items in the refrigerator that need to be polished off before take off.  

stay tuned, the next picnics and pantries post will likely be coming from kenya!

omg [omega-3s].

  I have finally crawled out from underneath that huge mountain of notes, and I am ready to share a semester worth of nutrition knowledge with all of you. 

I'm here to redeem myself for disappearing from the blogosphere... it happened with good reason!

my brain is full, my tummy is hungry and I'm ready to be 

back on the blog.

soy maple salmon

recipe by: lauren gibson
serves: 4

the goodies:
- 4 6oz wild BC salmon fillets
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/4 c. soy sauce
- 3 tbsp dark sesame oil
- 2 tsp grainy mustard
- 1/2 tsp hot chili sauce
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp fresh ginger, finely chopped

the fun part:
#1.) preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line an 8 x 8 baking dish with tinfoil.

#2.) in a small bowl whisk together maple syrup, soy sauce, sesame oil, mustard and chili sauce.  stir in scallions, garlic and ginger.

#3.) pour marinade into your prepared baking dish and place salmon in marinade, skin up.  allow salmon to marinate for 30 minutes to one hour.

#4.) once marinated, bake for 10-14 minutes, or until white protein appears and fish flakes.

{one day, if summer ever comes, I'll provide you with the bbq method.  however, judging by the hail storm I was caught in during my run yesterday, that won't be any time soon.}

what your body will like:
essential fatty acids: just like our body isn't able to make some of its own protein, it's also not able to make all of the fats necessary for your body to function properly.  there are two classes of essential fatty acids that we need to obtain from our diets:

omega-6s: vegetable and plant based oils
omega-3s: leafy green vegetables, flaxseeds and salmon

the ratio of omega-6s to omega-3s in our body is really important.  the more we consume of one, the less we are able to utilize the other.  unfortunately, on average our diets contain more omega-6 rich foods than omega-3s.  this means that not only are we not getting consuming enough omega-3s, but the ones we do eat aren't being used by the body properly, because they are being overpowered by the omega-6s.

omega-3s and omega-6s have completely opposite roles, so balance is key.

so what does this mean?  

pump up the omega-3 intake! 

marine sources, like salmon, are the best way to do this because they have more of the essential acids necessary for:

#1.) important structural and functional cellular components

#2.) roles in prevention of chronic heart disease

#3.) beneficial effects on brain and cognitive functions

#4.) health of women during pregnancy and breast feeding