Well, this post is technically from yesterday, but I’ve decided to keep my original title because it’s still very relevant. Yesterday was an ocean themed day as I had fish for dinner and went for a beach jog!

I was very nervous about making salmon, as you know, mom, because I must have called you five times asking if I should do this or that; glass or metal pan? Do I put wine in the bottom? Etc.

What I ended up doing was attempting to recreate a dish I had when I went to New Orleans this January: blackened catfish with a butter and Crystal hot sauce glaze. Now, what I ended up making was blackened salmon that was just a little tiny bit too hot (but still pretty delicious). To cool down the spices I made a healthy potato salad and some simple cooked spinach. My big lesson of the week was timing: trying to time cooking the spinach and the fish and letting the potatoes cool enough so that everything was the desired temperature at the same time. That was pretty tough.

I’ll write down my recipes from easiest to hardest:

For the Spinach:

• Cut up one clove of garlic into little pieces, set aside. Wash Baby Spinach and dry in salad spinner.
• In a pan, heat up about a tsp. of olive oil.
• Saute garlic until browned throw in spinach.
• Let spinach cook down and get wilt-y, then cover with a pan and cook for five more minutes.

For the Potato Salad:

• Put potatoes in large pot with water, bring to boil. Once water is boiling, cover pot and let them cook for five minutes before turning of heat. Drain and let cool.
• While the potatoes cook, slice two stalks of celery heart and half a red onion (can adjust amount depending on what ratio you want of potatoes/other stuff. I added more other stuff than people typically do cause I didn’t want to have too much potato. I was trying to really channel the “salad” part of potato salad).
• For the dressing,  I used 2 tbsp. of sour cream, 2 tbsp. of Greek yogurt, and 1/2 tbsp. of Dijon mustard. I bought the whole grain Dijon mustard from Trader Joe’s, because I like the texture. Shake in some salt and pepper. 
• Once potatoes are cool, toss celery and onion in, mix up dressing, put that on and voila! A healthier rendition of the usually heavy, mayonnaise-laden side dish.

For the Fish:

• Preheat over to 400 degrees.
• To make the seasoning combine: paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, salt, pepper, dried thyme, and Cajun seasoning. I don’t really remember the portions I used, just that I definitely used too much cayenne pepper. I know you want mostly paprika, a good amount of thyme, and then the rest of everything else to taste.
• Preheat a cast iron skillet during the next step.
• Next heat a tbsp of butter in a saucepan and a splash of lemon juice. Take your salmon filet and coat both sides in this. You will have a lot left over: good, put this aside.
• Once coating the filet with butter/lemon juice, dip it into spice mixture. My salmon had skin on one side and so I didn’t coat that side, but for any other fish you would coat both sides.
• Now cook salmon in pre-heated cast iron skillet for about two minutes on each side. Then move salmon into oven for about 8 minutes/until cooked.
• Use leftover butter and mix a little bit of hot sauce in then pour over fish. I used Cholula Hot Sauce because one of my housemates let me borrow it and said it wasn’t vinegary like a lot of hot sauces can be.
  

I also made said housemate try everything and he agreed the fish was pretty good (albeit a little too spicy – I was very heavy-handed on the cayenne pepper…)

And I had some leftover potato salad, grapes, and a banana for lunch, but that looked a little too weird, and since I took a weirdly placed, weirdly long nap I just had a little popcorn and yogurt for dinner. Neither meals were worth documenting, so that’s why there’s nothing new tonight…

I also, in attempt to better my life, not just in the nutrition department, I went for a walk on the beach today, and boy was it AWESOME. The stairs to get down to the beach were a little wobbly but taken slowly, one stair at a time, it was totally worth it.

Okay, it has been a very long week, and it is now time for bed!

My attempt at an artsy, water-action-shot.

Loving my colorful sneakers!

I can’t wait for the summer!

P.S.  I definitely want to try the Chia seed breakfast. I found a Pinterest recipe for “chocolate pudding” which just uses Chia seeds and chocolate almond milk, and I’d very much like to try that!

P.P.S. What should I make this weekend – Spaghetti squash recipe TBD, chicken Tikka Masala, or some other salmon recipe??