Work efficiency picked up a bit in the afternoon hours 🙂
I snacked on a new bar during my conference call – ProBar’s Fruition Cran Raspberry.
Apparently there was a request for a smaller size Probar for snacking and this is it! 1.7 ounces, 160 calories, 4 grams of fiber, this guy is made from smooshed fruits, oats, cashews, and chia seeds. It was sweeter than LaraBars and not as crumbly. More like Clif Nectar bar, but not as flavorful. It got a thumbs up in my book!
When 6PM arrived, I was so glad to have dinner already prepped! We ate early to accommodate the Baker.
I bought a big slab of salmon at Costco last week and cut it into pieces, wrapped them and froze them. Here are the two I took out to thaw last night.
Today I sprinkled them with kosher salt, smothered them in some Fortnum and Mason Honey Mustard (a thick layer), drizzled with honey and then pressed on some coffee-grinder ground pumpkin seeds!
400* + 19 minutes =
The honey mustard addition was awesome!! This mustard has big mustard seeds throughout and wasn’t too sour, so it was perfect on the salmon. Loved the pumpkin seed addition too. This would work with any nuts or seeds.
The only drawback was the salmon itself. It’s the kind I hate! I made sure to get Wild Alaskan and I think it was Sockeye. My best guess is that freezing it just ruins the texture because it was tough, but I may have overcooked it? It’s SO PINK that it looked raw to me when I tested it at 15 minutes. It was tough like eating chicken – nothing like Karen’s salmon at Zocalo!
We had a massaged kale salad on the side. A big bag of kale, washed and torn, and then massaged for 1 minute in 2 tsp olive oil, the juice of 1 lemon, salt and a drizzle of honey. I tossed in some maters and let it chill for a few hours.
And we also ate up our leftover potato salad –
Did I mention that we’re doing another $100 a month grocery challenge?? We overspent last month, so we’re on cut back this one. With vacations every weekend, it should be a realistic goal to meet, although we spent $37 in week 1!! That only leaves $20 for the other 3 weeks…..we’ll see how we do!
After dinner I watched A Room With A View (the Masterpiece one), which I got from Netflix! Larbs and I used to watch the old one when we were little at my grandmother’s house. We loved the skinny dipping scene! I was disappointed that this version was blurred out 😉 I watched with a cup of tea –
2 hours after dinner my stomach was about to growl!! I had a delicious new kind of muffin from Great Harvest – Banana Chocolate Chip (just a piece of the top – it was huge!) and a glass of milk. It was like being a kid again 🙂
I’m off to bed early because I’m going into work by 8 to sit in on two consultations!
Lauren says
This salmon looks fantastic Kath! I’m discovering that any combination of honey mustard and nuts on fish paris fabulously. I just made Robin Miller’s Pistachio Crusted Tilapia the other night and it was amazing! 🙂
Hope you are having a wonderful week.
PS- The new bars sound good too. Can’t wait to see these in stores.
Kathleen says
I never have an issue with frozen salmon. It doesn’t look right in the center for some reason-maybe it was sock eye? The flavorings look amazing though!
Emily says
Your muffin and milk look so comforting!
Jill says
Here is my two-bits….the salmon may have been overcooked because sockeye is usually quite tender! My Uncle is a fisherman in Canada so I can pretend I’m an expert. I always take my salmon out when it is almost done, it tends to continue cooking out of the oven.
Love the blog! Keep up the good work.
PS
$100 grocery challenge for the month? Wow–now that is an inspiration. For two people??
Mara @ What's for Dinner? says
I have always had issues with frozen salmon, especially when i’m used to fresh! I always overcook it… your topping though, looks fantastic!
I think you should check out my giveaway too! You could come up with a zillion things to do with coconut flour!!!
Kat says
Yep, I think you may have over cooked the salmon. That’s the problem I have had as well. When cooking salmon, I find it easier to saute in the pan, or grill. I always turn it after a few minutes, earlier than I think it needs. Considering your record of wonderful meals, this is a fluke!
lynn (The Actors Diet) says
massaged kale….tee hee….
Adi (oatonomy.com) says
Good luck with the grocery challenge! You’ve done crazier things in the past, so I’m sure you’ll master this no problem. 🙂
Salmon looks good – love the idea of pumpkin seeds.
Courtney (The Hungry Yogini) says
Mmm Tulsi Tea – so great for you! It’s the “queen” of ayurvedic herbs and is very healing =)
Bummer about the salmon. Looks delicious though!
Hope you have a great night!
leslie says
oh yum, i’ll definitely try the honey mustard and salmon combo. i have a great jar of honey mustard that i’ve been needing a use for.
love the “cookie” and milk – my dad still does that with dessert. it’s appropriate for any age!
allijag says
sorry that salmon wasn’t great, but DANG does that topping look phenomenal! 😀
Megan (The Runner's Kitchen) says
What a creative way to prepare salmon! Perhaps broiling it for a few minutes next time (instead of baking) would improve the texture? Love the muffin and milk for dessert 🙂
Lindsay says
That salmon looks great!
$100 for a months worth of groceries? I’m impressed!
The Healthy Hostess says
I have been spending way too much on groceries too! I think I need to do my own challenge! Thanks for the inspiration, as always!
🙂
nicole- chasing blue says
I was just thinking about your grocery challenge from before and thought I needed to do that!
We are a family of 6 so I’m thinking $300 will be a good challenge for us. Luckily I hit a sale at aldi’s today!
Good luck!
MarathonVal says
Wow, I am so impressed with your grocery challenge. My husband and I spend waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more than that 🙁 Groceries are super expensive where we live, but still, I wish we could get back a bit!! Any tips? I find that I CAN cut back, but I am not as healthy or creative with my cooking when I do!
Heather @ Health, Happiness, and Hope says
Loving the looks of that salmon. What a neat coating! I bet that sunflower seeds or sesame seeds would be great to try out too! But hopefully next time you’ll have the salmon you like. 🙂
Get a good night’s rest!!!
Lauren says
Thanks for the heads up on the bars! I hope they are half the price of ProBar’s also! Haha
Isabel says
“Maters”? is it impossible to write out “tomatoes”?
Mel @ She Runs Brooklyn says
Hey Kath
Muffin tops are one of my ultimate weaknesses. Isn’t the texture of the well done dough and softer dough underneath perfect?! Aah!
Thought I’d join in your yum moment 🙂
-Mel
Joelle (The Pancake Girl) says
Oooh, that bar looks nice and chewy! Reminds me of a Larabar!
Jen says
That salmon idea is great!
I SO wish hubby and I could do better on our grocery bill…. my husband is a meat eating giant calorie eating athlete, ive cut it down as best we can and it would scare you!! ekk! Way to go to you and your bunny!! 😀
Emily says
Oooh, your salmon looks so good. I would have never though to put pumpkin seeds on top. We just had fish this week cooked in coconut oil!
Jenna says
Thats so strange about your salmon…it does look super pink when I saw the picture I was like “ughhhh she like her salmon RARE!” but then I read through and you cooked it for 19 min!! that should have been plenty…maybe it is sockeye …I don’t know the difference.
your dessert looks fun! 🙂
LK- Healthy Delcious says
$100 a month?!?! we spend more than that a week. sheesh! (granted we are in the land of shitty grocery stores, no costco, and overpriced farmstands)
Love love love room with a view. what a great movie.
Rachel says
I saw that bar reviewed on another blog but I didn’t know it was a small serving size. That’s awesome! And I’m super jealous of your muffin + milk… mmm, I can practically taste it now.
Beth says
I have a salmon recipe similar to that – it bakes at 400 degrees for 12 minutes, so I would guess yours was a bit overcooked. Or maybe still a little frozen in the middle when it went into the oven. With salmon I always do the flake test rather than go by color – I do NOT like my salmon rare and I’m always afraid of biting into a raw piece!
amber says
$100 challange sounds good!
Anne K. says
That is such a creative salmon topping! It looks delicious. Sorry the fish itself wasn’t too good, though!
Rebecca says
I’m not a fish eater but that salmon looks fantastic!
You never know– I was never a sweet potato, hummus, veggie burger, almond butter, eggplant , etc eater before I started blogging and now I love all those things. Could be a salmon eater soon because of you!
nicole- chasing blue says
I decided to do my own grocery challenge this month after reading about your previous one!
$100 can go far if you plan plan plan and use coupons!
Good luck with the challenge! (We are budgeting $300 for our family of 6!)
nicole- chasing blue says
shoot! I didn’t realize my post went through earlier.
Now I just look like a big nerd!
BTW that bar looked so yummy!
Andrea of Care to Eat says
I JUST had a conversation with one of my friends about that movie – we both vividly remembered the skinny dipping scene. Peen is a big deal when you’re twelve.
Jenn (www. j3nn.net ) says
Love the pumpkin seeds on salmon idea! I tend to overcook my salmon, too. 🙁 I need to practice more often I guess!
Wow, $100 for the whole month?! You are stronger than me in the grocery department!! I don’t know if I could even do just $100 a WEEK. 😯 I’m a compulsive shopper though. 😳
Jenn
Christie @ Quit Your Diet says
I do not like the texture of sockeye at all but I would also say it was overcooked. I always under cook salmon just a bit and let it carry over cook the rest of the way. I typically broil it for 10 minutes and then let it rest while plating up the rest of the food. Some people even like it cooked less but I can’t seem to stomach it that way, I like it to be just cooked through.
Laura says
“A Room with a view” is my ALL TIME favorite movie!!! I agree with you, the skinny dipping scene is so funny!
Susan says
Oooh, pumpkin seed salmon sounds fabulous!! I always have issues with overcooking salmon from a frozen state. Especially when I do it in the oven. It always overcooks on me, which suck because I like it a little on the “rare” side.
Stacy (Eating To Live Love Laugh Tri) says
I have been meaning to make a kale salad this week with the huge bag of kale sitting in my fridge. Thanks for reminding me that I need to use it up. Your salad looks great!
Stacey says
have fun at work! that muffin top looks delish 🙂
Heather (lilybeans) says
Wowza that bar looks amazing! I can’t wait for them to start putting the little guys on shelves.
Salmon note: wild Sockeye is much lower in fat then other samlons and therefore can dry out faster than your typical atlantic variety. Sort of like a skinless chicken breast dries out faster then one with skin. A good rule of thumb for fish is 6-8min a side per inch thickness (so 12-16min for baking or broiling) – sorry about all the fish talk. I was a fish monger for 3 summers and love fish!
Cait (Cait's Plate) says
Wow that salmon looks seriously delicious. I LOVE LOVE LOVE mustard on salmon but never thought of the pumpkin seeds addition! Love it.
Lara says
Overcooked salmon does get chewy and tough. I always take it out while still on the rare side since it still will cook after you take it out of the oven. I also don’t care for the frozen fish. I used to buy it at TJ’s and was never sastisfied with the taste or texture. I will gladly spend more money for fresh.
Amanda @ Cakes and Ale says
A Room with a View is my all-time favorite movie. Maggie Smith is hilarious… and Helena Bonham Carter is so beautiful… I too watched this a LOT as a kid, and got a big kick out of the skinny dipping scene as well… I bet that was a hoot to film!
Laura says
A fishmonger at Whole Foods once told me that almost all fish is frozen right after it’s caught, so it can be transported and such. Once it arrives at the store, it’s defrosted for sale, and really shouldn’t be re-frozen, as it can ruin the texture. I’ve started buying fish that’s still frozen when I can (just ask fishmonger if they still have any in the back), and haven’t had any more tough salmon!
Marcia says
Good luck with the $100/month challenge. I am doing $160 this month (family of three). And my list for next week is already over the $40 that I’ve budgeted. I guess my Costco run has to wait awhile…
Steph says
You did overcook the salmon. Unless its a king salmon…10 minutes should do it. Grilling with the skin still on is the best way to go.
Jenny says
I’m really really curious about your plan for the grocery bills… If you could email me this information i would REALLY appreciate it… I’m new at trying to budget for two and am finding it fairly difficult.
Thanks for your help & great blog!
Erin says
LOL, I think the salmon looks great, but I tend to like it a smidge overcooked since I’m not totally down with its flava.
GL with the $100 grocery challenge girlfriend! That’s my weekly budget. Altho I’ve been trying to come under that each week.
Emily L. says
I have no idea how you can do $100/month. I just checked mint, and over the past 6 mos my boyfriend and I have averaged 330/month.
Would love to see a money-saving-but-still-good-eats post, though I know you’ve done them before. I need constant reinforcement.
Aymen says
another great looking plate even though salmon with pumpkin seed seem weird to me.
marry D says
have fun at work! that muffin top looks delish