As some of you know, February is Heart Awareness Month. With all of the heart-themed love and happiness of the month, and showing others how much you care…taking care of your own health is an important way to also show some self-love.
A few tips from the American Heart Association to always keep in mind:
- Exercise at least 30 min everyday (We enjoy yoga and jazzercise)
- Maintain a normal weight for your height
- Reduce your salt intake (There are LOTS of great low sodium options out there)
- Increase your potassium (We love bananas!)
- Limit your alcohol intake (Red wine is pretty heart healthy…but not too much!)
- Eat a diet rich in fruits and veggies, as well as Omega 3 fatty acids
Speaking of fruits, veggies, and healthy omega 3’s…we actually made a few heart-healthy recipes this month, but wanted to feature a special one that we chose directly from the American Heart Association! It turned out absolutely delicious, was easy to make, and everyone loved it. No guilt!
We served these Grilled Rosemary Salmon Skewers with a fresh & healthy Quinoa Salad that was packed with veggies. We even made some accompanying fruit-kebabs to go with!
You can find the recipe below, or visit the AHA site at: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/Recipes/Grilled-Rosemary-Salmon-Skewers_UCM_442128_Recipe.jsp
Ingredients
2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 pound center-cut salmon fillet, skinned (see Tip) and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pint cherry tomatoes
Cooking Instructions
Preheat grill to medium-high.
Combine rosemary, oil, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Add salmon; toss to coat. Alternating the salmon and tomatoes, divide among eight 12-inch skewers.
Oil the grill rack (see Tip). Grill the skewers, carefully turning once, until the salmon is cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes total. Serve immediately.
The quinoa salad was a recipe from my Aunt Nancy, and it was colorful and full of flavor. It was the perfect accompaniment to our salmon.
The quinoa was prepared as directed, (we used Vons Organic brand) and then Nancy sautéed bell peppers, green onions, and mushrooms with some heart-healthy olive oil. (You can also roast or grill the veggies too!) Once the quinoa was done, and the veggies were cooked, everything was lightly tossed together with a little extra EVOO, the juice of half of a lemon, and some feta cheese.
The fruit kebabs were super simple to slice up and put together…and they were so light and refreshing too. We pared them with a fluffy yogurt dip made from an 8oz container of light Cool Whip and an individual 6oz strawberry non-fat yogurt! We created our kebabs from pineapple, strawberry, kiwi, and tangerine…but the beauty of these is: you can use ANY fresh fruit you have on hand to make a fresh, bright, and healthy dessert.
We hope you loved our heart healthy meal ideas, and that you show your heart a little love too! Let us know some of your favorite heart healthy recipes, and we’ll give them a try!
