Grilled Salmon with Apricot-Orange Glaze

My kids adore salmon. It is their favorite entree, bar none. In fact, I rarely get to eat a full portion of salmon because I’m constantly augmenting the plates of my three hungry munchkins. Now, if a 2, 4, and 7 year old are going to agree on a favorite food, salmon is certainly a fine choice in my book, with the many known health benefits derived from its omega 3 fatty acids. These particular fatty acids are the good, unsaturated kind, unlike those found in red meat and dairy products. Not all fatty acids are created equal, you see. Omega-3 fatty acids specifically are believed to decrease triglycerides, lower blood pressure, reduce blood clotting, boost immunity, improve arthritis symptoms, and improve learning ability in children. (What? Improve LEARNING ability?) Indeed! You know the DHA that is being added to prenatal vitamins and baby formula and toddler foods to boost brain health? Guess what that is. Yup, good old omega 3 fatty acids. Now you know.

So if you’re interested in raising a family of super-smart kiddos with super-human immune systems (wink), you’ll take my lead and introduce them to salmon. This preparation is a great place to start; just watch out –  the sweet glaze will have them stealing bites from your plate, and you want some of those omega-3 health benefits for yourself!

 

Grilled Salmon with Apricot-Orange Glaze

 

serves 4

 

Ingredients:

4 – 6 oz. salmon fillets

canola oil

1/4 cup orange juice (*see note below)

1/4 cup apricot preserves

4 teaspoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon orange zest

 

Directions:

1. Preheat grill to medium heat. Brush salmon fillets lightly with oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.

2. Combine the orange juice, apricot preserves, lemon juice, and orange zest in a medium skillet. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for about 5 minutes until it has reduced to a thick, syrupy glaze and measures about 1/4 cup.

3. Brush grill grates with a little oil to prevent the salmon from sticking. Place salmon on grill skin side down. For 1″ thick fillets, grill 6-8 minutes for medium.

4. Drizzle glaze over salmon and serve.

 

Note: Zest an orange for the 1 teaspoon of orange zest and then squeeze it for the 1/4 cup of orange juice.

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When Women Stop Hating Their Bodies…

When women stop hating their bodies…

How would you finish that sentence? The vision that stretches forth at the end of that sentence is one of the things that wakes me up in the morning. I can’t quite see all the details but I just know it will be an epic shift. The chained-up potential we’d collectively unlock would be enormous. We’d do BIG THINGS.

Thinking about it reminds me of a Women’s Studies course I took at Cornell one year with my dear friend Joanne. Our professor, Sandra Bem, was asserting that we’d never really know what the world would be like with true gender equality until we experienced it – until fully half of our doctors were women, half of our Senators, half of our professors, half of our CEOs, half of our airplane pilots and so on. Her lesson was a powerful one for an auditorium of 20 year old women, and it gives me pause even today. The notion of true gender equality is one of those things with an impact so far-reaching that it will be difficult to fully grasp until it actually occurs.

Yet while we can’t just flip a switch and make it so, we can do our part to move the world a bit closer to the vision – by taking a job in a field dominated by men, by educating and inspiring our young girls, by cheering one another on instead of competing viciously for some tiny slice of the pie. No, we can’t fully imagine the end state, perhaps, but we can see the path. And we can walk our piece of it.

So too with body hatred. I’m ready for the day when women stop hating their bodies and step into their potential. The question is, are you?

 

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Do You Believe in Magic?

If you had a magic wand and could grant yourself one wish, what would it be? When I ask women that question, here are some of the answers I frequently get.

– More hours in the day

– To quit my job

– Sleep

– A housekeeper

– Someone to cook for me

– To feel caught up on my to do list

– A million dollars

– To lose __ pounds or to change a specific body feature

Thematically, as women, you want MORE TIME, MORE ENERGY, and to FEEL BETTER IN YOUR BODY. Or you want the things that you believe will deliver one of those benefits, like the list above.

The health and wellness industry KNOWS this, and as a result, it’s riddled with companies promising quick fixes –  magical solutions to your problems. I jotted these down today in Barnes & Noble from a quick glance at some magazine covers…

“Burn 500+ Calories Fast”

“Bikini Ready in 7 Days”

“Lose 6 pounds in 8 days”

“Experts Reveal Secrets to a Slimmer Body in Minutes”

” Look 5 years younger – it’s all in the Hair!”

“Miracle Creams that really work”

“More energy INSTANTLY”

I can’t make this stuff up. The question is, do you believe them?

It’s incredibly easy to fall prey to these marketing ploys because we WANT to believe that a quick fix exists! But every time you give in to one, you know in the back of your mind that it’s not magic you’re buying; it’s a hoax. There’s that glimmer of hope that THIS time will be different, but the story always ends the same way – with a half used bottle of potion, a discarded magazine, a big credit card bill and a lack of results. There’s no magic in that.

Daniel Burnham once famously said, “Make no little plans, for there is no magic in them to stir the blood.*”  Soul stirring…now that’s where the magic happens. It’s no surprise then, that soul-stirring services are exactly the kind we’re creating at Nourish. We are on a mission to support our clients with the very things that will help you reap the benefits you desire – MORE TIME, MORE ENERGY, and TO FEEL BETTER IN YOUR BODY. And we’re not making promises we can’t keep.

Our coaching clients experience life-changing benefits from our services. Some might even call them magical.

If you’re ready to stir your soul and experience the magic, we’re ready to help. One hour invested in a Mini Health Makeover will show you exactly what we can do for you. Talk to us today. Restore your belief in the best kind of magic  – the kind that you create when you put your heart and soul into it.

 

PS – You don’t have to live in Cincinnati (where we are) to benefit from the programs we’re developing at Nourish. Many of our services can be provided by Skype or by phone just as easily as they’re done in person. We’d love to work with you.

 

*Okay so Burnham actually said men’s blood but that sort of dilutes my point here, so I took a little creative license….forgive me.

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