Marvelous Meals with Rachel
Welcome to Marvelous Meals with Rachel – a new feature here on A Better Bag of Groceries. Rachel has offered to feature her unique recipes for nutritious, delicious meals on a regular basis. This is going to be awesome. It’s like having my own personal chef who is also a Registered Dietitian. I feel like a celebrity!
Meet Rachel Rodek, a Registered Dietitian who has a whole alphabet soup after her name:
- MS is for her Masters’ Degree in Science which Rachel has in Nutrition Communications
- RD means she is a Registered Dietitian
- LDN means she is registered to practice as a Registered Dietitian in Massachusetts
Rachel joined NuVal as our Manager of Nutrition Communications in December. Rachel, Tina and I all sit within chatting distance of each other in the NuVal office. I am so lucky to be in the company of others who are as passionate about food, fitness and good health as I am. When Rachel is not busy communicating about nutrition for NuVal, you are most likely to find her counseling elite athletes in sports nutrition, working out, painting or planning her upcoming wedding in June.
Without further ado, I bring you Rachel!
At least once a week, I try to have a super meal. One that makes me feel good all the way through. It can be tough to fit in a nice meal – life gets hectic, schedules get tight – but having that one meal (with leftovers!) gets the week off on great footing. This past Monday night was Marvelous Meal night for me: Salmon topped with sauteed spinch, walnuts & feta and Baked Brussels sprouts with pears.
Salmon, as you know, is a rock star in the world of fish. Not only is it a great source of protein, it’s the highest in omega 3 fatty acids - a fat that has been linked to many possible health benefits: helping protect your joints; reducing internal inflammation; and lowering risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and arthiritis. One serving of salmon has about 3,000 mg of the positive fat and scores highest among fish with an 82.
When I heard that Brussels Sprouts scored a 94 on the NuVal scale, I had to find a way to incorporate them more into my diet. These petite cabbages get a bad rap, and I’ll admit that I hadn’t thought highly of them myself, but when done right they can be absolutely delicious. One key to scrumptious Brussels is cooking time. When these cruciferous veggies are left in the oven for too long they produce a bitter taste – one reason why many people don’t like them. I wanted to share the recipe that allowed me to welcome them into my life with open arms!
Brussels Sprouts with Pears
1 pound brussels sprouts, outside leaves peeled off and halved
2 pears, cored and diced (NuVal score 96)
2 tbsp lemon juice (I didn’t have any, so I used a clementine)
2 Tbsp honey (Score 1)
2 Tbsp olive oil (Score 11)
Salt and pepper
Combine halved brussels and diced pears. Whisk together honey, lemon juice, and olive oil. Add to Brussels mixture, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss well to coat.
Bake at 350F for about 30 minutes (until tender), stirring half way through.
Salmon with spinach and feta
2 large or 4 small Salmon filets
1 bag spinach
1 small onion, chopped
1/3 cup feta cheese (I used sharp cheddar)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (NuVal score of 82)
2 tsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
Place salmon, skin side down, in a baking dish – sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sautee onions in 2 tsp olive oil, add spinach, salt and pepper and cook until wilted and water has evaporated. Let cool then mix in nuts and feta cheese. Layer spinach mixture on top of the salmon.
Bake at 350F for 20-30 minutes, or until opaque.
Delectable!
TradeUp Tuesday Winner
Congratulations to Commenter #30, Mallory. You’ve won the Kashi GiveAway which includes a NuVal T-shirt!
Posted by: Melissa 18 comments
Posted in: Brussels Sprouts, Marvelous Meals, Salmon
Tags: Brussels Sprouts, Marvelous Meals, Pears, Salmon
on Feb 10th, 2010 at 7:28 am
That salmon looks fantastic…and heart healthy!
on Feb 10th, 2010 at 9:40 am
Thanks for a great dinner menu, Rachel; I’m certainly going to try it out on my growing boys. Both recipes look beautiful and are nutritious as well – great combination! How did you come up with these recipes – are they family favorites that your mom taught you?
on Feb 10th, 2010 at 11:04 am
I’m going out to buy brussel sprouts! I’ve always hated them but ALWAYS keep trying to like them. This recipe sounds great and I think you’re right about their bitterness being a turn off.
on Feb 10th, 2010 at 12:05 pm
Spinach and feta makes anything good, though I do love salmon. This easy recipe is a keeper!
on Feb 10th, 2010 at 2:30 pm
great dish! I love salmon – lovin the spinach and feta combo! yummm!
on Feb 10th, 2010 at 6:33 pm
Rachel, thank you for the recipe. I recently was exposed to the NuVal Scale and find it very helpful and would hope that it becomes main stream very soon. I think with the White House support on nutrition and education this scale could be very helpful for the public education. I’m hoping that we have reached the tipping point in obesity and people will finally understand we are what we eat. Keep up the blog recipes. Excellent site. Hope you have time for more.
on Feb 10th, 2010 at 9:29 pm
brussel’s sprouts and pears — how unique and wonderful!
on Feb 11th, 2010 at 11:17 am
Great recipe Rachel! This college student could use more quick and easy recipes (not to mention healthy meals) in his life; I’ll definitely be following this blog, eager for more
on Feb 11th, 2010 at 11:19 am
Rachel, I just wanted to say thank you for a great idea for salmon. I’m new to the whole nutrition thing and always on a look out for great recipes. With this site, you actually have photo’s showing everything on how to prepare. I will be preparing this dish over the weekend so I will report back on how it goes. Thank you so much for a wonderful insight on a great dish but also how to prepare it.
on Feb 11th, 2010 at 11:21 am
Rachel,
Thanks for the receipe for salmon. I’ve found myself eating more salmon and this receipe is what I needed for variety. I love spinach and feta so by adding this to the salmon, i’m sure it’s going to be great. I’m going to sign up for the email updates because reading this and following directions can really change my eating habits. Again, Thanks Rachel.
on Feb 11th, 2010 at 11:22 am
That salmon looks fantastic! I’ve only recently incorporated salmon in my diet, so I don’t have too many recipes. Feta, spinach and walnuts are all awesome on their own – I can’t wait to try them with salmon!
on Feb 11th, 2010 at 11:39 am
This salmon dish looks delicious,I will forward this recipe to some of my friends. I also will be checking this site for more of your recipes. Good looking food!!!
on Feb 11th, 2010 at 11:43 am
The salmon looks delicious, I will send this recipe to some of my friends. I also will be checking this site for more of your good looking and tasty recipes.
on Feb 11th, 2010 at 12:10 pm
I can’t wait to try these recipes! I am going to gather my friends together and we are going to start doing “Rachel Recipe” dinner nights! Keep the great and simple recipes coming!
on Feb 11th, 2010 at 2:34 pm
as soon as i read the brussel sprout/pear recipe yesterday, I knew what would be served on the side of my chicken last night. it was so incredibly delicious. thank you for sharing!
on Feb 11th, 2010 at 8:12 pm
Yummyummm thanks for the tip Rachel! Genius.
on Feb 11th, 2010 at 9:43 pm
Thanks for the tips, I’ll ne looking forward to you’re updates.
Doug
on Mar 18th, 2010 at 4:17 am
Who would ever have paired a pear with a Brussels sprout? Only Rachel. And it actually looks good. Hmm. I have pears and brussels sprouts in the kitchen. Guess what is for dinner tomorrow!!!