day 14: cured salmon
I’ve been trying to up my protein intake these past few weeks for a couple of reasons: primarily to help keep me feeling full so I stop mindless eating, but also to feed my muscles. I have pretty nearly doubled my protein intake since I’ve started doing the Bikini Birthday: going from around 50-60 g per day to 100-120g of protein per day. This increase in protein coupled with my decrease in fruit has led to less frequent BMs, so I’m going to have to work out a better balance between the two so I feel my best.
I’ve started drinking protein shakes after my weighttraining and I’ve been looking for ways to get protein from food sources as well. I’m not a big meat eater so I’m incorporating more eggs, fish, and cottage cheese into my diet.
I was really surprised by the amount of protein in cottage cheese! A cup of 1% cottage cheese is 70% protein (28g). So now I’m going to substitute my yoghurt for cottage cheese as much as possible. I ate some this morning with a tablespoon of peanut butter mixed in and found it to be quite substantial (although I was hungrier by 11:00 than I had been when I ate 2 eggs at breakfast)
Fish is also a great source of protein and how easy is it to just open up a can of tuna? Last week I was eating a pre-workout snack of a half can of tuna mixed with a teaspoon of salsa and spread on celery stalks. That half a can of tuna is about 95% protein or 14g! I was really impressed by this too.
Salmon is only about 30% protein, but it also has a lot of good heart-healthy fats. I really love lox, or cured salmon, so last weekend I got it into my head that I should try making it at home. I bought a pound of fresh Atlantic Salmon (since we don’t get Pacific salmon in the winter), covered it in salt, pepper, sugar, and dill, wrapped it up, and tossed it in the refrigerator. I completely forgot about it until Friday when I finally washed it off and sliced it up. I have to tell you, it turned out AMAZING. I was so impressed with myself. Try the recipe at home; it’s extremely easy.
Cured Salmon
Ingredients
- 1lb fresh salmon
- 2 tbsp salt
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp pepper
- 1 bunch fresh dill
Directions
Spread out a piece of plastic wrap and put the salmon in the middle, skin side down.
Mix the salt, sugar, and pepper together then spread on top of the salmon flesh, covering it all.
Put the bunch of dill on top (you don’t need to chop it up).
Wrap it all tightly with plastic wrap then put it into a baking dish or something that will catch the juices as it sits in your fridge.
Refrigerate at least 2 days (I left mine for 5).
Toss the dill and wash the salt off of the salmon. Slice thinly with a very sharp knife.
Rinse the salmon again.
Eat :d
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- e-mail: samanthaamenzies@gmail.com
- Samantha Menzies is an opinionated young firecracker who just happens to enjoy distracting web surfers with chronicles of her mildly entertaining daily pursuits.
Hey girl! What a great concept for a blog =) I’m so excited for you – I just *know* you’re going to reach your goal. Keep at it!! xoxo G
Looks wonderful! I looooove salmon! Such a heart-healthy and filling food with so many ways to prepare it! Love that you’re including more protein to keep full!
Thanks for stopping by my blog — you’ve got a great thing going here, keep it up!
I know that you really only need about 10% of your diet to be protein. Will the extra protein really help?
You should also try hemp powder (for smoothies-a complete protein, with essential aminos, vegan, unprocessed), quinoa, beans/legumes and nuts. This is how I get my vegan protein.
How funny…salmon and eggs are basically the only proteins I eat so it is ironic these are two posts I’ve read from you blog!
Great idea to cure your own salmon!
I love salmon, eggs, cheese, yogurt…meat! I love it all -but I do think that too much protein is definitely over-rated. Interesting to follow your progress though! Lovely phote
Aloha! I just found your blog and was intrigued by it’s title:-) Best of luck to you and I’m sure you’ll make it to your goal. I had the same goal myself when I moved to Hawaii and was pretty close to your age. Well, I did it and I’ve kept the weight off for about 10 yrs now! I bet you’ll do the same! Best of luck to you:-)
Oh yum, that salmon looks delicious! One of my favorite fishies
That salmon looks yummy.
Yep, cottage cheese is loaded with protein! I believe the same goes for ricotta cheese, which you can find 2% MF or lower versions of.
Also, if you’re looking to strike a balance between protein and fiber, you might want to consider quinoa. I’ve eaten it for breakfast before. It has a surprising amount of protein for a grain AND it’s high in fiber.
Sarah, good thinking with the quinoa. I meant to buy some from the grocery store last week but it was so expensive. I’ll have to pick it up from bulk barn so I can buy smaller quantities.