PRO meals: Salmon in parchment with asparagus and basil
I’m getting waryyyy too comfortable with our Trader Joe’s routine. I put Livi in the baby carrier (the BabyHawk or Ergo), grab a cart, and blitz through the store, often in 15 minutes max. It has to be fast and furious, because Livi loves to snack her way through Trader Joe’s and I try to avoid opening more than one package at a time 😉
(She usually chooses an apple the size of her face and gives me bites while we’re walking around)
I usually grab the same core group of things in this order:
-Fresh flowers
-Brown rice tortillas and Ezekiel bread
-Meat (usually salmon and chicken)
-Sunflower seed butter and fruit pouches/applesauce
-Salsa and deli meat
-Goat cheese and produce
-Frozen fruit, waffles, veggies and popsicles
-Cereal, bars
-Canned goodies
-Eggs, yogurt
-Wine, crackers
-Chocolate at the register
Whenever I have our meal plan with us, I’ll just grab whatever items are on the list in that particular department. No matter what I have planned, I always come home with salmon, sweet potatoes and a green veggie which we’ll have for dinner one night. We’re creatures of habit, plus it’s healthy, easy and Liv loves it, too. We’re big fans of the salmon, sweet potato and asparagus combo.
So, last night, when I found myself staring at those 3 ingredients, I decided to switch it up a little since I had time to prep dinner during Liv’s nap.
Within 10 minutes, I made some super fancypants salmon, which was also insanely easy.
I rolled out some parchment paper, then added chopped asparagus for each serving, plus salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil:
I added a giant piece of fresh salmon to each asparagus pile, then seasoned it with salt, pepper, olive oil,
and fresh basil from our little herb garden.
(Caro and Bell helped me)
Then, each pile got a could of lemon slices,
(Check out the size of these beauties)
Then I rolled everything up, secured with some twine, and placed in the fridge until dinnertime- they just needed to bake at 375 for 20 minutes.
Did anyone else notice a major fail whale?
I used WAX paper instead of parchment paper. Even while this was all happening, I thought to myself, “Hmmm.. this feels a little waxy” and didn’t bother to check :/ So instead of baking it in the paper, I just rolled everything off onto a cookie sheet and baked that way. (If I would have left it in the wax paper, it would have been a smoky, waxy mess. The hilarious thing is that the parchment paper was RIGHT next to the wax paper in the pantry.) So in the end, it ended up being verrrryyyy similar to our usual salmon, sweet potato (just plain baked with butter and cinnamon), asparagus combo, just with different seasonings (which were rather lovely- the basil was awesome). I guess it was one of those “if it ain’t broke…” kinda moments 🙂
If you make this at home, be sure to use parchment paper! Also, it would be a fantastic meal for entertaining since you can prep everything ahead and just bake when the guests arrive. Very little cleanup, too.
This afternoon, I have some fun wedding errands to do with Liv, and it’s also dance week at work. I’m on a mission for some super baggy sweatpants for recital.
Hope you have a great day and I’ll see ya later with a post about running with a baby.
xoxo
Gina
Something to do:
Looking for a quick workout blitz? Try my last ab burner! It’s perfect to bust out during a study break, at the end of a workout, or before bed.
42 Comments
Leave a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Awe, I can imagine Liv ripping through those TJ packages, she’s too cute! And growing up so fast.
I’m actually not a huge salmon fan, but I have to make it this weekend for Dinner for my Mom and this is a great idea! I may use this method, since I had no clue what to do!
Good catch on the wax paper!! I’ve done that before. Major whoops – at least you caught yours in time. Every time I see TJ posts, I get major envy. Someday… I keep telling myself someday we’ll get one. 🙂
How cute are Caro and Bella walking on the edge pieces of the lawn and not the grass?
i hope you get one, too! yes, they always do that- they’re funny things
I love having fresh salmon for dinner. No matter what spices you throw on it, you can’t mess it up. I’ve been paring it with broccoli and brown rice lately. Delicious!
This looks delicious! Thanks for the recipe. I’m planning on salmon tonight for dinner.
I love that Livi eats an apple while you grocery shop- I feel like you, and other healthy living bloggers, are showing that it’s not the children that don’t want to eat their fruits and vegetables!
That salmon sounds delicious- even if it wasn’t baked in the paper. I love salmon and asparagus, and could definitely eat it once a week.
So funny, we probably have this meal once a week as well! Salmon, asparagus, and potato/rice. Totally agree..if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it 🙂
The husband was helping me in the kitchen the other night and I asked him to grate some lime zest onto wax paper. The next thing I know he’s grating onto parchment paper…and I laughed. He was like “Aren’t wax and parchment the same thing?” It was cute.
And your salmon looks delicious by the way!
I always confuse wax and parchment paper!! Regardless, glad you caught the error before they went into the oven!
Liv is such a cutie! I bet she’s going to be such the foodie when she gets older. I’m always amazed when you post about all the different things she tries and loves! It’ll be such much fun when she gets older and can cook with you :).
That salmon looks outrageous!
i can’t wait until we can cook together! 🙂
Even if your salmon recipe ended up very similar to your usual baking method you have inspired me to branch out from our typical salmon repertoire. What a beautiful idea!
I think it’s awesome that Liv likes salmon; I despised it as a kid.
i love how bell and caro are walking on the little grass/rocks border….like it’s a balance beam or something!!
they always go around the perimeter of the grass- bella is a tucson dog through and through, and caro isn’t quite used to it yet (when she lived in the puppy mill, she was in a chicken wire crate)
I LOVE love love all three of those: asparagus, sweet pot., and salmon! I usually cook it all seperate, so this is something I am def going to try!! Sidenote: I love your blog! Read it EVERY day 🙂
thank you so much, marybeth!
I honestly didn’t know wax and parchment weren’t the same thing, lol! Whoops 🙂 Glad I haven’t had any wax messes to date.
I like salmon! My boyfriend isn’t so sure, but perhaps I can convince him. I’m mildly obsessed with sweet potatoes and aspargus!
i don’t use either of them often enough to think about it hahah.
hope you can change his mind 🙂
You are so lucky to have a Trader Joe’s near you. Our’s is two hours away, but when we get near by, I stock up like crazy.
when we were in valdosta, our nearest whole foods was two hours away and we had a tj’s 4 hours away. it was PAINFUL- i feel for ya!
Looks delicious! I love salmon!
Yum! What a delicious meal and so easy to combine everything. Love that I can assemble early. Definitely plan on trying this soon!
Hi, this looks great! What does PRO stand for? Do you have any other fish favorites besides salmon and shrimp? Always looking for new ideas!
eat like a pro = lots of protein and produce! 🙂
i also love cod, tilapia and mahi mahi
Love this – going to make it tonight!
Also – do you have any recommendations in terms of workouts for slimming calf muscles? My calves are pretty big, it’s mix of genetics and swimming/dancing a lot as a child. I’m just starting out with a new healthier eating/exercise regime (100% inspired by your blog!) I’m eager to slim my arms, hips and legs – and am struggling to find good tips for slimming calves!
Any tips would be really appreciated – thanks so much 🙂
Such a simple yet delicious recipe. There’s something about a piece of fish baked with lemon, so refreshing!
i had salmon with fresh lemon and cracked pepper for dinner last night, alongside quinoa and roasted brussels sprouts – so simple and satisfying!
This post came at the perfect time. We are hosting Mother’s Day at our house and this is what we are going to have. Thank you!
I’m sure it tastes amazing without the parchment 🙂
Livi is getting cuter everyday!
How do you cook sweet potatoes? Oven temp & time please and thank you 🙂
i do 375 for an hour, flipping halfway through 🙂
Glad to see some good old Irish Kerrygold in your shopping basket! Can’t beat it 🙂
the best!
I too like to snack my way through TJs. Livi and I really have a lot in common. 🙂
soulmates, definitely 🙂
I wish my TJ had fresh salmon! Lucky!
in tucson, no fish is really “fresh” – i’m pretty sure it’s all been previously frozen 😉
That looks great! Will try it this week . . .
I just made this but with broccoli instead of asparagus (it was the green veggie I had) and limes instead of lemon and cilantro instead of basil and some sliced jalapeños and a little cumin and s+p. Will let you know how it turns out! I have all mexican-inspired ingredients on hand this week from shopping on cinco de mayo 🙂
that sounds so delicious!! how was it?
I love salmon in the oven!! I usually marinate it in a mustard-lemon-coconut-spice (rosmary, dill, pepper) marinade and then bake it in a casserole. It gets so juicy, heaven!
I absolutely LOVE that pic of you and Liv.
I’ve recently become a bit of a follower of your blog (discovered through your baby food in an hour post and yet to post any comments) and I have to say that I MISS having a Trader Joes! I live in Hawaii and they JUST built a Whole Foods here (45 minutes away from me) and I’ll go every chance I get. On a good note, we DO have the freshest fish here, so I’ll usually pass over the salmon for the delicious mahi mahi! Can’t wait to give this idea a whirl!