My diet since last week has been despicable. Not only that, I broke my #1 kitchen rule – no veggies left behind! Being the frugal person that I am (Hungryman would say stingy), throwing anything away is no simple task. Normally, as a planner and creature of habit, I know exactly what my meals and snacks throughout the day are going to be. I’m one that doesn’t mind eating the same food over and over again. Cook once, eat for several days. I guess I have Hungryman to thank for the variety of dishes that appears at our table. He tends to live on the wilder side than I.
Every Sunday, I plan out the 4-5 dishes I’m going to make throughout the week. And I buy just the right amount of produce. No more. No less. The problem this time around was, I had zero desire to cook all week. Instead, I had this insatiable craving for processed foods. I woke up craving ice cream and went to bed thinking about ice cream (enter the gallon of Blue Bell ice cream in my freezer). I snacked on chips…lots and lots of Stacy’s Pita Chips, rice crackers, Cheerios (as my saving grace)…I can’t remember the last time I ate like this. I searched for answers (since there are answers to everything, right? ;)) and couldn’t help but wonder if it’s bc of Clomid.
We’ve been praying and trying for a baby for quite some time now and thought we should give this drug another try. Properly this time. You see, I was prescribed this drug about 2 years ago when I had hypothalamic amenorrhea! I learned afterwards that you must have a cycle for the drug to be effective. Thank you, nurse practitioner… Anyway, while I feel excited, I’ve been a hot mess ever since day 1. Because I want to keep my friends, the “no company allowed” policy was strictly enforced. All I needed was MY ice cream and my television remote..and Kona bc his distinctive smell (a.k.a Kona stink) comforts me.
I took my last pill yesterday, and I must say, I’m feeling much better (can’t ignore the placebo effect). I’m reminded again of how much the art of eating is about the emotional as much as it is physical needs.
So it’s time to get my act together, starting with my diet. Fresh produce? Check! Healthy fats and protein? Check! This meal was a perfect way to kick things off. Have you ever seen purple bell peppers? It was my first time encountering them at the Farmers Market, and they made it into my bag with ease. I can live with this kind of impulse buy. For some reason, I thought they would be sweet like red bell peppers, but the taste was similar to that of the green ones. I didn’t really care for it.
This salad comes from the cookbook that I’m determined to cook my way through – Salad for Dinner. So far, I’ve made Warm Mushroom Salad. Today, I’ll be sharing the lemon-tahini dressing. As for the salad itself, you can add whatever fresh produce you have on hand. Adaptability..that’s the beauty of salads.
Ingredients
*Salad*
- 2 salmon fillets grilled
- baby spinach
- cherry tomatoes
- Bell peppers sliced
- Cucumber sliced into rounds
*Lemon-Tahini Dressing*
- 1 Tablespoon tahini
- 2 large garlic cloves pressed
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice approx 2 lemons
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Season salmon fillets with salt and pepper. Grill. Wash and chop the veggies.
- Add tahini, garlic, salt in a small food processor. Pulse until blended. Gradually add in the lemon juice, then the olive oil.
- *Leftover dressing can be refrigerated for a week. I noticed the next day of its thickened consistency. I added a bit of extra virgin olive oil to thin it up
The lemon-tahini dressing was creamy and nutty, while the brightness from the lemon cut through the richness to create a wonderful flavor experience. I look forward to drizzling it on top of everything. 😉
I’ve never seen purple bell peppers! And this looks like the perfect summer salad!
i go through those hunger phases every now and then and it settles down after a while. I dont know why it happens but it does twice or thrice every year. that purple peppers looks adorable!
I seriously want to come over right now!! Can you teach me how you grill your salmon??
Hi Brittany! Grilling salmon is really simple and quick. I wish we had a grill, but for now, the grill pan works just fine ;). Season with salt and pepper, heat a grill pan over high heat, add oil and reduce heat med-low, place the salmon on the grill and cook w/o touching (approx 5 min), then flip and cook for additional 3-5 min. Finito!
This looks incredible – just the thing to kick start fresh food after a weak of not being enthused about it 🙂 Also, I admire your honesty in this post and with sharing what you’re going through with trying for a baby and the turmoil that can bring. I am sending lots of positive thoughts your way xox
Kari, you always know how to brighten up my day ;). Thank you!
What a delicious looking salad, Min! I love it! Pinning and sharing on Facebook this weekend!
Aww thank you, Julie!
Wow! Loving this recipe. The dressing to this sounds awesome, almost like a humus minus the chickpeas. Can’t wait to try it, pinning!
Hi Krista! Thank you for stopping by! Yup! That’s exactly what I thought. A thinned out hummus 😉
This salad is right up my alley and you couldn’t have posted it at a better time. See, my husband doesn’t let me cook salmon because he doesn’t like the smell. But he’s leaving tomorrow for a week which means I get to cook salmon (which happens to be one of my favorite foods). I’m definitely having this salad for dinner sometime in the next few days.
Also, with regard to the clomid, you should definitely check out this blog: https://noperiodbaby.blogspot.ca/. there’s something called the extended clomid protocol that has worked very well for people who have or have had hypothalamic amenorrhea. Doctors don’t know about it so you have to actually show them the study that was done which you’ll find on the blog mentioned above.
Hehe. Hope you get your salmon fix while the husband is away ;). Thank you so much for sharing the website! There are so many useful information, and I feel extremely encouraged and hopeful. Thank you, Lindsay!
Min, I really hope and pray you & Tim are successful and there’ll be a little Min/Tim for you guys to play with! So exciting! 🙂 this salad looks extremely healthy, and while I don’t eat that much salmon, it definitely looks good! 🙂 Sending u love from BA!
Mini us! We can’t wait…one day… Hope you have wonderful day!!
Oh that looks great. I love salmon, and this dressing sounds perfect. Thanks for sharing on Foodie Friday
Thank you! I hope you give this salad a try! The dressing is marvelous 😉
Found your post on Foodie Friday. I love salmon and your dressing looks delicious. I’m with you too, I hate throwing away food.
Annamaria
Thank you for stopping by, Annamaria! Good to know I’m not alone ;). I felt like a criminal haha