15 min meal: DIY Poke Bowl with Poached Salmon, Quinoa + Heritage Rice, and Avocado
What we’re eating: A DIY poke bowl with poached salmon (you don’t have to heat it up for this) and a mix of quinoa and heritage black rice to help maintain those blood glucose levels even when you’re stuck at your desk.
6 oz salmon (poached), seasoned with 1/2 tbsp sesame oil, 1/2 -1 tbsp coconut aminos (optional, to taste), and 1 tbsp lime juice
1 small to medium size avocado
1/3 cup quinoa + 1/3 cup heritage black rice
1 cup lettuce (or cabbage)
1/2 sliced jalapeno (optional)
roasted seaweed snacks (the picture shows 3 looking cute, but I did put the whole snack pack into the bowl when ate it. seaweed is a great source of fiber (2g! with no simple carbs) and protein (2g!) and vitamins/minerals
seasoning: more lime juice (if you have a wedge, great, otherwise 1/2-1 tbsp or to taste), sea salt, black pepper, cilantro
optional: add sliced cucumbers, radish, scallions, and top with more sesame seeds
You can poach salmon in under 15 min. To poach frozen salmon (or any other frozen fish), you can take this straight out of the freezer and put it in a foil pouch. Srsly. The Food Network says it’s okay, too, if you don’t believe me. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add your foil pouches, and cook for ~12 min (exact time will depend on how thick the filet is - thin pieces need less time, thick pieces need a little more.) Because it’s frozen, you don’t season until after it cooks - the seasoning won’t be absorbed by the frozen meat.
In my experience, this does cause some of the fat to come out of the salmon. I’ll use a fork to just scoop the fat in with the meat when I put the poached salmon into the little pyrex dishes I store my meal prep in so I can grab them for lunch during the week, but if it weirds you out, you can throw the white fat away. HOWEVER, this does reduce the nutritional content of salmon since part of it’s punch is those omega 3 fatty acids. Adding sesame oil and avocado help keep the essential fat content high, so don’t skip those.
Make your grain blend ahead of time. I replaced traditional white rice with a mix of quinoa and heritage black rice (you can use another heritage grain if you want). Heritage grains have more fiber AND protein than white rice, making them more nutritious and not giving the same dramatic spike to your blood glucose levels (BGLs) so you can feel full without a “food crash” later. I made a large pot with 2 cups rice and 2 cups quinoa, then portioned that out into 6 servings, so that each serving had 1/3 cup rice and 1/3 cup quinoa each. You can add butter, avocado oil, olive oil, or sesame oil to the grains while they cook - or you can just add water and some garlic and/or onion powder if you’ve already got enough fat sources in your meal.
To cook the grains, bring 2 cups water for every 1 cup grains to a bowl, ADD THE HERITAGE RICE FIRST, stir once, then cover loosely (a little bit of steam should escape) and reduce heat to a simmer. Set a timer for 25 min. After 25 min, add the quinoa, stir again, cover loosely and set a timer for 15 min. If the water is being absorbed by the grains and they’re getting fluffy - good. The quinoa will only take ~20 min total to cook, so after 15 min, see what the water level is. If the cover is trapping too much steam, uncover the pot completely. If there’s just a little bit of moisture left, keep the partial cover.
Making the (less than) 15min poke bowl. Now that you have your salmon and grains ready to go for the week, all you have to do to make this poke bowl is add the stuff to the bowl. The salmon is good cold so you don’t even have to worry about ppl complaining about “fish in the office microwave”. Ta da, you’re done cooking!
Why we’re eating it: There are 38g of protein in this dish. AND 15g of fiber. OMG you’re more than halfway to your “25g of fiber/day” goal. All of us need a minimum of 25g of fiber for good gut health & proper nutrient absorption. Most of us need 0.34-0.55g of protein/lb body weight (read deets on how to figure out your protein needs here). If you’re doing strenuous exercise or recovering from an injury/illness, aim for ~1g/lb body weight.
When we’re eating it: After a hard workout (within 45 min to help with muscle recovery & glycogen stores). Before an endurance workout (45min to 2 hrs, to help with adequate glycogen for that long cycle session or trail run). For lunch at your desk. For dinner after a busy day. For brunch on the weekend when you take your favorite book and snack pack to the park. For breakfast if you woke up that way.
What if you’re not moving? Can you still eat those simple carbs? There are 35g of “simple carbs” (aka sugar, as seen by our bodies). If you haven’t had a chance to take a 15min stretch break before this meal, or if you know you’re glued to your zoom room after this meal, cut down on the grain mix and add more greens (or cucumbers).
