In last week’s tip I compared knowing with doing and suggested wariness against a common, sneaky habit: dismissing mundane but important basics because familiarity makes them feel less significant than they are. In passing, I also linked to another prior tip about daily protein requirements. Check it out if you missed it!
I mention these two tips again because protein consumption often seems to be one of those important, yet forgotten basics. And in today’s “carbs are everywhere” environment, it’s easy to fall short on our daily protein intake if we’re not intentional about it.
That in turn affects satiety after meals, energy, and mood. In the long term, health of bones, skin, hair, and the immune system are also affected. And, of course, supporting muscle mass—an extremely important condition for healthy aging—is impossible without consuming adequate protein.
My personal consumption strategy is to consider, for each and every meal, what protein-dense food will be the base for that meal. Then I decide what other foods would pair well.
This doesn’t always work out “perfectly”, especially when traveling. But it does guarantee at day’s end that I’ve either reached my protein target or landed as close as possible given the circumstances.
With that, here’s one of my favorite high-protein dinner options: Sweet & Sassy Salmon and Brussels Sprouts. Give it a try, whether you need a bit more protein in your diet or are simply looking for a new dinner recipe.
A few quick notes about it:
First, the salmon and veggies (Brussels sprouts) make a great meal by themselves. But if you feel like the meal isn’t quite whole without some type of carbohydrate, a baked (or microwaved) potato or sweet potato is a quick and simple option.
Second, I highly recommend trying the recipe even if you’re not a big fan of fish. At least a few friends who feel the same have tried it and were surprised by how much they liked it. The spice mixture combined with the (healthy omega-3) fatty nature of salmon is both delicious and much healthier than the breading and frying that are typically used to improve flavor.
Last but not least as I’ve mentioned before, the ingredient list is written a little differently than what you might be used to seeing. It’s a modified version of a method used to simplify the cooking process. I was first exposed to the idea when reading Tim Ferriss’ book The 4-Hour Chef, which is actually a great book if you currently aren’t very comfortable in the kitchen and want to level-up your cooking skills.