Give Your Heart Some Love
It’s National Heart Month! Over the years we’ve shared many tips and tricks for staying heart healthy. A good number of these tips have come from dieticians we’ve met along the way, as well as the smart folks at the Iowa Food & Family Project. Today we’re pulling some of them all together right here, and we invite you to join us in our journey toward better health and wellness.
Here are a few simple steps to get started:
Protect your sleep. When we are tired, we tend to reach for unhealthy snacks or beverages like energy drinks or sugary foods. This causes disturbed sleep cycles, which can wreak havoc on our appetite hormones, mental performance and immune response. Poor sleep can also drive insulin resistance, which is one of the strongest risk factors for weight gain and obesity. Aim for seven to eight hours of sleep every night to give your body the rest it needs.
Practice self-care. Physical fitness is always important, but we also need to take care of our mind, body and spirit so we can be healthy. Self-care looks different for everyone, but some examples include journaling, breathing exercises, brisk walks outside, dancing, riding a bike or enjoying a bubble bath with a bath bomb! No one can maintain a healthy, active lifestyle without a little “me” time.
Eat well. To really give your heart some love, eat these three foods:
- Low-carb Vegetables. Examples: green beans, broccoli, spinach, kale, mushrooms, zucchini, yellow squash, Brussels sprouts. These veggies are loaded with vitamins, minerals and fiber and are low-calorie in comparison to other food groups.
- Walnuts. Walnuts are primarily a healthy fat source with some carbohydrate and a little bit of protein. They are high in vitamin B6, folate, thiamin – playing a role in cellular energy and a healthy nervous system.
- Salmon/Tuna. Salmon and tuna are both fatty fish and are excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids, a polyunsaturated fat. The American Heart Association considers 3.5 ounces of cooked fish or ¾ cup to be a single serving. For adults, two servings per week are recommended to help lower risk for heart disease.
This recipe brings all three of these foods into a simple, one-pan meal. It’s a warm salad with heart-healthy ingredients that’s perfect for any February night.
Walnut-Crusted Salmon Winter Salad
Ingredients
- 12 oz. baby red or yellow potatoes, halved
- 12 oz. Hy-Vee Short Cuts sliced Brussels sprouts
- 1 tbsp plus 1/3 cup Gustare Vita olive oil, divided
- 1 large Honeycrisp or Gala apple, cored and cut into ½-inch-thick wedges
- 3 T. Gustare Vita balsamic vinegar
- 2 T. packed Hy-Vee brown sugar
- 1 tsp. Hy-Vee Dijon mustard
- ⅛ tsp. Hy-Vee salt
- 4 (5-oz.) pieces skinless fresh salmon fillets, ¾- to 1-inch-thick
- ¼ cup Hy-Vee chopped walnuts (NOTE: Substitute pistachios or Panko breadcrumbs instead of walnuts.)
- 6 oz. mixed salad greens
- ⅓ cup Hy-Vee Short Cuts chopped red onions
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Place potatoes and Brussels sprouts in a large bowl; toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Spread in a single layer on a 15x10-inch rimmed baking pan; add apple wedges. Roast for 10 minutes, stirring once halfway through.
- Whisk together vinegar, brown sugar, mustard and salt in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in remaining 1/3 cup olive oil. Divide vinaigrette into two portions and set aside.
- Push vegetables and apples to edge of pan, leaving them in a single layer. Pat salmon dry with paper towels; place in center of pan. Lightly brush salmon with one portion of vinaigrette; sprinkle with walnuts. Roast for 6 to 10 minutes or until salmon flakes with a fork (145 degrees) and vegetables and apples are tender. Drizzle with half of the remaining vinaigrette; sprinkle some of the greens around the salmon.
- Place remaining salad greens on four salad plates; sprinkle with red onions. Arrange salmon, vegetables and apples on top. Drizzle with remaining vinaigrette.
Notes
Recipe and photo courtesy of Hy-Vee
