RECIPE: Brain-Boosting Nutrition for the Winter Months

Are you feeling it yet? Some people describe it as feeling ‘off,’ others as feeling ‘blue,’ while many simply describe the feeling of reduced energy that comes, like clockwork, every year.

Daylight hours become elusive when the clocks fall back. This, combined with the onset of the fall and winter chill, means many of us will be spending more hours in hibernation, getting less exercise, logging fewer hours of daylight and fresh air.

To counteract the effects of the season, Orsha Magyar, CEO and Founder of NeuroTrition, one of Spud’s inspiring ambassadors, says tweaks to your nutrition and lifestyle become “super important with both the time change and the weather turning.”

Blending her background in biopsychology, neuroscience and holistic nutrition, Orsha shared this recipe with us, developed by her team of holistic chefs who combine these areas to create delicious recipes to help keep brains healthy and happy. This recipe contains top sleep-boosting (e.g. calcium, magnesium, iron, vitamins B6 and B12) and happy mood-promoting (e.g. fibre, omega-3s, high-quality gluten-free, grain-free protein) ingredients.

 

Roasted Wild Salmon & Quinoa Salad Dinner – Two Ways!

Recipe: Kelsey Sill, NeuroTrition Chef

Servings: 4

Prep & Cook Time: 35-40 minutes

This recipe is built around wild salmon, our favourite sea-faring omega-3 source, and quinoa, our top vegetarian protein (a complete protein at that). Amazing on their own but with added oomph alongside brain-friendly red onion, kale, lemon, parsley and eggs, this recipe is sure to make you happy. And we’ve presented it in two different ways, a grown-up salad and a kid-friendly finger food, so you and your little ones can eat and love this meal together. Now that’s just plain smart!

Ingredients: Base

1 fresh wild salmon fillet, skinless (roughly 1-2 lbs.)

½ tsp. sea salt & pepper

¼ tsp. garlic powder

1 ½ cups white quinoa (cooked & prepped to package directions, then cooled)

½ red onion, small dice

1 TBSP capers, rough chopped

Ingredients: Adult Version

5 stalks black kale, stripped from the ribs, and cut into ribbons

½ lemon, juiced

Salt & pepper to taste

Ingredients: Kid-Friendly Version

1 organic free range egg, lightly whisked

½ bunch parsley, washed & roughly chopped

Ingredients: Lemon-Dill Sauce

½ cup Vegenaise*

Sea salt & pepper to taste

½ tsp garlic powder

1 TBSP fresh or dried dill

1/2 lemon, juiced

* To make your own mayo from scratch, check out our Healthy Homemade Mayo!

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 425F.
2. Prepare baking sheet, lined with parchment or foil.
3. Take the salmon fillet and season both sides with your salt, pepper, & garlic powder. Place salmon onto the lined baking sheet, then slide into the oven, and cook for 10-12 minutes.
4. While salmon is cooking, whisk together all ingredients for the Lemon-Dill Sauce. Cover and leave in fridge until you are ready to serve dinner.
5. Once salmon is fully cooked, put it to the side to cool. Once cooled, flake apart the salmon.
6. Place your cooked quinoa into a bowl; add the salmon, capers, red onion, salt & pepper. This is the base mixture. Split the mix, setting aside half for the adult version and half for the kids!

For Adult version: 4 servings

1. Add all the ingredients in to make your ‘Adult’ roasted salmon salad & top with a drizzle of the Lemon-Dill Sauce!

For Kid-friendly version: 4 servings

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Generously grease 1 mini muffin tin with coconut oil, unsalted butter or ghee.
3. Into the base mix, add in your lightly whisked egg & parsley. Mix this thoroughly into your salmon salad until combined.
4. Pack a few tablespoons of the mix into the muffin tin (any extra salad mix can be mounded on top to create a ‘muffin’ top effect!).
5. Bake these in the oven for approximately 13 minutes or until the tops are slightly golden brown. Serve with a side of Lemon Dill dip & some fresh veggies.

Hibernate with care, friends. While they may be dark, the long winter months ahead can be equally delicious.