Grilled Salmon with Lemon Caper Sauce

Running the track

I’ve never done serious track workouts when doing training runs.   Today was different.  I met THE TRAINER at the high school track.   The workout was 2 x 200 followed by 1 x 400, 4 TIMES! 

To do this exercise, the pace is a little faster than a stride, not a sprint.  You have to keep it up for the 200 meters and the 400 meters. It’s best to establish the pace based on your desired goal time for your next race.  The rest in between equals the same as you just ran e.g 200 meters at goal pace then 200 meters recovery (walk if you have to).

Recap:  I was out of bed a little later but early enough to do 45 minutes of weights and to take Shane on a 2.2 mile warm up run.  The it was off to the New Hartford Track.

It took me a while to get my pace right but once I did, it came naturally for the remainder of the workout.  My hamstring was a bit achy at the end but the result was a good workout with the 200’s being favored over the 400’s, obviously.  Total miles for Wednesday:  6.2

A Blurt About Protein Bars

I like protein/nutrition bars.  For some reason, I feel less guilty about eating them than I would a Snickers.  Some of the bars are actually no better than a Snickers bar due to the high sugar (watch out for corn syrup, sucrose, high fructose corn syrup!) and saturated fats ( hydrogenated oils and tropical oils).

When choosing a bar, your best bet is to strive for all-natural ingredients.  One such bar is the Clif Bar.   

Ingredients: Organic Brown Rice Syrup, Organic Rolled Oats, ClifPro® (Soy Rice Crisps [Soy Protein Isolate, Rice Flour, Barley Malt Extract], Organic Roasted Soybeans, Organic Soy Flour), Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Chocolate Chips (Evaporated Cane Juice, Unsweetened Chocolate, Cocoa Butter, Soy Lecithin, Natural Flavors), Organic Date Paste, Cocoa, Organic Sunflower Oil, Cocoa (processed with alkali), ClifCrunch® (Apple Fiber, Organic Oat Fiber, Organic Milled Flaxseed, Inulin [Chicory Extract], Psyllium), Natural Flavors, Sea Salt.

It is promoted as an “energy bar” so it will offer the necessary carbohydrates for an event about 2 hours after enjoying the bar.  What makes it an energy bar?  It has a 4 to 1 radio of carbohydrates to protein. You don’t want a lot of protein or fat when doing endurance sports because those two items are slow to digest and could cause stomach upset.  The Clif bar has a lot of vitamins and nutrients so for pre and post workouts, it’s a good choice.

NOTE:  No bar is better than whole natural foods because they are all made from processed ingredients.

What’s your favorite nutrition bar? Energy bar? Protein bar? or Meal Replacement bar?

GRILLED SALMON WITH LEMON CAPER SAUCE

You just want to grill when the sun is shining and the temperatures are warm.  Salmon steaks are the perfect “meatless” meal on the grill. Although you have to watch out for some pretty hefty bones, the extra fat in the steaks make these easy to grill without drying out.

• 3 Fresh Salmon Steaks *If you would like to add a rub to the steaks before grilling, simply mix 1 TBS GRILL SEASONING + 1 TBS Honey mustard + 2 tsp brown sugar and rub onto the salmon steaks.
• 4 TBS lemon juice
• 1 green onion, chopped
• 2 tsp capers
• 1 TBS fresh parsley
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper

Sprinkle 3 TBS of lemon juice over salmon steaks. Sprinkle with salt and pepper if desired.

Heat grill on medium high heat and cook salmon steaks 4 minutes per side, depending on thickness.

In a bowl, mix the chopped green onion, 1 TBS lemon juice, capers, parsley, salt and pepper.  Puree with an immersion blender or mixer.

When salmon is cooked, top with caper sauce. Enjoy!

Joanne