Coconut Scented Salmon with Mango Chive Reduction

Since folks were asking...

2 pieces of sockeye salmon filet
1 tbsp + 1 tsp coconut oil, divided
1 small shallot, finely chopped
1/4 c (scant) mango puree (Trader Joe's makes a pure one)
1/2 c reduced sodium chicken broth
1/4 c chives
chopped fresh mint to taste (I used a little over a tbsp)
fresh lime juice to taste
salt and pepper

Grilled asparagus (olive oil and lemon)

Simple salad:
1 tbsp evoo
juice of half a small lemon
salt and pepper
Mixed greens (1 - 2 c per person)
mint to taste

Melt the tbsp of coconut oil in a medium saute pan over medium high heat. Add the shallot and cook until translucent and beginning to brown. Add the mango puree and about half of the chicken broth; simmer until the liquid begins to thicken. Add the remaining broth and simmer again, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and lower heat to medium, cooking an additional 2 - 3 minutes. Pour into a separate container and set aside.

(Grill asparagus in the meantime as salmon is being prepped/sauteed)

Squeeze lime juice on salmon and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook seasoned side first, about 3 minutes per inch thickness, then add additional seasoning as desired. Flip and cook, using same time scale. Fish is done when mostly opaque and flakes easily with a fork.

For the salad, combine oil, lemon, S&P in a bowl until emulsified. Toss in greens and mint.

To arrange:

Place asparagus on plate, followed by salmon on top. Liberally pour mango reduction over both. Top with simple salad. Enjoy with riesling or gruner veltliner, or, if you're on the 30-day, San Pelligrino.

30 Days of Whole Foods

...not the overpriced, treehugging, "I'm okay-you're-okay" retailer - the real McCoy. 30 days of nothing but lean protein, veggies, some fruits, nuts, and seeds. No dairy, no grains, no legumes, no sugar, nothing processed to within an inch of its former life - and no booze.

All of this in an effort to strip down for the Tough Mudder on May 7th, a grueling 10 mile run up, down, around, and through 22 obstacles on Mount Snow in picturesque Vermont. With a goal like that in mind and two months' worth of training 4 days a week at CrossFit Mass under my belt, I figured my lofty aspirations would take care of themselves. But there were two saboteurs for whom I hadn't accounted: my own crap eating autopilot and the SS Twins - Soy and Sugar.

I'd attempted Paleo for a few weeks before going whole hog, with cheats, and things had been progressing nicely - despite a regular intake of sugars and refined grains, I was sleeping better, had even more energy than usual, and was improving in physical activities. But since I was only 75 - 80% on, that pesky crap eating autopilot in my chick brain hadn't really been tackled - mostly because I didn't even realize it was there. It wasn't until sugar, cheese, wine, and other irritants were off the board that I started hearing its voice when I saw something forbidden: "Mmm. Looks good. You'll have that". Then, it wasn't until I caught myself midreach towards the 2 pound bag of Russell Stovers sitting next to my bed that I wondered what I was doing. How did I get here? This is not my beautiful diet intention. This is not my beautiful pork loin! My god, what have I done?

Okay, fortunately, I regained control before any damage was done. But it's interesting to find out what "mindless eating" really is - most of the time, I'm not even having a conversation with myself. Crap eater is deciding for me.

On to the SS Twins - I long ago realized that oligopolist type food manufacturers put high fructose corn syrup in EVERYTHING - that's why we should all shop the perimeters of our grocery stores, right? Got it. I really thought I could trust the likes of independent ol' Trader Joe not to dupe me into eating sugar at every turn, but I was wrong. It took me almost 10 minutes to go through the marinara sauces just to find one that didn't contain sugar or fricking soybean oil. Now, my mother would insist I deserved this trial, because why wasn't I just making my own from our family's recipe anyway, which doesn't include sugar... Solid point, but I'm a busy lady.

One important thing I've taken away over the last few days: nearly ALL packaged meat (deli, jerky, etc.) and fish (e.g. tuna approaching a ready-made meal) has some form of sugar in it. Additionally, soy additives in one manifestation or another are nearly epidemic. I feel a new sense of empathy for people suffering from food allergies.