eat like a ninja

Hi all the ninjas!

I know resisting the urge of shoving your face into a basket of warm, cheesy french fries, or saying "No" to a huge slice of a birthday cake with chocolate frosting on it, is not easy at all.  I personally used to start dieting on Monday morning, and was ending up eating entire jar of nutella (oh god, why is it so good?) before it was even Tuesday. Do I still eat nutella? Heck yes! Do I still eat french fries? Yesssssss! Do I still diet? A huge NO! Now you are wondering why the hell am I talking about then! I am talking about eating high quality, healthy, fresh food. I know it sounds cliche, but moderation is the key. Even us, ninjas, have times where we crave pizza, burgers, or ICE CREAM! We go for it, but not everyday. I can literally eat ice cream for every meal but anyway, you got the point. So here are some ideas to eat like a ninja. 

The other day me and Elise cooked some fancy stuff, did not burn anything, and did not get food poisoning! It was a total success! We had balsamic glazed salmon, sweet potato "fries", and salad with homemade strawberry dressing. I remember Elise saying "This is freaking good" somewhere between all the "OMG"s, "Oh God"s and "OHH"s I heard. Yeah, it was pretty damn good! And it probably took us around 20-30 mins total to prepare, and 5 minutes to eat! Well this time may differ according to the level of your hunger!

For the salmon, we had two medium pieces of salmon, approximately 5 oz for each of us, brushed with a mixture of 2 tbsp of olive oil, 2 tbsp of balsamic glaze, salt, pepper, and some paprika maybe if you like spice. Then we baked those babies in the oven for 10-12 mins. 

WHY SALMON?: It is a good source of protein, unsaturated fats including omega-3, and very low in calories compared to red meat. 

Meantime, we prepared the potatoes. Slice 3 sweet potatoes any shape you want, we went with circles but you can cut them in pentagons, hexagons, or the shape of the state of Texas, I do not know, you pick. Then cover the pieces with olive oil, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Then bake them in the oven until they get soft, or wait longer if you like them crispier. 

WHY SWEET POTATOES?: Sweet potatoes are very good source of carbs, they will not spike up your blood sugar, they have fiber, plus they are high in Beta-Carotene.And since they are baked, you get less calories, and less fat than regular fries. 

For the dressing, we mixed one cup of fresh strawberries, one tbsp of balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 cup of feta cheese in the mixer. You can add more olive oil or water to get the desired consistency you want. In this case you might end up adding more oil unless you want your dressing to look like a pile of glob. In another cup mix greens, 1 chopped avocado, dried cranberries, and candied pecans. Pour your dressing on the top and voila! 

Close up to the vomit-looking dressing. (I promise,it tastes like strawberries and unicorns)

WHY HOMEMADE DRESSING?: Most of the dressings we buy from the grocery stores are full of sodium, preservatives and saturated fats. If you go for olive oil or balsamic only, let's be honest, it is freaking boring. By making our own dressing we can control what goes in it. Strawberries are very high in Vitamin C, and it is a sneaky way to get more servings of your daily fruits. Feta cheese makes the dressing tastier without all the unhealthy fats, and with the olive oil you get unsaturated fats.

Since it is really easy to make this meal, I hope next time you give it a try. At least try new ways to eat more fruits and veggies -mostly greens-, so you will not get bored, or make poor choices. 

To answer your question: No, I do not mean green muffins when I say eat more greens. 


And please ask me anything about nutrition or eating healthy. I am not a dietitian yet, but we have a great sports nutritionist here at FSU, I will ask her any information that exceeds my knowledge.