Need a Healthy Grab-and-Go Lunch? Make These Roasted Salmon Quinoa Salads
Prep these salads ahead of time by storing them in Mason jars for a grab-and-go lunch.
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Almost every triathlete knows the importance of eating healthy meals to fuel their active adventures. But when things get really busy at work or school, it’s much easier to place a to-go order on an app than it is to make a healthy lunch from scratch. That’s where meal planning comes to your rescue: making one big batch of a simple recipe early in the week to divide up for easy, healthy pre-made meals when you need them. These nutritious, filling roasted salmon quinoa salads can be portioned out into jars or food storage containers for grab-and-go portability – perfect for the time-crunched triathlete.
RELATED: Triathlete’s Complete Guide to Nutrition and Fueling
This is one of the recipes from our guide to meal planning to help you manage your meals efficiently and deliciously. Be sure to check out the full: Busy Triathlete’s Guide to Meal Planning.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds salmon fillets
- 2 cups cubed fresh or frozen (thawed) mango
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2 tsp chili sauce, such as Sriracha
- 1 Tbsp chopped fresh ginger
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cucumber, sliced
- 1 large red or orange bell pepper, sliced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 4 cups baby spinach
- 2 ounces crumbled goat cheese (optional)
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 300°F. Season salmon with salt and pepper, and place skin side down on a parchment paper or silicone-lined baking sheet. Bake fish for 15 minutes, or until just barely cooked through in the thickest part of the flesh. Let rest for 5 minutes, then break apart into 2-inch chunks.
- Place mango, oil, lime juice, chili sauce, ginger, garlic, and salt in a blender and blend until smooth. Divide mango dressing among four large-mouth Mason-style jars. Layer in cucumber, bell pepper, tomatoes, salmon, quinoa, baby spinach, goat cheese (if using), and pumpkin seeds in that order. Seal shut with lids, put in the fridge, and eat for up to four days.