Toaster Oven Salmon | Recipe

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Today's post is a great recipe for baked salmon that is both quick and healthy.  See the bottom of this post for ways to change this recipe and a good idea for kabobs.

Toaster Oven Salmon:

Serves 2-3.  About 35 minutes to prepare and cook.

Wild caught salmon (skin attached) for two to three people
1 tspn of minced garlic, powdered garlic, or garlic oil
1 tbsn of herbs de provence
2 tbsns of diced onions
olive oil
sea salt (optional)

Place the thawed fish in a glass pyrex or baking pan. If it's a baking pan, line it with aluminum foil for easy cleanup. Drizzle on some olive oil and spread it with a spoon. There should be enough oil to spread evenly over the fish, but not so much to leave it oily.  Spread the garlic in the same manner.  If it's garlic powder, just use a few shakes.  Add a couple of shakes of sea salt if you want but do not over salt your fish.  Repeat with the herbs de provence. Evenly place and spread the onions over everything. The onions will cook enough to not be too strong so don't be afraid if you're normally conservative with onions.

Awesome Tip of the Day:  Gloves.  Use them.  I buy boxes of non-sterile medical exam gloves from Costco for a pretty good price.  They last a long time and make onion, chicken, and fish jobs much more sanitary and avoid the long term smell on the hands.  They also make cleaning the bathroom much more pleasant.

Preheat the oven or toaster oven to around ~450 F. It's tough to say since each oven and toaster oven is different. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15-20 minutes or until it's just about cooked. Remove the aluminum foil and bake for another five minutes or so. The fish is ready when you insert a fork in it, twist it slightly, and the fish separates along it's natural grain easily. The aluminum foil is there to keep it moist and prevent burning. Taking it off at the end toasts the top just slightly. If it doesn't feel like toasting, put it on toast or broil for a couple of minutes instead.

Once the fish is cooked, it should separate from the skin easily with any spatula. Most if not all of the little cartilage "bones" should have dissolved by now, but you never know.

Alternatives: You can omit the herbs de provence or substitute for rosemary and it still tastes great. Garlic is not necessary, it just works. A little or a lot of onions is just personal taste. You can mix and match as you see fit. A good spread of mustard instead of olive oil makes this amazing as well, although it may or may not go well with herbs. Try cooking cubed potatoes with olive oil in with the fish. It's actually pretty good.

If you have enough space, some little kabobs with tomatoes, mushrooms, bell peppers, onions etc. can cook on the side in the oven or toasted in the toaster oven while the fish is cooling off. They should be first basted in some kind of olive or sesame oil to prevent them from drying out. A little 21 seasoning mixed in that oil makes for pretty good kabobs. They have to be watched carefully though, and flipped half way.

How to Look Good in Pictures

Someone tipped me off on this a little while ago, so I thought I'd pass it on.  There are a couple of things that inhibit picture taking ability.  The first one has to do with the person taking the picture.  You can have the light in front of you or behind you, but never to the side.  Soft, natural light looks the best.

The second one has to do with you.  Most people who have a terrible time with their facial expression in pictures are merely struggling with insecurity in front of the camera.  Suddenly, you need to smile.  Uh, deer in headlights...  No deal.

So, here's what you do.  Think about something else that makes you happy.  Look past the camera (but not down) and think about something enjoyable or funny.  The camera will capture this moment and you will look great.  Looking down will likely give you that squinty-eyed or stoner look.  You can look just above the camera if you want to show off your eyes.

Awesome Tip:  You don't actually have to SMILE in pictures.  Really.  A subtle hint of happiness may look better than all of your teeth.  Experiment.

Body.  If you're worried about those extra cookies, turn a little sideways, lift up your chest and look proud.  If you're too skinny, face the camera directly.  If you're nervous because you don't know what to do in the picture, put your arm around your friend.  If you're by yourself, put a hand on something like a wall or a rail or your hips or something.  Try not to cross your arms.

Second Awesome Tip:  Whatever part of you is sticking forward can be exaggerated by the camera lens.  That said, if you lean back, your stomach will most likely look larger than it is.  Lean your chest forward just a little bit.

How to Split a Monster Burrito, No Mess, No Knife

I don't buy these very often, but yes, I will do it in front of the camera one day.

This may sound funny but I've never seen anyone else do it, so maybe it's not common knowledge.  It's better than laying a burrito on its side and cutting though it because you don't lose any of its contents.  Also, big knives are not always available.  I did this for the first time a few years ago.  I bought a monster burrito to split with a friend.  We got to the beach and realized we had forgotten to ask to have it cut in half.  She suggested alternating bites.  I decided we weren't good enough friends for that.  So...

You will need:
nothing, that's it.
two hands maybe

If your burrito is wrapped in aluminum foil or paper, you're in luck as this will help prevent the tortilla from unraveling while you're doing this.  Usually they behave.  If you happen to have a knife, plastic or otherwise, or sharp fingernails, you may get a cleaner cut.

1.  If the burrito is wrapped, find the middle and tear out a section of whatever it's wrapped in so that you have a naked strip of burrito going around the middle.

2.  Use your fingers to pinch a spot open along the middle of the burrito.

3.  Holding each end of the burrito, use your thumbs to carefully pull apart the tortilla so that it follows the circumference at least 1/2 way around but no more that 3/4.  Do no pull the burrito apart.  Just separate the tortilla so it looks as if it were cut all the way through.  If you have a knife, use it to just saw gently around the edge of the tortilla so that it is cut.

4.  Here's the tricky part.  Rotate the burrito so that the part of the tortilla that was not cut is facing the floor.  You should have one end of the burrito in each hand.  Slowly rotate your hands together in a downward motion so that the two burrito halves are still connected but they are now standing parallel to each other in the palms of your hands.

If you do this step slowly and carefully enough, you will not spill a single grain of rice.  Also, you will be awesome.  Impress your friends!  I saw jaws drop the first time I did this.

5.  Slowly rotate the two burrito halves in opposite directions (like gears) until the remaining connected piece of tortilla tears along the circumference.  You now have two monster burrito halves.

If you pull this off on camera, post the YouTube link in the comments below.

Getting Rid of Upper Back Pain

This is the first installment of what I'm going to call "The Posture Series".  The Posture Series is all about teaching others the basic self-care that I've taught my clients in my practice, so that they can enjoy the awesomeness of reducing their own pain and/or preventing injury.  I've been a massage therapist for about 8 years, trained by some very good, very experienced massage and physical therapists.  That doesn't mean I'm any kind of genius and I'm certainly no kind of doctor.  What I do have to offer are basic ideas that work wonders toward self-care that I've learned from experience and other people.

Most of what I believe in as far as the optimal function of the musculoskeletal system revolves around posture and alignment.  I consider this reasonable given that the skeleton has evolved to a very specific shape, which when aligned properly supports itself in a miracle of biological architecture.  The skeletal muscles create movement and add support to the joints.  Connective tissue such as tendons, ligaments and broad fascia also play key roles in this whole idea of posture, alignment and movement.  I'm not going to get too detailed with any of this.  What I will do is give my personal, specific opinion on how to deal with specific problem areas that are fairly common.  Again, I am not a doctor.  I just have practical knowledge that has been passed down and withstood the test of time.  So, here we go.

Common upper back pain (not from specific injury or other health condition) usually comes from poor posture.  This poor posture is typically a loop or cycle of slouching, muscular imbalance, poor circulation, muscle spasm, and weakness.  So, let's identify these things.

First, what does good posture look like?  It is surprising to me how few people know what good posture should look like.  What does "stand up straight" mean?  Shoulders back?  That's almost it.  The way I was taught in the first week of massage school was that this posture is not focused in the shoulders, but in the drooping of the rib cage.

Good Posture Checklist


1. (Stand up in front of a mirror.)  Place your feet shoulder or hip width apart.  Point your feet forward.  Distribute your weight evenly between from your heels to the balls or your feet and let your toes spread naturally.


2. Your legs should be straight but your knees should not be locked.


3. Your hips should be centered and your pelvis should neither be rotated forward nor backward.  Although a woman's sacrum does tilt backward more than a man's, neither one should look like they're sticking out their bum.  On the other hand, one's pelvis should not stick out further than the rest of the body, giving the effect of leaning backward.


4. Lift your ribcage.  This is key.  Imagine a string attached to the xyphoid process under the sternum that is pulling upward.  This should have the effect of opening up your chest.


5. Engage your latissimus dorsi muscles to pull your shoulders down and slightly back.  Once your ribcage is in the proper position, your shoulders won't need to be "pulled back" so much but should fall back into that position naturally.  Ideally, the collar bones should be visibly parallel to the floor viewing from the front.


6. Lift your head to make you as tall as possible.  This will most likely also retract your head backward a little.  Most people are used to having their head to far forward (think Mr. Burns).  Do not tilt your chin up or down.


Congratulations, you probably feel really awkward in this position.  That is only because you are not used to it.  You were actually built to stand like this.

Back to the point.  For the upper back pain, we are going to focus on steps 4-6.  You should practice this posture as many times daily as you can think of.  If you must set an alarm, do it.  You will probably be sore for a little while before your body starts to get used to it and then you will feel better.

Stretch out your pectoralis major and minor every time you notice your back starting to ache.  Most of the things you do involve having your arms in front of you.  Over time, your pec muscles tend to shorten, since their is little need to elongate, and they antagonist muscles on the back side of the body are put on a stretch.  These muscles begin to lose circulation and go into spasm, which causes upper back pain and the dreaded "knots" that never seem to go away.  By stretching out the pecs, the rhomboids get a chance to relax and the pain should start to go away on its own.  The best way I've found to do this is using a wall, corner, or door frame, which are all conveniently located in places like houses, schools and office buildings.

Pec Stretch:
Keeping your shoulder down (not letting it get closer to your ear) place your forearm against the wall so that your upper arm is parallel to the floor.  Keeping this relative position, using the wall to brace your arm in position, turn away from your arm until you feel the desired stretch.  Hold for ten to twenty seconds or until you feel satisfied.  Repeat this stretch on the same side with your arms placed slightly higher, and again slightly lower than the aforementioned position.  Repeat all three stretches on the other side.

Exercise your back and shoulders now and then.  You do much more pushing than pulling in your life.  You can help balance this out in the gym if you'd like.  A simple pull up bar in your door frame also does the trick, as do those pulling cords.  Any kind of rowing sport is excellent.  Look for creative ways to practice pulling from good posture, like vacuuming.  Position yourself in the proper posture and vacuum your house.  Next time you vacuum, use your other hand.  This is also good for your coordination.

Seated back exercise:
Next time you're sitting at your desk, on the couch, or at a stoplight, take a moment to squeeze your shoulder blades together and down while pushing your chest forward.  Hold for about five seconds.  Increased strength in your back and shoulders should help these poor overworked and under appreciated muscles keep you in the correct posture.  This is especially important for women, as we are naturally less muscular in the upper body and our breast weight exacerbates upper back pain.

No more Mr. Burns.  Bring that head up whenever you can remember it.  That exaggerated hump people get where their neck meets their back can become permanent.  Don't let it be you.

Back/neck stretch:
This last thing is my favorite back /neck stretch.  If you get that chronic, broad tightness in your back that makes you feel tired, this one should cover it.  Sit on the floor against the wall.  Let yourself slouch and let your head gently hang.  If that feels comfortable, lace your fingers behind your head and let your elbows hang, but do not pull.  Slowly turn your head from side to side.  When you feel your back start to loosen, slouch forward a little more, finding a comfortable place and rotating your neck and upper back slowly from side to side, reaching one elbow at a time gently toward the floor.  The goal is to get as close to your bellybutton as possible.  The whole stretch can take one minute or twenty minutes, depending on how tight your back is.  Make sure you do the whole thing slowly and when you are finished, come back up slowly.  You may feel a little light headed due to the sudden change in blood flow immediately afterward.  Take your time.  At no point during any stretch should you ever feel any sudden, sharp pains.  Back off the stretch if this happens.  Discontinue the stretch if it keeps happening as it may be a sign of an unknown injury.

I've been using these methods for eight years now and I feel great most of the time.  Whenever I start to get out of whack, I just remind myself to do these things and I'm back to normal.  These same tips have also reportedly reduced tension headaches in my clients.

Egg Noodle Soup | Recipe

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Today's post is an easy to make, relatively cheap and hearty recipe that I came up with one cold day.

Egg Noodle Soup

Serves 3.  About 25 minutes to prepare and cook.

1 can of chicken broth
1 1/2 cups of water
3 eggs
2 tbsp of chopped onions
1 tsp of minced ginger
1 tsp of minced garlic
1 tbsp of chopped parsley or cilantro
2 tsp of chopped green onions
1/2 tsp of turmeric
Dry Asian noodles
Olive oil
Salt to taste

Pour a small amount of olive oil into a saucepan on low.  Drop in onions, garlic, and ginger to saute.  Pour in chicken broth and water.  Once it starts to steam, add chopped green onions, parsley/cilantro and turmeric.  Now is a good time for the salt if you want that, and the noodles.  Let that heat up to a simmer while you beat the eggs with a fork in a separate container.  Once it's hot enough, stir the pot in a circular motion and pour the egg in slowly over one spot so that it forms little strands or swirls in the pot.  This will keep you from having egg clumps.  Let it sit for a few seconds and then stir again.  Add dry noodles.  Cover.  Stir.  Taste.  Add more salt if needed.  Eat hot.

Powdered ginger, garlic, and onions work fine if that's all you have.

*Alternate Version*

Lately, I've been eating this soup prepared with the following ingredients:

1 can of chicken broth
1 1/2 cups of water
1/2 tsp of powdered garlic
1/2 tsp of cumin
A few drops of olive or coconut oil
A handful of sliced mushrooms
And handful of spinach/mixed greens
3 eggs
Rice noodles
Salt to taste

Cook this soup exactly the same way. You don't need to sauté the mushrooms and greens first. They boil just fine with the soup. Start to finish this takes about 15 min.

~Story Time~

I would just like to share a little episode of Saturday night, because I thought it was mildly creative and definitely fun.  This story should be called, "How to Get Awesome for Free."

I went out with my typical girls' night pal, who is long time single.  When things started to warm up at our usual night club, I noticed there were two pretty attractive guys who were well built and fun dancers.  It seems their goal was to give attention to and get attention from every girl in the place that night.  You know the type.  Anyway, they came up to us, at which point I deflected the one trying to dance with me with my wedding ring and they ran off.  Usually, such self-interested guys would be more or less useless to me, but I'm a team player and my friend is single.  It dawned on me, "Wait, what am I thinking?"  So within about five minutes or so, I managed to casually re-encounter the same guy and explain...

Me:  Sorry, I meant to tell you.  I'm married and behaving, but it's my friend's birthday.  She's 25.
Guy:  (guy lights up) Oh really?  So you want me to...
Me:  Yeah, show her a good time!

...at which point he proceeded to walk right up to her and pick her up with a nice, "Happy birthday!"  For a moment, she panicked, but I said, "(friend's name), go with it!"  Never mind the protests like, "Wait, it's not my birthday..."  (Yes it is. Don't believe her, she's just shy.)  It was funny to hear the guy say, "It is your birthday..."  Ha!  So she had quite a fun experience with this guy really making it a point to show her a good time, and then moving right along.  It was perfect.  She had fun but he wasn't around long enough to intrude upon our girls' night.  He came back later a couple of times just to put a smile on her face.  She danced with his friend, too, but he was a bit more stuck up.

Awesome Tip of the Day:  Never dance with a guy like that (that type of guy) for more than one song in a row.  He will start looking for the next girl during the second song.  He will also manage to inflate his ego to the point of near explosion, thus thinking he's doing you some kind of favor by dancing with you.  Cut him off after the first dance and he will probably come back once he's made his rounds.  Also, if you dance with him at the end of the night, he will think he's taking you home.

I didn't feel bad about that little white lie because I'm quite sure that the guy was looking for any excuse to do that kind of thing anyway.  She had fun, I had fun, he got more attention, win win win.  Honestly, I don't think I've ever seen that big of a happy kitty grin on her face before.  She said she felt like she went to Chip N Dale.  Both awesome and free.

The End.

Unstable Restaurant Table Solution

This came up Sunday so I thought I'd throw it out there for those of you who run into this.

Awesome Tip of the Day:  Next time you get stuck with a restaurant table that is threatening to spill your drink or food, fold up a paper napkin or two (better yet, dirty ones because it doesn't matter) into about one square inch.  Place the folded napkin(s) under the inadequate table leg for added security.  The table should more or less finally stand still.

Bonus, it's a good way to reuse that dirty napkin.