Time to get moving

One problem with loving food as much as I do is that after a long, snowy winter full of cold-day comfort dishes and plenty of sitting on the couch under blankets, once springtime rolls around I find I’m left with a few extra pounds of “winter insulation” I really don’t need anymore.

I don’t think I’m the only one in this situation: pants are a little bit harder to button up; arms are a little less firm than they used to be; shirts hug a little bit tighter than you’d like. All those little things that make me feel just uncomfortable enough. And I figure losing the extra weight is probably a lot less expensive – not to mention much healthier – than buying a new wardrobe to accommodate the additional (and hopefully temporary) pounds.

Now that Mother Nature has taken care of the snow-blanketed sidewalks, it’ll be much easier to choose walking over the car, bus, and metro. I took my bicycle for a walk to the pro-shop up the hill from me for a much-needed tune-up. It should be ready in the next day or two, so hopefully I’ll be able to get back in enough shape to cycle in the Tour de l’Ile this June, as planned. The whole “breathless” feeling after that stroll up the hill, however, wasn’t the most promising indication, but with a little work and determination, I’m hoping to feel fit as a fiddle in no time.

That, of course, means watching what I eat, too: keeping an eye on portion sizes, making leaner choices, and cutting back on my beloved baguette and butter – make it “way back” on that one.

It’s not going to be a walk in the park, especially with the current situation: the Stanley Cup Playoffs are usually an easy excuse for snacks and beer, and the start of the barbecue season (which I expressed my satisfaction with last time) calls for sausages and burgers on the bar-b. Looks like I’ll have to do my best to stick with light popcorn, and chicken breast and fish as much as I can.

But it’s not all bad when you can come up with something both tasty and healthy, which is what I like to think this salmon recipe I came across in one of my mom’s old magazines is (actually, I know it’s healthy, but I’ll let you be the judge on the whole “tasty” thing).

It’s fairly simple: for a dinner for two, all you need is two salmon fillets (four ounces each should do), about one cup of fresh, chopped spinach, half a cup of fresh, sliced mushrooms, one small tomato, chopped, and a sixth of a cup of sun-dried tomato salad dressing. While you wait for the oven to heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, mix the spinach, mushrooms, tomato, and dressing together. Place the salmon in a baking dish that’s either been lightly oiled with olive oil, or sprayed with non-stick spray. Cover the fish with the salad mix, bake for about 30 minutes, or until the salmon flakes easily, and there you have it – a dish that’s low in fat and calories, and a good source of vitamin A and C. Or so I’m told, anyway. All I really know is it tastes great and doesn’t make me feel as guilty as the burgers and baked potatoes I made this weekend.