Heart Healthy Salad with Baked Salmon

This colorful healthy salad made with citrus, avocado, and salmon is great for heart health.

The days are getting longer again and I know this is February fooling me, but the weather has also warmed up a bit. The bite is gone from the chilly morning air. Oh, that makes me happy! It’s been a long, cold winter. Thank goodness we have citrus in the winter to brighten things up. I made this Heart Healthy Salad with Citrus, Avocado and Salmon for lunch the other day and it felt like I was bidding goodbye to winter as I enjoyed it.

This year I’ve been focusing on eating even healthier. We already eat pretty healthy. But I knew we could do much better. My kids are like all kids and prefer sugary, calorie-laden snacks rather than real food. I’m working on it. I don’t buy many snacks anyway, but there’s always a birthday at school or a holiday to load them up with junk. I feel like if they can eat healthy at home, then those splurges are okay on occasion.

We’ve been adding more fish to our diet. I started to notice that when I bought meat, it would also go to waste. Even chicken or turkey. So I kind of just stopped buying it as often. But fish is something we all enjoy and even fight over. :)

As my friend Becky and I were talking about our monthly coordinated post we like to do, I suggested this month we focus on Heart Healthy Foods. Some of my family members have had heart trouble, so part of my motivation to eat healthier is in regards to heart disease. It’s the #1 leading killer of women in the U.S. When I started reading up on heart disease, I decided it was really time to make big changes. As they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Salmon is super healthy and good for your heart.

Research has shown that omega-3 fatty acids decrease risk of arrhythmias (abnormal heartbeats), which can lead to sudden death.  Omega-3 fatty acids also decrease triglyceride levels, slow growth rate of atherosclerotic plaque, and lower blood pressure (slightly). – American Heart Association, Heart.org. (Read more here.)

This healthy salad is also full of of other heart-healthy foods – spinach, avocados, citrus, almonds, green onions. If you want to see more healthy ways to enjoy salmon, check out these 20 Heart-Healthy Salmon recipes on All Day I Dream About Food. Also be sure to check out Becky’s heart healthy Blueberry Lemon Baked Oatmeal Cups. It looks incredible!

Heart Healthy Citrus-Avocado Salmon Salad Recipe

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A salad full of heart-healthy ingredients like salmon, avocado, citrus and almonds.

• Total Time: 35 mins
• Yield: 2-4 1x

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• For salmon:
• Two (4-6 ounce) salmon fillets
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• Juice of 1 lemon
• salt and pepper
• For salad:
• 3–4 cups organic baby spinach
• 1 large pink grapefruit, peeled and sectioned
• 2 medium navel oranges, peeled and sectioned
• 1 avocado, thinly sliced
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1/4 cup green onions, sliced
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. For salmon – Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place salmon fillets on baking sheet. Squeeze fresh lemon over the top and drizzle with a little olive oil. Season well with salt and pepper. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove from oven and let cool before assembling salad.
2. For salad – Place spinach in a bowl or on a large serving platter. Top with citrus, avocado, and cooled salmon. Sprinkle the top with almonds and green onions. Squeeze the fresh lemon juice over the top and drizzle with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

• Author: Lindsey Johnson
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 25 mins
• Category: Main
• Cuisine: American