by Nicole Moreno
Father’s Day is a day to celebrate our dads and a time to show them we appreciate all they have done for us. A creative and simple way to show your dad your love is to make him a good old fashion meal. While we all might be tempted to make the traditional enchiladas or throw some carne asada on the grill, we have to step back and realize that some of our dads are getting older and need to start eating healthier.
Some dads might be a little hesitant to change their eating habits, trust me I know. I have always been my parents’ “bohemian love and peace” child. I left Gilroy to live in Santa Cruz and now I reside in San Francisco. I changed my eating habits to become healthier: no red meat, soymilk, less coffee more tea.
I decided that the best way to ease my dad into healthier eating was to make him meals that were familiar and just substitute the ingredients with healthier ones. My first meal I made for my dad was turkey tacos and a mista salad. I got the mista salad idea after traveling toItaly and the simple salad had a citrus and hearty taste to it. I also wanted to add a salad as a side instead of the traditional rice and beans.
Turkey Tacos Recipe:
- Grill the ground turkey in a pan with olive oil at medium heat
- Add about three dashes of garlic powder and two dashes of sea salt to the meat while it is cooking
- Squeeze half of a lemon into the meat
Note: You can add pepper and basil into the meat. Also add olive oil while it is cooking.Turkey can easily become dry and you need to make sure it stays moist. Remember that turkey is similar to chicken in that whatever flavors you add it will absorb it.
Mista Salad Recipe:
- Wash the spinach and arugula lettuce
- Add the spinach and arugula into a serving bowl
- Pour olive oil and sea salt as dressing
- Cut up 2 lemons into slices and add that into the salad
Another meal option if your dad does not like turkey is to bake or grill some salmon.
Baked Lemon Salmon Recipe:
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees
- Cover 1 lb of salmon with foil
- Add a dash of sea salt to the salmon
- Add 2 tbsp of margarine to the salmon
- Add a couple of slices of lemon to the salmon
- Cook the salmon for 15 minutes
You can add the salmon over some whole-wheat pasta or put it over a tostada.
Remember a healthy meal does not have to be boring; all you need to do is add some good flavors. Happy Father’s Day!
Nicole Moreno has always considered herself more of a city girl, however she grew up in the outskirts of Gilroy, a little country town just two hours south of San Francisco. From her internship days at KPIX 5 in San Francisco to her current position as an Event Coordinator for American Cancer Society she has always had a product or company to promote. Currently she is a member of the San Francisco chapter of the American Marketing Association, Alpha Kappa Psi Business Fraternity, Bay Area Advertising Relief Committee and volunteers with Alzheimer’s Association and Reading Partners.